Page 111 - INDIANNAVYV1

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 79
Captain Hamilton describes Mr. Annesle}^ as " a cunning,
designing fellow." He says of his dealings with the officers of
the Marine :— " The Mogul's subjects have a good many fine
large ships that trade all over India. The owners of those ships
had a very great regard for the courage, conduct, and art of
navigation of the English, above any other European nation in
India; and, for those qualifications, the Indian owners procured
English officers to go in their ships, and allowed them very
handsome salaries and indulgencies. The captains had from
their fleets comprised twenty ships, which being ranged at a distance of fiye miles
from each other, made a line of one hundred miles, and that as soon as one des-
cried a merchant ship she made a signal to the rest, so that it was scarcely pos-
sible for their victim to escape." — (Pennant, vol. i., quoted by Anderson in his
" English in Western India.")
During the seventeenth and eighteentii centuries the cruisers of the Indian
Marine were actively employed in the suppression of the native pirates on the
West Coast of India, among wliom the most formidable were the Sangarians or
Sanganians, mentioned by Arriau, whose name Todd derives from Sangam, an
" embouchure," because they frequented such places. Hamilton, the autlior of the
" New Account," traces the name to Sangauia, a pi'ovince of Cutch, which has
always been notorious for these marauders.
The pirates tliat now appeared in the Indian Ocean were much more
to be dreaded, the ships being large and well-armed, and manned by Euro-
:—
pean crews. Captain Hamilton writes " The pirates for many years in-
fested the mouth of the Red Sea, committing frequent robberies arid barbarities.
Captain Evory was tlie first that led the way, in Anno 1695 ; and the pirates
finding great booties, pnrchased with small danger from tlie traders into the Red
Sea, had a project to be masters of the key of that door, so tliey found the island
Prim, which was within gunshot of Babelmandel, to have a good commodious
bay for the secui'ity of tlieir shipping ; upon wliich consideration they begun
to build regular fortifications, and dig for fresli water, and, with mucli labour,
they dug through a hard rock, fifteen fathoms deep, but found none but brakish
water ; wherefore they desisted, and moved to St. Mary's Island, on tlie east side
of Madagascar, as I observed before, and are since removed, for more security,
over to the main ishind, and there they fortify themselves by marriages into the
noble families of that great island, from whence they come into India and cruise
in those seas.
" In Anno 1696, they met with a ship from Bombay, commanded by one
Sawbridge, who was carrying Arabian horses for Surat. After they took the ship,
Sawbridge began to expostulate with them about their way of life. They ordered
him to hold his tongue, but he continuing his discourse, they took a sail-needle and
twine, sewed his lips together, and so kept him several hours, with his hands tied
behind him. At length they unloosed both his hands and lips, and carried him
on board their ship ; and, after they had plundered Sawbridge's ship, they set
lier on fire, and burned her and the horses together. Sawbridge and his people
were set ashore near Aden, where he died presently after.
"Captain Evory was not so inhuman for the year before lie took a large ship
belonguig to the Mogul, and got a booty of 2,600,000 ru])ees, which amounted to
in sterling money £325,000. He freed the ship and let her go, without torturing
the people ; but carried a young Mogul lady with him, and some of her female
servants, who had been at Mecca." This affair caused the popid;ir emcule which
resulted in the confinement of Mr. Annesley and his compatriots.
In 1797, pirate sliips, flying English colours, plundered and burnt three English
vessels, and so bold had they become that one of them attacked the Britisii
frigate 'Phoenix,' on board wliich Sir George Byng, afterwards Viscount Tor-
rington, was serving as lieutenant, which soon sunk her assailant. A larje reward
was offered for Avory by the Lord Chief Justice of England and the Company,
but lie succeeded in reaching the Island of Providence in the Bahamas, when ho
sold his ship and dispersed his crew, live of whom were subsequently apprehended
and executed.