"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٠‎٩] (١٧٨٢/٢٥٢)

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his general misgovernment and partly of the complaints of the Bam
Ma'in, JVfar Khan was now recalled from Bandar ^Abbas, his place
there being taken by one Haji 'Ali who proved in all respects an excellent
governor. The Bam Ma'ln at Hormuz, who found it difficult to subsist
on account of the scarcity of water and whom the perpetual attacks of
the Qawasim had now reduced to poverty, were permitted to remove, and
some of them apparently went to Charak. Encouraged probably by
the partial removal of the Bani Ma'in, Mulla 'Ali Shah, whose family
were confined in the Fort at Hormuz, now proceeded to the Arabian
coast and returned with a force of Qawasim ; and two assaults were made
upon Hormuz by him and his allies ; but without success^ for they were
repulsed by the natives of Hormuz and by some of the Bani Ma'in who
lemained. In the course of these operations 2,400 bags of rice consigned
from Masqat to the British Agency at Bandar 'Abbas were seized by the
Qawasim and converted by Mulla 'Ali Shah to his own use without
payment of compensation, whereby the Agent was obliged to apply to
Nasir Khan for a supply of rice, to be credited as repayment in part of
the loan due from him. At the end of 1761 the restless Bani Ma'in were
still on the move ; those of them who had been to Charak had now returned
to Hormuz ; but a number of the tribe had been induced by Haji 'Ali to
settle quietly at Bandai"' Abbas with their families.
Prospects were again altered for the worse by the unexpected return of
Ja far Khan, on the 3rd of February 1762, to resume the government
of Bandar 'Abbas in supersession of Haji 'Ali : his reappointment was a
disagreeable surprise to the Bani Ma'in, who had settled there on a distinct
assurance from the Khan that Ja'far would never come back, and who now
a found themselves trepanned." Ja'far Khan at once resumed his
oppressions, especially of persons connected with the British Agency;
and in a few months tlie town of Bandar 'Abbas, which under Haji
'Ali had begun to recover its population and prosperity, was reduced
to a few date-stick huts. Only a few well-to-do inhabitants remained,
and there were no longer any customs to be collected. Nasir Khan
also made so many excuses for not repaying the loan which he had
taken from the Company that the money began to be regarded as lost;
and the Agent and Council were at length forced by various circums
tances to believe "that former oppressions, as well as those then practised,
were with his approbation and consent." The general position was
described as intolerable.
On the 10th of January 1763 Ja'far Khan was recalled to Lar ; but
his father-in-law, an avaricious man, was appointed in his place and it