Page 316 - Gulf Precis (III)_Neat

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40. The Ohlufs br.»tln*r liold out the fort until his arrival with a party of
Bedouins, who completely cut up tho invador’s party killing 8h«-ikh Suid-bin-
Tdhnun and a large number of his followers; whou tho rest took to the boata
and sailed away with tho plunder.
41. The liomb iy Government recorded the following resolution (No. 9021,
datod 2nd September 1866) : —
" It appew* from these papers that ex-Ruler of Abu Thabi Said bin Tahnun, without the
■lightest provocation, mado a piraticnl descent on Abu Thabi and plundered its bazaar, and
!
that ho acted thus, probably, with tho counivauce of the Chief of Joasrai and certainly with
the assistance of *ome of the boats and people of that Chief. Although the plunder was carried
ont, the enterprise was otherwise disastrous to the invader ; for tho Chief of Abu Thabi having
called into his aid, some other tribes gave his opponent battle and Said-bin-Tahnun with some
of his principal relations was killed. The Resident has demanded reparation from the Chief
of Jotemi and has blockaded his part.
The Resident has since found rea*on-« to believe that the plunder of the bazaar wa* not
•wholly to be ascribed to the invader, but in pome measure to the tribes called in to his aid by
the Chief of Abu Thabi. This maybe true, but it docs not, in the opinion of the Right
Honourable tho Governor in Council, materially affect the question of the guilt of the Joasrai
Chief, if it be true that he instigated the attack. In the extremity of danger, the Chief of
Abu Thabi could not be expected to weigh very carefully the probability that those whom he
called to his aid, might recompense themselves for their labours. It is beyond all doubt that
the Chief of Abu Thabi was attacked without provocation, hi* own life and those of hi* sub­
jects endangered and their property plundered. Those who made or instigated the attempt
must be an-werablo for all the sub-equent losses. It is beyond doubt that boats of the Chief
of Joa<*mi were engaged in this piratical attack. That Chief must make full restitution and
the boats mu>t bo forfeited.”
42. Twenty-five thousand dollars was the amount of fine that was originally
inflicted by tho Resident upon the
Volum* 1—160 «f 1858.
Joasrai Sheikh. After payment, how­
ever, of the first instalment (7,000 dollars^ tho Governor in Council
having expressed his opinion that it would be good policy to evince a
certain degree of leniency towards the Chiefs, and the Resident having admitted
the fine to be a severe one, Sheikh Snltan-bin-Suggar was informed that, in
the event of his cheerful compliance with fresh instalments as they reached
maturity, a portion of the amercem-nt would be remitted.
At the dose of the year 1859 the 2nd instalment fell due, and Commander
Balfour was deputed to Kas-ui-Hkiraa to recover it. Sheikh Sultan as usual
hud recourse to shifts and evasion. Commander Balfour, h >wever, was not the
man to attend to idle excuses or to permit conferences to be spun out by
alfected delays. Shei h Sultan, seeing no chance of escaping the demand,
made good the whole of the 2nd instalment, barring the sura of 303 dollars ferr
which he surrendered pledges. This balance had been left by Government to
the option of the Resident to recover or to remit as seemed to him most advisable
and possibly enough, the Resident might have deemed it politic to forego its
recovery, had not Joasmi dependents in the*interim been guilty of fresh
•enormities, and thereby left no room for the display of olemency. Its payment
was therefore enforoed by Captain Felix Jones whilst on a circuit of the Gulf
Ports in May 1860.

<111)—DISTURBANCES IV OMAN CAUSED BY SEYYID TURfCI AND TOHENTED BY
SHEIKH SULTAN BIN SAGGAR OF SUARGAII, 1857.

43. In April 1857, the British Agent at Maskat reported that Seyyid Turk!
had rebelled against his brother Seyyid
CooiolUtion, 31.t Julj 1857, Not. 461—464.
Thoweni, and had entered into a confederacy
with Nasir bin-RashidHowsini and Murhun-bin-Ali and'the members of their
tribe. He beguiled the Governor ef Khaburah and took forcible possession of
his fort. He expelled the Governor of Shinas and placed a number of the
Alw-Ali tribe in charge of the place. The result of these -proceedings was
that the whole of Uman was thrown into a turmoil. There was no doubt®
the mind of. the Resident that Sultan-bin-Saggar was busy fomenting the
discord to gain Ini* own purposes, especially in the undefined .territory towards
BLussundam. The Resident itoak occasion to .write .to -the British Aga**