Page 191 - PERSIAN 4 1890_1899

BESIDENCT AND MU8CAT POLITICAL AGENCY POE THE YEAE 1893-M. 21

differences between the Glmfri tribes of the Scmmayil Vulley and the Abl
Uosbar; but when the Ghafri Shaikhs came to Muscat to receive the indemnity
which had been agreed upon, the Sultan declined to pay the full amount. The
Shaikhs refused to accept a reduction, and left Muscat feeling much aggrieved-
This rofusal of tho Sultan to abido by the terms of the decision which it
was understood ho had authorised his Wali to make, led to further trouble and
joss of life aftor the close of the year under report.
A peace was concluded between the Harthand the Beni Jabir.
In October His Highness the Sultan was informed that His Highness
8ayyid Abdul Aziz bad definitely refused to accept a pension from the 8ultan
on the condition that he should quietly reside in India.
The attitude assumed by the Rinds of Mekran in the matter of their
claims for the restitution of their slaves who had taken refuge at Gwadur, was
a standing menace to that out-lying portion of the 8ultan*s dominions for some
months during the year. Several hundreds of these fugitive slaves had col°
lected in Gwadur, the first arrivals coming in early in the preceding cold
weather. In May intimation was received of a threatened attitude on that
town in consequence of the refusal of the Wali to return the slaves to their
former masters, which the Sultan was hound not to do by the terms of the
Treaty of 1S73. This threat was repeated at intervals, but was not carried
into execution. The garrison at Gwadur was reinforced, and correspondence
took place between the Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Agent to the
Governor-General in Baluchistan, and the Government of India. It was evi­
dent that the Sultan was not expected to provide a permanent refuge for these
fugitive slaves in Gwadur, and that they could not he allowed to take up their
residence there in such close proximity to their former masters. They were
accordingly advised to leave for Karachi and other British Indian ports, which
they did, some of them receiving assistance to enable them to reach their port
of destination.
One case of breach of the maritime peace of the Gulf occurred, in which
the Sultan was advised to inflict a fine of Rs. 50 on Mehdi-bin-Ali, the Shaikh of
the Kamazarah tribe of Khassab, for proceeding with a party of armed men by
sea to Sliaam'with the object of prosecuting a certain claim his wife had against
the estate of her deceased father. After some months’ delay, the attendance
of the Shaikh was enforced at Muscat and the fine was recovered.
The Telegraph station at Gwadur was closed in September, the Post Office
was maintained, and a telephonic circuit
General.
was established connecting Gwadur with
the telegraph line at Ormara and Charbar for the use of the Native Assistant.
A fire broke out in Gwadur in April, which caused considerable damage
to house and other property. The loss suffered by British subjects was esti­
mated at Rs. 3,000.
Nothing further has been heard of the seven Africans to whose case allusion
was made in last year’s report. The
Slave trade.
reputed owners of the party, who have
property both in Melindi on the East Coast of Africa and in Oman, were sent
for when they arrived in Oman, and were interrogated; they stated that the
Africans were not their slaves and denied all knowledge of them. It is
understood that further enquiries are in progress by the officials of the Imperial
East Africa Company to test the truth of the above statements.
A bold case of kidnapping occurred in February 1894), by wbiob one
uftah, an African freeman, who had taken passage in a Jjuglah at Lingah
on his way from Busrah to Zanzibar, was landed by the tiakhoda of the