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12      ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON THE PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL
                  asking for help in tL way of ammunition which was rofusod. The 8ardars
                  were  later summoned to Bunder Abbas; but Mir Abdun Nabi having been
                  attacked en route and a fight ensuing, in which a few were killed, refused to
                  continue his journey, and was subsequently deprived of his authority. The
                  subsidy allowed by the Telegraph, for the protection of their lino, was conse­
                  quently transferred to Mir Haji Yusuf, whose appointment had been intimated.
                      The long continued grievances of the exaction of dues in transit between
                  Bunder Abbas and Kerman, on goods which had already paid the full duty at
                  the port of entry, was at last redressed. A refund, in one case, was obtained
                  through Her Britannic Majesty’s Legation at Teheran; in others, repayments
                  appear to have been made through the local authorities, and the complaints on
                  this score have ceased.
                      8ome difficulties in connection with the escape of fugitive Kind slaves to
                  Gwadur and their deportation thence continued, and threats, and even violence
                  were resorted to by the owners. A slave belonging to two brothers was kid­
                  napped after many years* residence at Gwadur, and it was only after the stop­
                  page of the subsidy enjoyed by one of the brothers from the Telegraph, that the
                  man was freed. One Din Muhammad Rind proceeded to far greater lengths
                  in the way of reprisal, and seized an Indian bunntah, whom he carried off from the
                  road between Pasni and Gwadur. He also seut messages, threatening further
                  acts of violence in retaliation for the deportation of his escaped slaves. The
                  bunniah was released after a month or two, on the security, it is said, of another
                  Rind.
                      A telegraph station was re-established at Gwadur as a combined post and
                  telegraph office; the telephone, which had been tried, having been found to
                  be a failure.
                                           11.—SLAVE TRADE.
                      There were several cases of importing and dealing in slaves on the Arab
                  coast. A fine was imposed on the Chief of Ras-el-Khymah for his neglect of
                  treaty obligations in respect of an attempted importation of slaves into his ter­
                  ritory from the Maskat coast.
                       In one case, in which eight negroes were captured from a vessel wrecked on
                  the south coast of Arabia and enslaved by their Bedouin captors, His Highness
                   the Sultan of Maskat acted most promptly and energetically and succeeded in
                  rescuing five.
                       There were a few cases of importation of new slaves on the south coast of
                   Persia; in most cases the slaves were traced and given their freedom.
                       Two slaves took refuge in the Residency at Bushire and two in the Lingah
                   Agency. At each place one was manumitted, and the other not coming under
                   the provisions of the treaty was restored to the local authorities, under promises
                   of future good treatment by the masters.

                                       12.—ROYAL NAVY VESSEL8.
                       In April H. M. S. Sphinx proceeded to India od relief by H. M. 8.
                   Pigeon, and returning in May resumed her duties on this station.
                       In October H. M. 8. Lapioing relieved H. M. 8. Sphinx, remaining till
                   November, when she returned to Maskat and.was relieved by H. M. 8.
                    Sphinx.
                                          13.—OBSERVATORY.
                        The results of the daily observations are recorded in a tabular statement
                   marked Appendix A.
                                                           F. A. WILSON, Colonel,
                                                         Political Resident, Persian Oulf.
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