"ملف XXXVIII/٥ تقرير عن صور بقلم الرائد ج. ب. ميرفي.، المساعد الهندي، الوكيل السياسي، مسقط. ١٠-١٠-١٩٢٨". [و‎‎١‎٧] (٣٠٨/٤٤)

9
their craft a few months before. The Sultan of Muscat was assured of their
criminality and had himself proceeded to Sur five or six months previously
with the intention of punishing them, but was obliged to return to Muscat
owing to a conspiracy to dethrone him. Colonel Felly had also in the
preceding month sent the Berenice to Sur with a letter addressed to the heads
of the Jenebeh demanding payment of $27,000 as compensation for the
property plundered by them from Briiish subjects and warning them that
measures would be taken to enforce the demand. Their reply .was that on
a former occasion when Lieut. Pengelly threatened a tribe on the coast
nothing was done, and they were quite sure the Resident would not’
come now. ? .
44. On the 11th February 18Gb II.M.S. Highflyer appeared off Sur to-
insist on atonement by the Jenebeh for their part in the affairs of August,
by payment of $27,700 compensation within 24 hours. On the tribe
attempting to procrastinate, a tire was opened which demolished their fort,
the whole of their boats were either confiscated or burnt, and a large
quantity of their ship timber was burnt. No personal injury was suffered
by non-combatants, who had ample opportunity to move, but a small part
of the town was burnt accidentally in consequence of a change in the
direction of the wind.
45. In the month of June 1875 a godown belonging to the principal
Indian trader of Sur, a Bania named Jethhand Motamull, was broken into
during his absence on business at Muscat by a party of Jenebeh, who
offered violence to the watchman in charge and carried off plunder to the
value of about $1,600. The spoil was openly sold in the town and the
robbers made no attempt at concealment of themselves, but no steps wero
taken by the Sheikhs of the tribe to cause restitution, and it does not even
appear that they offered to remonstrate with or suppress their tribesmen.
There was no Wall or other authority on behalf of the Sultan at Sur at the
time who could have taken action in the matter. The Bania therefore
reported the matter to Colonel Miles and the case was referred to His-
Highness, who promised redress.
46. Soon after this, H.M.S. Irifleman happened to arrive at Sur, and the
Sheikhs of the Jenebeh, apprehensive that her arrival was connected with
the outrage committed by their tribesmen, and fearing the results, seized
the offender, and would have doubtless caused restitution, but H.M.S. Rifle
man, which only dropped anchor for a few hours incidentally in passing,
having in the meantime weighed anchor, the Sheikhs perceived how matters
stood and released their tribesmen without further question.
47. During His Highness Saiyid Turki’s absence in Gwadur, the case
was presented to Saiyid Abdul Aziz, but without beneficial result. About
this time the Sheikhs of the tribe went to the Bania and offered an
arrangement promising to make good the loss in eight months. This
arrangement they afterwards repudiated. Saiyid Turk! was reminded of the
matter after his return, but he was not able to put sufficient pressure
on the tribe to cause them to make good the loss or to bring them to account
for their misconduct, and they succeeded in procrastinating and delaying to
reply until the season opened and they could get away in their bughlahs.
48. His Highness finally informed Colonel Miles that he left the matter
in the hands of Government, and as the latter considered the continued
failure of the Jenebeh tribe to cause restitution to a British subject plundered
by them injurious to British interests, he supported His Highness’s request
that the enforcement of reparations might be undertaken by Government.
To have held His Highness personally responsible for the loss sustained at
the Jenebeh’s hands would have tended still further to weaken His
Highness’s authority, and would have encouraged the predatory Arabs to
continue their depredations on British subjects at His Highness’s expense
whilst the exaction of reparation from this tribe would, on the other hand,
be a cautionary warning to all. Colonel W. F. Prideaux, the Political
Resident, also suggested that in addition to the original amount a fine of
$2,000 should be levied on the Jenebeh, partly as compensation for the delay
and partly as a penalty for the offence committed against a British subject.
3393 B