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TOIL THE YEA.E 1018.

CHAPTER VIII.
administration REPORT FOR THE MUSCAT AGENCY FOR
THE YEAR 1918k
Major L. 33. H. Haworth, I.A., held charge of the office of Political
J Agent and His Britannic Majesty s Consul
Porsonool. throughout the year.
The post of Agency Surgeon continued vacant.
The Senior Medical Officer, Bait-el-Falaj, officiated in charge of the Agency
and Telegraph Staff.
Mr. Siddiq Hasan vacated the post of Dragoman on appointment as
Indian Assistant at Bahrain in April. He was relieved by Mr. Ehtasham-ed-
Doulch.
Sub-Assistant Surgeon J. P. MascareU has Remained in charge of the
Hospital. Owing to the difficulty of finding any one willing to come to
Muscat, it was found, impossible to relieve him during the year.
Monsieur Jeannierwho had been French Consul in Muscat for nearly 8
years died in September. Monsieur Mateudi, the Warrant Officer in charge of
tbe French coal godown, officiated as French Consul tih the end of the year,
shaikh Abdul Aziz-er-Ruwahi continued as Dragoman. He was absent for
some time on his properties in the Wadi Muawal.
At the close of the year 1917, the Omani national party tinder their elected
Imam were in complete control of the
Condition of coan'.rj.
whole of Oman proper, Shaikh Nasir
bin-"Rashid, brother of the Imam, having been made "Wati of tho newly
conquered Fort and area of Rostaq the Sultan ruled on. the coast line where
he could receive the protection, of British support.
There were constant rumours of differences between the Omani leaders
for which there was possibly ground, but such differences do not affect their
general policy or the stability of their alliance.
Parly • in the war, probably in 1914, the Imam Salim bin Rashid-el-
Kbarusi wrote to the Imam Yahya and to Said Pasha in Yemen asking them
for assistance. In 1916 he again wrote to Yemen saying that he had written
tbe previous letter, but that as, according to Oman custom the letter had not
been signed or sealed, it perhaps bad not been taken as authentic. It is the
Omani custom to state who is writing the letter but to put no seal, indeed
seals are possessed by few people.
In 1917 an answer was received by the Imam and he gave out that he was
expecting the arrival of 10,000 men from the Turks in Yemen, who it was
stated were to come by sea. Three messengers, from Yemen apparently
arrived in Oman having travelled by way of MokaUa and Sur.
In March it was reported that ttree Turkish Agents were travelling in
Oman trying to stir up the Omanis to attack the British. It was stated tbat°the
leaders of Oman had no desire to come to conflict with the British. If as '
presumed, these were the same people as those referred to in the preceding
paragraph, it is certain that the arrival of their 10,000 men would be awaited.
In the same month, Saiyid Nadir in the absence of the Sultan at Dhofar
arrested four men from the interior who had come down to Muscat Two f
these mec were connections of Shaikh Isa bin Salih and constant effort* wl
been made to induce the Sultan to release them. The Political Aecnt ^ °
approached in this reference also but refused to intervene as Shaikh t«L SS
not agreed to meet him to discuss matters. naQ
Shaikh Isa bin Salih and four headmen of the Hurth (tribe of el Harithil
ttrote to the Sultan letters on the subject which
*ero extraordinary in tone