Page 241 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

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Notes 207

i«. Ibid., Political Resident to Sultan bin Salim, 0 Dee 1923 (translation). -
11. Today, however, claim to it is contested by Sharjah and Fujairah. 5
12. Here it should be noted that in the winter of 1971-2 an expedition
sent out by the Royal Geographical Society in London explored the
Musandam peninsula for the first time in history. See N. L. Falcon,
‘The Musandam (Northern Oman) Expedition 1971-1972’, Geographical I
Journal, cxxxix (1973).
13. Bertram Thomas, ‘The Musandam Peninsula and its People the Shihuh’, I
Journal of the Central Asian Society, xvi (1929) p. 79. See also Waller Dostal,
‘The Shihuh of Northern Oman: A Contribution to Cultural Ecology’,
Geographical Journal, cxxxvm (1972).
14. Thomas, in JCAS, XVI, p. 75.
15. A Ghafiri tribe whose settled population was in Rams, and whose
bedouin section roamed the area around the Dhayd oasis in Sharjah.
16. These included 209 divers from Dubai, 213 from Sharjah, and about
100 from Umm al-Qaiwain, Ajman and Lingah (L/P&S/i 1/213,
P1600/22, Political Resident to Government of India, 25 Feb 1922).
17. Sultan bin Salim apparently was suspected of having instigated the
murder, but, apart from a note to that eficct in the files of the
Bushirc Residency, no further information is available (R/15/1/275,
n. d.).
t8. L/P&S/i 1/213, P1600/22, Political Resident to Government of India, 25
Feb 1922.
19. Ibid.
20. A translation of the agreements is enclosed ibid., Pi777/22, Political
Resident to Government of India, 14 Mar 1922.
21. Relations between the ruler and the village of Rams remained good
until 1933, when Rams suffered great losses from an epidemic and
a stagnant trade situation, and could not therefore afford to send
the annual tribute agreed on in 1922. In 1934, 130 rupees was all
that the village could spare. This was unacceptable to Sultan bin
Salim, who insisted on the full amount. The wali of Rams consequently
appealed to the Senior Naval Officer for help. The latter gave it as his
opinion to the Political Resident that the wali of Rams was capable of
launching a successful attack on Ras al-Khaimah, since he could depend
on the help of the Shilhuh, but that he was obviously anxious to
reach a solution (R/15/1/275, Senior Naval Officer to Political Resident,
23 Oct 1934). The Naval Officer told the wali that if Sultan bin
Salim pressed him again for the tribute, he was to say that the
matter had been referred to the Political Resident. That there is no
further mention of the case indicates the success of the Senior Naval
Officer’s plan.
22. R/15/1/267, Senior Naval Officer to Political Resident, 13 Jan 1921.
23. L/P&S/i 1 /195, P1343/21 (P3031/21), Political Resident to Government of
India, 13 May 1921.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. R/15/1/279, Residency Agent to Political Resident, 4 Rabi‘ 11 1344(22 Oct
!925)-
27. Ibid., Political Resident to Government of India, 13 Feb 1926.