Page 20 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

10 ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON THR PERSIAN GULP POLITICAL

His Highness to defer, in roforenco to one or two details of the Award, to the
keen desire of the French to save their amour prop re, His Majesty’s Secretary
of Stato considering that he can afford to do so in view of the fact that the
practice will automatically cease to exist with the death of tho present owners.
The negotiations preparatory to the promulgation of the Award to His
Highness’s subjects were in progress when the year olosed, and Boomed likely
to endure for some little time longer.
The usual intortribal difficulties and petty rebellions against the Sultan’s
authority have been prevalent during the
Oman Tribal Politic*.
year, especially in the part of Oman which
is most favoured by nature and should accordingly be most prosperous under a
settled Government. In all serious difficulties of this kind His Highness seams
to tarn to his veteran campaigner Suleiman bin Swailim, who is never so happy
as when undertaking warlike expeditions for his master, which prove no
doubt a source of income to him, as well as an enhancement of his personal
prestige.
As usual the Sultan’s finances have been going from bad to worse, and
during this year he has fallen out with his
Tb« Sultan's finances.
Indian Customs Superintendent Muham­
mad Ibrahim of whom he would until recently not hear a word of disparage­
ment, and in whom as he told His Excellency the Viceroy at his interview at
Mask at, when advised to appoint an auditor, that he had every confidence.
This official was on the whole a capable administrator and with any supervision
at all would have served His Highness well, but as Sir Seyyid Fcisal took little
intelligent interest in-his accounts beyond seeing that his* Customs Superinten-
dent-and-Banker produced money from somewhere whenever wanted, any
other result than that which ensued was not to be expected.
The MasVat public have at all events to thank Muhammad Ibrahim’s
incumbency for a much improved sot of Customs buildings aod wharf accom­
modation which they would have waited many years for under a Banian
Customs regime. The latter community have now been able to insert the thin
end of the wedge in the person of Damodar Dharamsee, a former Customs
farmer and now pro forma, I fear, a paid supervisor, but it is to be hoped that
the early seitlemenfc of ihe French Flag question will make it possible for us
to take up the problem of the Sultan’s finances and indebtedness on business
lines, as well as several other important topics of which discussion with His
Highness has been postponed until the settlement of the above question has
made the atmosphere clearer. Among these I may include the Currency
question, regarding which the British Indian community made earnest
representations on the occasion of the Viceroy’s visit; the renewal of our
Commercial Treaty with Maskat, the period of which has expired; the better
adminisiration of the Soor Customs; and t-lie introduction of a British Bank
into Maskat.
It is interesting to note that of the total number of slaves released in
Masknt during the year, which in the
Blare Trad*.
aggregate runs about the average, or a
little short of it, less than half were African, the remainder being Mekranis.
An event whioh may prove to be a far reaching one and which, therefore,
deserves record was the success of Monsieur
The Spurge Rxplcrs&ca Syndicate.
Hatinoglou, the Greek representative of
the “ Sponge Exploration Syndicate ”, in obtaining from the Sultan, in Novem­
ber 1905, a concession for Sponge fishing with modern appliances on the Oman
Coast—a concession to which His Highness seems to have committed himself
somewhat incautiously. ,
■VTTI.—T racial The history of this region for tfra year affords, on the whole, material of
Oman.
unwonted interest.
The Sheikh of Behai’s death is much to be regretted, as the port of Debai
was thriving under his administration and
Dea* rf tbe Sfceikfa of DtfmL
rapidly ousting Lingah aa a. distributing
base for the Arab Coast Trade. It is to be hoped that progress will be

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