"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٧‎٠‎٦] (١٧٨٢/٨٤٩)

700
DiVontimi-
ance of
British sup
port to the
Shaikhs of
Barairni,
1843.
R?-occupH-
tion of
Baraimi
by the Waff
habis, 1845.
his reply denied that he entertained any designs on 'Oman; but hie
continuance in power after this event was so brief as to leave it uncertain
whether his assurances had been sincere.
'Abdullah, the successor of Khalid, during- his brief tenure of power,
opened a correspondence with the Trucial Shaikhs, in which he announced
his intention of sending Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq as his agent to Baraimi; but
his letters, except that which he had addressed to the Shaikh of Abu
Dhabi, were obtained by Colonel Robertson, the British Political
Kesident, who remonstrated against his proceedings on the ground that
they might lead to a revival of piracy. 'Abdullah, in reply professed his
abhorrence of piracy ; but he did not fail to claim the people of Trucial
'Oman as his subjects.
In July 1843, immediately on his return to power, Faisal, the
restored Amir of Najd, informed the Shaikhs of'Oman by letter that
it was his intention at the end of the hot weather to send a force under
Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq to take possession of the province. Alarmed by these
threats the Na'im of Baraimi, who had ere now by lawless acts estranged
their former ally Saiyid Hamud of Sohar, applied for aid to the British
Government; but in reply they were informed that the object of the
assistance given them in 1840 was to prevent the establishment of the
Egyptians in the country, and that, this danger having been removed,
it was now the intention of the British Government to withdraw from
interference in the internal affairs of Arabia. At the same time friendly
communications of a general nature were passing between the Bushehr
Residency and Riyadh.
Early in 1845 Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq, accompanied by a small force,
arrived once more in the neighbourhood of Baraimi. His hesitating
approach betrayed some uncertainty as to the event ; but on this
occasion the Na'im and Dhawahir submitted without resistance, the
Baiainii forts were at once placed in his hands, and the Trucial
Shaikhs hastened to do him honour. Once firmly established in his old
headquarters he devoted his attention, with results which are described
in the history of the 'Oman Sultanate, chiefly to squeezing the richer
prii.cipalities of Sobar and Masqat, but did not therefore neglect less
valuable prey which lay within easy reach. On the contrary he at once
engaged in intrigues to obtain possession of the town of Dhank in
Dbahirah, and in October he made preparations to seize the small oasis
of Dhaid in the interior of Trucial 'Oman, besides which he proposed to
build a foit on the coast in Zora, an insulated tract between 'Ajman and
Hamilyah. These proceedings and his general arrogance and rapacity