'Selections from the Records of the Bombay Government' [‎212] (254/733)

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212
MUSKAT.
About two years previous, one of the Chiets of Oman, Syf bin Soley-
man by name, had been placed in charge of a strong fort, situated
between Rastag and Soweik, called Honken, by Syud Hillal bin
Mahomed, the Governor of Muskat. Having rendered himself ob
noxious to the inhabitants and ryuts by his irregular proceedings, Syf
bin Soleyman was removed from his post by Syud Hillal, and another
person appointed in his room. Thus affairs remained until the middle
of the year 1S41, when, taking advantage of the absence of the go
vernor, the deposed chief succeeded in surprising and obtaining
possession of the fort of Honken. Upon the intelligence reaching Syud
Soweynee, then Governor of Muskat, he wrote to his kinsman Syud
Humood bin Azan, requesting his aid in its recovery, which that chief
readily promised. In the mean while, overtures were made to him by
Syf bin Soleyman, which he at once rejected, informing him that there
was only one course left him to pursue, namely to tender immediate
submission to the Muskat Government. Accordingly, finding that al
the chiefs of His Highness' family were now united, and that the
support he had counted upon from the ruler of Sohar, based upon t e
enmity formerly subsisting between that personage and the Imaum, was
not forthcoming, Syf bin Soleyman begged for quarter, which being
granted, he delivered up the fort to the troops of Syud Soweynee, an
proceeded to Muskat, to make his submission to that chief.
Had Syud Humood bin Azan, consulting his own interests, accepted
the tempting offer of the fort of Honken, little doubt existed but that
the example of Syf bin Soleyman would speedily have been followed y
the disaffected Chieftains of Oman ; and as the delegated authority o
Svud Soweynee was altogether inadequate to the suppression of such
outbreaks, the Arabian provinces of His Highness the Imaum wou
before long have returned to that state of anarchy and disorder into
which they had on former occasions generally fallen during the peno s
of his protracted absence from Muskat.
The Naeem Tribes of Brymee, instigated doubtless by the Joasmee
Chiefs, made a foray in October 1842 into the
a. d . 1842. territories of the Sohar Chief, whose attempts at
retaliation were defeated by them, with great loss He ^erefore apphed
for assistance to the Governor of Muskat, and addressed a letter to the
Resident, complaining of their ungrateful cond " Ct ' af,er . hem
and friendship he had shown in co-operating with and supporting
against Syud bin Mootluk, the Wahabee-Egyptian General and int^
mating his intention to nse his utmost endeavours to chastise ,
put an end to their annoyances. , t t u; g
A piracy of a novel and highly dangerons nature occurred about