Page 90 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

would adopt with regard to the coast. He might have thought Turk! would
follow the lines of earlier Su‘udl policy by eventually restoring the former
Qasimi chiefs and supporting them in aggression aimed at the ruler of Masqat
and his allies. In such a case, Sultan’s career would be considerably affected.
Sultan, therefore, began to carefully deliberate upon his present and future
interests. As mentioned earlier, Sultan b. Saqr had, at one time, allied himself
with Sa‘Id b. Sultan of Masqat, and he had been unfriendly toward the Su‘udls
until the fall of al-Dir‘Iyah.601 However, when the ruler of Masqat joined the
British expedition against the Qawasim, Sultan b. Saqr was outraged and
eventually became Sa‘Id b. Sultan’s foe.682
In the years following the expedition, Sultan b. Saqr established
predominance over the other chiefs on the coast and apparently appointed
himself responsible to the British government for the behaviour and activities
of his tribe.603 Even so, Sultan was worried by the ascendancy of Su‘udl power
in central and eastern Arabia, its anticipated expansion into the southeastern
part of the peninsula, and the possibility that coastal politics would be altered
as a result. Fearing that he might eventually lose his supremacy in the region,
he sought ways to ensure his own interests and protect his own position.
During an interview with Colonel E. G. Stannus, the Resident in the Gulf, in
November 1825, Sultan b. Saqr inquired whether the British government
would support him in maintaining his independence should the Su‘udls regain
their former position and threaten his domain.684 He also asked what he should
do if he were called upon by the Su‘udls to join them in an attack upon the ruler
of Masqat. His request for help against the Su‘udis was declined by the British
authorities, who did not want to collide with the Su‘udis over territorial
matters.685 In response to his second enquiry, Sultan was told that he was the
best judge of his own interests, but that no affiliation or authority would be
accepted by the British government as an excuse for any proceedings bearing a
predatory character.686 Moreover, the British warned him not to join the
Su‘udis in any action prejudicial to the ruler of Masqat.687
It was not until the conquest of al-Hasa in 1830 that Turkl’s policy with
regard to the coast became clear. Encouraged by his success in al-Hasa and by
the fact that a great portion of the coastal populace received news of his victory
with joy, Turk! decided to press further.688 He sent out friendly letters and
endeavoured to conciliate the goodwill of the chiefs of the coast.689 The initial
reactions of Sultan b. Saqr and Rashid b. Hurnayd, the most influential chiefs
in the Qasimi confederation, were of different natures and apparently coloured
by personal interests.
Sultan, while openly professing delight at the Su‘udls’ approach because
they would serve as strong allies and enable him to overcome the combined
challenge of the ruler of Masqat and his supporters in Abu Zabi, was
nonetheless fearful of losing his paramountcy. His anxiety made him turn
again to the British authorities for consultation. Secretly, Sultan again tried to
obtain a promise of support against the Su‘udls from the British
government.690 He proposed that the latter should collaborate with the
maritime tribes in checking Turkl’s further progress.691 Once again, the
British government declined the suggestion, insisting that Britain had no
desire to interfere in the affairs of the Arabian states and that her policy in the
Gulf was confined to the suppression of piracy.692
Rashid b. Hurnayd, on the other hand, rejoiced at the coming of the Su‘udis

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