ABSTRACT
ThestrategiclocationofBaI:irainfor'Umanipurposesalso cannotbeoverlooked.ItispossiblethatSayyidSultanbelievedhe couldbetterprotecthimselffromtheWahhabis,andbetterexecute hisongoingwarwiththeQawasim,ifhehadafootholdinBaI:irain.15 ButthefundamentalmotivationfortheattacksagainstBaI:irainlies elsewhere. 16
TheoccasionfortheearliestexpeditionwasrefusalbytheAl KhalifahtopayprotectionmoneyatMasqat.Thepaymentwascalled agumruk,andwas21/2%onallgoodspassingthroughMasqatinto theGulfonlocalvessels.17SultanibnAf:lmadhadanarrangement withSuwaydiArabswhohadsettledonHormuzwherebythelatter triedtoenforcepayment.ItwasthissystemthattheAlKhalifahwere managingtoavoid.BaI:irainivesselshadbeenreturningfromIndia, bypassingMasqat,andoftenevadingtheSuwaydiswhowere supposedtoattackvesselsthathadfailedtopayup.Howmuch gumrukwasinvolvedisnotknown,butwhatwasmoreobviouswas thefactthattheAlKhalifahwerenowsailingdirectlytoIndiaand competinginthecarryingtradethattheMasqatiswantedto monopolize. 18
Thiscarryingtradewasworthfightingfor.WhileBritishand otherEuropeantradeintheGulfwasdiminishing-CharlesIssawi hadcalledit'atrickle'- theindigenouscarryingtradewasnotso muchdecliningasshiftingfromthenorthandnorthwesternshores oftheGulftothesouthandsoutheastern-inotherwords,toports controlledbyArabians.Thissituationhasbeenslowtoemerge becausethebulkofprimarysourcesarethemselvesBritishandare thereforedirectlyconcernedwiththetradeoftheEastIndia Company.Itispossibletolearnsomethingaboutindigenous commerceinanindirectwayfromtheBritishandFrenchrecords, andfromtherelativelyfewlocalsources.
