'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part II. J G Lorimer. 1915' [‎2628] (1145/1262)

2628
Visit of tlie
Sultan to the
Viceroy.
Visits of the
French and
American
Vice-Consuls -i
Visit of
Lord Curzon
to the British
Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. .
After inquiries as to His Excellency^ health the deputation again
withdrew, under a salute of 13 guns, specially awarded at the Sultan's
request in consideration of their exalted rank.
As soon as the deputation had reached the shore, His Highness
Faisal-bin-Turk i embarked in person to visit the Viceroy, accompanied
by his suite and by Major Cox, the British Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Masqat.
After steaming in a launch round the entire squadron and acknowledging
the compliments of the crews of His Majesty's ships, the Sultan was
received on board the " Hardinge " and conducted to His Excellency's
presence on the quarter-deck, where a state reception room had been fitted
up and decked with gold-worked carpets and handsome embroideries.
Greetings were exchanged and a short conversation took place, after
which the members of the Sultan's suite were severally presented to the
Viceroy. Eefreshments were then served, and a few moments later the Sultan
took his departure under a salute of 21 guns fired by H.M.S. " Fox."
Between noon and one o'clock the Vice-Consuls of France and America
at Masqat, M. Laronce and Mr. Mackirdy, proceeded on board the a Har-
dinge " to pay their respects to the Viceroy; they were accorded separate
interviews and received the salutes of their rank at their departure.
At about 1-30 p.m ., Lord Curzon left the " Hardinge" under a Vice
regal salute, the ships of the squadron being at the same time dressed nd
manned, and landed with Eear-Admiral Atkinson-Willes and staff at
a jetty which had been specially erected at the Customs wharf; here he
was received by Colonel Kemball and Major Cox, and from this spot
the Viceregal party walked—by a narrow, but carpeted and gaily decor
ated street— through the Indian quarter to the British Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. building,
where they were entertained at lunch by the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. . The Sultan's
palace, his steamer the a Nur-al-Bahr " and the forts of Jalali and Mirani
were profusely decorated with flags ; and at the Sultan's desire, in order
to symbolise the community of interests and sentiment between the Gov
ernments of Britain and 'Oman, the flagstaffs of his palace and the
British Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. had been linked together by a graceful arc of bunting 300
yards in length.
After lunch a deputation representing the different classes of British
subjects and proteges residing in 'Oman, principally Indian Muhamma-
dans, Hindus, Parsis and Goanese, waited upon the Viceroy in a verandah
of the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. with an address which was read in English by Mr. Par-
shotam Uhanji, member of a Masqat firm of Hindu merchants. The
address, which was presented in a silver casket of local design and manu
facture, representing an Arab, a date tree and a camel, ran as follows :—
May it please Your ^Excellency^ —We, the entire community of British subjects,
both Hindu and Muhammadan, and other British protected persons, settled in the towns
of Masqat and Matrah,* most respectfully beg, on behalf of ourselves and onr feliow-
snhjects residing in other parts of His Highness the Sultan's dominions to offer Your
Excellencies a most heartfelt welcome on the occasion of your visit to Masqat.
In doing so, we venture to congratulate Your Excellency, with much respect, on
being the first Viceroy and Governor-General of India, since the passing cf the destinies
of the Indian Continent to the British Crown, to visit these distant shores, and to
have thus inaugurated a new and vigorous political departure in a sphere where so
many Indian interests are involved ; and it has been a source of enhanced gratification
* In this and in the other citations contained in the present Appendix the spelling of
proper names has been altered so as to agree with that used elsewhere in the Gazetteer.