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APPENDIX TO REPORT FROM SELECT COMMITTEE
Appendix, No. 8,
5. But when Mahomed bin Salem was about to depart, he said to me, “ Majeed, you know
your brother’s affairs; what little money he has in hand, and how great his expenditure is?
You know, moreover, that the revenues of Oman do not cover its expenses, and I fear that,
unless you assist your brother every year with a sum of money, the kingdom of Oman will
pass out of your hands, and those who are evil disposed towards you will avail of the opportunity
to do mischief. Will you not, therefore, appoint your brother a certain aid and subsidy
to enable him to provide as well for himself as for Oman ? ” To this I replied, I have
already told my brother Thoweynee that 1 would assist him as our late father h id done,
namely, in the sum due to the Wahabees; and further, that in any case of emergency I
would aid him with rny power, my money, and my troops.” He rejoined, “ Well, but Oman
is not now what it once wms. Since the death of our father Saeed, the Arabs have become
troublesome, and every enemy there is on the alert. This must be set at rest ; and it is my
opinion, considering the affection which I bear to you, O children of S teed, that you should
consider yourselves as one, and your rule as one, and give your brother an annual subsidy of
40,000 crowns, to enable him to quell the disturbances in Oman.” To this I replied, “ O,
Mahomed, you are on the place of our father,and 1 will not differ from you in opinion. What
you say to be right is right ; nevertheless, as you ask of me this subsidy of 40,000 crowns, in
behalf of my brother Thoweynee, I must set forth the conditions whereon I will grant it.”
lie rejoined, State them, and I will guarantee their acceptance by Thoweynee; for has he
not already told you by letter that whatever I do or say is as done and said by him? ” I
replied, Yes. In the first place, then, I stipulate that I am to be my father’s successor,
and that Thoweynee must recognise me as such.” He said, “ Agreed to.” Then I said, “ He
is not to stir up strife against Tooikee, neither is he to injure him in any way ; and if Toorkee
does wrong, he must apprise me of it, for I consider him under my care. Notwithstanding,
I do not know what his leal position is; whether he is independent or subject to the ruler of
Muscat. What I only know is, that our late father made over Oman and its dependencies
to my brother Thoweynee, in the same way that he made over Zanzibar and its dependencies
to our brother Khaled, and on the death of Khalecl he made them over to me.” He replied,
“ Í consent thereto.” Then I said, “ If my brother Thoweynee observe these two conditions,
I will give him an aid and subsidy of 40,000 crowns every year ; but if he violate them, he
will have no claim on me for a single crown.” He replied, “ I agree to that also.” There
were present at this coversation Suleiman bin Hamed, and the Secretary Ahmed bin
Naanian, and my brother IMahomed bin Saeed, and Luddah, the Customs Master. After
this Mahomed bin Salem said, “ On rny arrival at Muscat, Thoweynee may not believe that
I have asked you to grant him an annual subsidy of 40,000 crowns unless you write him a
letter to that effect.” Thereupon I directed him to write as follows: “ I, Mahomed bin
Salem, asked of Majeed bin Saeed an annual subsidy of 40,000 crowns on behalf of his
brother Thoweynee bin Saeed.” On this I wrote, “ This is true. Written by the unworthy
Majeed with his own hand.”
6. Finally, Mahomed bin Salem left for Muscat, taking with him the portions of ray
brothers who were in Oman; and after his departure we sent by an American ship 14,000
crowns on account of the 40,000 above referred to. But when Mahomed bin Salem reached
Muscat, he found my brother Thoweynee at war with Tooikee. Whereupon he said to him
“ How is it that you act thus after what 1 have stipulated on your behalf? If Majeed
should hear of this, he will refuse the subsidy which I asked him to grant you.” When
Thoweynee heard this he made peace with Toorkee and returned to Muscat, when he r eceived
his share of the inheritance which had been brought by Mahomed bin Salem, and also the
money on account of the subsidy which had arrived by the American ship. He also sent me
a letter by his man Nassir bin Ali bin Taleb, wherein he states, “ The money which you
were good enough to send has reached me : may your prosperity continue.” This letter is
still in my possession ; and with the letter he sent his man Nassir bin Ali to receive the
balance of the money. And Mahomed bin Salem also wrote to me by him, saying,
“ Theweynee’s man, Nassir bin Ali, comes to ycu to receive the balance of the money. Be
careful to confirm the words which passed between us, and to fulfil the arrangement which I
made between you.” This letter also is still with me. Mahomed bin Salem also wrote a
letter by the same Nassir bin All to Luddah, the Customs agent at Zanzibar, wherein he
says, “ Thoweynee’s man, Nassir bin Ali, comes to you to receive the balance of the money
which we asked of Majeed as a subsidy to his brother Thoweynee.” (This letter also isin existence.
) Finally, Nassir bin Ali received the balance of the money, and then went in amono’
the people, secretly corrupting their minds, and promising them all sorts of things from
Thooenee. As reported to us moreover, he said, “ Barghash will act for Thoweynee, for he
is on his side, and do whatever he bids you.” After this, Nassir bin Ali went to Muscat
and on his arrival there, Thoweynee rose up against Toorkee. On seeing this, how Thoweynee
failed to keep his engagement, Mahomed bm Salem retired from Muscat and went to Mecca
for he was ashamed of such conduct on my account. Nevertheless, I knew nothing of what
was transpiring there, but was already collecting the money for the following year, and had
intended sending it by my frigate, the“ Artemise.” Just then, however, 1 heaTd of Thoweynee
having made war on Toorkee, at which I was much surprised ; and a few days after I learned
that he was preparing to attack me also, in violation of the agreement which had been made
through Mahomed bin Salem. I was then in doubt what to do; and, indeed, had he not
made war on me, [ should not have withheld the subsidy from him ; neither was it ever my
iuteniion to deprive the subjects of Oman of the profit which they derive from me; for
they come to me every year, and I distribute about 15,000 crowns in gratuities amono*
them. ®
7. A few
