"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٦‎٨‎٥] (١٧٨٢/٨٢٨)

685
1835, we may take account of some external influences which were not
without their effect upon domestic politics. The foreign factor or
greatest importance on the Pirate Coast, after the British power, was at
this time undoubtedly the Saiyid of Masqat. The principal supporters
of His Highness on the Pirate Coast were ordinarily the Shaikhs of
Abu Dhabi and Dibai ; but in 18^ an exceptional combination
occurred, Abu Dhabi and Dibai allying themselves with Sharjah, while
'Ajman sought to preserve his independence of Sharjah by attaching him
self to Masqat.
In 1824 a dispute arose between Saiyid Sa'id of Masqat and Shaikh The Baraimi-
Sultan -bin-Saqar of Sharjah over the oasis of baraimi, which, in a former |g24-27
treaty between them, had been declared neutral territory ; the details of
the quarrel are now obscure, but it seems that the Shaikh of Sharjah had
wrongfully built or taken possession of some towers in Baraimi. The
Shaikh of Abu Dhabi had in the meantime encouraged a colony of
Sudan refugees from Sharjah to build a fort at Dairah between Dibai
and Sharjah; this settlement was a source of much annoyance to the
Sharjah Shaikh, and, in conjunction with the Baraimi difficulty, produced
a general state of tension which the British Resident considered it
his duty to relieve.
At a visit to Sharjah in December 1824 the Resident effected a
reconciliation of the parties on an understanding that the Baraimi
towers and the Dairah fort should both be demolished, and that the
Sudan immigrants should be removed to some other part of the Abu
Dhabi principality. In February 18:i5, no steps having been taken by
Sultan-bin-Saqar to carry out his part of the arrangement, a strong
remonstrance was addressed him by the Resident; the Shaikh in reply
pleaded intrigues on the part of his adversaries and suggested that a
commission of three persons, one appointed by himself, one by the Saiyid
of Masqat and one by the Resident, should be sent to Baraimi to super
intend the execution of the agreement. In May 1825 the Resident took
advantage of a visit which he paid to Masqat to despatch Gulab Anan-
da«, the Native Agent representing Britain at that port, along with some
troops of the Saiyid to witness the destruction of the Baraimi toweis
under an authorisation specially obtained from the Sharjah Shaikh.
Scarcely however had the delegate started when Sultan -bin-Saqai
made a sudden attack on Dairah, afterwards repulsing a force sent by
Tahnun-bin-Shakhbut to its relief ; and this treacherous action on his
part necessarily put an end to the efforts of the Resident to adjust the
quarrel. The Masqat Agent, it may be noted, on his return fiom