"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٥‎٠‎٨] (١٧٨٢/٦٥١)

508
and
Matiah
Masqat
threatened by
rebels, 1882.
Machinations
of Salih-bin-
Ali, 1883.
Third rebel
attack on
Masqat, Octo
ber 1883.
on recovering- it by force of arms; and on the 9th and 10th of April
he attacked the fort with an 18-pounder gain, H.M.S. "Arab"" bein
present to watch events, but not to take part in the operations. Ibrahim
himself was absent at Rustaq, and on the second day of the bombardment
the fort was taken by assault, not without a number of casualties on
either side. Turki then resumed possession of Masna'ah; and the
success thus gained redounded considerably to his credit.
In the month of June 1882, however, Saiyid 'Abdul 'Aziz and
Hamud the Jahafi succeeded in slipping through the 'Aqq pass; and on
the 22nd they arrived at Wataiyah with the declared intention of attack
ing Mat rah and Masqat. A protest by Major Grant, the Political Agent
at Masqat, failed to divert them from their purpose; but, on the 24th of
June, inlluenced probably by the arrival of H.M.S. "Arab" which
anchored off Matrah, the rebels substituted negotiations for threats and
in the end extorted favourable terms from the Sultan, one condition
being the payment of a pension of $200 a month to 'Abdul 'Aziz.
Saiyid Faisal, the Sultan's son, was then sent to punish the Nidabiyin
for allowing the passage of the rebels through Wadi-al-'Aqq, but he
allowed himself to be deterred by the threats of Salih -bin-'Ali and 'Ablul
'Aziz.
Throughout the earlier part of 1888 Salih-bin-'Ali was busy in prepar
ing the way for a supreme effort to depose Saiyid Turki; but he had uow
lost the support of Ibrahim of Rustaq, who in March of that year accepted
a pension of $100 a month from the Sultan; and, though he still
put 'Abdul 'Aziz prominently forward, it seems to have been his inten
tion, if successful, to set the religious recluse Hamud -bin-Faisal of Hnstan
upon the throne Salih made skilful use of dissensions among the
' afil16 of VVadl Sa mftil and its tributary Wadis, especially of a
dispute between the Nidabiyin and Bani .Tabir about date plantations
at Sarur, to weaken the chief defence of Masqat against invasions from
. arcpyah. He was so successful that the confidence of Turki in the
Nidabiyin was temporarily shaken, and the tribe repudiated their obliga
tion to hold the Aqq pass against the Sultan's enemies.
Of the final attempt on Masqat, which was not made until October,
there were several premonitory symptoms. In June Hamud the Jahafi
a empted to make his way down to Masqat, but was stopped at Sarur
Silihl-'^ar 3,111 ! T and Siyabiyin tribes ' At the middle of August
unomio ^ 1 'Tu A ' AZa ^ at Sa ™ 1 '' where the y had oome
but tbT,'l " . . tbe dls I ,ute ^ween the Nidabiyin and BaniJahir;
Sey had a large force with them, they unaccouLtahly returned