نسخة مذيلة من "بلاد فارس والشأن الفارسي" بقلم جورج كرزون، مع أوراق مدرجة [ظ‎‎٧‎٧‎٦] (١٨١٤/١٥٦٩)

450
PERSIA
It was in 1805 that the plunder of British vessels by the Jowasmi
tribe provoked the first British naval expedition for their punish-
Conflicts men B A treaty was concluded in 1806 ; but was so
and scantily observed that in 1809 a second expedition was
necessitated, which took several ports and destroyed a
large number of boats. Piracy, however, continued, not merely with
unabated but with augmented virulence, the traffic in slaves being
the main source of livelihood to these irrepressible buccaneers.
Stronger measures were clearly required, and in 1819 a third expedi
tion under Sir W. Keir Grant was fitted out, with instructions to
crush the pirate power altogether. Ras-el-Kheimah was bombarded
and taken; and in 1820 the first General Treaty was concluded
between the British Government and the combined Arab chieftains
of the coast. 1 Though a decisive check was placed upon kidnapping
by this agreement, it did not prevent the traffic in slaves ; and
accordingly in 1838, 1839, 1847, and 1856, it required to be
supplemented by further treaties, giving the right of search and
confiscation to British vessels, and prohibiting the export of slaves
from Arab ports. These engagements, however, which were mainly
restricted to the slave-trade, were not found to have any effect in
checking the combative instincts of the tribes among themselves,
the loss of an outside field of activity encouraging them to turn
their martial energies upon each other, in which occupation a little
sly piracy was often possible under the guise of tribal warfare.
In 1835 the British Government, visited with a happy inspiration,
induced the combatant Sheikhs to sign a maritime truce by which
they pledged themselves not to engage in hostilities by sea for six
months, provided the British Government did not interfere with
them by land. So successful was this engagement found to be by
all parties that it was renewed in 1836, 1837, and annually till
led an expedition against Sur, hat his entire force was annihilated, consisting of
7 officers and 303 men.
1821, January. A retaliatory expedition of 1,282 European and 1,718 Indian
troops, under Sir L. Smith, sailed against Sur, and fought a battle with the Arabs,
who, after a courageous resistance, surrendered.
1835, 1838, 1839, 1847, 1853, 1856. Further treaties.
In 1809, at the height of their power and depredations, the Jowasmi pirate
fleet consisted of 63 large vessels (some with 40 to 50 guns and 300 men) and 810
smaller craft, manned by 19,000 bloodthirsty ruffians. For incidents of the anti
pirate campaigns, vide J. S. Buckingham, Travels in Assyria^ vol. ii. caps, vi.-viii ;
Captain Mignan, i\inteTs Journey, vol. ii. caps, vii.-x.
1 Aitchison, vol. vii. No. xxi.