'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎25r] (54/180)

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opposite to the peninsula; the Shaikh of Umm-al-Qaiwain, 'Abdullah-bin-Rashid,
owned him for his liege-lord; and on the coast northwards of Sharjah the only
chief who considered himself independent was Rashid-bin-Hamaid, the Shaikh
of 'Ajman. This last obstacle in the way of his complete supremacy Sultan-bin-
Saqar was extremely anxious to remove, and, as evidence of his rights over 'Ajman,
he referred the Resident to the preliminary agreement made between himeslf and
General Sir W. Grant Keir in 1820, which expressly covered 'Ajman; but the force
of the argument as proving the permanent subordination of 'Ajman was not
admitted, and the Shaikh was further informed that the British Government took
no interest in his claims to suzerainty over other chiefs.
Lieutenant McLeod, dissenting from the current view that the ruling Shaikh
of Sharjah was little better than a monster in human shape, described him at this
time as a turbulent and ambitious man, but superior in ability, as well as in most
other respects, to his neighbours. The establishment of Shaikh Sultan's power over
the whole Pirate Coast might, he reported, possibly be advantageous to Govern
ment; but it should be understood that, as no Shaikh was absolute even in his
own tribe, so the hegemony of Sharjah over the other principalities would be
nominal at the best; and the Resident foresaw trouble from the rancorous hatred
of its ruler for Saiyid Sa'id of Masqat.
The principality of Dibai, still governed by Zaid-bin-Saif, the uncle of the
Shaikh, was at this time dependent on that of Abu Dhabi, of which the ruler was
Tahnun-bin-Shakhbut; and both of these states, which were military and pastoral
rather than maritime in their condition, generally inclined to alliance with Masqat.
The Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. , whose extreme poverty and fewness of resources were now
for the first time set in a clear light, still built their boats entirely of Indian teak;
their warlike stores were obtained from Bahrain, from the Persian ports of the
lower Gulf, and from Masqat; and their arms, mostly taken from prizes, were
commonly of Persian manufacture. None of the chiefs possessed more than three
or four boats except Sultan-bin-Saqar who had at least 30 fine vessels, each capable
of containing 50 to 100 men; and it was strongly suspected that most of these
were over three years old and had been hidden away by the Shaikh, instead of
being surrendered, at the time of the British expedition.
Qadhib-bin-Ahmad of Jazirat-al-Hamra was now dead; in 1824 his successor
was removed by Sultan-bin-Saqar to make way for a more pliant representative in
the person of one Ahmad-bin-'Abdullah; and about the same time the Shaikh
of 'Ajman also bowed to the inevitable and acknowledged the overlordship of
Sharjah, In 1825 Shaikh Sultan, having acquired influence at Dibai by his own
marriage with the sister of the young Shaikh, was scheming to obtain actual
possession of that place, the nearness of which to his capital would be a serious
danger in case of its falling under inimical influences. In 1832 however, Sultan-
bin-Saqar, made aware by experience of the disadvantages of being held responsible
for the behaviour of minor chiefs, formally resigned his pretensions to suzerainty
over 'Ajman and Umm-al-Qaiwain; and in 1833 he sustained a serious reverse
at Abu Dhabi which cannot but have lowered his prestige.
Meanwhile, in 1828, the town of Ras-al-Khaimah had begun to rise once
more on its original site, the ruins of the old town serving as quarries of material
for the new; the wall across the isthmus on the landward side of the town had
already been restored; and a square tower had been built on a mound which
marked the place of a former principal fortification.
It is unnecessary here to do more than refer to the acts of war between Sharjah
and Abu Dhabi which took place in 1825 in connection with the Baraimi-Dairah
quarrel, and which have already been mentioned above.
In February 1829 Sultan-bin-Saqar, irritated by a constant coalition against
himself between the Saiyid of Masqat and the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, took advantage
of the failure of the joint expedition of those two powers against Bahrain to declare
war against Abu Dhabi; and very soon, by means of a blockade, he succeeded in
reducing to severe straits the principal and only town belonging to his rival. The
prospect of exclusion from the approaching pearl fishery was however equally
disagreeable to both sides; and in June 1829, by the mediation of Muhammad-bin-
Qadhib, Shaikh of Lingeh, peace was arranged on condition that neither party
should interfere any more with the subjects or dependents of the other.
In 1831 trouble was renewed in consequence of the curious imbroglio, already
described, which resulted in 1831 from the operations of Saiyid Sa'id of Masqat
against Sohar. The Shaikh of 'Ajman, on his return from Sohar, found that his
town had been plundered and the flocks of his subjects raided by Bani Yas and
Continued
ascendancy
of the Shaikh
of Sharjah,
1823-32.
Hostilities
between
Sharjah and
Abu Dhabi,
1825-31.