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either did not believe it or as impatient and he launched his disastrous attae‫ﺈ‬2‫ﺑ‬
Abdul Shaih, hom e earlier encountered as the Great Arab merchant of ‫ﺕ‬ung
ith its prosperous trading prospecls, role to ١he English factory thaning the Agent
for his mediation but disclaiming 'all future submission to or confidence in the
persians ٠٠٠' He argued that he had been for‫ﺕ‬cedto abandon ung and as regarded
as a rebel only because he as a٦ Arab, He then arned ١he Agent against helping
the persians, reminding him of the Company's treachery in seiing 'his father Shaih
Rashid and delivering him to the persians ....9‫ﻻ‬

Another arning to the English, Dutch and French factories as not to assist the
persians in their conflict ith the Haalla Ar‫ﺞﻧﻭ‬#ame from the imam of Oman,
no Albusaid. But the seriousness of the mutiny had created a pressing need to give
assistance to the persians. The Agent, despite positive orders from the presidency not
to become involved, had, along ith the Dutch, been forced to supply ships to the
persians in many occasiong Captain Mylne, ho arrived at Fort St. George in
Aug‫ﻫ‬st 141, reported that the presidency in Bombay as reconsidering effective
assistance to the persians to regain their fleet, hile the servants at Gombroon
seemed to be too confused to recommended anything to the presidene,6

We don't no ho the Haalla reacted to European naval assistance to the
persians. As far as the Dutch ere concerned, Arabs sa a clear distinction beteen
forced or voluntary assistance. ln September 141, hen information leaed that the
uDtch supplied the Arabs ith provisions, the Beglairbeg forced to Dutch Ships to
attac the Arabs but ithout damaging Arab-Dutch relatio,‫ ﻱ‬Abdul Shaih's letter
to the Agent in September 141 contained a note of thans to the Dutch for not
seiing one of his ships hen they had the opportui‫ﺭ‬9 But the English servanst at
Gombroon seemed to have had no friendly contact ith the Haalla ihch may
account for the enemity of the 1's and the Arab attac on the ne Agency at
Busherh i 19

FOOT NOETS

1. Niebughur, Carsten, Tranels into Arabian and some post ‫ &ﻉ‬of the East : Edinburgh, 19.

2. bi.d p

Ouoted from-and for information on the merchant communities in Surat in the first half of
the cenutyr refer to Das Gupta, Asihn, 'Indian Merchants and the decline of Sura't
Wiesbaden, 198 (pp. -6.) iAbdul Shaih seemed to have lived over eighyt years of age
and dide in 1 fighting against fello Arabs. vide Edard Ives, 'A voyagerfon Englnd
to ndia, also Joumrye rfom Persia to England by an sal route, London, 1, pp.
2-21.

4. hTere aer many enirtse for ships of Shaih Rashid in Gombroon Diaries I.OR., G/29/.

. Dispatchse to England, 169-41696 (Fort St. George Records, IOR) 6 june 1696, p22. hTe
attac as aged on the port as part of the ar against the Portuguese here they slt
maintainde a facto.yr

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