THE CABINET: Sultan Muskrat

Hottest city in the world is reputedly the Persian Gulf port of Muscat, capital of the arid little (82,000 sq. mi.) independent Sultanate of Oman, where the average rainfall is only 3½ in. a year. In September 1833, U. S. Special Agent Edmund Roberts visited Muscat to sign a treaty with His Majesty Seyed Syeed Bin, Sultan of Muscat. In addition to reciprocal, most-favored-nation treatment of imports & exports, it provided that U. S. citizens rescued from ships wrecked on Oman's rocky coast must be entertained at the Sultan's expense. When he departed...

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