"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎١‎٨‎١] (٣٩٦/٣٦٩)

54 ANNUAL REPORT ON THE PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY
CHAPTER IX.
ADMINISTRATION REPORT FOR THE MUSCAT AGENCY FOR THE
YEaE, 1919.
Major L B. H. Haworth, LA., held charge of the office of Political Agent
and His Britannic Majesty's Consul till
Personnel. ^ f 0reil00n 0 f x7th October, when he was
relieved by Mr. R. E. L. Wingate, I.C.S., who held charge till the end of the
year.
The post of the Agency Surgeon continued vacant.
The Senior Medical Officer, Bait-el-Falaj, officiated in charge of the
Agency and Telegraph Staff.
Mr. Ehtasham-ed -Douleh continued to be Dragoman of the Agency during
the year.
Sub-Assistant Surgeon J. P. Mascarenhas was relieved on 27th March
by Sub-Assistant Surgeon P. P. Desouza who remained in charge of the
Hospital till the end of the year.
Monsieur Mateudi, the warrant officer in charge French coal godown, ,
officiated as French Consul till 15th February, when Monsieur C. Lecout^ur ^
relieved him. The latter remained in charge till 27th November, although he
proceeded to Bombay on 2nd September returning on 20th October.
'Monsieur J. Yvoonon who relieved Monsieur Mateudi when the la'ter
returned to France as warrant officer in charge French Coal Godown on 5th .
March, has been officiating since the departure of Monsieur Lec^uteur. y
During the year under report there were no collisions between the adherents
of the Sultan on the coast and the Omani
Condition of country. , • i • iii i.i t
party of the interior ruled by the imam,
and a state of peace tempered by mutual suspicion and restriction of movement
and trade prevailed Jffiarly in the year there was a strong rumour of an
intended attack by the Imam on Sur where the Sultan's Government for jears
had been singularly futile. H. M. S. "Britomart" was, therefore, sent down
there with the Wali of Muttrah. The affair however came to nothing, though
whether this was due to the presence of the " Britomart ' or to the fact that the
supposed attack was a tentative rumour, is not clear.
In February, the Political Agent succeeded in getting into touch, by letter,
with the Omani Chiefs and a meeting between him and Shekh Isa, the supposed
spokesman cf the Imam's party, was arranged to take place in April The
death of Seikh Isa's brother, however, caused the date to be postponed, and it
was not till the 15th September that the meeting between the Political Agent
and Sheik Isa took place at Sib.
The situation was discussed with considerable frankness by both side?. The
proposal of the Political Agent that the Sultan should be the temporal, and
the Imam the spirtual, head of a united Oman was however immediately
negatived by the Omani Chiefs. It was realised that a settlement on the basis of
the status quo w r as the only possible solution, the Omanis ruling their country
and the Sultan his, with freedom of travel and intercourse, and guarantee on
the part of both sides against attack. There remained for settlement the
question of the return of private propeity of the Sultan's subjects seized by
the Omanis, and the return by the Sultan of the Omani prisoners, relatives of
Sheikh Isa, whom he held in Muscat.
The Sultan was perfectly billing to return the prisoners, and in fact
gave the Political Agent a free hand in the whole affair. It is however onlv
fair to add that he has been throughout openly sceptical that the Omauis /
would come to any agreement except under compulsion. Sjeikh Isa was equal- /
ly confident as w T as Shejkh Said bin Nasir-al-Khindi, a prominent Abadlu