‘File XXXVIII/4 BOMBARDMENT of SUR. OCT:- NOV: 1928.’ [‎121r] (252/368)

The title of Sultan is an extraneous one and dates s ?rom
the time of Seyyid Sultan bin AhmedU792-1804).It is
seldom used by the people of the country, fhe authority ■
of the Tmtim or Sultan over his tribes has always been
somewhat shadowy,owing perhaps to the inacoessable nature
of the mountains, ravines and valleys of which the country
consists.
Intestinal feuds and wahabi invasions combined with
the weax and vacillating policy of recent Sultans,ths
degeneracy and incapacity of their family and intermixture
with negro blood,have gradually estranged the Sheixhs of
the various trifces*
'TebsiLlxjdr**
Rebellion foliowed^until at last,after the rebellion
of 1913 -m 9 ,when the Ghafiri and Hinawi elements com-
-bined for the first time in opposition to the arras
warehouse which we had induced the Sultan to establish,
a fresh State was formed by Sheikh Isa bin Saleh al
Harithi, supporting a puppet Imam of the Khalili family,
who are identified with the kuta.vwa or extremist move-
-ment in the Ibadhi sect. H.H.the Sultan has been left
with Muscat.Matrah and its vicinity which were defenaed
by British troopsjwith the Batinah coast which is always
vulnerable to British shipsjwith Gv.adur on tne aeKran
coastjwith Bhofar.a province which we assisted him m
recapturing in lS»6jwith our which nas always been a
troublesome placejand with a shadowy sovereignty over
Jaalan,Dhahirah and auaandum.and the coast of eastern
Hajar.
The revenues of the State consist of a s u sidy
from Government and a 5^ import and export oax at such
customs posts where it can be levied.Other revenues are
negligible.The total revenues are about 6i JaIcHs.
It will be seen from the above that the ruscat Governmon
exists entirely on the support which it is able to oc
-tain from the British Government*This is tne natural
result of our policy in 1*13,of defending Muscat and
Matrah and affording naval assistance on the coast but