Page 53 - Gulf Precis(II)_Neat

Part II—Chap. XII. 31
the measure and the Imam returned. One man belonging to the Army of
Soyyid Sultan was killed and several wounded. Tho troubles and expenses,
wliioh bis zeal for the cause of the English Government led him into—by
going himself iu person, tho equipment of his floets and armies, the supplies
of money from bis own Treasury, lie did not consider; urged solely by wish to
conciliate good opinion by supporting the causo of tho Honourable Company.
76. On this occasion, stated tho vakil, in consequence of a mis­
representation of faots by some persons, a sum of 8,000 Rupees was
taken by tho Bombay Government from Syud Syuf the Gomastah of Syud
Sultan on account of tho los9 of this gunpowder, but had tlio circumstances
of this affair boon fairly stated, the British Sarkar would not have approved
of such a proceeding and though so small a sum would be too trifling
a subject for discussion between tho two Governments, yet the circum­
stance would bring contempt on the head of tho Imam from every quarter of
the Globe.
77. When the French, continued the vakil, lately brought several presents
The Fronch offer of gifts and friendship do- and a lac of dollars in ready money to be
dined by tho imam. presented to the Imam and they wished to
land and obtain an interview, Syud Sultan, sincere in bis alliance and properly
conceiving that the friends or enemies of the English should be considered
as suoli by himself, refused the proffer of gifts, and to preserve the friendship
of the English he considered not the danger of this own vessels and those of
his subjects then at sea, but told them plainly and positively they must uot
land, that he would not give them an audience, or receive either their presents or
their letters, he loft his own vessels as well those of his subjects exposed to the
danger of being captured by the French.
78. The vakil further stated that not long after this, it happened that some
Visit Of Frenchmen to Mukat nndor British Frenchmen arrived in a dingy from Goa,
passport. Brcaoh of neutrality by an English they brought with them a letter signed i
man-of-war carrying t em. by ^ uritwli Resident., with permission
to return to their country. The Imam concluded that had it been necessary
to seize these people, the British Resident or the Portuguese Governor (who
was also on terms of friendship with the Maskat Shirkar) would not have
granted them a passport. On their arrival an order was immediately issued
for them to embark aud proceed on the first vessel going to Zanzibar. There
was nobody at Maskat, who understood English or who could read their letter
or comprehend what it contained or by whom it was signed. They went on
board a vessel bound for Zanzibar. The very day an English man-of-war
arrived and the Frenchmen were taken prisoners in the inner harbour of
Maskat. The Agents of Syud Sultan then sent off a message to the Captain
to say these people had with him an English pass, and came from Goa, that
if it had been proper to seize them the Resident at that place would
not have given them a passport, that he must not make them prisoners
in the Cove, and oarry them off; because were an English packet or any other
vessel to be riding in the harbour ou the following day and a French Frigate
were to put in, they in return would pay no respect to the (neutrality) of the
Port and the English must suffer the consequences. The Captain refused to
listen to anything of the kind and carried them off with him to Bombay. The
Governor disapproving of the conduct of the Captain of the men-of-war, sent
them back to Maskat and wrote to desire they might not be detained but sent
off immediately to their own country. It would not have been very politic to
have dispatched any of the Imam’s vessels after having given such offence to the
French frigate. The Imam did not send one of the vessels to oonvoy them
back, and a9 the season did not then admit oE small craft going to Zanzibar
he embarked them on board a dow and seat them again to Bombay.
79. There was a complaint agaiast the Imam of Maskat on the subjeot of
m2S?Kou °f the Sheikh of Nakbolo at Sheikh Rehma Nekluvi, to the effect “ that
he had been plundering the Company’s
property, and carried it to Maskat when he had sold it and desiring at the same
time that the said property with the offender be delivered up to your honour.”
On this matter, the Imam’s agent stated that should a single partiole of this
property be landed at the Custom House of Maskat, or any of the brokers or
agents gain any information of it, Syud Sultan would be answerable for its