Page 264 - Gulf Precis(II)_Neat

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24,2 Part VI—Chap. XLIX.
distinct an avowal, I said, was at leant satisfactory in that it might servo to qualify tho
displcnsuro which tho Government must have felt at his previous conduct.
8. Tho subject of tho now treaty boing now introduced I was agreeably surprised to find
that my visitor affected no disinclination to tho arrangement, but on tho contrary ani­
madverted upon the little respect which, ho alleged, had beon paid to tho former Maritime Truco
on tho repeated convoynnco of troops and warlike storos from ono port to another in viola­
tion of its conditions. As his remarks however wero to tho eamo effect precisely as those
contained in his letter to my address of 28th August last, and woro again answered in tho
torms of ray reply, translations of both of which documents were submitted to you in my
despatch No. under date 2nd October 1852, thoy need not bo hero recapitulated. I was
either ignorant of, or could explain tho soveral instances lie enumerated, but I could assuro
him that whalover may have occurred in tho past, nothing of tho kind would be toloratcd for
tho future.
4. An additional question on this subject, ns illustrating the views so lately entertained by tho
Joasmso Chief, is perhaps worthy of mention. He asked whether, if the Imaum’s party attacked
by 6ea his possessions on tho Batinah Coast, ho would be at liberty to retaliate in like manner, and
was informed that under a contingency so very unlikely of occurrence in tho event of his
opponents refusing to attend to the mediation or remonstrances of the British Government, I
could not suppose ho would bo withheld from rotorting any injuries they might inflict upon
him, but it would be obviously necessary in such caso that lie should give me timely notico
before proceeding to extremity. He then affixed his seal to tho several drafts of tho Treaty
presented to him.
6. The next matter brought under discussion was the alleged exportation of slaves from
Bas-el-Khymah by one Abdool Bahman-boo-Sheit in tho summer of last year, being the case
referred to in your despatch No. —on which I invited his explanation. Shoikh Sultan
said he had nothing further to advance beyond what ho had stated in his reply to my written
remonstrance to the effect that the A gent in the affair being tho Envoy of the Wahabeo
Ameer, was too influential a person to be meddled with, and he apprehended that the confisca­
tion of his property would bavo drawn reprisals upon his own dependants located within the
power of the latter.
0. On my answering that such an excuse appeared to mo rather to aggravate than
extenuate his offence, seeing he had beon already explicitly informed that Government could
admit no external influence or control whatever to excuse the infraction of a solemn engagement,
and that, with reference to the party implicated, every Chief was liable for tho acts of indivi­
duals residing within his jurisdiction, he observed that he had fully anticipated the nature of
my objections; the slaves in fact had been carried beyond his reach, and he could only assure
me that, if the present instance were overlooked, ho would take caro it should not recur.
7. With respect to the plunder of tho Zanzibar vessel by his dependant Yedeedee, the
Joosmec Chief said, u he would be prepared to comply with my requisition so soon as tho
amount of compensation could be decided upon.1'
8. On the following day, 5th, I was visited successively by the Sheikhs of Darbair,
Ejmaum and Amulgavine. My interviews with these Chiefs were characterised chiefly by
tho readiness which each displayed to subscribe the New Treaty, and with tho first of these
only wero any topics discussed other than those of a general nature.
9. On meeting Sheikh Saeed bin Butye I hastened to express my satisfaction at tho
promptitude which he was said to have exercised in punishing an act of irregularity committed
by one of his dependants in the interval since my first arrival; tho particulars of tho case were
briefly as follow:—“ An inhabitant of Debaie having forcibly removed a slave from a Shargah
boat at sea, a complaint was immediately lodged with Sheikh Saeed by tho British Agent and
reparation demauaed; the delinquent being summoned denied the fact, but was called upon to
take oath of his innocence in the most solemn form observed among Arabs by the divorce of
the wife. " On his declining to do so, he was tied to a gun and subjected to corporal punish­
ment until induced to make confession, when he was required to furnish seourity for the
surrender of his captive. This individual who, it appeared, had been secreted at Abootbabee,
was then recovered aud made over to the rightful owner. In acknowledging my remarks
the Sheikh observed that his motives in the transaction mutt be self-evident since the parties
aggrieved were at the time at open feuds with his tribe.
10. My visitor then calling my attention to an aggression which had been lately com­
mitted by a plundering party from Shargah upon some of his people engaged in fishing in one
of the numerous back-waters situated between Debaie and Abootbabee, called Kkore
Ghurabee, wished to be informed whether the occurrence was one coming properly within
my jurisdiction and of a nature to entitle him to redress at my hands. The circumstance*
haviug been previously investigated, I replied that, as tbe assailants had operated entirely
from the land, which indeed he could not deny, their proceedings violated no condition of the
Maritime Truce, and further that as a rule when boats drew up in creeks and back-waters,
and were attacked from the shore by persons, it might be, who were not accountable to any of
the parties to that agreement, tho Government had never yet exercised a right of interference.
He said that my answer was not altogether unexpected, and he only mentioned the grievance
(having previously addressed mo in writing on the subject) in order to prepare mo for
compluints of retaliation in a similar form which might be practised by hie followers. He