Page 386 - Arabian Gulf Intellegence

342 JOASMEES.

The affair was most judiciously arranged; but it was not, however
till eleven shots had been fired, one into the
A. D. 1811.
curtain of the fort, two into the fort itself, and
one into a house hard by, that Shaikh Salmin bin Nassir was induced
to afford compliance. The remaining shots either fell short of their
mark, or were intentionally directed, to avoid the infliction of injury;
and it was a matter of gratification that the object desired was fully
attained, without any loss of life on shore. Rugragee’s boat was
publicly burnt previous to the squadron’s sailing from Biddah. These
proceedings were attended with decidedly good effects: Salmin bin
Nassir lost no time in seizing the slaves and effects of Jassim bin
Jabbur Rugragee at Biddah, and the Chief of Bahrein issued the strictest
orders to all the places on the sea coast, belonging to himself, not to
afford shelter to suspicious characters, under pain of severe punishment.
It was subsequently ascertained that Rugragec and some of his people
were actually in Biddah when the squadron arrived off that port, but
had been sent off* with all haste by Salmin bin Nassir, who had,
on finding matters so serious, and that he was held fully to ac­
count, despatched a party to bring back the pirates; but it was then
too late,—they had got beyond his reach.
Shaikh Sultan, on receiving information (false and unfounded) that
Ameer Khalid contemplated sending Syud bin Mootluk and Bin Buteel
with a force against Brymee, opened a communication with them, with
a view to promote the ruin of the Brymee Shaikhs. His letters by some
means fell into the hands of the latter themselves. The character,
however, of the old Joasmee Shaikh, for faithlessness and intrigue, was
so well established throughout these quarters, and he was so entirely
distrusted by all parties, that his machinations seldom produced,
comparatively speaking, any evil consequences.
Abdoolla bin Rashid, the Shaikh of Amulgavine, desirous of taking
advantage of the divisions existing in the family of the Joasmee Chief,
to complete the building on the sea side, commenced previous to the
attack upon his tower, but to which he was precluded from adding by
one of the conditions of the treaty entered into on that occasion with
Shaikh Sultan bin Suggur, through the mediation of the British
Resident, expressed his wish to this effect in an interview with that
functionary. He admitted that Shaikh Sultan bin Suggur had as yet
displayed no signs of enmity; that he had, indeed, carefully adhered to
the terms of the treaty ; but remarked, that he considered it hard that
he alone of all the chiefs should be restrained from altering or improving
his defences as he thought proper, the more so as the incomplete state
of his towers left him exposed to the attack of his enemies by sea.
involving a
Such a proceeding was deprecated by the Resident, as