'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎344] (363/622)

344
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
bearing a flag of truce the day before. Half an hour was given
him to get out of the way of our shot; and the ships having
been placed in line of battle, my flag-ship in the centre, the
action commenced, and continued on both sides for two hours,
when, observing two batteries outside the town, one a kind of
miniature Malakhoff, harassing the 4 Semiramis'and 'Ferooz/
I directed our fire towards them, and in three hours they were
perfectly silenced and the guns dismounted. A tower on the
north-west angle of the fort, and a masked battery below the
Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. flagstaff outside the walls, kept up a constant
and steady fire upon the 6 Semiramis ? and 'Ferooz.' It was
necessary to silence them also ; and seeing that both ships were
much damaged by their steady aim, the foremost guns of this
ship were ordered to be directed towards them, and in the course
of an hour both batteries ceased firing. I was now anxious to
make an opening in the wall of the town, that the troops might
have nothing in their way if General Stalker on his arrival
determined upon carrying the place by assault. Our fire was
therefore directed to the south-west angle, and the breach com
menced by knocking down a part of the town, and the embra
sure in which a gun was mounted, as well as the lower part of
the wall. The fire from the batteries at this time gradually
slackened, and at this moment the flagstaff in the town was
hauled down in token of submission and the place surrendered.
The Army was by this time close to the town; and it was a
source of the greatest pleasure to me to feel that we had cleared
away every obstacle that presented itself on their onward march,
the more so as they had lost so many gallant fellows the day
before when storming the Fort of Reshire. The ships of the
fleet have suffered considerably in their hulls, masts, and rig
ging from the fire of the enemy's guns; the 4 Semiramis' and
Ferooz ? have some shot through them, but nothing to prevent
all being ready for sea in a day or two. I am most happy to
add that no person has been touched, nor has any casualty
occurred during the four hours and a half we were under fire.
How this has happened is miraculous, for the grape-shot which
fell at every instant around and abreast the gunboats and the
round shot over and about our ships were very severe, and
proved that our enemy were more formidable than they were
supposed to be even by those who had known the town
years before, there being fifty-nine guns mounted on the
batteries.
44 It now becomes a pleasing part of my duty to bring to the
notice of your Lordship in Council the very great assistance I
have received from Commodore Ethersey (who met me off the
island of Kishin, and from his knowledge of this place gave me
much valuable information), Captains Jenkins and Young,
Commanders Macdonald (in charge of all the transports), and