Page 499 - PERSIAN 2B 1883_1890_Neat

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RESIDENCY AND tfUBCAT POLITICAL AGENCY fOR 1887*88.

The nows of Soyyid Sultan's death.'causod, ab may be imagined, intense dismay through
'Oman.
Threatened as tho oountry Was hy external foes, tho people seemed to be stunned
loss of their great loader, and for Botf*e little timo the attitude of all parties was one of expecta­
tion. But such a condition of affaire could not last, and it was not long before Sultan a
brothers, Kais and Muhammad (for the Imam Saoed had died the previous year), rose in armo
against their nephews, Salim and Saeed, the only point in whose favour was the possession of
Muscat.
Sultan's death, however, affected not only his own country; it created a great alteration in
the state of politics over tho whole Gulf. Tho general consternation at the disappearance of the
warrior, who had alone actively opposed tho common foe and distnrber of public peace, caused
every Chief to prepare to defend himself, not knowing his friends from his enemies, while the
Kowasirn and Uttoobees, being no longer held in check, became more daring than ever. At this
time, November, the pirate fleet ©insisted of eleven war dows and thirty-three trankeys, to
which were soon added two brigs, the Trir.ner and (Shannon, taken from the English. A
month later the pirates rose to the audacity of attacking a vessel of war. This was the
Morninplon cruiser, which had been despatched from Bombay to protect the English trade in
the Gulf, and though 6be succeeded in beating off her assailants it was not without difficulty, for
they were superior iu force.
In character Seyyid Sultan is said to have been resolute and energetic. Fond of military
expeditions, and always ojen-baaded, be was universally admired by his people and bis pres­
tige in the country equalled that of his father. He seems to have been quite as able &> his
better known 6on, Saeed, and was certainly of a more noble and less sensual disposition.
Seyyid Sultan's claims to the gratitude of his countrymen were certainly great. In
addition to bis efforts to keep the Wabhabecs at bay, he had made his country more respected
abroad than it had been for a century and a half, and had greatly extended his dominion by
the acquisition of territory on the Persian Coast. He was, moreover, unceasing in his endea­
vours to develop the commerce of 'Oman, and by fixing his residence at Muscat had done much
to raise that city to the position of being the chief emporium of trade in the Persian Gulf.
In East Africa Seyyid Sultan bad little opportunity of extending his rule, as he was too
much engaged in home affairs to be able to pay attention to it, and matters there remained in
the same state as they were left by Seyyid Hamad on liis visit to that coast in 1781. Zanzi­
bar Island had continued to be governed direct from Muscat, while Mombasa remained in­
dependent and undisturbed, though the Wali, Ahmed bin Muhammad, wrote in 1793 to
acknowledge Seyyid Sultan's sorerainty.

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