Page 199 - INDIANNAVYV1

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. ICT

midshipman commanding her having run the gauntlet of the
Persian batteries. This young officer had been requested by
the Persian General to come on shore, but, apprehending
treachery, he sent one of his crew, named Ryley, to personate
him, and after this man had landed, the Persian batteries and
the galivats* opened fire upon the ketch, which he promptly
returned, and in the conflict sutfered some loss. Negotiations
were now opened by the enemy with the Turkish Governor and
the British Agent for the surrender of the city on the payment
of twenty lacs of rupees, but the demand was refused.
As fears were entertained that the Persian fleet, which was
very considerable, might make an eff"ort to push up the river,
the commanding officers of the Company's cruisers made every
eff'ort to prevent this junction. The Turkish Pasha placed at
•their disposal two of his galivats, which were speedily armetl
with eight guns, and manned with crews of between eighty to
a hundred men and officers, drawn from the cruisers. In order
to prevent the enemy breaking through, the British naval force
set to work to construct a bridge from the large boats employed
in the passenger and goods traffic in the creek; no light task
considering the great breadth of the river at this point, and the
—
lack of materials. Parsons writes : " March 24th and 25th.
Our Marine officers and men have been very active in placing
the anchors, chains, and cables, and bringing the boats to their
proper moorings, so as to form the bridge, or rather barricade,
as a sufficient number of boats could not be procured, so as to
be close enough together to admit planks to be laid from boat
to boat, nor, indeed, was it necessary, as every boat's bow was
hauled under the chain and there fastened, and at the distance
of about sixty feet, another boat, and so on, quite across the
river, either under the chain or cables. At the same time one
of the boats' anchors and cables was carried out from the bow
of each boat, and another from the stern, so as to enable it to
resist the tide, whether flood or ebb, without bearing too hard
upon the anchors, to which the chain and cables were fastened.
Every assistance was given to forwarding the plan, by the
Capitan Pasha's men under his connnand, and our Marine oflict'rs
never desisted from the work until it was com])leted that evening,
to the satisfaction of every one interested in the preservation of
Bussorah. We now flatter ourselves that the Persian army,
without further supply of cannon, ammunition, and provisions
must now decamp."
On the Gth of April the Persian army took up a position
* Mr. Parsons thus describes one of these gaHvnts, wliieli tlie ' Eagle' subse-
—
quently captured : "Slie is eightj-four feet long, twenty-four feet broad, mounts
ten carriage guns, 6-pounders, and is built I'orward hke a London wlierry and hag
only one tall mast, which rakes forward, to which is attached a lug sail ; she carries
twenty-four oars."