Page 231 - Arabian Gulf Intellegence

MUSK AT. 189

pledge, but that His Highness’ desire should be referred to India.
The guarantee of course was never given.
Some irregular proceedings on the part of the Arabs* of Al Ushkara
having been brought to the notice of the Government, instructions were
issued to the Political Agent at Kishm to proceed against them, in the
event of the action reported appearing to be clearly piratical ; at the
same time, he was instructed to take every care to ascertain that what
was represented as piracy, might not be lawful warfare. In conformity
with these instructions, a cruiser was despatched to Al Ushkara, to
convey a letter addressed to the Chiefs of the Beni Boo Ali Tribe from
the British authority. On arriving ofF the place above alluded to, a man
of some consequence (who had been previously procured from Muskat),
was sent with the communication, but, on his landing, the boat was
attacked by the Arabs, and the messenger cut in pieces. This proceed­
ing appeared to the Political Agent sufficient to justify immediate
hostilities, and accordingly, by his orders, six companies of sepoys, with
eight pieces of artillery, were embarked from Kishm on board several
vessels of war, which sailed forthwith for Muskat, where they arrived
on the 11th October. A plan of operations was immediately concerted
with the Imaum, and it was arranged, that as the landing at Al Ushkara
was nearly impracticable, and could not be supported by such of His
Highness’ troops as were to co-operate, the detachment should proceed
to Soor by sea, while His Highness marched with his forces by land
to the same place. The Beni Boo Ali Tribe no sooner received infor­
mation of the projected expedition than they set fire to Al Ushkara, and,
after burning fourteen of their boats, retreated into the interior, to Bulad
Beni Boo Ali. The detachment being joined by one thousand men
from the Imaum, together with nine hundred head of draft cattle,
marched from Soor on the 1st November, carrying with them two six-
pounders, two howitzers, and two iron eighteen-pounders.
On the Sth November the combined forces arrived within three miles
of Bulad Beni Boo Ali, the residence of the
a. d. 1820.
hostile tribe, and a demand was forthwith made
for the surrender of their fortifications and arms, together with the
persons who had murdered the messenger at Al Ushkara. The sum­
mons was sent by His Highness the Imaum, but conveyed
an intimation from the Political Agent that the war on the part
of the British was brought on by the Beni Boo Ali having committed
piracies on the seas, and that this cause was quite distinct from the
reasons which had induced His Highness to proceed against them. In
* A small place on the sea coast near Ras-ool-Hud, belonging to the Beni Boo Ali Arabs,
a fierce and turbulent tribe residing in Jaalan, a province belonging to the Imaum whose
authority they had lately thrown off (June 1820).