GOVERNMENT OF ARABIA. 167 



when the British were compelled to retire, the imam 

 observed at some distance a sergeant alone, and sur- 

 rounded by a detachment of the enemy. Unsup- 

 ported as he was, he did not hesitate a moment ; 

 returning instantly, he dashed singly among the re- 

 bels, and, after killing several of them, brought off 

 the man in safety. 



The revenues of the imam are derived from various 

 sources. Besides receiving a tenth of the produce of 

 the soil, he possesses considerable landed property of 

 his own, and rents extensive tracts of country from 

 the Persian government, including valuable mines 

 of sulphur. A more lucrative source of income is the 

 duty of one-half per cent, on all merchandise passing 

 up the Gulf in Arab bottoms. From the province 

 of Oman alone, it has been reckoned at more than 

 120,000 dollars (26,250) annually; and from all 

 other ports of Arabia, and from Zanguebar, to about 

 30,000 or 40,000 dollars more. Commerce, how- 

 ever, is the chief fountain of his wealth. Besides the 

 ports on the Gulf, he trades to all parts of the East ; 

 to the coasts of Arabia and Africa; to Madagascar 

 and the Mauritius. His capital is the great entre- 

 pot for warehousing and exchanging the produce of 

 various nations ; and in such a traffic the sovereign 

 doubtless possesses many advantages over his subjects. 

 His expenditure is light compared to his income ; 

 he has no regular military establishment to keep up, 

 nor any expensive machinery of government; and 

 after all his outlay, it is supposed that he may depo- 

 site annually a surplus of nearly 100,000 dollars. 



In addition to his hereditary dominions on the 

 Arabian coast, the imam holds in possession the 

 islands of Kishma and Ormuz ; and rents, from the 



