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314 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.

directed fire on their treacherous assaihmts. The superior
seamanship of the Englishmen toklin their favour, and, by dint of
smartmanoeuvring, Lieutenant Carruthers succeeded, not only in
preventing the enemy from carrying into execution their intention
to board, when their numerical superiority must have given
them the victory, but beat the dhows off, and ended the
conflict by chasing them out to sea. Unfortunately this gallant
young officer was killed towards the latter part of the action.
He had been previously wounded by a musket-ball in the loins,
but refused to leave the deck, and was soon after shot through
the forehead. Mr. Salter, the senior midshipman, who took
command on the death of his superior, fought the ship with
determined braver}^ and the great loss she incurred, thirty-two
out of a total crew of sixty-five, testified to the severity of the
action.*
Notwithstanding the glaring nature of this outrage, which
cost many gallant men their lives, no hostilities were ordered
by the Bombay Government, but the Joasmis had received so
severe a lesson that many years elapsed before a second attempt
was made to attack a British vessel of war. The Company's
Besident at Bushire wrote to the Joasmi chief demanding
explanations as to the treacherous attack on the 'Viper 'and
the capture of the ' Bassein,' but his remonstrances were met on
the part of Sheikh Suggur by professions of regard for the
English, contending in respect to the attack on the ' Viper,'
that the cruiser had fired first on the dhows. He stated that
Sheikh Saleh leftRas-ul-Khymah, and, having separated himself
from the tribe, proceeded to the Persian shore, where he estab-
lished himself among the Beui Khalid Arabs, marrying a woman
of that tribe, which was one of a villainous character : that
since the commencement of hostilities between the Joasmis and
people of Oman, Sheikh Saleh had acted independently of
Ras-ul-Khymah, committing depredations according to his
inclniation; that the Joasmis had no disputes with the English,
and considered the people of Omanf alone as their enemies.
* According to Mr. Warden, in his Memoir of the " Rise and Progress of
the Arab Tribes in the Persian Grulf," ah-eadj referred to, this affaii-, and also the
attack on the ' Eassein ' snow, " was supposed to have been by Arabs, in the
interest of the deposed Prince of Oman, the elder brother of Syud Sultan."
Mr. Warden states that it was not until 1804, which was two years after the
Wahabees had reduced to obedience the Joasmis, that the latter commenced their
piratical depredations. It is certain that the Wahabee element has exercised
only a baueful influence in Persian Gulf politics.
t These hostihties arose in consequence of the unsettled state of the Muscat
GoTemment on the death of Syud (or Seyyid) Ahmed, and the usurpation of
Seyyid Sultan. The latter had involved himself in serious disputes with the Arabs
of the Gulf, which brought on a war with some of the tribes, who had united
against him ; and the Bombay Government conceived that the acts of aggression
experienced by British vessels, had been from Arabs in the interest of the deposed
Prince of Oman. At the close of the year 1798, the Imaum of Muscat was
threatening Bussorah, on account of some claims against the Pasha of Bagdad.