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HISTORY OP THE INDIAN" NAVY. 331

ten thousand inhabitants. From this phice the people fled into
the mountains on the approach of the squadron, takni<^ all their
moveables with them. On the 17th ol" November Linjah was
occupied without resistance, and burned to the ground, and
the vessels, amounting to twenty, nine of them being large war
dhows, were destroyed. H.M.'s ship ' Caroline,' with the trans-
ports and the greater portion of the troops, was now sent for
supplies to Burka (or Birkeh), a large town on the Batnah
coast, about thirty-eight miles to the west of Muscat. Other
ships were detached on separate services, such as blockading
passages and examining Kongoon and three other Joasmi ports,
where, however, no vessels were found. Commodore Wain-
wright despatched the ' Ternate and ' Nautilus ' to the eastward
'
of Kishm, to prevent the escajie of the Luft pirates, while he
entered the channel between that island and the main at the
western end ; but, having got the ' Chiffonne' aground, owing to
his ignorance of the navigation and the intricacy of the channel,
he determined to proceed to Luft by the eastei-n ])assage, and
left the ' Vestal' to guard the west end of Kishm.
On the 24th of November the 'Ternate' and 'Nautilus'
joined him, and, having procured pilots at the town of Kishm, he
sailed IbrLuftwith his llag-shi[). and the 'Mornington,' 'Ternate,'
' Nautilus,' and ' Fury,' and the ' Mary,' transport, with five
hundred troops, chiefly British. The squadron arrived at noon
of the 26th off the town of Luft, a Joasmi jiort on tlie north
side of the island of Kishm. The channel being narrow and
difficult of approach, the ' Ternate,' ' Nautilus,' and ' Fury ' were
warped into their stations, and a sunmions was sent on shore,
as the people had not abandoned the town, but had taken post
in a large and strong castle, having many batteries and redoubts.
After tw'enty-four hours had been expended in fruitless nego-
ticition with the chief", Moolla Hussein, the three cruisers being
in their stations, the troops, preceded by the gunboats, were
landed under Colonel Sn)ith about two o'clock on the 27th of
November. AVhile forming on the beach, a slight skirmish took
place with such of the armed men as were flying for shelter to
the castle. The troops then advanced towards the fortress,
which is described as having \valls fourteen feet thick, pierced
witli loop-holes, and otdy one entrance through a small
gate well cased with iron hars and bolts, Jt was intended to
have blown this gate open with a howitzcM", and then to have
taken the })lace by storm ; but, on reaching it, whiK.' the ranks
opened, and the men sought to surroinid the castle and seek for
some other entrance at the same time, they were picked oil so
rapidly and imexpectedly from the loop-holes above, tiiat a
general retreat took place, the howitzer was abandoned even
before it had been fired, and the troops sought slieltcr
by lying down behind the ridges of sand and little hillocks