"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٥‎٨‎٠] (١٧٨٢/٧٢٣)

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1902.
1903.
Affairs in
the Uustaq
Valley.
580
In 1902, as related in another place* the town of Sur was
plunged into mourning by the capture in flagrante delicto of a
large number of Suri slave traders by the Portuguese in East Africa.
The Sultan, at Lord Curzon's visit to Masqat in 1903, begged that
British influence might be used to obtain a mitigation of the sentences
passed on these men by the Portuguese courts,—in most cases imprison
ment for 25 years; but he was given to understand that his request
could not be granted.
In the spring of 1903, the ordinary annual hostilities between the
Ghafiris and Hinawis of Sharqiyah being then in progress, 'Abdullah-
bin-Salim, the Tamimah of the Bani Bu 'Ali, found reason to suspect
that the people of Sur, though Ghafiris, were supplying his enemies with
the sinews of war. He accordingly marched down to the coast and
declared the harbour blockaded until his demands for satisfaction should
have been satisfied; and this, as we may mention in passing, was the
occasion of a vessel flying the French flag being fired on by his
adherents,—an occurrence which in its turn led to an unsuccessful claim
for compensation by the French Vice-Consul upon the Sultan and so
indirectly contributed to bring about the settlement of the whole French
flag question. After 'Abdullah-bin-Salim had returned to the interior,
relations between his supporters in the 'Aiqa quarter and his opponents
m M uqraimatam became so strained that, when Major Cox arrived there
in August, he found the two factions on the point of opening fire upon
each other across the intervening creek. The Political Agent, having
obtained a truce of 48 hours, returned at once to Masqat and informed
tie Sultan, who immediately proceeded to the spot in his vessel the
ui al Bahr. 1 lie Jannabah would not at once submit to his media
tion, and, before the proceedings had commenced in earnest, the Sultan
was called away by serious news from Rustaq; nevertheless his visit
actual fighting Cor the moment, and the dispute was adjusted, not
long after, by neutral Shaikhs of the neighbourhood.
e situation in Rustaq, which was the cause of the Sultan's premature
p ure .om Sur, arose from a coalition between the Mutawwa'or
b I " a " 1Ca , 0t the SI >arqiyah District and the Sultan's rivals
belongs t0 tlle )Azz . n ^ of ^ ^ fam . ]r ^ ^ Sa ,. d _ bin _
IbrShLT/rr/ 0f RUSt5<1 in 1898 ' after the Sa'id-bin-
was murdered h V' T' 'i""" e "' 0V- his aC( l uis ition, for in March 1899he
ji* ... f, 118 brother Hamud-bin-'Azzan, who then succeeded him.
In Mav'Tsf'lQ ° f '-fv 17 " 11 rebelS Lad llever been ent;rel y q uiesc « nt
XnMa y 1899 a Sha.kh of the Bani o{ ^ ^
* Vide Appendix L.
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