Page 564 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF
08
gave an entertainment to the European community and others at the Customs
House, on the 3rd January 1911, in honour of the occasion.
The usual inter-tribal disputes and raids and counter raids took place at
intervals during the year. Most of these
Condition of oonntry.
were petty affairs, the only important
occurrence of this sort during the year being the disturbances at Sohar in the
hot weather and the autumn. It appears that the Wali of Sohar, Salim bin
Suleiman bin Suweilim, had made himself very unpopular throughout the
district by his tyrannical methods. The ill-feeling against him was brought
to a head by the Wali insisting on building a tower in Wadi Qur on a caravan
route leading to Sohar from the interior, and Sultan bin Muhammad Al-
Naeemi, aided and abetted by Shaikh Khalifah bin Zaid of Abu Thabi,
assumed a threatening attitude, The Wali marched out of Sohar, in the
middle of October, against Sultan Muhammad but was defeated. His High­
ness the Sultan proceeded to Sohar in the “ Nur-ul-Bahar,” on the 21st of
October, and eventually succeeded in effecting a settlement by accceding in a
great measure to the demands of the tribesmen. It was arranged that the
tower in the Wadi Qur should be razed to the ground and that His Highness
should pay the annual ‘ Farizah * (allowance) of £2,000 to Shaikh Khalifah
bin Zaid and Sultan Muhammad Al-Naeemi jointly, and that these two
Shaikhs should occasionally visit Maskat to discuss with His Highness
matters concerning that portion cf his dominions. There appears to have
been some talk of recalling the Wali in six months’ time, but this has not been
done, though the Wali is at present (February 1011) in Maskat answering
various charges and claims against him. His Highness has been advised by
most of the important men in Mcslrat to recall this individual—who appears
to be an ill conditioned and truculent Sidi—but so far refuses to do so.
In August, His Highness began to try and collect an increased “ Ashur ”
export duty on the Batineh Coast, apparently with the view of increasing his
revenue, and also of preventing goods being*sent to Dcbai for export. This
order raised considerable ill-feeling and some men of the Yal Saad tribe burnt
several houses in Masnaa on this account. The British subjects trading at
Khabura and other places on the Baiineh Coast also petitioned .the Political
Agent against this duty. In the discussion which this point raised His
Highness denounced the 1891 Treaty of Commerce between Great Britain
and Oman and, on November 23rd, gave 12 months’ notice for revision of the
Treaty required by Article 23 thereof.
Sur.—The affair of the seizure of the dhow “ Khadra ” by the Italian
authorities, referred to in last year’s report, formed the subject of correspond­
ence between His Majesty’s Government and the Italian Government
throughout the year. At the end of the year the Italian Government made
a proposal to return the dhow and the non-perishable goods therein, and give
some compensation to the Nakhoda provided the latter would sign a declara­
tion that the seizure of the dhow was technically legal, and that His Majesty’s
Government would pay an equal portion of the compensation. It has not
been possible however to get hold of the Nakhoda who was reported to have
gone to Aden on a voyage.
During the year under review this question has overshadowed all others
Am« traffic. at Maskat. At the end of 1909 His
Majesty’s Government had decided to
blockade the Mekran Coast and suppress, as far as possible, the export of arms
from Maskat to Mekran. Several large captures were made in December
1909 and January 1910, and the traffic was paralysed for some months, until
the weather became very hot and the Afghans, who had been waiting a/t Sohar,
decided to leave at all hazards. This resulted in two more large captures;
viz., two dhows containing some 2,000 rifles and 250,000 rounds of ammuni­
tion by H. M. S. “ Philomel,” on the 24th April, and one dhow containing
some 2,300 arms and 285,000 rounds of ammunition bv H M. S. “ Perseus/
on the 25th May.' After this nothing more happened till September when
the Baluchis started taking over small cargoes. On the 28th October, a cargo
of some 600 rifles belonging to the people of Dizak was successfully landed,