13o 
APPENDIX TO EEPORT PROM SELECT COMMITTEE 
Appendix, No. 8. 
* Letter, No. 46 of 
1859. 
t Letter, No. 19 of 
1859. 
Î No. 47 of 1859. 
§ No.686 of 1859. 
Persian Depart 
ment. 
II Government 
Records, Persian 
Gulf, p. 208. 
1Í Idem, p. 232, 
delegated powers from the ruling sovereign “ Wali,”the Arabic term generally applied to- 
such officers, aptly expresses the same idea. Colonel Rigby * speaks of one Syud 
Sooliman as being at present “ Governor of Zanzibar.” 
28. Colonel Rigby, indeed, seems to draw a somewhat different conclusion, and intro 
duces Syud Toorkee by name. He writes,f “ After the death of the late Syud Saeed 
“ no will was found, but his Highness’s intention with respect to the succession to his 
‘‘ various territories were so well known to all his subjects, he having during his lifetime 
“ placed Syud Thoweynee in the government of Muscat, and his possessions in the 
“ Persian Gulf, Syud Toorkee in possession of Sohar, and Syud Majeed in possession 
of Zanzibar and his African dominions, that no dispute was expected.” The only evi 
dence adduced in support of this nomination of Syud Toorkee is the quotation already 
given from Colonel Hamerton’s letter. 
29. In a subsequent Despatch Colonel Rigby, after stating how the late Syud 
Saeed obtained possession of Sobar, adds, that his Highness “ then assigned it to his son 
“ Syud Toorkee and further on he gives the testimony of Syud Hilal in these 
words : “ Syud Saeed being anxious to avert the disputes which he foresaw would 
“ otherwise occur amongst his numerous sons after his death, had, during his own lifetime, 
“ divided his dominions amongst his three sons, the Princes Thoweynee, Toorkee, and 
“ Majeed, leaving all the details of administration in their hands, with the full understand- 
“ in g that they were to sueceed to the full sovereignty of each after his own death. That 
“ the late Imam considered this so plainly settled, that he did not consider any written 
‘‘ will on the subject necessary. That he had long previous notified to the Foreign 
“ Governments in alliance with him his intention to divide his domininns between the 
“ Princes Thoweynee and Khaled, and that on the death of the latter Prince Syud 
“ Majeed was appointed his successor.” 
30. The foregoing extracts comprise absolutely all the arguments which have been 
ad\ anced in behalf of the independence of Syud Toorkee as the ruler of Sohar. In my 
opinion they are inconclusive, apart from the reflection that they are, moreover, open to 
complete refutation if the more general question of the right of the late Syud Saeed to 
divide his territories is decided in the negative. 
31. But. further, it does not appear that Syud Toorkee himself ever urged his claim 
to be independent of Muscat until very lately ; and even now his pretensions are shown 
more in the attempts which he is making to throw off all subjection to Seyyed Thoweynee 
than in any express declaration of independency: Sohar, in fact, could not maintain that 
position. It yields a revenue which barely suffices for the support of the Governor and 
garrison, and for the entertainment of public guests. During the lifetime of the late 
Syud Saeed an allowance was made to Syud Toorkee of 120 dollars per mensem for 
the maintenance of a small body of horse, and Syud Thoweynee added 100 dollars to 
that sum for general purposes, which was paid out of the Customs of iVIuscat. The 
attempts made ever and anon by Syud Toorkee to form a coalition against Syud 
Thoweynee have more than once led to the suspension of the stipend, and it has lately 
been withdrawn in consequence of the more overt steps taken by Syud Toorkee 
to undermine his authority. These have already been detailed in my letter. No. 8, 
of the 2/th ultimo. I may here add, however, that Syud Thoweynee has lately inter 
cepted a letter written by Syud Majeed, of Zanzibar, to Syud Toorkee, at Sohar, 
informing the latter that he had sent him 2,000 dollars, and a supply of powder and lead, 
by one Merhoon. The letter, I was informed, had been given to Captain Jones, who will 
doubtless bring it to the notice of Government. 
32. Moreover, by the tenor of a letter addressed to Syud Thoweynee by Syud 
Toorkee about 20 months ago ( See Appendix D.), it will be seen that the latter refers to 
the former as his superior ; and as recently as the 2nd of September of last year, Hezkiel 
bin Yoosuf,§ then Acting British Agent at Muscat, reports that a compact had been 
entered into by the tv/o brothers, “ when it was agreed that he (Syud Toorkee) should 
‘‘ always obey the commands of his Highness (Syud Thoweynee) in ¿rything im- 
“ portant or trifling, and that his Highness should pay him the allowance wnich he used 
“ to receive during the lifetime of his father.” The above was confirmed by my own 
inquiries at Muscat. 
33. The foregoing considerations taken together, form, in my opinion, a mass of evidence 
decidedly adverse to the claim set forth in behalf of the independence of Syud Toorkee. 
Further, it is equally apparent to me that, considered politically, and in its bearings on 
the welfare of the Muscat State, and the general peace of Oman, it is most undesirable 
that any such claim should be countenanced. Sohâr, as has been aireadv stated, could 
not maintain its independence, and the almost inevitable result of such a claim being 
allowed, would tend to foster the intrigues for extraneous support, which Syud Toorkee 
is now active in fomenting. It does not appear certain that the Wahabees have abso 
lutely withdrawn from their late compact with that chief. The importance of the position 
in a strategical point of view, has always excited their cupidity. As far back as 1836, ||, 
Syud Saeed, who had called in the assistance of the Wahabee Agent to expel Hainood 
from Sohar, abandoned the siege of that place on learning that the Agent designed to 
keep possession of it for Fysul, the Wahabee Ameer. And again, in 1851,^f after Syud 
Saeed