‘File XXVIII/2 INTERNAL POLITICS & RELATIONS WITH OMAN MAJOR SADLER'S DIARY DURING REBELLION OF 1895.’ [‎16r] (31/104)

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werg employed in getting tho fires under control and prevent
ing their spread, by pulling down the surrounding buildings*
After ascertaining the state the town was in, I proceeded to
the fort and besought His Highness to come down, and by his
presence stimulate the efforts of his officials to restore
order and save what property was still left in the town* A
little later His Highness and his brother Seyyid Mahomed bin
Turk! descended from the fort, and we afterwards found them
superintending operations at the fires* Seyyid Mahomed bin
Turki was most energetic; both the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. fire engines had
been placed at his disposal, and he was constantly on the
scene till the fire in the big bazaar, the most obstinate of
all, w r as finally extinguished on the 3rd day.
Fortunately, the fire did not reach the more inflammable
khojas dry goods merchants, and fears of a general conflagra
tion soon subsided.
engaged in setting their shops and houses to rights, but the
presence of His Highness ! s allies|/;as a constant source of
anxiety and even of some danger, consequently our people re
turned to Mukellah at night and did not for some days resume
their usual w r ork in the town, nor were they able for the same
reason to bring back their property, which had been removed
during the truce, till the 7th instant.
Several representations were made to the Sultan, urging him to
dismiss his allies as soon as he possibly could, but this
necessarily took time, the claims of all the tribes had to be
pled, and there was difficulty in obtaining boats for those
w r ho had to return by sea.
In view of these considerations, and of the fact that this
A
portion of the town which is occupied by the shops of the
34.
In the next few days British subjects were busily
was not a time to consider our claims against the Sultan or