Page 301 - PERSIAN 3 1883_1890

ADMINISTRATION REPORT
or THIS
PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY

AND
MUSCAT POLITICAL AGENCY
FOR THE YEAR
1885-86.

PART I-GENERAL.

1.—MUSCAT, OMAN.
A summary of political events at Muscat and in Oman during the past year by Lieutenant-
Colonel E. Mockler forms the second portion of the report.
2.—PIRATE COAST OF OMAN.
2. This part has been somewhat disturbed during the past year, and hostilities have
occurred between the tribes on land.
3. In May the son of the Chief of Unm-cl-Kawain, Ahmed-bin-Abdullah, of the tribe
Al-bu-Ali, quarrelled with his father and fled to Ejman, the Chief of which place, Rashid-bin-
Ilamcyd, refused to give him up. The Chief of Umm-el-Kawain then allied himself with
Sheikh Sakar-bin-Khalid, Chief of Shargah, with the intention of attacking Ejraan.
4. Shortly after the Chief of Umm-cl-Kawain despatched two buggarahs, with 50 men
aud munitions of war, to a place between Ejman and El-Hajrah. The contents of the bugga­
rahs were landed partly at El-Hajrah and partly at Shargah, in support of the Chief of
Sbargain
5. The Assistant Resident, Mr. Robertson, visited the Pirate Coast in her Majesty's
Reindeer in the month of November, and touched at Umm-el-Kawain, but Shaikh Ahmed-bin-
Abdullah evaded coming on board the vessel.
6. The Resident subsequently wrote to Shaikh Ahmed, saying that the Residency Agent
had been instructed to demand from him a formal writing binding himself to abstain from
the irregular conduct complained of, and that on his passing this paper his conduct would be
leniently viewed.
7. In August the Residency Agent successfully mediated and brought about a renewal
of the treaty of friendship between the Chiefs of Ejraan and Hamriyeh, which was made by
them two years ago, on the conclusion of hostilities arising oat of the murder of three
Hamriyeh subjects by some of the Ejman people.
8. About the end of November the Chief of Debay, having had some differences with the
Chief of Shargah, united with the Chief of Ejmau and raided the districts of Shargah and
Ras-cl-Khaimah
9. Raids continued to take place between the people of Shargah and Ejman, and between
the townships of Umm-el-Kawaiu and Hamriych, and the animosity among the tribes
increased until January, when the treaty of peace between Shargah, Umm-el-Kawain, and Ras-
el-Khaimah on the one side, and Debay, Ejman, and Hamriyeh on the other, came to an end*.
10. On the 20th of that month the Chiefs of Dcbaj, Ejman, and Hamriyeh, with about
liOOO Arabs and a field-piece, arrived at Shargah, and a battle .ensued in which the people of
8hargoh were completely defeated, with a loss of 40 killed and 25 wounded, the assailants
losing 5 killed only,
11. The Residency Agont interfered for the protection of the lives and property of
British subjects, and held the Chief of Debay, Shaikh Ilasbar-bin-Maktum, personally respon­
sible for their safety.
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