Page 482 - PERSIAN 4 1899_1905

10 ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON TITE PERSIAN GOLF POLITICAL

tlmt tho movement would bo abortive, for tbo latter has noither tho moral nor
religious reputation to win general support from tbo people of Oman, whose
formally expressed approval is a sine qua non of the confirmation of any candi*
date as “Imam.”
While tho above negotiations wero in progress at Rostak, Aysa’s tn0
brothers busied themselves elsewhere, and with a small following of black legs
made raids in several directions including tho outskirts of Barka, where they
attacked the summer quarters of the Sultan’s stable manager, killed his son,
wounded two of his women kind, and carried off two servants and some
horses. Binding that tho latter were the Sultan’s property, Aysa had then sent
back with a condescending letter from him to His Highness.
The forts of Hazm aud Rostak being now iu the hands of bisally Seyyid,
and tbo suggestion of tho latter as Imam having met with little or no response,
it was expected that Aysa and his attendant tribesmen would now return to
their country, hut this they showed no signs of doing probably owing to the
iact that prolonged drought'bad made the conditions of life difficult in their
own villages, and that in their present quarters they were living free, cither at
the expense of Seyyid-bin.Ibralum or the people of Itostak.
Nevertheless, by the first week in October the Sultan, who had for nearly
two months been incurring very heavy expenses for the maintenance of a large
force of friendlies on the Eatineh coast and its outposts, now felt able to draw
in bis horn3, and to limit his precautions to the retention of strengthened
garrisons at tho posts most liable to attack. His Highness himself now
returned to Maskat leaving his two elder sons, Taimoor and Nadir, to represent
him on the coast.
From this time, although as long as Aysa and Seyyid remained together
there could not be an entire absence of anxiety or sense of security, matters
generally quieted down and trading operations which bad for a long time past
been paralysed were once mere resumed. It was not till the month of Febru­
ary that Aysa-bin-Saleli returned to bis country, but for the last four or five
months previous he hod ceased to be a source of anxiety. Apart from the
above the only tribal incidents of sufficient interest to call for mention -were in
connection with Soor, which in some way or another seldom fails to figure in the
Administration Reports of this Agency.
Soor.—The annual hostilities which almost invariably break out in the slack
season between the Gbafiri and Hinawi elements in Jaalan, were pursued with
no less regularity than usual during the year under review, and during the
course of them the truculent old Amir of the Beni Bu Ali had reason to believe
that bis Hinawi enemies were being supplied with the sinews of war by his own
dependent tribosmen of Soor. He accordingly betook himself to the coast
with a large following, and having encamped on the Aigeh side of the creek
summoned the Sheikh of the port and gave notice that he iu tended to close tbe
entrances to the port by land and sea until such time as the Sheikhs gave him
an undertaking to restrain their followers from supplying provisions to bis
enemies in tbe interior, and also paid a fine for recent offences of this nature,
fle was as good as his word* and while he continued to press his terms upon
tbe elders, the port was placed in a state of close blockade and trade was
brought to a standstill.
"While the negotiations were proceeding one of the tribesmen expressed his
intention of taking his dhow out of the creek under cover of the Freuch flag,
and persevered in the attempt in spite of a warning from the Sheikh that he
would not be permitted to pass. The result was that the vessel was fired at by
Sheikh Abdulla’s men, and the flag itself was said to have been struck.
The incident at once became tbe subject of a claim for compensation by
tbe French Government upon His Highness tbe Sultan, who is understood to
have replied that much as be regretted tho occurrence it was an accidental
outcome of ordinary tribal feud such as is of every day occurrence in Oman,
and that be could not hold himself responsible to tbe French Government.
There for tbe moment tbe matter ended, fllieikh Abdullah soon returned to
the interior, but tbe ill-feeling between him and tbe 8oori sections of bis tribe
continued for some months, and eventually the town became divided against