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274 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
any salutary effect, a division of seamen and marines was landed,
but could penetrate no further than \hepettah, which, as at Broach
and other Mahratta towns, lay under cover of the guns and
musketry fire of the garrison. Several men fell in the attempt to
assault this strong fortress, but, though unsuccessful, their blood
was not shed in vain, as after they had retired, a great portion of
the pirates took alarm and evacuated the island of Beyt. These
now established themselves in the ruins of the ancient temple
of Somnauth which they fortified, and continued to molest the
traders in the Gulf of Cambay, until driven out by a second
expedition in which the above ships participated. The
pirates soon again became troublesome, and, in 1808, Lieutenant
Macdonald was employed blockading the ports of Beyt and
Poshetra, with the schooner ' Lively' and two armed pattamars,
and succeeded in forcing the piratical chiefs to give in their
submission. But no sooner were the blockading vessels with-
drawn than the people of the seaboard of the Guzerat peninsula
returned to their nefarious calling.
At length, at the close of 1811, an expedition was sent to
Kattywar, nnder the command of Colonel Lionel Smith, of
H.M's. (i5th Regiment, with which a squadron of cruisers co-
operated. Captain Sealy being senior naval oiBcer. The squadron
consisted of the 'Benares,' fourteen guns; 'Prince of Wales,'
fourteen guns; Zephyr' and 'Sylph,' schooners, of eight guns,
and four armed pattamars. As was customary in those days,
an officer of the Marine was appointed boat-master to the force,
whose special duty it was to superintend the arrangements
connected with the transports and boats, and see that they were
well found and in good order. As the 'Benares' and 'Prince
of Wales' were too large for service in the shallow waters of
the Kattywar coast, they were withdrawn, and Lieutenants
Blast and Hardy remained with their schooners ' Zephyr' and
' Sylph,' and four pattamars, each armed with six 12-pounder
carronades. Very efficient service the little squadron performed,
and Mr. Midshipman Grant,* who had been appointed acting-
lieutenant of the 'Rodney,' the pennant vessel of Commodore
James Jeakes, commanding on the Surat station, particularly
distinguished himself.
A merchant ship proceeding from Bombay to Surat having
been plundered by pirates, when an officer of the Bombay
European Regiment, who was a passenger on board her, was
* Tliis meritorious officer, who entered the Service in 1810, died in September,
1 874, at the age of eighty-one. He had ah-eady gained the approval of Sir John
Malcolm, for while midshipman of tlie Hon. Company's sloop-oi'-war ' Mercury
at Bussorah, he was selected to command an Arab ship taken up by tlie Pohtical
Resident to carry the British Envoy's suite to Bombay, the Eesident having
applied to Captain Conyers for an officer to perform this duty. His knowledge
of navigation and seamanship was displayed by his bringing the sliip in safety to
Bombay, when General Malcolm recommended him to the Government of Bom-
bay for promotion.