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11. On receipt of Mr. Gaskin's report, I directed the Residency Agent to use his good
offices to bring about a sctlement of the dispute between Fujeyrah and Shargah. It was
not entirely clear what grievances the Sheikh of Fujeyrah had against the Chief of Shargah
and it was important that these should be ascertained. It would be better, therefore, that a
Majlis should be held and the case fully heard. I instructed the Residency Agent to obtain
a safe conduct from the Chief of Shargah in behalf of the Sheikh of Fujeyrah, and also an
agreement from the Chief of Shargah that he would abide by my decision after the full
facts of the case had been elicited and the recommendations of the Majlis and been submit­
ted to me. The Chief readily gave the safe conduct and agreement alluded to. The Agent
then wrote to the Sheikh of Fujeyrah, and asked him to come to Shargah, so that his case
might be enquired into and a settlement arrived at. The Sheikh, however, declined to come,
and it was evident from his replies that he had no intention of coming to any agreement
with the Chief of Shargah. The Agent reported that the reason for his refusal to come to
terms was that he had received assurance of assistance from the Sultan’s Wali at Sohar and
the Shihoohs residing at Baiya who arc subject to Maskat.
12. Early in October, I received a report from the Residency Agent that a certain
headman of the Shihooh, or Shahiccn, was giving overt support to the Sheikh of Fujeyrah.
I accordingly addressed the Political Agent,
Enclosures Nos. 4 to 8.
Maskat, on the subject. Copies of my letter with
enclosure to the Political Agent and of the latter’s reply arc herewith forwarded.
13. In the month of November, I visited the Arab Coast. At Debaye, which was the
first’place visited, 1 learut that the Chief of Shargah had, a short time previously, been
responsible for the murder of two people from Fujeyrah, men of some position in their
country, who had been on a visit to Ajman and were on their way back to Fujeyrah. The
Chief of Shargah, having heard that these two men were leaving Ajman for Fujeyrah, sent
after them and had them killed. When l visited Shargah, l questioned the Chief on the
subject, and he informed me that the information was correct, and he justified his action as
being a reprisal for similar outrages on his subjects by people of Fujeyrah. I remonstrated
with the Chief and told him that, in my opinion, he had acted very wrongly, and that such
action on his part must necessarily make a settlement of the Fujeyrah question more
difficult. The Chief, who appeard to be in a very anxious state of mind, appealed to me to
assist him to arrange matters with Fujeyrah. I told him that I had done all that I considered
I was in any way called upon to do, on his behalf. 1 had directed the Chief of *Debaye to
refrain from interference in the matter, and I had also communicated with His Highness the
Sultan of Maskat, whose letters to Zed-el-Helali and other Shihoohs I showed to the Chief,
and then delivered to the Residency Agent to be forwarded to their destination. After
further conversation, I agreed to do what I could in order to bring about a settlement between
the Chief and the Fujeyrah Sheikh, but I told the Chief that he must put a stop to further
murderous outrages on the part of his subjects. The Chief promised that he would order his
dependents to observe a truce for the present and I directed the Agent to write to Fujey­
rah and tell the Sheikh to do the same. I then proceeded to Ajman and Um-cl-Kowein,
where I learned that an expedition was on the point of starting against Ras-el-Kheimah.
It appeared that the Chief of Um-cl-Kowein had a grievance against Ras-el-Kheimah,
and not being able to get satisfaction from the Chief of Shargah, who is also ruler of Ras-el-
Kheimah, had determined to march against Ras-el-Kheimah. I succeeded in inducing the
Chief of Um-el-Kowein, to postpone hostilities, and 1 told the Residency Agent to inform
he Chief of Shargah that he should arrange at once to satisfy the Chief of Um-el-Kowein,
those complaint against Ras-el-Kheimah apprared to be just, and meanwhile to hold back
the letters from the Sultan of Maskat to the Shihoohs of the Batineh.
14. Towards the end of December, I directed the Assistant Political Agent at Bahrein
to proceed to Fujeyrah in the Lawrence taking the Chief of Shargah and the Residency Agent
with him, as I hoped that, if a meeting between Sheikh Sakarand the Chief of Fujeyrah could
be arranged, a mode of settlement of the trouble could be brought about. I regret, however,
to have to report that this final endeavour to settle the matter has not been successful. A
copy of the report submitted by the Assistant Political Agent is herewith forwarded. From
it, it will be seen that the Sheikh of Fujeyrah was not willing to listen to any reasonable
proposals. The probability is that Sheikh Sakar
Enclosure No. 9. has givcn lhe Sheikh of Fujeyrah just cause for
grievance, and there is little doubt that there is right and wrong on both sides. It is
evident, however, that the Sheikh of Fujeyrah, by his unreasonable attitude on the occasion
of my 6rst endeavour to bring about a settlement [vide paragraph 11 of this letter), and also
on the occasion of Mr. Gaskin's visit in the Lawrence, had fully made up his mind to end-
eavour to sever his connection with the Shargah Chief. In paragraphs 5 and 6 above, I have
alluded to the reasons for this determination on the Chief's part. The matter now stands,
as 1 have reported, and the Chief of Shargah has been informed by me that I regret e
that my endeavours to bring about a peaceable solution of the dispute have been unsuccess­
ful, and that he was at liberty to take his own measures to bring his feudatory to *^son,
but that no hostile movement by sea for this purpose would be permitted. Whether 0 ici ’
Sakar will be successful or not remains to be seen. He has succedcd in alienating
from himself the sympathies of all the Chiefs on the Arab Coast, with the exception, perhaps
of the Chief of Abu Dhabi, who, however, from what he told me when I met him recent y, >s
not likely to send him assistance for the purpose of coercing the Shiekh of Fujeyrah-, P^°
ably therefore be is not in a position, at any rate at present, to take any active step aga,h