Page 372 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

72 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY

October the line was extended to Bait-el-Watayah.
On December 15th, as the result of a quarrel, a local Arab brought a
...
complaint against three of His llighncss’s Turkish guards. Saiyid Taimur
the eldest son of His Highness, found that the Turks were to blame and
ordered their confinement in the fort. They refused to submit and were
joined by their comrades. Saiyid Taimur then sent some Arab askaris to
fetch them and gave instructions that fire was to be opened on the Turks if
they refused to come. As the askaris approached them one of the Turkish
soldiers fired in the air, and the Arabs in return fired into them and killed one
and wounded another. The Turks then went before His Highness who took
away their rifles and dismissed them all from his service.
The men were subsequently despatched to Basrah by His Highness on
December 21st.
The As Siabiyim— On April 1st, the Sultan’s second son Saiyid Nadir
was deputed by His Highness to Semayil in order to prevent the construction
of a fort by the Siabiyin between Bidbid and Nafali. Saiyid Nadir seized
and imprisoned three influential men of the Siabiyin and compelled the tribe
to raze the fort.
In consequence of the threatening attitude of the Siabiyin, His Highness
the Sultan on June 10th sent Muhammad-bin-Bedr with 12 Turkish soldiers
of his bodyguard to protect Sib. He returned on June 14th, however, as his
force was too small to be of use.
The Bani Ruwahah.—In the month of April, desultory hostilities were
carried on between the Bani Riyam and the Bani Ruwahah, near Zikki. In
May the Wali of Zikki reported that 14 men of the Bani Ruwahah had been
ambuscaded by the Bani Raiyam and that they had lost 9 men killed and five
wounded. On May 14th the Bani Ruwahah revenged themselves by attacking
the Bani Riyam at Mati and killing eight and looting a great deal of
property.
On May 19th, there was further fighting, and on May 31st, the Bani
Riyam made an attack in force on the Bani Ruwahah at Ghubre ( y.y ) but
were repulsed with the loss of 27 men killed. Further fighting ensued at
intervals with losses on both sides, but at the end of August it was reported
that the dispute had been settled.
On August 8th, His Highness received news that the Bani Ruwahah had
captured the fort of Sijah from the Bani Jabir. His Highness sent his
son Saiyid Nadir to Semayil with 60 bags of rice and 6,000 cartridges.
The dispute was settled at the end of August, and Saiyid Nadir placed 30
of his men in the fort of Sijah to keep the peace. The total casualties
during the feud were 34, and 10,000 date trees were destroyed. Saiyid
Nadir returned to Maskat on September 23rd and a salute of 11 guns was
fired in his honour.
Sur.—In April, the head of the Bani Bu Ali tribe, Sheikh Abdullah-
bin-Salim, came down to Sur. He refused to receive a present of 300 dollars
sent to him by the Sultan and returned to Jaalan apparently in a huff.
Later in August Abdullah-bin-Salim again arrived in Sur with 150 men.
About this time the Sultan received two letters from the Sheikhs at Sur,
stating that they intended to levy a 5 per cent, tax from traders to compen­
sate themselves for the trouble of settling cases. The Sultan replied object­
ing strongly to the proposal.
The Sultan sent Abdullah-bin-Salim a present of 200 dollars, six bags
rice and ammunition in addition to his subsidy of 300 dollars due for three
months, in order to prevent him from stirring the troubled waters at Sur. In
September a settlement was arrived at through the medium of an agent
whom His Highness despatched to Sur, and Abdullah-bin-Salim returned
On December 4th, the Wali of Sur reported to His Highness that 30
men of the Bani Rahsib of Jaalan had attacked Sur and had been repulsed
with a loss of two men.