Page 145 - Arabian Studies (V)

British Financial Advisers in Muscat 135
corruption and lies against British officials in the area and then person­
ally conducted an inconclusive investigation of his own charges.
Immediately after his arrival in Muscat, Hedgcock prepared a
report on the financial condition of the state which raised the
spectre of bankruptcy. His implications were that Thomas had
misled the PRPG as to the amount of debts outstanding to local
merchants, had perpetrated a fictitious rate of exchange between
the Maria Theresa dollar and the rupee and was guilty of a general
laxity in keeping records.15 When Thomas returned to Muscat from
Qatar in March, the new FA and his predecessor were immediately
at odds. Partly in defence to Hedgcock’s wishes, the PRPG,
Biscoe, agreed that Thomas should be allowed to leave Muscat and
not serve out the unauthorised leave time he had taken.16
As it turned out, Hedgcock may have been deliberately over­
dramatising the Sultanate’s financial woes. But in order to lend
credence to his opinion, he sought to derive economies at the
expense of the already-reduced Muscat Infantry. The
Commandant, Captain A. R. Walker, protested that there was no
fat to be trimmed but Hedgcock persisted. Finally, mediation by
Biscoe produced a compromise in the amount of pay to be reduced.
Almost immediately, Hedgcock wrote to the PAM, Fowle, that
Biscoe had reneged on the agreement and because of this, he felt he
had no option but to resigp.17
To Fowle’s mind, this was all to the good. In his letter to Biscoe
enclosing Hedgcock’s letter to Fowle, the PAM stated that he had
been unable to get any cooperation from the FA and when he made
the attempt, Hedgcock would remark that ‘he did not like his
figures being “queried”’.18 In addition, Fowle mentioned that he
thought Hedgcock did not want his pessimistic outlook on the
state’s finances altered and so refused to look into the possibility of
increasing customs revenues.

Briefly there is all the difference between a Financial Adviser
who is ‘all out’ to increase the revenues of the State, and one
who—because he has committed himself to a certain definite
prophecy of bankruptcy—see his prophecy in danger of being
nullified by any unexpected increase of revenue. Mr. Hedgcock
seems to me to be in the latter position. ... 19
Biscoe was of the same opinion. ‘I consider his attitude deplorable
and that his retention would not be in the interests of State and [a]
detriment to relations between them and Government of India. I
am therefore recommending to Government that I should be
authorised to advise Council to accept resignation.’20 He also
recommended that R. G. E. W. Alban, the new Commandant of