Page 207 - The Pirate Coast (By Sir Charles Belgrave)

his port. The other places on the Persian coast were ruled by a
number of almost independent Arab shaikhs, ‘managing their
own Sovereignties, both in respect of internal affairs, and external
feuds as suited the whims and caprices of those who governed
them*. In these states, lived some Armenians and a few Indians.
The islands of Kishm and Hormuz and the town ofBundar Abbas,
with its dependencies, on the Persian mainland, were held by the
Sultan of Muscat ‘under farm from the Persian Government*.
On the Arabian coast, the Sultan’s possessions extended from
Masirah Island to Khor Fakhan, south of Ras Masandam.
Shaikh Sulman bin Ahmed, and his brother Shaikh Abdulla,
were in possession of the Bahrain archipelago, and its numerous ■ ‘/H
pearl banks, as well as Khor Hassan, and the Arabian coast as far
>-
as Katif, but the town of Katif was still in the hands of Jabr bin V‘1
Rahmah. Bahrain was flourishing from the pearl industry, and ?-5 ■v
from trade with other parts of the Gulf.
The Joasmi tribes occupied the Pirate Coast from Ras Masan­
dam and the southern shore of the Gulf as far as Khor Hassan.
Having lost their ships, and their fortifications having been de­
molished by the British, they were now at peace with their neigh­
bours. Shaikh Hassan bin Rahmah had still not returned to Ras
al Kliaima, the once formidable pirate stronghold, Sharja, their ¥h
second most important town, was under the rule of Shaikh Sultan ■ A
bin Seggar.
Loch mentions that Taylor, the Resident at Basra, was not on
good terms with the Turkish Governor. Soon after he left, Loch
heard that the Residency had been temporarily removed from
Basra to Grane, Kuwait. In all the ports, there was a revival of M
trade and ships were navigating the Gulf from coast to coast ‘in
perfect security, instead of creeping alongside during the day,
afraid of being cutbff if underweigh during the night*.
At midnight on September 30th, the Eden sailed out of Muscat
harbour ‘with a fine, light breeze off the shore*. Four days later,
she passed one of the Sultan’s ships on her way from Zanzibar to
Muscat. On going on board her, Loch found that her cargo
consisted of ‘Elephants’ Tccth, Gold dust and Ambergris’. Bom­
bay was reached on October 13 th, and here the Eden stayed for
some time in dock, while repairs were carried out on the ship’s
bottom, which had been damaged when she grounded several
times in the Gulf.
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