Page 401 - Arabian Gulf Intellegence

JOASMEES. 357 -
1
During llic years 1852 and 1853, Shaikh Sultan bin Suggur would
sccin to have laboured under feelings of extreme irritation, and to
have done all in his power to incur the displeasure of the British U
Government.
Twice during the period I have mentioned was our British Agent at
Shargah subjected to insults whilst residing at his post within the
Joasmee dominions,—once from people of Shargah, with the connivance
of its chief, a son of the Joasmee, and once from parties in the interest
i
of the Wahabcc Ameer, whom Shaikh Sultan professed his inability to
control. In either ease was redress demanded and afforded; but
scarcely had satisfaction been given, and a reconciliation between
;
Shaikh Sultan and the British Agent been effected, in the presence of
Commodore Robinson, than the former addressed a letter to the Re­
sident, preferring a fresh set of charges against the latter, for misappro­
priation of monies entrusted to his care for delivery to others,—charges
both vague and groundless, as was proved by the fact of his being
compelled to retract every particle of the accusation he had made,, when
called upon to furnish proof of the truth of the allegations.. Again,
towards the close of the year 1852, Shaikh Sultan wrote a letter to the
Resident, complaining bitterly of the manner in which- he was brought
to account for even the slightest case of maritime irregularity committed
by his dependents, whilst the other subscribers to the truce, he said,
were permitted to act with impunity, and were nc t remonstrated with
on occasions of infraction of their engagements with the British Go­
vernment. The Joasmee was favoured, in reply, with a communication
from Captain Kemball, completely refuting every charge of partiality
he had thought fit to adduce, and proving most clearly that one and all I
of his insinuations were groundless.
Much of this soreness of feeling was supposed to have arisen out
of an ill-will borne to the British Agent, in consequence of divers
disclosures he made to the Resident regarding the traffic in slaves
carried on by the Joasmee’s dependents. Another and far stronger
cause of irritation, however, was to be attributed to an intimation
conveyed to Shaikh Sultan bin Suggur by Captain Kemball, “ in
compliance with the orders of the Honorable the Court of Directors, that
Government refused its confirmation of the arrangement he (Shaikh
' Sultan) proposed to Colonel Hennell, for the payment through him,
instead of direct to the injured parties, of monies which might be
recovered hereafter as compensation for piracies, homicides, or other
injuries sustained by his subjects.”
This announcement would appear to have well nigh maddened
the Joasmee. “He was very wroth” ;—so writes the Agent in a letter