Lot 74

James McCabe, Royal Exchange, London, Movement No. 07393, Case No. 07393, 51 mm, 142 g, circa 1872
A historically significant gold hunter watch with minute repeater, presented to Sayyid Barghash bin Said Al-Busaid, Sultan of Zansibar, by expeditioner and diplomat Sir John Kirk - Kirk was a travel companion of explorer David Livingstone, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. The watch comes with original morocco leather box and watch chain.
Case: 18k gold and translucent red enamel, gold dome with engraving: "Sir John Kirk G.C.M.G K.C.B.", case maker's punch mark "AS" (Alfred Stram). Dial: enamel, off-white. Movm.: 4/5 plate movement, 2 hammers / 2 gongs, chain/fussee, duplex escapement, gold screw compensation balance.
Front and back lid are decorated with translucent red enamel over engine-turned ground and inscribed with a dedication in gold: presented to Sayyid Barghash bin Said Al-Busaid.
Sir John Kirk, GCMG, KCB, FRS (1832 – 1922) was a Scottish physician, naturalist, companion to explorer Dr David Livingstone, and British administrator in Zanzibar, where he was instrumental in ending the slave trade in that country.
He was born on 19 December 1832 in Barry, Angus, near Arbroath, Scotland, and earned his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh.
From 1858 to 1864 Kirk accompanied the explorer Dr David Livingstone on the Second Zambezi Expedition as a botanist and experienced his work to end the East African slave trade. He found Livingstone an inept leader and in 1862 wrote I can come to no other conclusion than that Dr. Livingstone is out of his mind and a most unsafe leader".
In 1866 Livingstone’s began his next and final expedition, to find the source of the Nile, from Zanzibar. From Livingstone’s subsequent correspondence during the expedition it seems that Kirk remained in Zanzibar and did not continue with the rest of the party. After Livingstone’s death in 1873, Kirk pledged to continue his work to end the East African slave trade.
From his appointment in 1865 the British Consul in Zanzibar, Henry Adrian Churchill worked on the abolition of the slave trade on the island, however his heavy workload and the adverse climate took a toll on his health in 1869 and Kirk, who was his physician and Vice Consul, advised him to leave for London for the sake of his health. Churchill left in December 1870 leaving Kirk to undertake his duties as acting Consul.
Kirk continued Churchill’s work on the slave trade and in June 1873 he received simultaneous contradictory instructions from London on the Zanzibar slave trade, one to issue an ultimatum to Sultan Bargash, under threat of blockade that the slave trade should be stopped and the slave market closed, and the other not to enforce a blockade which might be taken as an act of war pushing Zanzibar towards French protection. Kirk only showed the first instruction to Barghash, who capitulated within two weeks.
In August 1873 he was appointed British Consul in Zanzibar and in 1875 was also appointed Consul in the Comoro Islands, and in 1881 was appointed Consul general in Zanzibar. For years he negotiated with Sultan Barghash, gaining his confidence and promising to help enrich the East African domain through legitimate commerce. By 1885 the region was larger and more profitable.
He died on 15 January 1922 aged 89, and was buried in St. Nicholas' churchyard in Sevenoaks, Kent, England.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kirk_(explorer), as of 09/15/2018.
Sayyid Barghash bin Said Al-Busaid (1837-1888) was the Sultan of Zanzibar, who ruled over the Sultanate of Zanzibar and its East-African territories from 1866 or 1870 until his death in 1888. In 1883 the Sultan was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George. He was responsible for building the infrastructure of Stone Town in Zanzibar City and for abolishing the slave trade in Zanzibar. It is also said that Barghash recognised the advantages of a Western education and supported the European explorers on the mainland while at the same time strengthening his influence on the East-African territories by allowing the slave traders access to these areas.
Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barghasch_ibn_Said, as of 09/17/2018
James McCabe was active as a watchmaker from 1778 to 1811. When he died, his sons James, Robert and Thomas continued his successful business at the Royal Exchange in London. In 1833 Robert took over until 1883. The McCabes were famous for the diversity of their designs and their creativity and their work was held in high esteem by the owners of their products all over the world. The first President of the United States George Washington was known for his punctuality - of course he owned a pocket watch made by James McCabe.
We would like to thank Mr. Mahmoud Abou El Azm for his translation of the case inscription.

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