'File 35/134 I A. 40. Sur: Amirs of Jaalan' [‎124av] (287/596)

12
The scheme for advancing French interests by a wide distribution o
French flag was boldly pursued. In November 1891 it was state -
many as 50 Sur boats flying the French flag were bound for . Bu ^" e '
18 had put in to Lingah. (This question is further dealt with in - re
of the slave trade.) By 1900 the people of bur, especially those
Jenobeh tribe, had almost ceased, under French encouragement, to regai
■Sultan as their master. • • i
65. In 1900 Hilal bin Amr arrived at Sur from East Africa, jomec
hands with M. Ottavi, and began to inveigh against the Sultan and tne
British; and the spirit of the Jenebeh was such that, when summoned by
the Sultan to meet him at Muscat, they refused to go and insolently
suggested that he should deal with them instead ^ through the rencii
Vice-Consul, It was this state of affairs which obliged baiyid taisal in
June 1900 to make a visit to Sur, the first siuce his accession m IbbS. Mis
reception was more favourable than he had expected, for all the elders o± Uie
town immediately paid their respects to him, the Cheif Sheikh of the-bam
Bu Ali came down from the interior with a thousand men to do him honour,
.and the Sultan was successful, before he left, in obtaining from the J^rencn
flag holders of the port, including the Jenebeh, a formal profession ot
allegiance to himself and a renunciation of French protection.
(56. In 1901 the Sultan sent 80 Askaris to garrison his post at Sur, and
the French flag holders, few of whom had observed their promise given m
the previous year, understanding the act as a threat to themselves, asked
M. Ottavi whether he would protect them in case of an attack by the Sultan s
.troops; his reply was unfavourable, and the incident marked another stage
in the decline of French influence at Sur.
67. About 1913 a blood feud started between the Arama and Makhana
-sections of the Jenebeh, which has continued ever since. In 1918 His
Highness the Sultan visited Sur and fined the Jenebeh Rs. 14,000 and
imprisoned 20 Sheikhs. This action kept the peace for about two years.
68. In 1919 the Muscat customs were reorganised and the people of Sur,
seeing that in future the dues would be more strictly enforced, refused to
allow^ customs house to be built. In 1920 Captain MacCollum, the then
Wazir Minister. , went to Sur in H.M S, Britomart, and the Jenebeh agreed to accept
the new arrangements. Things went smoothly for a short while and then
smuggling began again and has continued ever since. The customs house
was not built,'difficulties being invariably placed in the way, and the Wali
became as powerless and inept as ever.
69. Spasmodic murdering went on, and in 1923 the Council of Ministers
sent Sheikh Rashid, Minister for Religious Affairs, to attempt to put an end
to the feuds. He returned, having been openly flouted and having
accomplished nothing. In July Zubair, Minister of Justice, accompanied by
Captain Alban, LA. (in command of the Muscat Levies) and 150 levies and
three machine guns, proceeded to Sur and occupied the fort. Zubair reported
that he had settled all feuds and caused blood money to be paid over
immediately in his presence and recovered $6,400 customs dues from the
merchants and fined the tribe $4,000. A site was selected for a custom house
-and the party returned to Muscat in triumph. Unfortunately there was one
^ase in which blood money was not accepted. The Makhana agreed to pardon
the murderer, an Arama. He was imprisoned in Muscat and was released in
1924. Meeting an armed slave of the murdered Sheikh on the outskirts of Sur,
he decided the man had been detailed to kill him and fired and killed the
slave. This started indiscriminate firing between the sections, in which one
Arama boy was killed. The Fuwaris took a hand and seized a water donkey
belonging to the Arama, and a struggle ensued, in which an Arama girl was
killed. The Wali was able to use the Ramzan feast for arranging a 45 days'
armistice.
70. About this time (1924) Mahomed bin Kaser, Amir of the BaniBuAli,
.started to take an interest in the affairs of the Jenebeh, having formed an
alliance with Mansur bin Naser, Jenebeh Sheikh of Masirah, and won over
the Makhana and A1 Ghialin sections in Sur—the weaker party in the feud
among the Jenebeh—to acknowledge his authority.