'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎57r] (118/180)

103
The Wahhabi post m Baraimi was used as a base for extremely aggressive Relations
action against the Sultanate ol Oman in 1845, in 1853, and again in 1865. with the
'Oman
Sultanate,
1843-65.
On his arrival in Trucial 'Oman in 1845, Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq demanded tribute, 1845.
at the rate of $5,000 and $20,000 a year respectively, from the rulers of Sohar and
Masqat, and, to enforce compliance, he ravaged the Batinah district and took iMajis,
butchering the garrison; $5,000 was then paid him on account of Sohar and it
was agreed that the question of the Masqat payment should be referred to Saiyid
Sa'ld, who was absent in East Africa. The Wahhabi soon violated the truce that
had been arranged; but the action of the British authorities in support of the regent
of Masqat, Saiyid Thuwaini, obliged him in the end to be content with a total
annual tribute of $5,000. A douceur of $2,000 was paid by Saiyid Thuwaini to
Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq in consideration of the settlement, and Majis was restored to the
former owner.
In 1853, during his sojourn in Baraimi, 'Abdullah, the heir-apparent to the 1853.
Wahhabi Amirship, insisted that the Saiyid of Masqat should cede to him the
town and district of Sohar and pay a greatly enhanced tribute for the remainder of
his dominions: from the exorbitance of these demands it was believed that the
Wahhabis merely sought a pretext for declaring war. Encouraged by British
support, Saiyid Thuwaini prepared to defend Sohar; the Wahhabis abandoned
their intention of invading Batinah; and the ultimate result was an agreement
under which the Saiyid was to retain Sohar and pay an increased tribute of $12,000
a year for the whole 'Oman Sultanate. It was further arranged that the Wahhabi
agent and the ruler of Masqat should mutually assist one another against all
enemies, and in pursuance of this undertaking Saiyid Thuwaini, in the following
year, was actually helped by the Wahhabis to coerce some refractory tribes in
Batinah. The Wahhabi agent, after these transactions, paid a visit on his own
account, probably in the capacity of tax-collector, to the district of 'Oman Proper
in the interior.
In 1864 the Wahhabis brought indirect pressure to bear on the Sultan of 1864-65.
'Oman—now Saiyid Thuwaini, who had succeeded his father Saiyid Sa'ld—by
supporting a rebel, Saiyid 'Azzan-bin-Qais of Rustaq, against his authority; but
the Sultan immediately sought the aid of the British Government, and the Political
Resident in the Gulf, Colonel Pelly, was directed to report on the situation. In
March 1865 Colonel Pelly paid a personal visit, which will be described
later on, to the Wahhabi Amir in his capital of Riyadh; and there he ascertained
that the intimidation of the Sultan had been ordered by the Amir himself, who
regarded Saiyid Thuwaini with the utmost contempt and wished to enhance his
annual tribute from $12,000 to $40,000. In April 1865, on his return to the Persian
Gulf, Colonel Pelly proceeded to Masqat, where he learned that Saiyid Azzan
had now definitely placed himself under the protection of the Wahhabis, and that
the latter were demanding an increased tribute and were threatening an invasion of
'Oman. In these circumstances Colonel Pelly, whose name the Sultan had already
in 1864 without proper authority proposed to the Amir as that of a mediator, wrote
to his late host Faisal tendering his good offices for a settlement; but no notice was
taken by the Wahhabi of this communication. In August 1865 Masqat was visited
by the usual Wahhabi deputation, who demanded on this occasion four times the
customary annual tribute; but, under British advice, the Sultan paid only the
established amount, and stated that, with reference to the balance, he awaited the
result of Colonel Pelly's offer of mediation. In the same month the Wahhabi
agent at Baraimi, in response to an invitation by the disaffected Jannabah
inhabitants of Sur, sent a Wahhabi contingent to that place; a fort occupied by
a garrison on behalf of the Sultan was taken after two days' resistance, Suq Sur
was plundered, and one British Indian subject was killed and another wounded.
Saiyid Thuwaini then weakly submitted and paid two sums, aggregating $16,000,
to the Wahhabis as the price of peace; but the British Government, as we shall see
later, did not allow matters to remain in this position.