Page 86 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

communicate to him the proposal for a joint action against the Qawasim.638
The proposal was that Ibrahim besiege Ra’s al-Khaymah by land, while the
British forces attacked it from the sea.639 Sadlier, after a long journey through
Masqat and al-Hasa, crossed central Arabia and caught up with Ibrahim
Pasha, who was on his way to Juddah and Egypt, at BIr ‘All near al-
Madlnah.640 As the Egyptians at this point had no ambition to extend their
power beyond Najd, Ibrahim Pasha gave no immediate reply. Instead, he
forwarded the proposal to his father in Egypt, a gesture which convinced the
British envoy of the Egyptians’ lack of interest in such an enterprise.641 The
British authorities therefore decided to take the matter into their own hands
and dispatched a strong naval expedition aimed at “the destruction of the
piratical vessels and craft of every description with every article of naval or
military stores that may be found there.”642 The expedition sailed from
Bombay, under the command of General William Keir Grant, in late October
of 1819, and arrived on the coast in December.643 The British forces and their
allies, the Masqat! troops, attacked and bombarded Ra’s al-Khaymah, the
headquarters of the Qawasim and the residence of Hasan b. Rahmah, their
paramount shaykh,644 Zaya, a fort near Rams in which Husayn b. ‘All, an aged
and influential QasimI chief, had sought safety for himself and his followers,
suffered a similar fate soon thereafter. From their respective centres, however,
both shaykhs valiantly resisted their attackers, fought to the last bullet, and
finally surrendered with safe conduct.645 With the fall of Ra’s al-Khaymah, the
chiefs of other localities in the area submitted to the British invaders.646 In the
days following, all were to hand over their weapons and vessels to be destroyed
by the British officers. The chiefs were also to subscribe to and individually
sign preliminary agreements and then a General Treaty of Peace with the
British government.647 The treaty became the foundation of future policy in
the Gulf and the origin of the special relationship which existed between
Britain and the principalities of the coast until very recently.648 It was prepared
by General Keir’s interpreter, Captain T. Perronet Thompson, who remained
as political agent and commander of the garrison left at Ra’s al-Khaymah when
the expedition withdrew.649 The treaty contained eleven articles which bound
the inhabitants of the coast to live in peace with the British and to abstain
forever from piracy and plunder by land and sea.650 It also set down formal
regulations for the recognition and control of shipping, and provided for an
exchange of envoys between the shaykhs and the British Residency in the
Gulf.651
The treaty brought about advantageous results for the British government.
It practically eliminated attacks on British and Indian vessels, and enabled the
British to exercise a greater political influence in the area.652 A native agent was
installed at Shariqah, which became the principal town, to keep an eye on the
situation along the coast, and the Resident took an active interest in internal
affairs.653 On the other hand, however, the treaty was not as effective in
discouraging attacks on native vessels. This led to frequent conflicts among
various chiefs and resulted in a severe reduction in the income derived from
pearling, possibly a major cause in the subsequent growth of slave trading.654
Being good sailors and keen traders, the natives turned to slave trading to
employ their vessels profitably.655
The immediate impact of these developments on the internal administration
of the coast was no less important. The fall of Ra’s al-Khaymah virtually

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