"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٤‎١‎٩] (١٧٨٢/٥٦٢)

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Reign and policy of Hamad, 1784-92.
So far as can be gathered from the meagre accounts of his regency
that are extant, Hamad was a youth of equal moderation and spirit, and
was especially diligent in strengthening the military bases of his power.
By conciliatory treatment he made the Ya'arabi governor of Nakhl his fast
friend for life; with the help of the Bani Kalban he wrested the strong-
fortress of Bahlah from a Shaikh of the 'Abriyin; he fortified Ruwi,
and strengthened the defences of Masqat and Barkah; and he caused a
large frigate, the " Rahmani/^ to be built for him at Zanzibar * In
1790 Masqat, of which the trade and shipping continued to increase, was
the richest and most flourishing port in the whole Persian Gulf region.
But the most important measure of Hamad's reign was probably the
transference of the capital from Rustaq in the interior to Masqat upon f r om Rustaq
the sea coast. This was a step fraught with lasting and momentous ^ouum
consequences. It removed the rulers of 'Oman from a situation in which
they could only maintain themselves by military and political efficiency ;
it placed an assured and easily collected customs revenue within their reach,
enabling them to maintain a semblance of authority by bribery alone;
and it eventually exposed them to the influences of a foreign civilisation
which estranged them from the tribes of the interior and diminished
their popularity with their subjects. Had the capital remained at
Rustaq, it is possible that 'Oman might have enjoyed in the following
century the benefits of a more direct and vigorous government, and that
the moral decay of the ruling family might have been less rapid.
Other political changes of importance were in progress at this time. Other signifi
i-iiiiii cun '' in n 0Ya "
A tendency towards hereditary sovereignty, which had already s lown ^ on8>
itself in the time of the Ya'aribah, was confirmed under the first mleis of
the A1 Bu Sa'idi line; but, though the succession was henceforth confined
to one family, no exact principle of devolution was established ; and the new
regime, which may be described as one of imperfect heredity, soon piovtd
to be more fertile of discord than the system of popular election that pie-
ceded it. About this time, also, there came into vogue a practice of granting
appanages to the near relations of the ruler ; and, as these grants generally
took the form of a Waliship or local government, which the holders frequent
ly strove to convert into an independent Shaikhdom, the} conduced to the
dismemberment of the country and to the paralys is of t he central government.
* This veasel wag destroyed by fire in Masqat harbour thiee days before
death. It bore the game name as an older ahip, belonging to the imSm Ahmad, whic
had been emploved against the Malabar pirates and took part in tlie le le
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