Page 56 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 6 -10

206 ADEN AND THE INTERIOR

ceded to the British by the Sultan of Muscat in 1854, and were
valuable only for the guano deposits found upon them, since
exhausted (see further, Ch. VIII, p. 283).

II. The Tribal Confederations

Many of these occupy very considerable territory, but their
limits and extent are vague and in no sense clearly defined; they
are, further, subject to local variation with the changes in tribal
power and the ebb and flow of politics. The system of internal tribal
administration varies greatly, both in nature and degree, in the
different districts. In the majority of the Confederations the ruler’s J
authority over most of his subjects, with the exception of his per­ :
sonal retainers and entourage, is very slight. The Sultan of the
‘Abddli exercises a more absolute authority over his tribe than other
rulers, with the exception, perhaps, of the Sultan of the Ka'aiti. 1

The chief of the Haushabi, if a ruler of strong will, would, both from
the nature of his country and the character of his people, wield i
much the same authority over the majority of his tribe. In the
Amiri country, which is a confederacy of various small tribes, the
Emir’s authority is only absolute over a comparatively small pro­
portion. The Upper Yafa‘ Sultan has little or no authority over
his tribe so far as administration is concerned. Of the Fadhli,
several of the sub-tribes are independent. The ‘Aulaqi have several
rulers, while many of the outlying and nomadic tribes are practically
beyond the control of their Sultans. The Subeihi are a law unto
themselves. It will be seen, therefore, that the term * administra­

tion ’ cannot be strictly applied to so heterogeneous a collection of
peoples.

In the matter of revenue, that derived from the tribesmen is
mainly from two sources—the collection of ‘ushur or tithes, and
dues on market sales—both payable to the Sultan or Emir. Beyond
this, revenue in some districts is derived from dues on passing
caravans. The scale of charges varies with the nature of the
commodity carried : two dollars per camel load would, for example,
be exacted for the passage of a caravan carrying coffee from Ta'izz
to Aden through ‘Abdali territory.
The towns and settlements are built in general with provision for
defence, but of fortresses, properly speaking, there are none in the
interior. Nearly all Arab villages in the mountains consist of solidly
built stone towers, almost invariably placed in commanding posi­
tions, and, when occasion requires, necessitating destruction bv
artillery or demolition by gun-cotton. The towers are invariably