"دليل الخليج، الجزء الأول: المواد التاريخية والسياسية: ملخص حول شؤون نجد، ١٨٠٤-١٩٠٤". [و‎‎١‎٨] (٦٨/٣٥)

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r
“On the 4th, I sent the boats in charge of Lieutenant Long to shell the fort of Demaum
at high-water, and, if possible, breach the wall, but the water was so shallow he was unable to
approach near enough to do so, he, however, must have done considerable damage to the interior
of the fort and its defenders.”
106. Tho Highflyer rejoined the Resident at Maskat on the 9th Feb
ruary, and on receiving Captain Pasley’s report of the operations before
Demautn, it appeared to Colonel Pelly more than ever necessary that a prompt
and severe example should be made of those Arabs (of the Jenebah tribe) who
were implicated with the "Wahabis in the plunder and murder of our subjects
at Sur. There were other reasons too which called for the punishment of the
Jenebah. They had long been notorious among our Naval Officers as the most
cruel and unscrupulous slavers and pirates. They were among the Arab slave-
dealers who had conspired in 1861 to assassinate the British Agent at Zanzibar
for his anti-slavery proceedings. It was also believed that they were concerned
in the murder of three seamen of H. M’s. S. Wasp who had disappeared in one
of their craft a few months before. The Sultan of Maskat was assured of their
criminality and had himself proceeded to Sur five or six months previously
with the intention of punishing them, but he was suddenly obliged to return to
Maskat owing to the detection of a conspiracy to dethrone him. Colonel Pelly
had also in the preceding month sent the Berenice to Sur with a letter
addressed to the heads of the Jenebah tribe, demanding from them the payment
of 27,000 dollars as compensation for the property plundered by them from
British subjects, and warning them that measures would be taken to enforce
the demand if not speedily complied with. Their reply, however, was “ that
on a former occasion when Lieutenant Pengelly threatened a tribe on the
Coast nothing was done, and that they were quite sure the Resident would not
come now.”
Letter to' Government, No, 9, dated the 12fch Matters WCfe in this position WfOt©
February 1866. Colonel Pelly.
« When Highflyer arrived at Maskat on the 9tb instant with a report of her repulse at
, . , . . ,, Demauin, and then it seemed to me more than
♦Yon havenaidno attention to my previous letter . , ,
to you, nor have you satisfied the just demands ever necessary to give a prompt and severe example
therein made. I now warn you forthwith to remove with Highflyer. Accordingly I started at once
all non-combatants from any buildings, whether w ^h “Berenice” taking the Maskat Wazit with
jr KSwE«» r> nnd r T val “ s “ the
attack you at noon, six hours from this time* letter* to the tribe.
“ Highflyer joined me on the morning of the 11th, and her fire was to open at noon;
at 11 A.M. the Chiefs came aboard to me to ask for delay till the spring when their craft from
Jeddah would return. At noon Captain Pasley fired a gun every half hour, thus giving a
further caution to all non-combatants round the forts and shipping to clear out, and it was
arranged with a neighbouring Chief that he might shelter these.
“ At 1 p.m. Captain Pasley opened fire on the forts, utterly ruining them.
« At day break in the morning of the 12th Highflyer’s boats went up the Sur creek in
charge of Lieutenant Long and destroyed or confiscated every Suri craft ; burning also a
largtT quantity of ship-timber. Some of the tribe showed in the distance, but they were com
pletely awed by the fire.
« j x, e g to append Captain Pasley's report of proceedings, in original, and beg to draw the
attention of Government to the complete and skilful manner in which Captain Pasley and the
officers and men under his command have inflicted this severe punishment on the Suri
Jenebah tribe in their own creek and nest. This tribe number some six thousand fighting
men, reputed the bravest and most cruel of littoral Arabs.
“Owing to a shift of wind during the operations, a small part of the temporary huts of
the town caught fire, but this accident was wholly unavoidable, and no great damage is done
to the Town.
« All non-combatants had cleared out before the attack.”
107. The Highflyer returned to Bombay on the 18th February, bringing
with her Lieutenant-Colonel Felly's des
patches on which His Excellency the Gov
ernor recorded the following Minutef •
•f-Minute by His Excellency the Governor, con-
cnnred in by the Honourable Board, dated the 24th
Februiry 1866.
«< I think the acknowledgments of Government are due to Captain Pasley and the officers
and mm of the Highflyer, for the energy aud ability with which all these operations were
carried out.”
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