Page 335 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

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YOU THE YEAR 1014. 51

CHAPTER IX.
ADMINISTRATION REPORT FOR THE TRTJCIAL COAST FOR
THE YEAR 1914.

The Trucial Coast has, this year, suffered severely from the ravages of
plague and, perhaps more than any part
G<uoral
of the Persian (xu'f from the dullness
of the pearl-market, always seriously affected by the outbreak of War. Follow­
ing hard on the Wars between Turkey and Italy and in the Balkans, the great
European War caused wide-spread distress even in this remote locality.
The War also affected this unfortunate tract ia another way. Owing to
the Government demand for transports, the British India Company were I
unable to serve the minor ports in the Persian Gulf as usual and Deb, ai, the
distributing port for the Trucial Coast, and Lingah, which, when Debai fails, takes
its place, were both, perforce, neglected. Asthb Coast depends on these steamers
l'or its supply of cereals, it was at one time gravely threatened by famine.
If we add to this a severe storm that sank about 50 pearl-boats and
drowned 100 divers, it can truly be said that these Arabs have been afflicted,
in the course of 1911, with every species of disaster that could possibly overtake
them.
Conditions are now slightly improved. Plague is no longer reported ; the
Company has resumed its normal sailings, but it will be long before the Coast
recovers.
Shaikh Salirn bin Sultan proposed, in March, to lit out an expedition hy
sea against the villagers of Sbaam, whom
Rm-cl-Kbaimali.
he alleged to he refractory to his orders.
Ilis proposals were supported hy the Residency Agent but both the Shaikh and
the .Agent were informed by the Acting Resident that such expeditions were
a breach of the Truce and could not be tolerated. The Shaikh was directed to
bring his grievances to the notice of the Political Resident when next on tour
on the Trucial Coast. Nothing futther has been heard on the subject.
This Shaikh has not yet been recogn bed as independent of Shargah but
the change in the succession to that Shaikhdom has certainly established his
position more firmly than ever.
Last year it was foreshadowed that it would probably be necessary to
coerce Shaikh Rashid bin Ahmed. The
Umm-tl'Ktlwaia.
sanction of Government was received and
this painful duty was carried out, on the ISth March, by H. M. S.
“ Fox, ” (i Dartmouth, ” and “ Odin. ” The recalcitrant Shaikh was quickly
brought to reason and paid Rs- 10,000 in settlement of his brother’s claims
against him and a line of lts. 15,000 to Government for his contumacy.
Ajman. Nothing to record.
Shaikh Sagar bin Khalid died of plague on the 18th April. He was
succeeded by his cousin Shaikh Khalid
8bnrg»h.
bin Ahmed, appointed to the Shaikhdom
by the late Shaikh just before his death. Owing to the general upset of the
War, it has not yet been possible to convey the formal confirmation by the
Government of India of this Shaikh’s accession in the usual way.
Once during the year, Shaikh Harndan bin Zaid repeated the old cry that
the Amir of Nejd was likely to threaten
Ala Dthaul.
the independence of Oman. As he used
this to support an application for a pass.to purchase ammunition from Maakat,
it does not soera that it was seriously uu»*nt. There is not a shred of reliable
evidence to show that the Amir over gave the Trucial Chiefs a thought this
year.
HI