'Extracts from Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia by J G Lorimer CIE, Indian Civil Service' [‎13v] (31/180)

16
Pause in the
operations.
December
1809.
Shinas aflfair,
January 1810.
Final
operations on
both coasts,
January 1810.
Question
Qatar pirates.
General
outcome
of the
expedition.
without result. About 2 p.m. on the 27th, the garrison being still defiant, 300 men*
were landed to storm the fort; but the work proved to be of unexpected strength,
and the result was a decided reverse tor the assailants. A 5^-inch howitzer, which
had been brought up to force the only entrance, was abandoned in the open under
heavy fire; and the attacking force were obliged to take cover behind hillocks
and sand ridges, in positions from which they could not even retire until darkness
fell. Meanwhile, however, a heavy fire was maintained by the " Fury " and some
gunboats; and by sunset the fort had b sen seriously shattered. The casualties of
the day amounted to 11 killed and 55 wounded, among the killed being an Irish
subaltern of the 47th Regiment, Lieutenant S. Weld, who made a gallant attempt
to form a party for the recovery of the howitzer. At nightfall an ultimatum was
sent to Mulla Husain, who commanded the defence, requiring the evacuation of
the fort by 2 a.m.; and daybreak revealed a Union Jack waving on the battlements
in the hands of Lieutenant Hall of the Bombay Marine The navy of the East India Company. , a survivor of the
" Stromboli," who had entered the place single-handed by night, a few of the
garrison who still lingered there taking flight at his approach. Eleven vessels,
captured apparently during the unsuccessful attack on the tort, were burned, and
the town, with miscellaneous property to the value of Rs. 2,00,000 12 lakhsl, was
delivered over intact to an agent of the ruler of Masqat.
On the 7th of December the whole force rendezvoused at the base, which was
the roadstead of Barkah near Masqat; and the flank companies of the 47th
Regiment and 200 sepoys Term used in English to refer to an Indian infantryman. Carries some derogatory connotations as sometimes used as a means of othering and emphasising race, colour, origins, or rank. were sent back to Bombay. In the general destruction
of Qasimi shipping small boats not convertible to piratical uses had been spared
to avoid exciting unnecessary bitterness.
Saiyid Sa'id, whose confidence had revived with the recovery of Laft, was
now anxious that the programme of the Bombay Government should be executed
in its entirety by the expulsion of the Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. from the ports of Shinas and
Khor Fakkan on his western seaboard, and it was decided to comply with his
wishes. The successful operations which resulted from this decision are described,
together with their for the Saiyid disastrous sequel, in the history of the Sultanate
of 'Oman.
Leaving Shinas, the expedition returned to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and on the 15th of
January 1810 reached Rams, where 10 large vessels were given up to be burned.
At Jazirat-at-Hamra, the next place visited, the people at first made a show of
resistance; but, learning that the town of Rams had been spared, they eventually
surrendered 8 large vessels for destruction. At Sharjah no large vessels in good
condition were found. The war fleet of 'Ajman evidently was spared or escaped,
for in 1811 we find it cruising the Gulf in company of the pirate Rahmah-bin-Jabir.
On the 21st of January the armament, having crossed the Gulf, anchored at Mughu
on the Persian coast, and four Sharjah boats found in the anchorage were
destroyed. Nakhilu, Charak, Kung and Band Mu'allim were visited, but no large
craft were found; a strict warning was addressed, however, to the Shaikhs of the
two first-named ports.
Before the return of the whole expedition to India, a discussion took place
as to the expediency of operations against Rahmah-bin-Tabir, the piratical chief
of Qatar, who, with the assistance of the Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. , had defeated an attack made
on him bv the Persian authorities of Bushehr. His punishment was strongly
advocated by Mr. Hankey Smith, the British Resident at Bushehr; but the project
was in the end negatived, partly on the ground of Rahmah's neutral and even
friendly attitude towards the British power, and partly on that of a close connection
which he had recently formed with the Wahhabis. The bulk of the expeditionary
force returned to Bombay in February 1810; but a portion was detained in the
Gulf until the question of Rahmah's punishment had been settled, and did not
reach India till April.
As Sultan-bin-Saqar, the legitimate Shaikh of the Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. , was still at this
time an exile without authority over his tribe, while the Qawasim One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. themselves as
yet remained in strict if not voluntary subjection to the Wahhabi agents set over
them, no attempt was made to arrange the conciliatory convention which it had been
one of the objects of the Bombay Government to bring about. Regard being had to
the somewhat inconclusive end of the military operations at Ras-al-Khaimah, it
is probable that no satisfactory arrangements could have been attained at this
time without further coercion. An impression nevertheless prevailed among British
* Viz., a light company of the 47th. half a company of the 65th, a detachment of the 2nd Native
Infantry and some seamen and marines.