GAZETTEER OF THE

PERSIAN GULF, 'OMAN, AND

CENTRAL ARABIA

I

HISTORICAL

Part I A

E :r pi>diti on by the Shaikh8 of Hii:o.·al. Khllimah and Shiirjal-, 1885. Procl·cdings flf the cx· Shaikh Salim, 1886·89.

Re· incotpOTR· tion of Has­al·Khaimah with the ~hiirjflh SIJaikhdouI, 1900.

H aml'iyah affairs, 180i1 · 0·1.

Political po"itioTl Il nd I'crsonal char­~cter of the Shaikh of Shiirjah, IOOi.

762

10 December 1885, Sha'am ha.ving' revolted against the Shaikh of Ras·a.l - I\ haimah, t ha t chief, assisted by his cousiu the Shaikh of 8hirjab proceeded against the pJace and quickly red uced it to submission, inflict' ing a finc of S J,600, of which a portion was pa id at once_ -

rrhc expe llcd Shaikh, Salim, continued to 'watch for an opportunity of ohtaining better terms than he bad yet receiyed f rom his successful riyal. I n June I~S6, on a combination heing formed by the Shaikhs of Dibai, } Ajmii.n and lIaml'lyah against t he Sbaikh of U mm-al-Qaiwail\ Salim ollce more landed. at } Ajman j but no opport unity having Occurred )£ prosecuting his designs against Sharjah, he shortly ret urned t o Bli 1\['18". I n 18S~ Salim paid a yisit to Dibai, between t he Shaikh 01 which place and the Shaikh of Sbarjah enmity at the time prevailed ; &

reconcil iat ion, however, haying taken place between the two, he W&s

pCl'suaded hy thc Shaikh of Dibai to promise, in return for the restoration o[ lli~ pcm:ion, which had been sllspended, t o abstain f rom intrigues againKt his nephew, In April 1889, nevert heless, he org anised an attack npun Sharjah ; but he 'll"a6 u nable to carry it out. Again, a little later, he bc('am.e reconciled to Shaikh Saqa!', 'who th is t ime received him into favour ami appointed h im his 'Yazir.

On the 2nd of August 1900 lIamaid·bin·'Abdullah, Shaikh of Ras· a.1- Khaimah, \ras removed by a para lytic strokc, a nd Shaikh Saqar-bin. K hiiild In the follow ing month re-annexcd the town and dist rict to his principnJity of Shiirjah wi thout encou nteri ng any opposition. Shaikh Sarlnr at firs t placed his cousi n H amad. bin-)Iii j id in charge of Ras·a.l­Khaimah j hut a few months later, uas ing fou nd his conduct unsatis­factory, he substituted his ow n son K hrdid as governor .

'r1..le township of Hamriyah, of which t he headman on the occasioll of [Jol'd Curzon's visit to t he coast, in Nm;ember 1903, vainly sought to obtain recognition as an independent Truc ial Shaik h, continued in theory attached to the ~ hf\rjab principa lity and ill practice virtually indepen­dent ; t hc reason of the vrolonged estmngement was ch ie fly~ so far as_ could be ascerta ined, the neglect 01' i ncapacity of the Shaikh of Sha1'Jab to p rotect t he intcl'cst s of his yassal 'when assailed by others. On the Srd of Scptemher l !~O 1, a change of headmen occurred at Hamriyah by the dcath of Sa iE· bill-) Abd ul' Rahman and t he succession of his son' Abdur Rallllliin-bin-Saif. '1'hc latter sOon res iO'ned h is posit ion in fa.vour of an elder relation named Saif-bin-Saif. of whose ambition he stood in dread ; but, On the latter proC'('eding- to (lespoil him of his personal 1?rope~y, , A Ldu l' Hahman attackE't.1 tile house of Saif by n ig h t, takmg, hIm prisoncr and killing his son~ amI himself resumed t he headshIp of i-Jamri)3.h. Shaikh R ii-:;hid of Ullllll -al-Qaiwa in t hen intervened and sctilcd tJH~ matter by rcmoving Saif-bi n · ~ai f to his own capital.

U ndcr Saqar-bin· Khal id the importance or S harjah among the Sha ikhllollls o[ rJ1ruciai ~O lll a ll decl ined, and t he prest ige of the Q fl.simi lIame sunk to an u ll prccedcnteclly low leycl. In pr~vate lire the Shaikh was weak, miserly, and uxorious : in public busHle~s he was apathrtic ano :-;cemell incalmblc of exer t ion_ H e a1iel~ated , hiS subjects a.nd funnel' Bedouin adherenb; by indiffcrence to t helr gl'l~V'i an(:CS and requests; and he forfeited t he respect of the other Truci S ua..ikhs lJY his general i ll~ignifi. cance, both as a man and as a ruler. U

763

his personal relations wit h B rit ish o fll Ct!l'r; Shaikb 8:1113.1' alwa.y s showed himself friendly and well-disposed; but, from iudo IOl.ce, he \\as sometimes remiss in en forcing thc just cla ims of Bl'itish subjects; and, on the occurrcnce of internal d ifficulties in hie: state, he manifested toO great :l. disposit ion to rely on thC' help of UtP British Resi­dency, instead of grappli ng with them h imielf. In l!\O± the ~eneral dissatisfact ion of his subjects with h is l'ult' found eXI)l'eF:..ioll in a plol tu d.epose Shaikh Saqar in fa.,·ol1 l' of his unde, tbe ex· Shaikh Sii1illl i hut timely information cnabled Shaikh Saqar to fnl!~t.rate the intrig'ue and MuLa.nlloatl -bill -KhaJilll j olle of the chief conspirators, ",as ohligeJ, on csc:aping from custody, to seek refuge at Umm-al·Qaiwain_ II'he direct administration of tbp tow II of Shal'jah was held, until his death about ]9 lju by Shaikh Saqar's son H. .lsilid,-tl. ,Young- mall who in character resembled his father; a,ntl H:ls-al-Khaimah waS ill ]907 still gorcl'llctl by Khfliic1 j tbe only son then sHn 'iving of the Shaikh.

ANi'lEXU lW No. Z.- li'\ 'l'J<: R .'A L lllSTORY OF '1'1 1 1£ A lJ lI

DHABI PRD'C1P ,\L1 'J'Y.

AI) i ll t he Ct'lse of Shflrjah it appear~ advisable tv duvote a shurt sep~rate not ice to the i nternal affa ir::. of t.he ALu Dhabi prillt-ipality, of wincJ} the external histol'Y has been g i\'en in the prCt..'eding cha pter_

Early hist ory, 1761·1818 ,

Thc fOll ndation of t he tuwn of Abu DhaLi is ::tSl:l' iiJec1 tu t he ,-ear 17£i.1. T he sU1TouIHling cou nt r,)" was then a lrea.dy o(·t..'lIpied IJ.v" t he Balli Yas,-a land· fa ring' Bedouin lribe who, unt il the aCl'idelltal discoven ' of water at t he site of A bu D habi town, wherc a small vi liaO'e of 20 I

~

lOuses now sprang' up, Lad not apparcntl_,- a. !:;ingle permanent settle­ment upon the coast_

1,10 1' information reg'al'diog t bc rl liefti of the tl'ibe at the timc of the establ ishment of t he Abu Dhab i prilll"ipali t,' - the reader is referred to the gencalog-it:al table of t he Ba.lli Yas SlmikhfO_ P rolJaLh· the last Sha ik h to reside t.:h ietir i n the intcrior was D hinlb-bill. 11sa" who in 17\:),j was murdered lJ~' his ~el'ond cousin, 1I :12Z,·ll·lJin-'Z,lid. '1'he death of p hiyflb was ampl.v' a \ enged by h i~ SUIl S hakhbiiL, fo r t he young Sha ikh sm:t..'ccded ill putti ng' t o deat h no fcwer than tell persons who had been pl'csen t at his fnt he r'~ as~a8s i llat i oll . and ill liD5 H :.LZZll 1

, the <lelual IIl Urdel'~ l') fOlJnd himsclf obl igcd, fro III fear of a .... illl ilaJ' fate, to fly

F ou.nd a.tion of Abu Dhll.bj t own, 176 1.

R ulers down to and includ· ing ShaLk h i\1u hRLllLllad, deposed in I B1B.

AcceSRion of Shaikh Tab · nun, 1818.

Movcm4'ntll of Sliwaidln · bin·Za'al, 1822-23.

A.t.lAck nil Ahu Dhabi town by the

764

tho (·onntry along' with all bis snpporlf'rs . at the head of the trihe uutil I H16: he )luh:ulllllad, who ruled for two rea.rs .

Shaikh Shakbbiit "emaine<! was thell deposed by his SO il

Shaikh Tahniln-bill-Shakhbilt, 1818·33 .

In 1 'd H ,luhammad ",as expelled from Abu DI",bi by his brothel' rrahn llll,-an enterpl'isc favoured by Shakhhut, the father of both, by a. majority of the Balli Yfls trihe, ::t.nd h.v t.he ruler of .:\[asqat who a.fiordef\ m:ttcrird assif:::i.a.nce.* 71fllbamma,(l sou[!ht refu.!re a.t Dohah in Qa.tar under the protection of the Shnikh of Bahra.in, whi le Ta.hnUI1 bet·:tnw ~ haikh of Abu Dhabi, but for n. lime associated his father with himr.:/.'If in the administration and ~mployed him on important llIil"f;jOIlR, par! iClllarly on that of ncgotiating a peace with the commander of thc British expedit.ion a.gainst }l,fls-:Il-KiJaimah in 1819-2U. rrhe :](:("l·~~ion u[ Talilliin to power ullder the auspiccs of !\1asqat was the heqi nning of a. permanent brcaciJ bclween thc Qawilsim a.nd the Ba.ni Ya8, wuo, i[ tradilion may be belic\·ed, Lad hitherto lived as close friends and allies.

In] "'2l or 18:ll?, some time after the accession of Shaikh Tabnun, an indi\·idual named Suwaidan bin-Za.'al, who appears to have been head or the )Iah,irihah section of the Balli Y fls, absconded f rom Abu Dhabi in orde!· to avoid payment of his deLts, and adopted a roving anu preuatory life. Action was at once taken ap:ainst him by Shaikh · rralll~tlll , who Rllccccded in capturing some of lLis boats j but these proceedlllgs w('l'e view('d hy the British :lllthol'il ics of the da.y with disapproval, a8

Clldan(rcritw tho tra.tlCluiliity o[ tho SC:lfi,' alld the Shaikh was even ~ M I' t rC(jllircci, Ott pa.ill of a Hrili8h war vessel being' Bent against us port, 0

c\ el' ist I'rom thCli1 atld to givo up thc vessels wh ich he had seized. ~t the und of lhe ycar Suwa.iclan paid a viljit to ?'I"£alj(plt, where he received a. prCf;ctti from. ~a,iyicl Sa'id, and in .!:\.Iluary 1 t;;!S he was repo~,ted to ha.vo r.:cli led down quictly on the island oC Y{ts. A different \'le~. of Suwa-iuan's character \lOW appa.rently presentcd itself to the local R:lt~ sh ollicel'tl, for we find the Residen t.. advising hiln to make his subn~l ~slO ll Lo Sh:,ikh 1'ahnull and even encouraging tbe latter, 011 certain condl tlon~, to reduce him by force. Eventually Suwnidan was reconciled to hlB

chief and rctltl'llC<\ to Abu Dhabi in 1828.

Lale in lI,e year 182:3 lhe ex-Shaikh )[nhammnd, whose headquarter~ werc now a.t Doltah in Qa.tar, al)pcarecl hc[oro Abu Dhabi at the hea

Sueh is thC' !\1·COuut t.:ivoll by Lil'utellBll t Hcnnl·ll about 1831. Bee Bom~{ Selcl'lio1ls, XX) V. page ,J64 ; unt. Lieutenant !\ l c1.Je~, writing in 1 ~23. stat es t h~B 'fahnun waB BI·t up hy the ruler of MlISqflt, nbollt 1821 III plnco of hll fa t her, t hrc ,tlt er !It lLhl\mmat.l At ti lC r:.an .e time tailing fl ight. Si g uattll'O of the GOnP Tai Trl!' ~ of }leaCO Oil behalf of Abu Dhaui wn~ ill [til)' C'a90 pc~f(Jn~cd (on tl!e !lth of. JIlo~u:~n J820) by SllI\ikh Shakhbut , who In 1833 WU8 still ahvo; Lut It i8 certAin t .. .hllunry 182:3 '1'!llmun 1l1r<Jl\dy held tllo f;o lo power.

'/ 00

of a. numbcr of ':\ian1lsir BedouinB and attacked Dud plundered the town; but he was driven out with a loss or 35 men by his brother ~'ahllttn, who hastened to thc spot with 1\ largo force from Iho intel'jor. Betrcating northwards ho Look ror~lge ill Sharjnh, wltithrr Ta.hllllll followed by land and domanded IllS surrondcr; but, beforc ma.tter8 calllO to n. ("riEiis betwecn Lhe ShaikhEi of Abu Dhahi and Shflrja.h, Muha.mmad rcljo\'(~d Lho laUer o[ his prc6o nco by returning' lo Qatar.

Shaikh 'raitnun had long diEitruEitcd his \,rothers Khalifah and SulUin o.nd had kept Lhem at a distance [rolU Abu Dhahi j bllt he was Ht. length persuaded by his fath er, Shakhbut, to all ow them. to return. Soon o.[t Cl'wards they were found to Itayo entered wit.h some of the principal residcnts of Abu Dhabi into a plot for the removal of Tnhnutl, - nil nct of tl'co.son with which the Shuikh prepared to deal by Lhrowing some of their confederates into prison. 'l'llie prec:mtioll, howe,"cr, was not sufHrit.' tlt. On the contrary it precipitatcd Lhe nct ion o[ the conspirat.ors; rt. nd ill April 1833 Sha.ikh rrahnun I'cll a yictilll to tho vistol of his Lrother Khalifah find tho clagg-or or hit; brothN 8ulbll.

Shaikh Khalifah-bin·Shakhb ut, 1833-45.

K halifah and Sultfm at fi rst ruled in partnership; but gradually tho pl'ellomi llaoee of K halifah dec laret! itself, and SultflU descended to a subordinate place. A tender of al1e~iance and Zaka.t on the pal'l, of the usurpers was readily accepted Ly the Wahhabi AmiI', who at on co took thorn ullder his protect ion and forbade I lto Qflsimi Shaikh of Sh.-ll'jall to meddle in their affairs.

III t he course of the following summer :t COtlspiracy was formed Ly SOmo mnll:o ntents nt Abu DhaL i to lnul'(ler SlmikhKha.llfah a.mll'cpbce hi m by OItL' vI' his lirst ceousinf'>; but lhe l'Olltiilt wlill1tt it. W:I:-; inlvttdl'cl til b\'lldit hilliself divulged the pl ot. to tho Sktikh, wIto, retiring- inlo his fort, t>cized th ree of the ring-leadcrs and put them Lo death. lIe W:16 all'o ahout tv C~~Ctlto two influcntial men:hallt~; but. popular inliig'natiu ll and the OPPOSItIOn of his brother SulUul diyerte(l hilll from hi t; purpoi:iC and obliged him to be satil5fied instead wi lh the ('xpulf'ioll o[ one oE tho mercha.nts named lJin·'Iyflll, whom, aft.er beating a,lId tlespoiling of his property, he sent in a Baqarah to Lingch.

rl'.lt ili violeltce on the part of Shai kh Khalifah was highly prejudicial to Ius OWn interests, £01' it led to the Fecession from Abu Dhabi to Dibai, during the pearl fishery, o[ a lnrge number of Bani Yas of the Al 13rl Falasah secLion. Dibai, of which the date of foundation ca nnot be fixed but mar h:nc been latar than that o[ Abu Dhahi seoms to ha\'c been readily sm:rcndered b\' the indiyidu:d who lhf'rt ;on~rned it on behalf of Shaikh Khalifah to the seceders j and they, i~ the foll owing' aulumn, ,,'ere joilled there by lhe bulk of their rebt iVL's, rel urnillg from tl lO pe:trl L:1Iti.;s . rl'ho sccession was perm:tll ent, :ilmoRt the entire Lody of tbe Al Bil Fnlflfmh being to the pn.'6ollt day dOllliciled at DiL~i; and

ex·Sh"ikh 1\l nham1l1ud. 1829.

AIISA6IIil lat i ol1 or Shnikh 'fa.llIlun, Ap, ;118S3.

Acecllion of Shaikh Kha.­lifah, 1833.

Plot agninst ~hl\ i kh Kiln­iifnll, 1833.

SecrIJllion 0 f the Ai Eii FaIR.ah to Dibll i,1833,

Ij

First seces­tit111 of the Qubai~ii L to 'Odaid, 1835·3i.

Assrtssinr'\ ion of Sh[\i~h Khl\1iCah. 1845.

that place, wh ich became afler 1833 t)tate.

766

had hitherto heen a dependency of Abu Dhabi a dangerous riyal, and at times enemy, of the parent

The attack on and subsequent blockade of Abu Dhabi town by the o SlJalkh of Shiil'}th 111 the auLumn of 18:33 were due to these dissensiOlls

\yhich appeared to Shaikh Snltan-bin-Saqar to provide an excellent oppor~ tunitr of crushing the Bani Yiis chief on pretext of obtaining justice for the merchant Bill-Jlyan; hut the result was far from answering to t.he ('xpe('tatiolls of the wily intriguer.

III 1~35, wh ell he~yy damages on accoun~ ,of piratical outra.ges by ~be - nalll Y:18 were belllg 1'eco,'e1'e<1 by the Bnhsh Governml?nt from the Shaikh of Abu l ' habi, the subjects of Shaikh Khalifah began to dis. 1)cI'FC in :\11 JirC'ctiolls with a view to avoiding payment of t heir in­dividual contributions; and it even became necessary for t he :British alltbol'it ies to J'equest other Shaikhs to abstain from affording asylum to fugitives from Abu Dbnbi,

It \,'as impossible, howcyer, to prcyont by these means the emigra.­tion of the QuhniEat F:cdion of the Ban i 1'5.8, who now, under t he leader­ship of Khi!d_im-bin-Nn/amull and leav i n~ their dcbts at Abu Dhabi nn-8ettled~ removed in aooi,h· to Khor-al -' Odaid,-an inlet of the unin habited ('onst neal' the base of U;e Qatar promontory, distant nearly 200 JIliles fr0tll Abu Dl!:"tbi, rrhr, British Resident made an e ffort to reconcile the Qubaip;at with tbrir chief a.nd to induce them to return to their alleg ia.uce, bnt iL was nnsuccessful j and soon afterwards it was reported that the fleU]et's at ) Odaid \Yere affording encouragement to pirates) espe(;iallr to the notorious Jiisim-bill·Jabir, R aqraqi, whose depreda.­~ions occasiol1(-1d fI. Briti8h naval demonlitra.tion along t he Qatar f'on.st in 1836, as related in the history of that promontory. The usual hc"d­lluarters of the pirates were at l\lirfah, an anchorage on t he coast of TarfY. in Dhafrah, where they were accuslomed to bring their spoil ash~re and load. it on camels for despatch to different destinations; but .laslm had in the £l'st instance issued from' Odaid, and the headman of that place continued to countenance I,im so long as he dared.

At lenO'th in l\fay \ ~37, ]lOl'mission to take such measures as wer(~ necessary ~having been accorded by the nesident, Shaikh Khalif~h con­triyed to fall without warning upon the 'Odaid settlement, whIch ,be completely destroyed: 50 of the inhabitants were killed; t he forl~ fi­cations and houses W~I'C dismantled j and tIe wells were filled up With the ruins of ihe uuildillO's and the bodies of the slain, A number of the QuLaisat then took l~fllVC a.t Dibai, anti prubably at uLher place8 also ' but when they saw t1~at some of their number who had gone back to A.'bn Dhabi were treate<.l with illdulg'ence and had their boats restored to them the)- aCCelJted a O'eneral am nest" offered by Shaikh Kbalifah ~ntl

, ~ - b · Kh -d n1 returned to their homes and th eir allegiance, a.mong them emg a I . -

bin-~' a'aman, the chief of the seceders,

In July 1845 in circumstances which are not fully explained, Sbaikh Tahllfm with his' brother SnlUul was t l'eacl!cnlllsly murdered by O!l~ ) lsa-bill-Khalid who had 10110' been l..-illrr ill wait for his life. The de~t W<lS comn1itted ~t a. F(':.tSOIl \then the'to,;n wns nlmost deserted bY

d \F.

inhabitants, these having gone either to the pend banks 01' to the n f'

767

groves of Liwah j and it formed the conclusion oC a Ceast of wh ich ill(' victims lind just. portnkcn, nt the im'itaiion of tlH' murdrl'el's, under the shade or a Balil dmwn up upon the heach,

Notwithstand ing' the fratricidal cl'imf' hy which he firFt attained to power, but wi ,ich wc may consider tn b::tvf' been rxpii1ted iJy the manner of his OWl} <.leath, the rul C' of Shaik h Khalifal! had becli in cn'IT respect creditable to his eba1'3cLer, Hy hi s g:al1an1l'y, firll1llf'~-" an~l prudence he raised the Ahu nhabi principality Lo a pOf'ilion mllc ll higll{'r than it had eyC'r before occupied; and at thr ~a.m e timc he lllrt.intainrd, at least after 1~3G, a. good underlstarH.lillQ,' with the Hri Lish authoritiefi, and restrained. his ~uh.ipcts to thr best of h is ability from 1reach('" of the· maritime peace ,

Interregnum, 1845.

On th c <.leath of Sl!aikh Kl!alifah LlIr headship nf lhe Ba.ni Yii.."l was assumed. by thc principal a~sa~sill~ 'ha-b in·K halid , apl'fln'iltiy \\·ith ihe consent of such of the triLl' aF; wore titrll at han<.l j llut h\"4~ !llol!th:-: later the Ilsurper was cut ofT by Dhiy:ilJ-b ill- ' l fia, wl lo from his llalll4' lIlay lie supposed to have Lcen a lil'sl eousin ()f ;")haikh Khalifnh, n!!il'i"ib waR slain ill hi s turn by Kh.-tlid-I)ill-'Im, a ~OJI of hil-' yit,tim j 1m! this ill­

diyidual, in stead of a.llempting- to secure thr Shnikhdo1ll for hil1l~elf, prudently returned, a.fter a\,PIlg'ing' his fatiter'fO. death, tu Sh ,-t rjah ",holl('(' be had set out, A brothel' of Khfdid contrin'd to oLtaili p06~;(I:-.E:ioll of the fort of Aim nhahi; hut. he wa~ ::;pccd ily <'jected 1/)' :\IulliLlllmad-lJin­HamfLid an d R::-u:ihid-lJin- l j \l.dhil two influential lea(lel"s uf lhf' Billli Y'-lR.

who now declared [or Sa'id, a F:on of the FOl'Jner Shaikh 'ra.hlllill anf! {;onseqllclltly nephew CJ[ the late Slmikh Khalifall.

Shaikh Sa'id-bin-'fahnun, 1845-55.

\ 'rhe chJef allt~lOrity was.retained ~H ~hril' O\\'~l hands hr, ~ruhnmm!l.(l a.nll Rashid un tIl the arrl\'al of ~. hnlkh S:t.ld ~ who, hf'lll!.!," ~('nl:'ralh­regarded a.s the most elig·ihlc cllirf, and !;eing' finpported mor('O\'er hy U;n Illol'al influence of thc British Volitical TIesidrnt, rsf:llli ishrd him~e]f ill power without a.n.\- difficulty.

In 184,9, dissat isfic(l at t.he f:-LVOI1I' shown 11\' Shnikh Sn'id (4) tho ~ [aharihah section of the Balli Y,I.S with WhO~l the\' Wf'r(' at feud cncoumgcd also 11)' the Shaikh!:; of Sh.-lrj<1h ::tnd nilJn{ to hopI' that ll!~ 'VahhiilJi AmiI' would shul'tly assist t~\em Lo esiallliE=h themsclves at. 'Odaid, the Quhais:"lt of .-\ htl nkll;i oncC' more ahandolH'd their homes and settled temporaril r at lXlh<1h in Qatar. l~fff'ctual mf'a,stlrf'S to com­pel the ir retnrn \\"Cl'c' at oller take!!, i!1 )[OVE'!HI.C'r or DccC'wber I \) l~, by

Admini~lra ­tion of ~ha i kh Khali fah,

Acces«ioll of Shtlik h Sn'id, l S,J,·j,

Second (., tempted) sPcPII'Iifln of th e Qubnisiit to ' Od:lid, IBI9.

il

ExplusioD of Shni kh Sa'id and accceaion of Shaill h Zlid, 1856,

Attack on Abu Dhabi town by t hc cx·Shaikh ~~'jd , 1856.

768

tho Shaikh of Abu Dhabi. Art.er imprisoning some of t he Qubaisflt who still remai ned at Abu DI.n.Li, he sent for t he leaders of the Dohah colony alld 0 11 lheir un'ival gavo lhem n. flattering receptio n, D uring tho fullowing night, howcver, the lH)ntl:> ill whi ch they ha.d come were stripped of masts , sails and a,1l ot.her gear j and the entrappod envoys thm; dopri ved of t ho moanl:; of esca.pe, found themselvos obl iged to aO'rc~ to lho turms imp()sed by the Shaikh, whieh included, besides return f~om DOltah, lho salisfaction of all deula due uy the Quuaisiit to private creditors and the parmollt of a. fine to himse lf.

In 1855 Shaikh 'Sa'id uecame emb,'oiled ",i t h tho entire body of hi. suhjects. 'rhe occasion was the murder by a triLal elder oE his 0\"11 brother, a.lJparently lIot without justifi cation, for the Ba.ni Y tiS as a whole silled with tile elder and res isted the intention oE S hnikh Sa/id to Ptlt llim to UO:1th. On a p(omiso gi,'en by tlw Shflikb to remit both t hat alltl over'y at her pena.l,t)' the ~nnr~l (' ~'er W:I S bro.ugh~ int.o his pr~se nce, where. Ilpo n Sa'id, re\'erling to his ong1l1al dr tcrnlllllltlOll, drew Ills da.gger and wiill his OW II hand st ruck the mall ueau. frhe popnla ce at once rose ill :trms j and Shnikh Sa'id , :Ifter dt'i't' lH.ling' h imself 1'01' somo t ime in hi/! citallel, escaped Lo the l'ersia.n isla nd of Qais, takinA' wiLh him most. or hi8 property hoth ill g'oods and callie. rro ille British ltesidoncy t.he S haikll represented Ilis explIh:icm :"I S due to ofTorts which he lind made to pllnish fl, piracy, comm itted hy llani Yal' of the Hnwamil and Mabnribah sections, upon a Shu'ai uelo ngillg to Olle 'Abdul Kanm.

Shaikh Zaid·bin· Kh alifah, f r om 1855.

On the tli(J'ht. of Sh:likh Sa'id-binfl'ahllllll, his first cOlls in, s hnlkh 'l.flid.b in,Khnlifah, wns elc('tud to sucered ll im .. Accord ing to all arrang~ mont appa.n'ntly ClIf.;{.onmry :~mong the Bani Yas, a brot.her nam DhiyfllJ wn l-> :lssoeinled with Zflid in the g-ovcrnlllcut; but as usuul notLing wa !' hC;Il'd, after thc first, o[ the assist.ant chief.

I n .July IH5Q:t piratical and altog'ether un expected dc~ce nt ul~on tho ~own ,o[ AIJ~I UhniJi was. mal~e by. the cx ile~l Shnik,h, Sa'id:bm.T a,hnun, ,\~~ In tillS afI~lr took Sh.lrph lor IllS Lase oC operations j Ius fleet conSIS h ?f three YCRRe,lsJ all small, of which one \~TaS his own, olle, b~lo n ged t~ ~a~ ISland of Q,"S and the othor was obta.ned at Abu H a.1 III tbe Shal') principality, On the 19th of July, the pri ncipal Shaikh (Zaid) belll~ t.hen absent in Dhafrah Sa'id-Lin·'rahnun landed at A bu DhabI a.n

, , " d b b ' dl erent • . outaJltcd pORsess lOll of the town, wInch was plundere y IS a 1 I! Shnikh Dhiy~d) and t he few inha.Lit:1nts then present at Abu Dl~a I~ simt themsch'es lip in the fort, !Llld l here held out until the arrlV{l of Siw ikh h ;'lid I'rom LIle interior with a. party of l3edouins. C?n tho appearan ce of the rcli e\T ing' force the invadcrs werc immediately .dl seol~­filed : SaJid Lin-Tahnllll himself was among tile slai n . As mentIOned I,n the history of 'l'rucird )Om~llI. tho damage done at Abu Dhabi ?n Ullci occlIs ion W;IS partially. made g ood ouL of:1 bl'g-~ fine oJ: $25,OO?, l.mpos~. on lhe Shadd. of Sharph becall'" of lhe compliCIty of some of h.s SlI

jects in the raid .

769

In noth i n~ does the (,~Rc lltially Bedouin character of the slIujccts o( t.he A Im D haLi Shflikh ;lpl'rflr more distinctly tllflll in the readiness with which, on !=llighL provoc,liion, 1hcy ahandon thoir llomes and. Hot tle elsL" whorC'. We hayc :dre:llly noliccd. tilt' permanellt hivillf'r-ofE of the Al Du Ffllas:1 h in 183:3 alill the temporary !-l'ccs~ i o ll or u7e CluiJ:lisai ill 11.{:J5-37 alld IH4!) , n IHI mcnlion Illlist now lIe made 01' n l:iUstai ll rd ctrod on Lhe pfLrL of tile Qubaisflt 10 frec tllcmselvcs, hy removal to a di stanco, from (ho cO lltrol of the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi,

In 1S0U, for reasOIlS 1I0t ascerta inod and thoreforo p.'ohably of slight importance, :t body of the Qnbaisat under Lhe leadership or llut i-bin· Kltiidim unce mom f~ol'~ook Abu Dhabi and es t:~blish ed themsclyes in the remote creek of 'Odaid

Third laces­l ion of t he Qu h"i sAt. t o ' Od.id, 18UU· 80,

In I S7], in con'o'lllOlIOO of complaillts by Shaikh Zai d t hat the 1871. pro~r.er lty oE Abu Dhabi was diminished Ily the l'ompct ilion of tht' 'Odald settlement. and that the' latter had become a. city of refuge for fr::mdulently absconding dehtors, Colonel P elly, the British Resident in tht' . Gul f, Imi de careful cnquirics both perso nally and tllrough his A!;:R lstant, ~~ I njol' Smith, regarding the o\'flH'rship or 'Odaid i lhe I'e~ult was to show tha t. 'Odaid itself, tl) whit'h a t this time III) Shaikh of Qat :l ), so much :1.8 lu.id c/:tilll, wa s undoubtedly situated wi t hill the j\ll'isdicj,joll o[ the Shai k h of AIm Dhabi . 'The 'Odaid colonists, however, clnimcd to form :1 state (.ntirely illdependent of AIJu Dhab i i they 3Rscrted that the il' territory exlonded half way from 'Od.id to Wakrah on the side of Qatar, alld I n the other direction as far as the ir; land of Yas, nnd that it in cluded Dal mah and other adj;went islands formerly considered to belolw to AL11 Dhabi j moreOVCt·, while tllry CXPl'cSfo;t.'d a wish to continue ~nd('l' the 'J'ruc,ial fl ag, th ey hinted not oLs(;u]'ely that, iC t.heir prefensi 0ns were lIot adm lttcd, Lhoy would pl:lCC tilCll)Sclvcs undm the prot.ect ion oj' til(' '[ nrks, wllo lmd now :nrivcd i n Qata r. Cololll'1 Pelly asked tha t IH' mig ht ht , gi"('n ill ~t nlCtil)n s for d ealillg' with the matteI', inaRnllH' h as lite Shaikh or Aha Dhnlli, relying' 011 tb e Perpetual Treaty of Veltte o/: 1 ~53, had olaimcd his i lltencnLioli as an arh itrator.

'11110 orders oE the Government of India, communicated i ll May 1872. 1872, woro to tho effoct that no aclion hy lho Resident was callod for under the l\faritimc T ruce, no attack havi llg been mado by sea. upon the Shaikh or A btl Dhabi, and tbat Colonol Polly should not interfere unless he apprehended a breach of the peace at sea between tho parties i but thn-t hr should report at once any overt action indicating an inten-tiun on the part of the Turks to establish their supremacy at 'Odaid.

The position l'cJnnillcd un changed until 1873, when Coloncl Ross, ]873. who had mC:l.nwhilr succeeded Colonel Pelly in charge of the Gulf Residoncy, reported an appl ication hy tbe Shaikh of Abu Dbabi for leaye to take IlfLval action ag-nillsL tlte 'Odaid rebels: it was oxplainod that an expedit ion by land was impracticable on account oE physical ohst.nclo8 Colonel Ross was inclin ed 1.0 t.hink that refusal of sanction illig-lit throw t he Shaikh himself in to the arms of t he POl'to; but t he Governmont of Tndia in reply directed him to avoid , if possible, giving any answer to Zfl'id's reqll~st, alld, in tho opposite easo, to inform him tha.t the Govern-mont of Inch:1 could not countenance, and would even prevo nt, t he proposed naval expedition,

58