Page 52 - Gulf Precis(II)_Neat

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Part II—Chap. XII*

CHAPTER XII.

THE CHARGES AGAINST THE IMAM OF MASKAT AND HIS
Secret and Foil.
Dept. DiuryNo. 168 EXPLANATION, IS04.
of 1804, p. 2467. 72. Soyyid Sultan deputed his Vakil Haji Mahomed Ibrahim with a viow
to place certain facts before tho Governor of Bombay (Mr. Dunoan) and dear
misunderstanding. ITo explained the facts in a letter addressed to the
Governor dated 17th April 1804.
73. In tho first place, lie stated there was a certain person inhabitant of
Wbo 1. 6wodi or Suvodi P Ilia piracies. Sovedy of the tribe of Jonaahim,• who
• Jowaaim ? having offended tho Sheikh loft that placo
and fled for protection to Syud Sultan, aud took up his abode in Hormuz;
as Syud Sultan was at that time at war with the tribes Jonasbim and Ootaob,
he took this opportunity of ravaging and plundering theso pooplo by carrying
on a piratical warfare in their coasts. It once happened that a botella
belonging to tho Mohedi Ali Khan from Bushire by which Mr. bruce
had dispatched a Government packet was stranded on the Islands of
Sheikh Syil and seized and plundered of its cargo. When the Imam received
this intelligence ho sent out his people for the rocovery of the Botella, which
ho retook with the packet and what remained of the cargo, and though tho
vessel belonged to Bushire (with the people of which port he was not on
terms of friendship) yet from respect to the Company’s packet ho gave back
the vessel and forwarded the dispatches himself. Ho at the same time wrote to
the Souvedy, in the most clear and positive terms, that if in future he were
guilty of any outrage or disrespect to the property vessels or packets of the
Hon’ble Company, he would put him to death and confiscate all his effects.
74. In another instance from motives of friendship and a wish to strength­
en the bonds of attachment and unanimity, he told Mr. Seton in the Vakil’s
Dancer of sending Company’s paokets nnd goods presence that on account of a very boister-
in small skips. Imam underUkes to convey thorn. OUS Weather and l’OUghnCSS of the Sea
in the Gulf at that season, it would be dangerous to trust the Company's
goods or packets in small botellas or dows without people. Ho could be de­
pended upon to navigate them. It would bo better when it should be necessary
to send any goods or packets on small craft either from Bombay to Bussorah or
from Bussorah to Bombay to consign them to him, or any of his agents that
they might be forwarded on vessels of his own, or that ho might ensure them,
a safe passage by granting them his pass or protection by convoy, by which
they would reach their ports without fears being entertained for their safety.
75- Notwithstanding this diligence and attention on the part of Syud Sultan,
Da.patch of good, ood goopo.d.r in .m.ll *ome goods and gunpowder were sent
vessel*. Capture of them by Sweedy. The Imam from Bombay Oil a small vessel, Which
attack, him. did n0fc mak0 Maskat, but after being
tossed to and fro from the wide ocean was at last taken and fell into tho
hands of this Souvedy ;t when he discovered that the vessel and cargo which he
had plundered were English property, in consequence of the letter which he
had a short time before received from the Imam in which ho was warned by
all that was sacred to desist from laying violent hands on the goods and
packets of the Honourable Company, he thought that thi9 destruction must
be the inevitable consequence and from fear of death, and confiscation of his
house and property went to Hormuz, and carrying off with him all the effeots,
he had in that quarter, fled over to the Wahabis; when this intelligence
reached the Imam he took with Mr. Seton, and went himself in pursuit of
this renegade with his own fleet and army. When the contest took a turn and
the field of action was transferred to the shore (as the enemy had left the sea
and landed on the coast of the Wahabis), Syud Sultan was anxious to
disembark his troops and seize him on shore, but Mr. Seton did not approve of
t Written irito 6we leo. Thi. «u a consignment of gunpowder prooooding from tho Company’. Arsenal at
Bombay to th. Baiha of Bagdad on tho botella.