"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٦‎٩‎٠] (١٧٨٢/٨٣٣)

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ascendancy
of the Shaikh
of Sbftrjah,
1823-32.
nent subordination of 'Ajman was not admitted, and the Shaikh was
further informed that the British Government took no interest in his
claims to suzerainty over other chiefs.
Lieutenant McLeod, dissenting from the current view that the
ruling Shaikh of Sharjah was little better than a monster in human
shape, described him at this time as a turbulent and ambitious man. but
superior in ability, as well as in most other respects, to his neighbours.
The establishment of Shaikh Sultan's power over the whole Pirate Coast
might, he reported, possibly be advantageous to Government; but it
should be understood that, as no Shaikh was absolute even in his own
tribe, so the hegemony of Sharjah over the other principalities would be
nominal at the best; and the Resident foresaw trouble from the
rancorous hatred of its ruler for Saiyid Sa'id of Masqat.
The principality of Dibai, sill governed by Zaid-bin-Saif, the uncle
of the Shaikh, was at this time dependent on that of Abu Dhabi, of
which the ruler was Tahnun bin-Shakhbut; and both of these states,
which were military and pastoral rather than maritime in their condition,
generally inclined to alliance w th Masqat.
The Qawasim, whose extrene poverty and fewness of resources were
now for the first time set in a clear light, still built their boats entirely
of Indian teak; their warlike stores were obtained from Bahrain, from
the Persian ports of the lower Gulf, and from Masqat; and their arms,
mostly taken from prizes, were commonly of Persian manufacture.
None of the chiefs possessed more than three or four boats except
Sultan-bin-Saqar who hac 7 at least 30 fine vessels, each capable of
containing 50 to 100 men; and it was strongly suspected that most of
these were over three years M and had been hidden away by the Shaikh,
instead of being surrendered, at the time of the British expedition.
Qadhib-bin-Ahmad of Jazirat-al-Hamra was now dead; in 182-i his
successor was removed by Sultan-bin-Saqar to make way for a more
pliant representative in the person of one Ahmad-bin-'Abdullah; and
about the same time the Shaikh of ''Ajman also bow T ed to the inevitable
and acknowledged the overlordship of Sharjah. In 1825 Shaikh Sultan,
having acquired influence at Dibai by his own marriage with the sister
of the young Shaikh, was scheming to obtain actual possession of that
place, the nearness of which to his capital would be a serious danger in
case of its falling under inimical influences. In 1832. however, Sultan-
bin Saqar, made aware by experience of the disadvantages of being
e responsible for the behaviour of minor chiefs, formally resigned his
pretensions to suzerainty over ^Ajman and Umm-al-Qaiwain; and in
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