"ملف XXXVIII/٥ تقرير عن صور بقلم الرائد ج. ب. ميرفي.، المساعد الهندي، الوكيل السياسي، مسقط. ١٠-١٠-١٩٢٨". [ظ‎‎٢‎٤] (٣٠٨/٥٩)

2
iiitei'*
The Bu Ali live on one side and the Jenebeh on the other, while the
Sultan Wall’s fort is a few miles in the interior, where the water supnlv
exists. J
7. The rival sections of the Jenebeh have built forts facing each other
and this question has caused considerable fighting between the two parties of
the same tribe, a matter which drew me to Sur a year ago.
The joining of the Makhannah and the Ghialin with the Bu Ali will give
the latter a footing on the Jenebeh side of the town apart from giving them
a considerable preponderance in numbers.
8 In August 1927 Mr Thomas, the Wazir, went down to Sur His
ofhdal objects were to recover a sum of 2| lakhs of rupe s due to Khan
-bahadur JNasib, the naval coal contractor and an important merchant of
Muscat, and to induce the tribes to demolish the forts, which were makino' for
fighting and bloodshed. &
He came to the conclusion that the Aramah section ’were responsible for
the opposition to a settlement and accordingly to punish them forfeited a dhow
0t ^section and proceeded to tow it away. The Aramah then opened fire
T hiUi^it ^ G ° yernment shi P’ the “ A1 Saeed ’V though they did not succeed
Bor this act against the Government they were fined rupees 10,000 a sum
which the Muscat Government have been totally unable to recover ’ since thev
have no force at their disposal. ^
9. Thus the Aramah were up to this point the villains of the play.
But with the new claim of the Amirs of Jaalan to independence and t°
the control of Sur the Aramah, with their allies the Buwaris, are the onlv
peisons in that place tvIio acknowledge Muscat sovereignty.
At this point a parenthesis is required. Mr. Thomas, the Wazir of
Muscat has always been desirous of keeping the Amirs of Jaalan friendlv to
the Sultan since he considered that without the Amirs’support the Sultan
could not control Sur Thus (as it would appear from subsequent events
without the knowledge of the Sultan or the Council) he wrote a letter of
which the Amir has produced a copy, asking him to assist in recovering’the
finefrom the Aramah. The Amirs are using this letter as an excuse for
having originally come into Sur.
o u/ii 6 A: ^ rs daalan > in reward for services to Saiyid Toorki
Sultan of Muscat, were given m 1870 the personal right of freedom from
customs dues. um
They have used this purely personal right as an objection to bavin" a
customs house of the Sultan s at Sur in the past, but they have now introduced
their own customs office at Aiqah, which is on the Bu Ali side of the iulet of
• T P' e c l lie sti°n then arises what action is the Muscat Government-
going to take to establish their position. It may be noted that fhp Pnlif i
Agent says that the utmost reinforcement the State can seud for Sur wmukl
be about 70 men wTnle the tribes possess several thousands of men.
o u ■ F ? 1 ’wi answ ^ r T ues tion I put, I ’would request a reference to fbo
Sultan s letter and that of the Council on the result of the action of the Amirs
of Jaalan if permitted to continue unchecked. e Amirs
., }?• ^ Council do not consider that the Amirs of Jaalan can control the
W f0 f ^ th - e other tribes would rise against them and ultimate
ly the country would pass into the hands of the Imam’s Government of Tho
Interior, as other parts of Oman have done. government ol the
afford T to dm 6ither eTent th6 MuSCat Stat6 WOuld lose which it cannot
Their request is that <c with the assistance of the British Government thev
should proceed, by a man of war The h l
request His Britannic Majesty’s Government to support them as thev used To
support the Muscat Government and their Sultans” 7 d t0