"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٧‎٣‎١] (١٧٨٢/٨٧٤)

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Internal history of Trucial 'Oman, 1853-1892.
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Earlier
events.
1857.
Political combinations without pertiianence, and an endless succes
sion of petty wars by land, compose almost the whole internal history of
Tracial 'Oman during this period. Of these meaningless occurrences
down to the year 1870 only two need be sig-nalised.
At the end of 1857 an attack was made by the Shaikh of Abu
Hail, a dependent of the shaikh of Sharjah, on an encampment of the
Mazari' tribe at Khawanij and resulted in the death of four Mazari',
one of whom was a Shaikh ; the Abu Hail force ; 150 strong, regained
their homes the same night with a quantity of booty including 2 horses
and 30 camels. As the Shaikh of Sharjah declined to make restitution
to the Mazari', the Shaikh of Dibai, under whose protection the Mazarf
were, obtained the help of the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi against him ; and
in March it was announced that Sharjah had been defeated. A
reconciliation of the parties was then effected by the Residency Agent at
Sharjah.
A campaign by the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi against the Shaikh of 1868.
Sharjah in April 1868 was rendered memorable by an unusual incident,
for Zaid-bin-Khalifah, advancing in front of his troops, challenged
his enemy, Khalid-bin-Sultan, to meet him in single combat. The
proposal having been accepted, the challenger inflicted on his antagonist
a woilnd which quickly proved mortal.
In 1869 the town of Ras-al-Khaimah and its dependencies became a Separation of
separate Shaikhdom under Hamaid- bin-■'Abdullah, a nephew of the ruling ma } 1
Shaikh of Sharjah, and so continued until his death in 1900. 1869^'
From 1871 onwards, in consequence of the institution of Administra- Later events,
tion Reports, information regarding the dissensions of the Trucial
Shaikhs is abundant ; and, notwithstanding the extreme unimportance
of most of the events, it seems advisable, on account of their recentness
and of results which in some cases still continue, to present them to the
reader in a condensed form.
In 1871 or 1872 the Shaikh of Umm -al-Qaiwain, between whom and 1871-72.
the Shaikh of Sharjah there was a dispute in regard to Bu Musa, put to
sea with the intention of raiding the horses of his enemy from that
island ] but be was anticipated by boats from Sharjah which arrived there
first, the Shaikhs of Abu Dhabi and Dibai were at this time at
daggers drawn, in consequence of the protection affouled by each chief
to runaway debtors from the jurisdiction of the other.