عمان والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية لهيرمان إيليتس- غير مفهرس

President Jackson and his successor، Martin Van Buren، with a proposal that a suitable ges- ture of gratitude be made.

Roberts، who had worked so prodigiously for the treaty، did not live to see its results. He died in Macao on June 12، 1836، reportedly of fever contracted in Siam after leaving Muscat. He was buried a few days later in Macao's East India Company cemetery.

Merchant Consuls

Once word was received in Washington that treaty ratifications had been exchanged، ar- rangements were made for the posting of American consuls to Sayyid Sa'id's domains. Richard Palmer Waters، an associate of the firm of John Bertram and Michael Shepard of Salem، Massachusetts، was sent to Zanzibar in 1837 and accredited to Muscat as well. Con- sistent with American consular practice of the time and for many years thereafter، Waters was a merchant consul. Such officials per- formed consular duties for the government of the United States and private trading activities on behalf of their commercial principals. Wat- ers was warmly received by Sayyid Sa'id، who since 1828، had alternated his seat of resi- dence between Muscat and Zanzibar، the two termini of his extended domains.

American commercial interest in Muscat soon quickened. Henry P. Marshall of the New York City firm of Scoville and Britton was named American Consul in Muscat and arrived there on October 14، 1838. A combi- nation of bad health and the bankruptcy of his company forced him to leave a short time later. Before Marshall left، however، he named Sa'id bin Khalfan، translator of the 1833 treaty، as acting consul، an appointment subsequently confirmed in 1843 through the lobbying efforts of Bertram and Shepard. Sa'id bin Khalfan provided a variety of consu- lar services for visiting American shipmasters، as well as serving as the principal Omani mer- chant and broker for American supercargoes until his death in 1845، whereupon jurisdiction reverted to the American consul in Zanzibar.

For the next 20 years، the Salem firm of Bertram and Shepard virtually monopolized American trade with Muscat. Each year it sent

one، two، or three vessels to Muscat laden with cargo. These vessels usually included Zanzibar، several East African ports، Mokha، and Aden on their itineraries.

Occasionally، a New York or Providence merchant vessel might also visit Muscat، but such visits were too infrequent to permit their supercargoes to develop any extended knowl- edge of the intricacies of doing business there.

Even after Sa'id bin Khalfan's death، and despite the prolonged absence of a resident American consul، American ships regularly visited Muscat and conducted their trading ac- tivities without the slightest hindrance. Occa- sionally، an American whaling ship out of New Bedford، Massachusetts، or another New England whaling port would put into Muscat for supplies. On less frequent occasions، an American naval vessel، bound for the East Indies، would transit Muscat، where its offi- cers could pay respects to the Sultan or his governor.

In addition to specie، American merchant ships primarily brought cotton sheeting، shirt- ings، and drills. These cotton products، be- cause of their sturdiness in withstanding the rigorous Omani dyeing process، were highly prized in Muscat and throughout the Indian Ocean region. In Oman، along the Arabian Peninsula، and in East Africa، they were popu- larly dubbed "mericani،" a term clearly de- rived from their source. Other products im- ported in smaller quantities were tobacco، soap، sewing twine، resin، all kinds of ship supplies، shot، powder، and assorted other goods. In return، American supercargoes bought salted goat and sheep skins، wool، gum Arabic، gum copal، aloes، Mokha coffee، and most important of all، Omani dates.

Some of the cargoes bought in Muscat، like coffee and gum copal، were not of Omani ori- gin، but reflected Muscat's continuing status as a regional trading center. Through the inter- cession of Sayyid Thuwainia، son of Sayyid Sa'id and Governor of Oman، and under the helm of a skillful Omani navigator Identified only as "Nuri" in American ship rosters of the period، many Bertram and Shepard vessels also sailed to Gwadar، on the opposite Makran coast and still under Omani jurisdiction، where their supercargoes purchased high- quality wool.

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