Page 80 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

70 ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON TTIR PERSIAN GULP POLITICAL

that tho Sultan’s prisoners should bo released on paymont of
§2,COO by thorn. Hostilities then commoncod, and two indecisive
actions wore fought botween Bulaiman supported by tho Bani
Ruwahah and tho Eiyamis in which eighteen rebols wore killed
and two of Sulaiman’s forco. The position at tlie timo of writing
is a deadlock, the fort of Ziki has been relieved and tho garrison
strengthened, but no further fighting has taken place aud His
Highness is trying to raiso a larger force in order to recover
possession of Birkat-al-Mauz, a place which haB always had
considerable attractions for tho Sultans of Oman.
II. Oman was visited by no epidemic disease during tho past year, and
EpidomicfcAnd Calamities. the health of Maskat and Mattrah was
normal throughout. No fires of im­
portance have occurred and the only calamity worthy of mention was that
which overtook a large Houri conveying passengers who had arrived from
India by the mail of the 15th January to the quarantine station. This boat
contrived to upset en route in a rough sea, and of the occupants 8 were
drowned. It appeared that they had little chance of escape as they were
carrying their money, which amounted to several hundred rupees per man,
in belts round their waists. The victims of this disaster were all Biluchis.
Quarantine arrangements have been carried out during the year as usual
and no complaints have been made against the administration which has been
as before in the hands of the Agency Surgeon.
IH. The condition of the Customs department in Oman still gives cause for
concern and needs considerable improve­
Cn 61032 B.
ment. In August last His Highness the
Sultan being convinced of frand on the part of his Supermteudeut, Hr.
Mahomed Ibrahim, who had served him continouslv in this capacity for three
years, suddenly suspended him. aDd placed the routine arrangements in charge
of the second official.. Abd-ui-Karrm. who has since carried on m the same
manner as his predecessor. His Highness has the accounts supervised how­
ever by one of the principal Hamas -oS Maskat, Mr. Damo&ar Dliaramsi,
who receives $100 per mensem for liis trouble.
The unsatisfactory method of raising money to meet sudden calls upon
the Imperial Exchequer to which a brief allusion was made in the report of
last year has still been mainTained. and it h appirreazS that the consequence
lias been that the debts of His Highness to merchants generally have still
further increased- It is hoped that before the end of the present official year
arrangements may have been made to place the Oman finances on a satisfac­
tory basis.
IV. Haring the past 12 months there has been a perceptible decrease in
the value of the arms and ammunition
Arms Traffic.
imported, such value being given as
§1,074.380 against 1,664,900 in 1904-1905. This decrease however does not
signify any reduction in the number of articles imported, but merely a reduc­
tion in the current prises, and there has not in fact been any diminution of
the annual supply or demand. The export to Koweit and the Arab coast has
been maintained; but fewer arms have been imported into the Mekran and
Persian Coasts than in 1904-1905, owing to the presence of one of His
Majesty’s Ships of war upon those coasts during a large portion of the season,
employed by Afghans and others for their smuggling operations.
V. The question of the legality vsr otherwise of the issue by Trance to
the subjects of His Highness the Sultan
Freoob FUf difficulty. of authorisation to sail under the French
flag has been frequently alluded to in these reports as having given rise to
many difficulties, not only between His Highness and the Trench Government,
but also between the latter and the Government of His Majesty. During the
past year the matter was referred to the Hague Arbitration tribunal in the
persons of
(1) Mr. Melville W. Fuller, Chief Justice of the United States of
America, selected as Arbitrator by His Majesty’s Govern­
ment i