 Matters came to a head when Khalid bin Barghash attempted to take control of the palace in Zanzibar Town upon the death of his uncle in August 1896 , despite failing to gain the consent of the British consul there . Mathews opposed this succession and , with British agreement , called up 900 soldiers in an attempt to prevent it . This situation eventually led to the Anglo @-@ Zanzibar War and Mathews , with the support of Admiral Harry Rawson and five vessels of the Royal Navy , bombarded the palace and secured the end of Khalid 's administration . Mathews ' helped to arrange the succession of a pro @-@ British Sultan , <unk> bin Mohammed , as Khalid 's successor . Mathews continued his reforms after the war , abolishing slavery in 1897 and establishing new farms to grow produce using Western techniques . He was appointed a member of the Grand Order of <unk> of Zanzibar and was permitted to accept and wear the decoration on 25 August 1897 . 
