'14/201 II, TRUCIAL COAST MISCELLANEOUS, B 57' [‎90r] (187/417)

. ence in
to order his officials nn+ +
. AClals n ot to violate them.
1116 SUltaI1 an8Wered that he could not oomply for
two main reasons fn) i-p j
' he e^eavoured to enforce such an
order he would be in effpot c r.
eifect cr eaicing up a time honoured
cuetorn (b) that though he no
— s 0 dou ht could extract obedi
such a matter from the Walin nf +v,„ *
- the ZYto places mentioned who
were under his control he certfiini-i/
- ^eiiamly would not be able to do 50
m the case of other V /alis and toe Sheikhs of the tribes w hose
districts were contiguous to that of the Xruoial Oman.
The inhabitants of all these regions, the Sultan
pointed out, were closely related by ties of blood, similar
sectarian beliefs and speech and they regarded themselves to a
large extent as belonging, certainly to the same race, often
some
to the same tribe though/might be subjects of the Trucial
BheiKhdoms and others of the Muscat Government.
Por centuries, the Sultan went on to say, these
people had maintained constant intercourse with each other
and such problems as grazing and water rights, arrest of
fugitive robbers afld trade matters had invariably been settled
direct by the Sheiichs and Headmen concerned on each side with
out reference to the Muscat Government. Any attempt by him
to prevent his subjects in these regions following these
customs of their fathers would, the Sultan asserted, be certain
to fail and^he added^he could see no real necessity, in spite
of the treaties, to interfere with matters such as tne one
complained of which should be beneficial to all parties
concerned.
In all big questions of course such as a boundary
dispute or any sort of a quarrel arising between his subjects
and those of the Trucial Sheiichs the Muscat Government would,
the Sultan declared, at once approach His Majesty^ Government.
4. In the present case the Sheikh of Has al Khaimah
was, according to the Sultan, equally to blame with his Walls
in discussing the matter with them and if it was desired that
all direct intercourse between his subjects and the Crucial
Sheiichs