"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٢‎٥‎٣] (١٧٨٢/١٤٠٨)

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the operation an officer belonging t . the "Suooe s s"wa 8 S o severely
urne m setting fire to a train of powder that it was feared he could
not recover.
that^t^j u'T 6 - kn0Wn ^ Ba61 ' ah ' 0 " tlie arriVal 0f ^ 27th ^
ulL of the 1 61 Slan arm y were now on the right bank of the
river, but that the commander still remained upon the eastern side; also
that the invaders, though they had few heavy guns, were well suoplied
with ammunition and provisions
On the 2nd of April it was stated that Shaikh 'Abdullah, the same 2„d April.
who fell back before tbe Persians on fheir ^ appearance) had aiT . veJ P
at Zubair with all his men and prom.sed to assist the governor in
defendmg the place; and on the same day Shaikh Thamir of the
MuntaHk tribe, who had been expected to embarrass the Persians durin-
their march to Basrah by cutting the banks of the river and laying the
country under water, arrived in Basrah without having done this^ ac
companied by 300 men.
On the 3rd of April about 200 Janissaries from Baghdad made their 3rd April,
appearance; tbe;y had left their boats at 'Azair, had marched to Qurnah,
where they re-embarked, had crossed to the right bank of the Shatt-al-
'Arab, and had then finished their journey l.y land without coming in
contact with the enemy. They brought with them letters from the
Pasha, containing promises of further help which there appeared little
likelihood of his being able to fulfil.
Early in the morning of the 6th of April the advance guard of the 6th April.
Persian army came in sight of Basrah and began to pitch their tents
about three miles from the Baghdad gate of the town. By evening
their camp extended to Kut-al-Farangi, a mile further offj and
it appeared to contain many thousands of men, both mounted and
unmounted.
On the following day the rest of Sadiq Khan's forces came up and 7th April,
located themselves in such a manner that the British Agent's country
house at Kut-al-Farangi became, as it were, the centre of the vast Persian
encampment. About noon hostilities commenced in a curious manner by
four mounted Persians approaching so close to the town wall that ten or
twelve men of the garrison, by slipping down from the corner of a bastion
were able to surprise them, kill them all, and capture three of their
horses. The whole male population of Basrah were now under arms;
they appeared to be in high spirits ; and all night long they remained
upon the walls in readiness to repel an assault, should one be attempted.
On the morning of the 8th of April a reconnaissance of the town
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