'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part IA & IB. J G Lorimer. 1915' [‎598] (741/1782)

British offer
of asBi stance
rejected by
the Sultan,
April 1896,
598
Turkish, Colonel Hayes Sadler, the British Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Masqat,
under instructions from the Government of India, proceeded to the
spot at the beginning of March 1896 in H.M.S. "Brisk" to inves
tigate. The Sultan of "'Oman had also authorised Colonel Hayes Sadler
to negotiate with the tribesmen on his behalf. The Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
found the Sultan's flag flying over Hafah village, in which the garrison
were virtually prisoners, while a Turkish flag floated over Salalah; but
no proof was obtained of the presence of emissaries from Shaikh Fadhl,
though the rebels had undoubtedly applied for help both to him and to
the Chief of Shihr, and the Turkish flag appeared to be one of those of
which the introduction into the district had been reported ten years earlier.
Colonel Hayes Sadler had an interview with the leaders of the rebellion, of
whom the principal were Salim-bin-Hamad, Marhuni, and 'Ali-bin-
Kathairi; but their attitude was defiant, and they refused the reasonable
terms offered them by the Sultan, viz., forgiveness for the past, the
removal of Sulaiman-bin-Suwailim, the appointment of a more con
ciliatory governor, the restriction of taxation within the limits
sanctioned by custom, and prompt redress of grievances.
On Colonel Hayes Sadler's return to Masqat the question of assisting
the Sultan to recover Dhufar was discussed, and a proposal was sanctioned
by Her Majesty's Government that the action of the Sultan's forces on
land should be supported, if necessary, by British naval fire. The offer
was communicated to the Sultan at the beginning of April, accompanied
by a condition that he should abide by British advice regarding future
arrangements in Dhufar, and it was at first not unfavourably received;
but within a very few days His Highnesses attitude changed under the
French influences to which he was at this time subject; and, professing
himself unable to agree to a condition so vague as that of submission to
future British advice, he intimated that he could now neither conciliate
the Al Kathir nor replace Sulaiman by another Wali. He added that
he expected, in the absence of foreign complications, to be able to
reduce Dhufar unassisted.
In May 1896 a protest was lodged by the French Ambassador in
London against the recent action of the British Government in sending
the " Brisk " to Dhufar to support the Sultan's interests,—a proceeding
to which objection was taken as being unilateral and therefore inconsis
tent with the Declaration of 1862. In reply an assurance was given by
Her Majesty's Government that the incident complained of implied no
intention on the part of Britain to establish a protectorate over Oman)
or to depart from her engagement with France to respect the Sultan's
independence.
In January 1897 the Sultan, being at length convinced of his own
inability to recover Dhufar, solicited the assistance of a British man-of-
war and accepted the conditions upon which the British Government
were now willing to grant it : these were pardon, after full sub
mission, for the rebels ; the appointment of a Wali acceptable to the
local Shaikhs ; and the discontinuance of extra taxation. At the begin
ning of March 1897 the French war-vessel " Surprise" arrived at
Masqat, and her services against the rebels in Dbufar were offered to the
Sultan, but were declined.
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