‘Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Political Residency and Maskat Political Agency for 1895-96’ [‎259r] (12/92)

EESrfiEKCT AND MASKAT POLITICAL AGENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. FOil THE TEAR 1895-96. 5
5.—EL HAS A.
The Governor of El Hasa with the object of gaining credit with his
Government, undertook an expedition for the purpose of establishing a
more effective and profitable Turkish control over the Ajman, A1 Murrah and
other tribes, who had hitherto paid only a nominal tax. The Ajman while
admitting his demands pleaded their inability to pay without recovery of their
property ^pillaged by the Muteyr and seized by Mahomed Ibn Eashid. The
Governor accordingly attacked the Muteyr with the help of the Ajman and other
tribes, capturing some of their animals. He was then summoned to Busrah,
and after his return was active in encouraging the hostile attitude taken by
Shaikh Tasim bin Mahomed Thani in support of the A1 bin Ali resistence
to the Bahrain chief which has already been noticed.
6.—PERSIAN ARABISTAN.
The Kizam -es-Sultaneh was appointed to the Governor-Generalship in
March and held the office throughout the year.
Notwithstanding that the harvest was favourable, one of the earlier mea
sures of the year was the imposition of an embargo on the export of grain. The
notice oiven of the enforcement of this vexatious prohibition vyas too short for
the reasonable requirements of trade operations, the locai conditions necessita-
tin 0, arrangements considerably in advance, for the purchase and transport of
orain the/securing of freight and other matters, an extension ol" it was there
fore, though with some difficulty, obtained.
The proceedings in connection with this obnoxious measure were uncer
tain and irregular and were so devised as to entail the maximum of restriction
on straightforward foreign trade while failing in an effective realisation of the
ostensible object, the retention of the grain in the country. It was evaded by
the convevance in native craft of grain to Busrah, whence it could readily be
exnorted •'the transit overland from the Howeizah district^ to the river at
Eusrah was open, and shipment from the port of Mashur which taps the Ram
Hormuz district was unrestrained. The sale of their produce to the best
advantage bv the people on the lower Karun was however no doubt to some
extent prevented, and the Shaikh oE Mohammerah and the Arabs under him
complained of the difficulty of meeting their taxes.
Complete uncertainty prevailed as to the probable duration of the embai go,
the indication being that it was governed by arbitrary and interested consider-
ation and after a while indeed that its relaxation would depend on pecuniary ar-
rano -ements with the authorities. Foreign merchants accordingly continued their
purchase of wheat in the district; but this obviously would not suit the projects
for forcino- the merchants into a permanent arrangement pecuniarily advanta
geous to Those interested, and purchases as well as the collection of purchased
stocks and their removal for storage were prohibited. In January there was an
onpn though still quite irregular relaxation, the Governor-General permitting
r export of certain stoeks! at the same moment that the^ Central Government
nvonosed to admit it, on condition that no fresh purchases should be made till the
nex^ crop should be assured. The facts that the Karguzar, Apnt of the Foreign
Office, repudiated the autbority of the Governor-General, while the Shaikh Gov
ernor of Mobammerah claimed to levy a gam on his own account the duty which
bad alreadv been paid to the Governor-General, shows the utter confusion and
conflict of autbority in all the irregular proceedings in this connection. The
Central Government overruled both these obstructors In March the Governor-
General aaain capriciously stopped export, though by that time there could
hardlv be a doubt of the abundance of the approaehmg harvest, aud finally
soon after native and foreign merchants were freely shipping and the embargo
was tacitly at an end, though, as far as official notification is concerned, it
remained in full force as originally promulgated.
Some attempt to open up and improve the safety of trade routes inland
from the upper Karun and Diz rivers was made ; the results however by no
means came up to the hopes founded on the Nizam-es-Sultaneh s earlier pro-
fessions.