'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎28v] (61/180)

46
J
Successful
Egyptian
intrigues
in Trucial
'Oman. 1839,
Counter
active mea
sures by the
British
authorities.
July 1839.
almost exclusively with the Wahhabis or, at first, with the Egyptians, by whose
power that of the Wahhabis was for a time superseded in Central Arabia.
In 1839—in disregard of a pledge not to extend his conquests in the direction
of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , given in 1838 by Muhammad 'Ali, Viceroy of Egypt, to
Colonel Campbell, the representative of the British Government in Cairo—the
Egyptians occupied Hasa, appeared to contemplate the reduction of Bahrain, and
despatched an agent to prepare their way among the tribesmen of Trucial "Oman.
These steps provoked countermoves on the part of the British Government, who felt
their influence in the Gulf to be imperilled by the progress of the Egyptians; and in
February 1839 the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. at Bushehr was expressly instructed to exert
his influence for the purpose of checking their further encroachments. With the
same object a visit was paid to the coast of Trucial "Oman by Sir F. Maitland, the
British Naval Commander-in-Chief in the East, in H.M.S. " Wellesley"; and the
Trucial Shaikhs, in the presence of Captain T. Edmunds, Assistant Political
Resident, who accompanied the cruise, solemnly undertook to hold no friendly
relations with the emissary of the Egyptians, but on the contrary to oppose him.
Nowithstanding this promise the Egyptian agent, who was no other than the former
Wahhabi representative Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq, was allowed by Shaikh Sultan-bin-Saqar
to remain at Sharjah, where, on his arrival in March 1839. a fortified house and
tower had been placed at his disposal by the Shaikh; and from this point of vantage
Sa'ad at once began to intrigue, calling on the Nairn tribe through Shaikh
Sultan-bin-Saqar to surrender Baraimi for occupation by a garrison of Wahhabis,
whom he had brought with him, and opening a direct correspondence with the
Shaikh of Abu Dhabi, whose co-operation with themselves, in view of his previous
steady opposition to Central Arabian influences, had been confidently anticipated
by the British authorities. On the Na'im, who had but recently obtained or
recovered possession of Baraimi, the threats of the Egyptian agent produced no
effect, and the Na'im were encouraged in their defiant attitude by Saiyid
Hamud-bin-'Azzan of Sohar, who immediately sent his own brother Qais with
200 men to their assistance; but by Shaikh Khalifah-bin-Shakhbut of Abu Dhabi
the advances of Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq were cordially received.
I he situation vis a vis of the Egyptians was now so unsatisfactory that
Captain Hennell, the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , resolved on a personal visit to Bahrain and
Trucial 'Oman; he arrived off the coast of the latter on the 1st of July 1839 in the
H.E.I. Company's Steamer " Hugh Lindsay," of which the novel and surprising
evolutions were not without their influence on the disaffected Shaikh of Abu
Dhabi.* Captain Hennell's enquiries showed that the Shaikhs of Dibai and
Umm-al-Qaiwain were unfavourably disposed towards the Egyptians, but that the
Shaikh of Abu Dhabi was using every endeavour to supplant the Shaikh of Sharjah
in Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq's favour, which Sultan-bin-Saqar on his part was doin^ his
utmost to retain. From each of these four chiefs the Resident obtained a general
written agreement to support the policy of the British Government and to resist
that of the Egyptians; and in the case of Sultan-bin-Saqar a further clause was
added, by which the Shaikh bound himself not to enter into any correspondence
or treaty with Muhammad Ali of Egypt, his dependents, or any other foreign power
without the consent of the British Government, and to regard the friends and
enemies of the British as his own. The Shaikh of Sharjah was also furnished, at his
own request, with letters from the Resident to himself and to Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq
representing the advisability of the return of the latter to Najd; and, to satisfy the
Shaikh s demands for British support, the Resident promised that, in case
compliance with policy enjoined should involve him in hostilities, he should be
supplied with such munitions of war as might be necessary and proper: this
undertaking Captain Hennell offered to confirm in writing on the expulsion of
Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq. Meanwhile an appeal for help against Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq had
reached Captain Hennell from the Shaikhs of Baraimi, to which that officer replied
encouraging them to maintain their independence, by holding out hopes that an
Agent would be sent to reside with them, and by promising to supply them with
ammunition, if attacked because of having conformed to his advice. The
Resident's letter addressed to Sa'ad-bin-Mutlaq contained a reference to these
negotiations, and indicated that the Na'im of Baraimi had been taken under British
protection pending a settlement between the British and Egyptian Governments.
* The " Hugh Lindsay,' Lieutenant Campbell, drew only eleven feet of water, and the power
of the vessel to advance up a narrow channel against the wind greatly impressed the Arabs.