"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٤‎٣‎١] (١٧٨٢/٥٧٤)

431
the British Government would have no alternative but to place his
dominions under a commercial blockade from the side of India. The
deportation of the French army from Egypt in British ships and the
victories of Lord Lake over the Marathas in India, too, were significant
events which cannot but have iufluenced his political views.
Notwithstanding- his loyal observance in difficult circumstances of
an important treaty, the conduct of Saiyid Sultan at this time was re
garded by the Bombay Government as unsatisfactory, chiefly in regard
to the prevalence of piracy. The fact seems to have been that Sultan
wished to make it a rule that every ship proceeding up the Gulf should
put into Masqat and receive a safe conduct or a convoy, to protect her
against pirates, from his officials there ; and when ships under the British
flag disregarded this condition, as they frequently did, and afterwards
suffered by the misdeeds of pirates under Sultan's real or nominal juris
diction, he was somewhat slow to inflict punishment or enforce restitution.
In particular, Sultan appears to have been held responsible for the
depredations of one Nasir, a Suwaidi or member of the Sudan tribe,
who, after forsaking his home in the Shaikhdom of Ras-al-Khaimah, had
settled on the island of Hormuz, in the jurisdiction of the ruler of 'Oman,
and thence had committed several piracies. On one occasion, the Suwaidi
seized a botella * belonging to Mirza Mehdi 'Ali Khan^ before mentioned,
while carrying British official despatches; but Saiyid Sultan in this instance
obliged him to restore the boat to the owner, and himself transmitted the
despatches to their destination.
Again a vessel owned by Muhammad Nabi Khan, afterwards Per
sian Envoy to India, was captured by the Suwaidi while navigating
under British colours; and a small vessel carrying gunpowder consigned
from the Bombay Arsenal to the Turkish Governor of Basrah likewise fell
into his hands. On the last occasion some even of the local officials, subject
to Masqat, were supposed to have shared in the plunder. Sultan was
perhaps reluctant to take action in these later cases, for nothing was done
by him until the Bombay Government had sent the " Duncan " with Indian
troops on board to the Gulf ; and, though Captain Seton accompanied
him on an expedition to Hormuz which ensued, the offenders with all their
property were allowed to escape to Hasa, where they joined the Wahhabis.
It was further alleged that Saiyid Sultan had allowed property looted
by the people of Nakhilu from the British ships " Hector and Alert,
which went ashore in the summer of 1803 upon the Persian coast, to be
disposed of at Masqat ; and another grievance against him
* Possibly a Batil is meant.
Difficulties
between
Saiyid Sul
tan and the
Government
of Bombay,
1803-04.