Page 244 - Arabian Gulf Intellegence

202 MUSKAT.

The towns of Shinas and Gliillal were restored to His Highness. On
his return to Muskat, the Imaum liberated Syud Hillal from
confine-
ment> and allowed him to proceed to Soweilc. The total failure of his
attempt on Sohar, notwithstanding the powerful demonstrations made
by the British Government in sending a vessel of war to Muskat to
protect that place, and its declaration that it would not permit the
interference of foreign tribes in his afFairs, proved in a striking manner
the state of weakness to which His Highness’ ill-planned and worse-
executed schemes within the last three years had reduced him.
In February 1831, the Imaum again declared war against Humood
bin Azan of Sohar, and, in order to promote his
a. d. 1831.
views upon that place, subsidised Shaikh Sultan
bin Suggur of Ras-ool-Khyma, and Shaikh Rashid bin Ilumced of
Ejman, by paying them each a sum of money d-jwn, with promises of
a much larger amount immediately their troops joined him at Shinas.
The former, as usual, took the money, and neglected to fulfil his agree­
ment; but the latter kept his word, so far as to proceed to the place of
rendezvous with a small body of troops. His Highness, after a slight
opposition, succeeded in disembarking his force near Shinas, where,
after some time, he collected about 2,000 men. Previous to adopting
these measures, His Highness had taken steps to conciliate the
Wahabee Chief, by sending large presents, and in some measure
acknowledging his supremacy. On hearing of the preparations of the
Imaum, Shaikh Tahnoon made his usual offers of assistance,
which, however, were rejected by His Highness, who appears to
have considered the conduct of the Beniyas Shaikh in the attack
upon Bahrein to have been, to say the least, of a very suspicious
complexion. The consequence was, that Shaikh Tahnoon united
his interests with those of Humood bin Azan, and, by an ex­
tensive foray, made by his orders into the Joasmee territories, kept
Shaikh Sultan in check, and otherwise greatly crippled the arrange­
ments making by His Highness the Imaum for the siege of Sohar;
into which place Shaikh Humood, after being defeated in the field, was
forced to retreat. The town being closely invested, His Highness
directed a number of heavy guns to be landed from his vessels, and
batteries to be constructed, for the purpose of opening a breach ; but all
his plans were completely ruined by Shaikh Humood making a sud­
den and unexpected sally, by which the Imaum’s troops, after a slight
resistance, were entirely routed ; while, to complete the ill fortune of
His Highness, the men of the Beni Naeem Tribe, who had joined him
under Rashid bin Hurneed, turned their arms against their late allies,
and joined the Sohar forces in plundering and cutting them up. ie
loss on the side of the Imaum was so severe (amounting to four or ve

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