Page 710 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

u ANNUAX REPORT ON THE PERSIAN GULP POLITICAL RE3IDEN0T

CHAPTER. IX.

ADMINISTRATION REPORT FOR THB MUSCAT AGENCY FOR THE
YEnR 1019.
Major L B. H. Haworth, I.A., held charge of the office of Political Agent
and His Britannic Majesty’s Consul till
pmooMi. the forenoon of 17th October, when he was
relieved by Mr. R. B. L. Wingate, I.CJS., who'held charge till the end of the
year.
The post of the Agency Surgeon continued vacant.
The. 8enior Medical Officer, Bait-el-Falaj, officiated in charge of the
Agency and Telegraph 8taff.
Mr. Ehtasham-ed-Douleh continued to be Dragoman of the Agency during
the year.
Sub-Assistant Surgeon J. P. Mascarenhas was relieved on 27th March
by Sub-Assistant Surgeon , P. P. Dssouza who remained in charge of the
Hospital till the end of the e year.
Monsieur Mateudi, the warrant officer in charge. French coal godown,
officiated .as French Consul till loth February, when Monsieur C. Lecoutour
relieved him- The latter remained in charge till 27th November, although he
proceeded to Bombay on 2nd September returning ou 20th October.
Monsieur J. Yvoonou who relieved Monsieur Mateudi when the la‘ter
returned to France as warrant officer in charge French Coal Godown on 6th
March, has been officiating since the departure of Monsieur Lecfuteur.
During the year under report there were no collisions between the adherents
of the Sultan on the coast and the Omani
Condition of Conakry.
party of the interior ruled by the Imam,
and a state of peace tempered by mutual suspicion and restriction of movement
and trade prevailed Early in the year there was a strong rumour of an
intended attack by the Imam on Sur where the Sultan’s Government for years
had been singularly futile. H. M. S. “Britomart” was, therefore, sent down
there with the Wali of Muttrah. The affair however came to nothing, though
whether this was due to the presence of the “ Britomarfc * or to the fact that the
supposed attack was a tentative rumour, is not clear.
In February, the Political Agent succeeded in getting into touch, by letter,
with the Omani Chiefs and a meeting between him and Shekh Isa, the supposed
spokesman cf the Imam's party, was arranged to take place in April The
death of Siikh Isa’s brother, however, caused the date to be postponed, and it
was not till the 16th September that the meeting between the Political Agent
and Sheik Isa took place at 8ib.
The situation was discussed with considerable frankness by; both sides. The
proposal of the Political Agent that the. Sultan should.be the temporal, and
the Imam the spirtual, bead' of a united.Oman was however immediately
negatived.by the Omani Chiefs. It'was realised that a settlement on the basis of
the statu* qno\ was the only possible solution, the Omanis ruling their country
and the Sultan his, with freedom of travel and intercourse, and guarantee on
the part of both sides against attack. There remained for settlement the
Question of the return of private property of the Sultan’s subjects seized by
the Omanis, and the return by the Sultan of the Omani prisoners, relatives of
Sheikh Isa, whom he held in Muaoat.
The Sultan was perfectly billing to return the prisoners, and in fact
ware the Political Agent a free hand in the whole affair. It is however only
lair to add that he has been throughout openly sceptical that the Oma»Js
would come to any agreement except under compulsion. fcjoikli Isa was cqual-
ly confident as was Sbejrii Said bin Nasir-al-ELhindi, a prominent Abadni