"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٧‎٩‎٢] (١٧٨٢/٩٤٧)

792
'-i
'. i
flahtnah's
relations
with Masqat
and war
with the
Qawasimi,
1817.
Migration of
Kahmah from
Bushehr to
Dam mam,
1819.
Pritish
dealings
with Rabmah
in conneotion
with the
flSs -al-
Ivhaimah
expedition of
1819-20.
of his case, persecuted him by every available means. In July 1816
a fort which Rahmah had constmcted at Dammam on the coast of
Hasa was blown up by the Wahhabis ; not without difficulty lie rescued
his family and effects at Khor Hassan, the removal of which to
Dara'iyah had been directed by the Amir; and at leno-th, in October
1816, he arrived at Bushehr as a fugitive and an exile, accompanied by
about 500 families and bringing- with him, besides smaller boats, two very
large Baghlahs, a great Batil and several Baqarahs. To the present day
the western and northern coasts of Qatar are dotted with the remains
of forts attributed to Rahmah.
The proceedings of this restless individual daring the next two years
form properly no part of the history of Qatar ; but still less do they enter
into that of any other district. At Bushehr Rahmah was well received
by Shaikh Muhammad, the Governor, who assigned a quarter for his
residence and that of his dependents ; nor did he delay to visit the
Biitish Resident, to whom he professed friendship for the British
Government and readiness to be employed in fighting the Qawasim,
whose day of reckoning was now at hand.
Saiyid Sa J id was anxious that Rahmah should become a subject of
Masqat and settle in some part of 'Oman ; but the pirate, who regarded
his patron as disgraced by the failure of the expedition against Bahrain in
816, declined the proposal. In 1817, however, Rahmah visited Masqat
with the object of inducing Sa J id to renew his attempts on Bahrain ;
ut he found the Saiyid occupied with various internal difficulties.
In 1817 Rahmah made a highly successful cruise against the Qawasim
and captured twelve ^ their boats while engaged in carrying supplies
rom a, ram to Ras-al-Khaimah; four of these he brought back with
him to Bushehr, and eight he sank or destroyed, for want of crews to man
, after removing part of the cargoes.
th/ 11 / 818 Ri J hmah rem OTed again from Bushehr to Dammam; and
thenceforward he may be regarded as eonnected with the province
of Hasa rather than with Qatar.
or 1819 that Rahmah ' eithel ' on his own account
against RisJ-Kh^ W0 " U ■ ioi " the Bl ' itish expedition
should they be offerer buUlal, ^ i™ 8 reSOlTe(1 t0 aCCept his services
object-the humiliation of tbe^Utob VTl ^ ^ ^ main
the punishment of thp n - • Bahrain—and with whom
come forward Instead TT'l WaS a SeC0ndar ^ matter ' did not
ofFars was end.! 7 820 ' When the Prillce
was endeavouring to organise an expedition against Bahrain in