"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٧‎٩] (١٧٨٢/٢٢٢)

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In lf)77, when Dr. Fryer visited the Persian Gulf, the inhabitants
of O'man had already acquired the reputation of "a Fierce and
Treacherous People, gaining- as much by Fraud as Merchandize." By
1695 they had taken to piratical courses and acquired five large ships
carrying 1,500 men; they had plundered Kung-; they had captured an
Armenian ship; and they had so threatened Bandar J Abbas that a Persian
customs officer on one occasion asked that the English ship " Nassau -'
might be detained for 20 days for the defence of the port, and the
lequest was granted. These events led Captain Brangwin, who was at
the moment the Company's Agent in Persia, to predict that the 'Omanis
u would prove as great a plague in India as the Algerines were in
Europe/' War between Persia and Masqat being- now expected, and
there appearing a probability that the Dutch would offer to assist the
Persians, the East India Company's servants in Persia were anxious
that English aid also should be tendered; but Sir John Gayer, the Gov
ernor of Bombay, wisely decided that, as the Arabs had not yet offered any
obstruction to English shipping or trade, such action would be inexpedient.
After this, however, a Masqat ship having been seized by Indian
pirates, the 'Omanis made reprisals on English private or interloping
vessels, but not on those of the Company; the first English vessel to be
seized was one commanded by a Captain Morrice, who with his men was
reduced to slavery and could not be ransomed; and in 1705 a rich ship
under Captain Murvel, bound from Bengal to Persia, was taken through
the pusillanimity of the crew, who made no resistance. In 1704-05 the
Court of the Old Company announced their intention of equipping
armed ships, as soon as the war with France should be over, to clear the
seas and " to root out that nest of pirates, the Muscat Arabs but
the French war continued, and in 1707 there were complaints of ; Omani
as well as of Marhata depredations in Indian waters. The aggressions
of the 'Omanis upon the Portuguese, especially in 1693-99 and 1714!-19 3
have already been noticed above.
Some years later the " Muscateers" seized certain islands off the
Persian coast, among which was apparently Qishm. A Persian army
under Lutf 'Ali Khan was sent into the neighbourhood of Bandar
'Abbas to dislodge them; in consequence, however, of the Afghan
invasions of Persia, which had now begun, this force returned northwards
to Kirman without having effected anything. Somewhat earlier, in 1718,
a successful descent had been made on Bahrain by the Masqat Arabs ;
but the inhabitants to a large extent temporarily forsook the islands, and
by this means the 'Omani occupation was brought to an end
Piracy and
aggressions
on Persia by
the 'Omanis.
1699-1707.
of
Seizure
Persian
islands by
the 'Omanis
of Masqat,
about 1720.