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ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE POLITICAL AGENCY, MUSCAT,
FOR THE YEAR 1940.
Part II.
1. Ruling Family. (a) His Highness Saiyid Said bin Taimur.—Relations
between the Agency and the Palace have remained extremely cordial and on seve­
ral occasions the Sultan has entered into the social life of the town besides playing
tennis regularly at the Agency. The Sultan paid a short visit to Dhofar from the
‘25th of February to the 24th of March. In April he went to' India where he
remained for three months returning to Muscat in July. He spent most of his
time in India in Bombay paying a short visit to Poona and another to Calcutta.
In August he made a tour of the Batinah towns going as far north as Shinas to
which he had previously never travelled by car. This tour was a success and
stimulated the energies of the Governors to make more of an effort than they had
previously done to repair and renew their fortifications.
In December the Sultan was delighted to hear that his wife, who is living in
Dhofar, had given birth to a male child. There was great satisfaction in Muscat
and the child has been accepted generally as the heir. He has been named Kaboos
and is to remain in Dhofar for the present with his mother who is a lady of good
family from a Dhofari tribe. The Sultan was particularly gratified to. receive the
congratulations of His Majesty the King on the event.
(b) Saiyid Shahab bin Faisal.—He has retained his appointment as Minister
for External .Affairs and was left in charge during the absence of the Sultan in
Dhofar apd Bombay. Should the Sultanate become -vacant there is little doubt
that he would act as Regent for the Sultan’s minor son while should any misfortune
befalls the child Saiyid Shahab would succeed as Sultan. He is an intelligent man
and very well disposed towards Great Britain but unfortunately his somewhat
harsh disposition has made him unpopular.
(c) Saiyid Ahmad bin Ibrahim.—He has retained his appointment throughout
the year. He has not brought himself before the public eye at all and has been
content to carry on his duties to the best of his ability and lay out a garden at
Riyam, a village between Muscat and Matrah.
(d) Saiyid Mahmood bin Mohammad bin Turki.—Saiyid Mahmood remained
unemployed for the greater part of the year. He and his brother Ali bin Mohammad
bin Turki were thought in May and June to be voicing opinions not in accord with
the Sultan's attitude of extreme friendliness to the British Government. The
matter came to the Sultan’s ears and Saiyid Mahmood and his brother were threat­
ened with imprisonment in Jalali Fort. In the autumn the Sultan consulted the
Agency regarding certain changes in the Governors which he considered desirable.
It was suggested to him that Saiyid Mahmood would be better employed in directing
his active brain to the solution of the problems of a Wilayat tlian idling away his
time in Muscat. In December the Sultan appointed him Governor of Birkah.
His attitude now is distinctly pro-British.
(e) Saiyid Tarik bin Taimur.—He accompanied the Sultan to India and on
his return to Muscat was introucted to make himself acquanited with the machinery
of Government. The Sultan was concerned about his lack of application and
laziness. He sought the advice of the Agency pointing out that no one other than
himself was prepared to reprimand Saiyid Tarik who might one day quite conceiv­
ably become Sultan and therefore the young man was doing just what he liked when
not actually under his eye. The Sultan was advised to send Saiyid Tarik to Bait-
al-Falaj for a six months course of training under the Military Adviser, Major A. 0. C.
Pettyfcr, who would report to the Sultan on the young man’s character and general
ability. Saiyid Tarik joined te Muscat Infantry as a private soldier in. October
being treated in every way as a recruit except that he occupied an Indian Officer’s
quarter and had his own private servant. He has made good progress and is now
being instructed in the principles of leadership with a view to his acting as a platoon
and afterwards company commander. He has benefited both physically and
mentally by the active and busy life of Bait-al-Falaj.
(f) “ Mr: T: F. T.Al £aeed”.--He left Japan in September and made his way
via Singapore and Calcutta to Karachi arriving there in November. He .was
accompanied by hiB half Japanese daughter and. Khan Bahadur Ahmad Shubaily
M81G3EAD