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APPENDIX F.

Report on the Commerce of Arabia and Persia by Samuel Manesty and
Harford Jones, 1790.
The difficulties which have been encountered, in the present attempt, to form a correct
report, of the past and present state of the commerce of Arabia and Persia, havo been very
numerous, and highly discouraging. Particular Exertions have boon however mado, to collect
overy attainable Information on tho subject, and therefore although the report must prove,
in many respects deficient and incompleat, yet it is hoped that it will give a usoful Idea of the
Commerco in question, and enable the British Government in India to form a Judgment, bow
far it may be expedient to engage therein.
With a view of giving clearness to the report, it has been determined to divide it, under
the following general Heads :—
Commerce of Arabia,
Commerce of Persia,
Remarks applicable to the Commerce of both Countries,
Commerce op Arabia.
It has been deemed necessary to separato the Information which has been collected, on
the subject of the commerce of Arabia, under the following Heads :—
Commerce of Arabia bordering on the PcrsianlGulph,
Commerce of the Red Sea,
Commerce op Arabia bordering on the Persian Gulph.
The Want of public Records, and tho Difficulty of obtaining satisfactory Information of old Past state of ti
occurrences from the Inhabitants of Arabia, bordering on the Persian Gulph, have unavoidably
prevented the Formation of any, very precise statement, of the past general Commerce of that on the Peniin
Gulph.
part of the World, or of the commercial intercourse which the British Nation has formerly
had therewith j and have given Birth to a necessity, of commencing the Information relative
thereto, which will be here submitted to tho public consideration, at the Period of tho Removal
of the English Factory from the Port of Gombroon.
Muscat is a Sea Port, situated in Oman, a province of Arabia Folix. '1 he Decline of tho
Commerce of Gombroon, animated the Arabs, of tho Province of Oman to those Exertions
which on its Extinction, gave rise to the Commercial Importance, which the port of Muscat
has latterly acquired. Previous to the above mentioned Period, the Province of Oman, naturally
6terile and unproductive, was a very poor Country, and the commerce of Muscat was confined
within very narrow Limits. The pecuniary advantages, which accrued, to the Inhabitants of
Muscat from their first important mercantile Adventure, encouraged them, however, tq the
active, and enterprizing prosecution, of an extensive commerco wit.h India with the Red Sea
nod with the different ports of the Persian Gulph. By Degrees, the Dows and Dingies
belonging to Muscat, increased in Number and Size, the Imaum of Muscat furnished himself,
with a respectable Fleet, private Merchants of that place, caused square rigged vessels of
different kinds and considerable Burthen, to be constructed for them in different Parts of
India, and the Port of Muscat, became frequented by tho Vessels of European Nations.
Commerce is a never failing soureo of Wealth and it has rendered Muscat a more rich and a
flourishing Sea Port, than any of those bordering on tho Persian Gulph.
Bahreen is an Island of inconsiderable circumference, situated on the Arabian shore of
the Persian Gulph in the vicinity of lebarra and Catiffe. Bahreen was long under the
Jurisdiction of tho Persians till, in tho year 1783, the Arabs of the Tribe of Bencnttaba, who
then held Possession of SeaPorts of lebarra and Grain, and who by their spirited resistance of
the frequent attacks mado on their Vessels by the Fleet of tho Cliaub Sbaik and by tho armed
Ves*els of Persia, were then becoming respectable in tho Persian Gulph, made on active and
oUrcessful Exertion to obtain Possession thereof, by Force of arms. In. the same year, the late
Shaik Nassir, then Shaik cf Busbire, collected the remaining Naval Force of Persia, proceeded