Coll 6/67(1) 'Boundaries of South-Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [‎264v] (533/794)

Lor. I, 473-
4.
S. of S. to
G\ of L,
? 8.11,65.
Bo. Bel.,
XXIV,
450-4.
Lor. I, 705.
of Rostack, was acting under instructions from the Wahabi Amir. It transpired
that the differences which had arisen had a two-fold aspect: the first the rebellion
of the Chief of Rostack ; the second and more important, the demand on the parL
of the Wahabi Amir for an increased annual tribute from the Sultan, coupled with
a threat of invasion in the event of non-compliance.
67. In August 1865 the Beni bu Ali and the Jenabah tribes of south-east
Muscat, both of them Wahabi by religion, captured Sur, inflicting considerable
damage on British Indian subjects. A protest was at once made to the Wahabi
Amir and to his deputy at Baraimi on behalf of the British Government and the
Resident was authorised to take, in consultation with the Senior Naval Officer,
such measures as they might think likely to promote an arrangement between the
Wahabi Amir and the Sultan. “ He is not, however, to undertake anything
on land.”
Undertakings secured from Wahabis, 1866.
68. The Amir defended the action of his Lieutenant on the ground of an
agreement alleged to exist between the Wahabi State and the British Government,
a statement for which there proved to be no foundation. The discussions which
subsequently took place were unfruitful It proved necessary to bombard and
destroy the forts of Sur, and to destroy a Wahabi tower at Ajman and certain
Wahabi warships which were lying at Qatif; and the Wahabi Amir, faced with
these evidences of a positive British intention to support the Sultan of Muscat and
to secure reparation for the injuries which had been inflicted, sent an envoy to
Bushire early in 1866, who requested the Resident, on behalf of the Amir, to mediate
between the Amir and the British Government, and gave undertakings that no
attack would be made upon British subjects residing in territories under the
authority of the Amir or upon the territories “ of the Arab tribes in alliance with
the British Government, especially of the Kingdom of Muscat, further than in
receiving the zakat that has been customary of old.” The overtures made by the
Amir were accepted by the Government of India and friendly relations were
restored.
The Wahabis in Truoial Oman, 1840-1870.
The Amir Khalid and the Trucial Sheikhs, 1841.
69. In October 1841, on the Amir Khalid threatening to send a force into
Oman, a British officer was deputed to inform him, both orally and in writing,
that H.M. Government would disapprove of such a measure. The Amir disavowed
any intention of adopting it and would apparently in any event have lacked the
force to give effect to it. This was perhaps as well, “ as the maritime Arab chiefs,
though outwardly professing their determination to maintain their independence,
were known to be secretly carrying on intrigues and correspondence with him.”
Overtures of the Amir Abdulla to the Trucial Sheikhs, 1842.
70. In February 1842 the Amir Abdulla addressed letters to the Sheikhs of
Oman intimating his intention of sending Syed bin Mutlak as his deputy to them
and requesting them to afford him every aid and assistance. The originals of these
letters (save in the case of Abu Dhabi, where the Sheikh refused to surrender the
letter addressed to him) were obtained by 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. , Colonel Robertson,
who thereupon formally protested to the Wahabi Amir against his attempt to bring
the Trucial Sheikhdoms under Wahabi influence, on the ground of the ill-effects
which had hitherto resulted “from the establishment of Wahabi interests among
the pirate chieftains, which had led to their chastisement by the British Government.”
The Amir, in reply, declared his intention of co-operating with the British
Government to stamp out piracy and added that he had promulgated this to the
people of Oman, whom he referred to as his subjects. The correspondence dropped
with the overthrow of the Amir Abdulla in May-June of 1812, but it may be
noted that in their published reply to the letters received from the Amir, the
Sheikhs of Baraimi claimed a species of connection with the British Government
(no doubt based on the encouragement given them in 1839—paragraph 59 above),
although there was reason to believe that secret letters of a different tenour had
also been despatched to the Amir by the Wahabi partisans among them.