Coll 20/5 'Muscat: Sur: Misbehaviour of Beni Bu Ali tribe; Aiqa customs post; Question of Air Action' [141r] (281/531)
The record is made up of 1 file (262 folios). It was created in 26 Nov 1931-12 Apr 1938. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
there eeeme to be no alternative for if the State dis
integrated, a possibility which Is ever present, the
carefully built up position of the Indian Government on
the Korth-^ast coast of Arabia would collapse* and short
of relinquishing their Interests on that coast into
other hands, which might not be too friendly or too easy
to deal with, the hands of the Government are forced by
the turn of events,
15. In short the State of Uaecat must not be
allowed to dlslntegxrte; if the Sur/Ai*a/Banu bu All
problem is not solved in the near future disintegration
of the State la assured. Some solution of the problem
must be found, it is an urgent necessity and is vital to
theory existence of the State.
16. The Council of Ministers had been warned in a
friendly way by Sheikh Isa bln All of the Imamate Gov
ernment as late as last spring that, unless effective
steps are taken at 3ur, the tribes of the interior will
be compelled to act. It may be possible to disregard
this warning, because it is doubtful whether he has the
means at his disposal to take effective action himself;
but his position might become stronger at any moment and
once hia tribes are roused to action it would be diffi
cult to arrive at any ’modus virendi* under which the
Mascat State would not suffer.
17. Again, once the Bani bu All have succeeded in
flouting directly and deliberately the authority of the
Mascat Government with impunity, they might feel them
selves strong enough to push home the advantage. It Is
easy to visualise that Sheikh All might attack the Wall
of Sur, might interfere with the lately established
order in Muqrimatain and in doing so would probably up
set in one blow the good work which has been effected so
carefully and tactfully during the past two years. The
Bani bu All have interfered in Muqrimatain affairs with
in the past ten years with disastrous results - inter
ference at this moment would be even more disastrous to
the State.
VIII. gKOBLGUS RKMAIHIHG TO SOLVED IH DECEMBER 1931,
18# h»rly in December 1951, the following problems
awaited solution;-
(i) aheikh All of Bani bu All to be prevailed
upon to recognise the auserainty of the 3tate of
Mascat without reservations.
(ii) Sheikh All to be persuaded to cease
collecting customs on his own account at Aiqa and
to recognise the right of the Mascat Government to
do so*
(iii) To arrange for the registration of Aiqa
dhows.
About this item
- Content
The file contains letters, telegrams, minutes, notes, and draft correspondence relating to two incidents in Oman. The first, which the majority of the papers deal with, was the rebellious attitude of members of the Beni Bu Ali tribe, led by Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah al Hamudah. The papers, which concern efforts by the British to assist the Muscat authorities in bringing the tribe to order, cover the following matters:
- the proposal and consequences of a visit to Sur by the President of the Council of Ministers, Sayyid Said bin Taimur Al Bu Said [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd], and 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. , Captain Reginald George Evelyn William Alban, to negotiate with Shaikh Ali in October 1931
- the effort to establish a customs post at Aiqa
- the question of the appropriate use of force
- arrangements for further visits in December 1931
- the seizure of dhows belonging to the Beni Bu Ali tribe
- the Government of India's disapproval of 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. 's conduct
- letters of congratulations and thanks following the peaceful resolution of the crisis
- the question of when to restore Shaikh Ali's privileges.
The second incident covered by the file is the murder of a British Indian man by a member of the Shihuh tribe in June 1936. The correspondence discusses the action that should be taken.
The principal correspondents are 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. , 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 Muscat, Government of India (Foreign and Political Department), Foreign Office, Admiralty, Air Ministry, Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , Sultan Said bin Taimur, and Shaikh Ali of the Beni Bu Ali.
The file contains several reports, as follows:
- Report on the visit to Sur of 26 October 1931, by Captain Alban, 31 October 1931 (folios 223-26)
- Report on the 'Situation at Sur and Aiqa', with notes on the Bani Bu Ali tribe, by the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Division, 20 December 1931 (folios 137-51)
- Report on the crisis as a whole by Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe, 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. , 19 March 1932 (folios 97-108)
- Report on 'Operations at Sur, 4th-9th March 1932' by the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Division, 19 March 1932 (folios 85-87)
- Report on the situation at Sur a year after the crisis by Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle, 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. , 4 March 1933 (folios 74-76).
A sketch map of the area around Sur can be found on folio 193.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (262 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged in chronological order from the back to the front.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 265; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 20/5 'Muscat: Sur: Misbehaviour of Beni Bu Ali tribe; Aiqa customs post; Question of Air Action' [141r] (281/531), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2957, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100045791025.0x000054> [accessed 28 March 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2957
- Title
- Coll 20/5 'Muscat: Sur: Misbehaviour of Beni Bu Ali tribe; Aiqa customs post; Question of Air Action'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:15v, 17r:108v, 111r:226v, 230r:265v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence