Page 410 - Travels in Arabis (Vol I)

XXII.] TRAVELS IN OMAN. 371

more mild, equable, and regular, than any
other in Arabia, or perhaps any native dy­

nasty of the East.
Yet, with all his able qualities, the Imam’s

government has on more than one occasion
been placed in the greatest] eopardy. Ever

restless, and incessantly on the look-out for
some pretext to sanction their giving vent to

a natural love of strife, his relations have
usually taken advantage of his absence to
Zanzibar to carry their views into effect.

The defection of Sohar and the northern pro­
vinces has already been noticed: and in

1829 a party, headed by his nephew, obtained
possession of Maskat, but the British govern­
ment sent immediate intimation to the Imam

of what was passing, and were prepared with
ships and men to aid him in the recovery of it.

This manifestation was in itself sufficient, when
it became known, to arrest the progress of

the rebellion, and the leaders, upon the arrival
of the Imam, surrendered and threw them­

selves on his mercy. I believe the imprison­
ment of his nephew for about a week was the
heaviest punishment which he inflicted on

any one concerned. These irregularities ap-
2 b 2