‘File XXVIII/1 Internal Politics & Relations with Oman. Narrative of Muscat Affairs 1872-1893’ [‎41v] (82/316)

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The Viceroy wrote privately to the Secretary of State. [Progs., Poltl. A.,
August 1872, No. 425.]
217. Situation in Oman in July and August 1872—All July
Oman remained apparently trancjuil. loorkee received se^eial "visits fioni
Bedouin tribes, who came to obtain donations, hut was much embarrassed to
find means to satisfy them. Syud Salim was still quite powerless at Bideeyah,
and was said to he keeping up communications with the bin Ghes family. The
hurricane at Zanzibar was ascribed as the cause of his mother failing to raise
money to aid him to rebel. Colonel Boss was told that Toorkee’s Agent at
Bombay advised an Envoy on deputation being sent to Bombay about the
Zanzibar subsidy, and his opinion was asked.
He replied that he did not think the step necessary.
Colonel Belly informed Colonel Boss that the Zanzibar subsidy question
was fully before* Government; that a deputation would do no good, and would
cost a sum which Toorkee could ill afford.
On the 15th August Colonel Boss wrote of reports from the south-eastern
districts that Sheikh Saleh-el-Harithi was trying to organize a party against
Toorkee, who, however, had no apprehensions. The communications were still
open. [K.-TF. Progs., Poltl. A., September 1872, Nos. 1-6.]
Towards the end of August Salim left Bideeya, hut was deserted by his
followers and had to return; the Muscat Government exhibited no uneasiness,
as Toorkee was able to muster some 400 or 500 fighting men, even some of the
Hinavees, the opposite faction, having offered to join him. [Progs., Poltl. A.,
September 1873, Nos, 1-6 and 148-150, and October, Nos. 331-338.]
218. Colonel Boss’s Beport and map of the tribes in Oman,—In
September 1872 the Bombay Government forwarded a memorandum drawn up by
Colonel Boss, 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. , Muscat, on the tribal divisions in Oman, with
a table of the tribes, a map showing the general distribution of the tribes, and
a genealogical tree of the descendants of the Imam Ahmed Al-bu-Saidi (the
latter is fuller than the one given at page 407 of the Bev. G. P. Badger’s
“ Imams and Syuds of Oman”). He traced the origin in the beginning of the
18th century of the classification of the tribes into the two great divisions of
Hinavees and Ghafirees, and described the modern history of Oman as mainly
the narrative of the contentions between these great rival factions. The majo
rity of the Hinavees follow the Ibadhi sect, whilst the opposite faction are
mostly orthodox.
Colonel Boss was thanked for these valuable contributions towards the
history and geography of Oman. [Progs., Poltl. A. September. 1872, Nos.
195-198.]
219. Stipend of Syud Toorkee while at Bombay. —In September
1872 the Government of India sanctioned the sum of Bupees 22,850, the
balance of advances made to Syud Toorkee on account of stipend while in
Bombay, being treated as a bad debt, and written off: these advances were
repayable from the Zanzibar subsidy.
When Syud Toorkee was deported to Bombay on the 10th September 1867,
it was arranged that he should receive $600, i.e., about Bupees 1,500 per men
sem from Syud Salim, the then Sultan, conditionally on his residing in Bri
tish India.
In May 1868 he sought for an addition to this allowance on the ground
of its insufficiency, but seeing that the stipend was more than one-sixth of the
Zanzibar subsidy of 40,000 Crowns to Muscat, out of which it was met, and
seeing also that the Sultan of Muscat was in great need of money himself, the
Government of India refused to entertain his application.