Page 150 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920

10 PERSIAN GULP ADMINISTRATION REPORT
Tlio Arms 1173161101150 at Maskat, which came into existence on Sep*Cmi
1st, 1012, bas been of very great assista
Tlio Anrj Wtrchoce.
in the suppression of the arms traffic
the Persian Gulf, an:l since its institution the imports of arms and ainmum»:ln
into Mask At hive fallen o.'T i.i a remarkable mm i'ir It will bo roovllal th\?
at tho opening of tbe warehouse, the local authorities wore alike mialii0 J*
compel tho bringing into Maskat of tbe large stocks of arms which had i,J°
accumulated in the Oman hills and along the Batinah coast, ort» prevent
the dealers from sending out of Maskat every round and rifle they could j.
their hands on. These clrcumstances gave rise to the slate of allairs reviewed
in the preceding paragraph. As a set-off against them, however, it can L
fairly claimed that, of the former infiltrations of arms and ammunition into
Oman, barely one-tenth is now reaching the inhabitants.
A carefully compiled annual report, reviewing the working of the arms
warehouse during the first year of its institution, was issued by tlie warehouse
superintendent in October last. O.i the whole the warehouse seems to haVg
been well run, though there was evidently some slackness in regard to the
issue of arms and ammunition as samples A noticeable featuie was, however,
that neith er the deposits nor the withdrawals of rifles on behalf of the Sultan'
of Maskat were sh >w.i at all. Tin absenae of these details detracted from the
value of an otherwise satisfying report, dealing as they dth the items under
which leakage is most likely to occur.
Out of a fleet of 9 ships belonging to the East ludics Squadron, 5 have
been maintained more or less iu the
Naval Jlcawrc*.
Persian Gulf for blockade purposes. Tlie.ce
'ships have been assisted by four armed launches to which the R. I M.8
Mvnto has anted as parent ship These launches have been responsible for
most of the patrol work which has been done during tho year Since the
month of August, only one ship has been continuously available for blockade
purposes, with the result that operatio is were latterly greatly relaxed. This
may have given rise to the opinim, anpire l dy prevailing in M ikran, that t.ie
British Government ars no longer greatly concernel about the arms traffic.
Owing to the smallness of thi consignments leaving the Arab coast, and the
wide area of the trade, no captures cither of arms or ammunition were effected
throughout the year, and but few jettisonings claimed.
Rear-Admiral It. H. Peirse, C.B., M.V.O., assumed command of the
East Indies Squadron in January 1913. At the end of the same month, a
cutter with 9 men uuder Lieutenant Smith, belonging to H M. S. JPersetu,
was lost off the Persian coast near Mugam.
In June, combined naval and military operations took place against a
portion of the Tangistan coast, the inhabitants of which had been responaihk
for a piracy on a Dibaiboat in August 1911 The operations began on the
l$ihof June, and were completed on tbe 24th of June. The village of
Madumari was the first objective. After some preliminary shelling, a landing
was effected, in the face of a certain amount of opposition, for the purpose of
launching or destroying the dhows belonging to the village. One seaman va*
killed and five wounded during the landing. As some of the villagers fro®
.Dilbar took part in the opposition on this occasion their village was next
attacked, by a combined force of 230 men of the 2nd Rajputs, and 200 blu*j
jackets and marines from the ships. While tho village was being demolish
the covering party was subjected to a heavy fire from hostile riflemen, o
whom 100 were mounted. There were no casualties o.n our 6ide. On
24tli, some dhows were removed from Khor Kbuwaiv. Altogether 20 dkofl
were destroyed, and 11 were taken to Kha ag Island Previous to this uj
village of Dilbar had been a considciablc gun-running centre, and traded
with Al Katr.^ These operations had a most salutary effect upon the °r
traffic in Tangistan,
In the following month, four or five of the blockade ships, were ordered
to concentrate at Maskat in consequcnoo of a threatened rising in om
After 60me weeks they dispersed, and were then sent to Bombay to refit.