"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٤‎٥‎١] (١٧٨٢/٥٩٤)

an'.
451
and to regard tLe maintenance of his position in 'Oman, thoug-li that
country was still the chief source of his mival and military strength, as
an arduous and unpleasant duty to be delegated so far as possible to
agents. With hi? proceedings in East Africa we are not concerned,
except as they bear on the course of events in ^Oman ; but a few of the
principal facts may be recounted in order to show how great was the
pressure of African affairs upon his personal attention. Zanzibar, it
would seem, had from the first acknowledged his authority ; but
Mombasah, under a line of hereditary governors belonging to the
'Omani tribe of the Mazari' had, since the accession of the Imam Ahmad
at least, enjoyed virtual independence. To this independence Sa^id was
now resolved to put an end. His earlier attempts against Mombasah
had caused the Mazari' and their subjects to seek protection from British
naval officers; and a declared British protectorate over Mombasah even
existed from 1824 to 1826, but it was withdrawn in the latter year at
the instance of the Government of India, who were unwilling to thwart
the projects of theii^ally.
The difficulty arising from the British protectorate having been
removed and the aspect of affairs in 'Oman being auspicious, Sa'id in
December 1829 proceeded on his first voyage to East Africa. He was
repulsed with heavy loss from Mombasah, and after paying a visit to
Zanzibar returned to Masqat, which he reached in May 1830.
In the course of his second expedition to East Africa, which lasted
from spring to September of 1832, Sa'Id obtained possession of the
Mombasah fort by a discreditable stratagem, and began to prepare
Zanzibar for his residence by laying the foundations of a palace and
starting clove and rice plantations.
His third absence from 'Oman extended from November 1833 to
April 1835. It was distinguished by an unsuccessful attack on Mom
basah, which had in the meanwhile reverted to tbe Mazari; by a hollow
peace with the Mombasah chiefs ; and by a rising of African natives
against his authority at Siwi.
On the fourth occasion Sa'id left Masqat in November 1836 and did
not return until September 1839. During this interval he repossessed
himself by treachery of the Mombasah fort and captured a numbei of his
Mazru'i rivals, whom he afterwards put to death. On this expedition to
Mombasah he was accompanied by the adventurer Isa-bin-Tarif, who
afterwards played a large part in the affairs of Bahrain and Qatai.
His fifth sojourn in East Africa, which he now regarded as his home,
was the longest of all, being prolonged from the autumn of 1840 into
38 a
First visit of
Saiy id Sa'id
to East Af
rica, 1829-30.
Second visit,
1832.
Third visit,
1833-35.
Fourth visit)
1836-39.
Fifth visit,
1840-51.
i -.'I