Coll 29/29(3) 'Muscat: launches' [‎32r] (64/73)

CONFIDENTIAL .
«o. C/243 of 1940.
From
Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. & H.B.M's Consulate,
l 1940 I :
the 2nd April 1940.
Captain T.Hickinbotham, O.B.K.,
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. H.B.M’s Consul,
Muscat.
To
r rhe Hon^le 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.
in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
Bushire.
Subject * *• Launch idr the Muscat /y^enev .
Sir,
I have the honour to refer to my letter Ho. C/127 dated
the 20th February 1940.
2 * men I was informed that the Imperial Airways liner
RannibJ^ was overdue at Sharjah and had been last heard of over the
sea between Jask and the Musandum Peninsula, I realised that it
wct£> of the utmost importance that the northern portion of the
Batinah Joast should be searched without delay and that the
inhabitants oi the coastal villages should be warned to keep a
careful watch for survivors or wreckage. The most expeditious
and the most effective way of carrying out this task would have
been to send a reliable launch up the coast with instructions to
carry out a very careful search of the area opposite to the place
where the plane was last heard of, to warn the coastal villages,
and to give instructions to the northern Governors to send search
parties inland. Unfortunately the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. has no launch. The
only power vessel afloat in Muscat waters, an ancient converted
dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. with a worm eaten hull and unreliable petrol paraffin motor
belonging to a Matrah merchant which only dare leave harbour in
the calmest of weather,was away at bur* some hundred miles to the
west of Fuseat.
i was thus forced to send messages to the