"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٥‎١‎٥] (١٧٨٢/٦٥٨)

515
February 1880, in which Salih-bin-'Ali was called on to pay $1,500, the
Hajriyin $3,750, the Hirth $2,750 and the Habus $1,000 to the
Sultau_,* whom the notification declared to be acting in the matter with
the full consent and support of the British Government; and it was
intimated that, if payment were not made within a month, the demand
might possibly be increased. Various excuses, but no payments, were
made by the tribes concerned ; and, in September 18b0, the Sultan s official
Saif bin-Badar in the " Dar-as-Salam," accompanied by Major Grant,
Political Agent, in H.M.S. " Woodlark," proceeded to Sur to lay an
embargo on produce belonging to the Hajriyin tribe which was said to
have reached that port; but the information on which they acted
was incorrect, and no attachable property could be found. Eventually, with
the concurrence of the Government of India, after a portion of the
demand had been recovered by seizures, it was arranged between the
Sultan and those of his subjects concerned that a tax of $1 per Bahar
should be levied on all dates exported from Sharqiyah, to whatever
tribe belonging, and the proceeds devoted to paying off the indemnity.
The right to realise this tax was apparently leased by the Sultan to his
Hindu customs farmers ; and, $1,400 out of the collections having
subsequently been withheld by them on account of other claims against
His Highness, Turki was constrained to make good the amount by
short drawals of the « Zanzibar " subsidy. The final settlement of the
whole claim does not appear to have been reported to Government; but it
was no doubt discharged, in process of time, by means of the temporary tax.
- In September 1882 a Hindu Faqir, a British subject, was murdered ^
by night in the Miyabin quarter of Masqat town; but no clue could be
obtained in the case.' The murder of a Hindu merchant and the robbery
of a Khojah at Matrah within the following two months have been
mentioned above in connection with the lawlessness of the S
Wahhabi guards. In the former o£ these cases there was no proo against
any individual, but in the second restitution and punishment of the
culprit were obtained.
^ ^ Uovcnfov nf which the British authorities were illegal har-
A matter of an exceptional character, ot wnic . , , ^ * n 5c ol bom dues at
obliged to take cognisance, was an attempt by the m a i an s o c. Kbor-al-
Hil to extort dues from vessels using the harbour of Khor -aWaramah, Ha^ad
concerning which and the somewhat similar Khor-al Hajar a p ^ JarSaah,
to proprietorship seems to have existed between the people of Ras-al-Hadd
and those of Sur. i British war vessel visited the spot m eonnec .on wr.h
this affair about 1877 ; and again, in 1879, H.M.S. " Ready at the request
of the Sultan conveyed one of his officials to Sm- and Ras -al-Hadd^when^
• Th« total of tliewTaumsls $9,000 only. P^ly there i. « clerical error «
the records. 4$ A