‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎265r] (528/949)

5
For the Gulf of Oman the middle and latter half of November is a very
favourable season for touring 1 . The bcis-
Tide and weather. terous Shemals or North-West winds,
which at certain seasons make landing difficult, have not yet commenced and
the weather is pleasantly cool.
If Maskat is to be the first place of call, I do not think the visit of the
Viceroy would be a good occasion for
Pressing of special measures or requests. pressing upon t he Sultan anythin*; in the
nature of the request for a concession, such as the lease of the Gwadur Customs.
News would fly ahead quickly and the Pirate Coast Chiefs or others might
become apprehensive.
It would be a good thing, supposing it could be made to fit in with the
Showing the Flag past Soar and Southern Outward time-table, if the Flotilla
Oman Coast. could strike the Oman littoral at Ras-el-
Had and hug the Coast as much as possible up to Maskat.
You mention that the Viceroy would probably travel in the Hardinge
An imposing vessel for His Excellency the and UO doubt, Owing to her Special
Viceroy’s Flag. accommodation, she would be better
adapted for the residence of the Viceroy and his party than an ordinary man-
of-war ; but from the point of view of the Oriental onlooker a greater impres
sion would certainly be created if the Viceroy, at all events for receiving
visitors and holding Durbars A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). , were to fly his Flag over a man-of-war ; and that
a bigger one than has yet been seen in these waters. The present Flagship,
H.M.S. Hyacinth is an ordinary 2 nd class cruiser of 5,000 odd tons and
is not of a showy class by any means. Would it not be possible to obtain the
temporary services of a Battleship or a fine 1 st class armoured cruiser, such as
the Good Hope was ? It is true that such a ship would have to be at a
somewhat greater distance from the shore than the Hardinge, but where
Steam-Cutters were plentiful i a mile or so in distance, would make little
difference.
Our Commercial Treaty with Maskat is under consideration with a view
A new form of engagement or the modification to renewal, and apart fiom this any new
of the status quo. form of engagement which would be com
patible with the Anglo-French Declaration of 1862 does not seem to be practi
cable, but there are two points with regard to which it would seem possible
for us to strengthen the Sultan’s hands and at the same time increase our own
influence, and if there is no inherent objection to the proposals that follow,
the Viceroy might feel able to make a statement in Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). in connection
therewith.
1 . Having been unmoved spectators of the attack on Maskat in 1895 ,
during which the property of our subjects was looted and destroyed, and the
Sultan himself lost everything he had, His Majesty’s Government realised that
their commercial and political interest in Maskat were such that they could
not afford to see the incident repeated. The Shaikhs of Oman were therefore
informed that in future the British Government would not permit Maskat or
Matra to be attacked. That is the present position and the intimation to the
Shaikhs of Oman has proved quite sufficient hitherto so far as Maskat is con
cerned. Could not the present opportunity be used to inform the Oman
public that the above policy will be extended in future to all ports in Oman
where there are communities of British traders, and consequently British inter
ests ? W e have every reasonable ground for assuming such an attitude as it
is in the interests of ail peaceable traders alike, whether they he British or
native. As a case in point, at the present moment while there is trouble at
Rostak, I cannot but be anxious for the safety of our subjects at the ports of
the Batineh Coast and have arranged for a man-of-war to remain here for
the present; but if the tribes had been informed in the sense that I now sug
gest, they would accept the intimation and the danger of trouble to our sub
jects would be very much less.
It might even be possible to go beyond the limits of the above intimation,
but I am less confident on the latter point, which I will now explain.
You are aware that in former days the Rulers of Oman exercised spiritual
as well as temporal powers and were styled “Imam.” Since the days of