Page 403 - INDIANNAVYV1

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 371
brought about a great disaster. Government having heard of
some irregular proceedings on the part of the people of Ul
Ushkara, a small place on the sea- coast, near Ras-ul-Had,
belonging to the Beni-boo-Ali* Arabs, Captain Thompson was
directed to proceed against them in the event of the conduct
complained of being piratical. The ' Mercur\',' fourteen guns,
was accordingly despatched to Ul Ushkara, to convey a letter
to the chiefs of the Beni-boo-Ali, and, on arriving off the place,
sent a boat with her pilot, a man of some consideration, who
had been engaged at Muscat. Owing to the surf being high,
this man swam ashore with the letter, but, on landing, was cut
to pieces ; upon seeing this outrage the boat's crew opened fire,
and killed several of the natives. On the return of the
' Mercury,' Captaiti Thompson immediately determined to take
hostile measures against the Arabs for this act of treachery,
and, by his orders, a force, consisting of six companies of
Sepoys from the 1st Battalion 2nd Native Infantry and Marine
Battalion, with a party of artillerymen and eight guns, was
embarked on board the following ships of war:—H.i\I.S
'Curlew,' and the Hon. Company's cruisers ' Ternate,' 'Prince
of Wales,' ' Mercury,' and ' Psyche.' The Expedition sailed for
Muscat, orders having been left for the 'Teignmouth' to join
them on her arrival at Deristan.
Muscat was reached on the 11th of October, and quitted on
the 22nd, after a plan of operations had been arranged with
the Imaura Seyyid Said, by which it was agreed that, as the
landing at Ul Ushkara was nearly impracticable, and could not
be supported by his Highness' contingent of two thousand
men, the Expedition should proceed by sea to Sohar, where
they were to be joined by the Imaum's troops. A party of
about one hundred seamen was landed to accompany the force,
but owing to some differences between Captain Thompson and
Commander Price Bhickwood, of the 'Curlew,' Senior Naval
Oflicer, which, looking to the causes of the disaster that ensued,
may be said to have mainly contributed to il. the military com-
mander declined the aid of the seamen, wlio were re-embarked.
On the 1st of November, the detachment marched from Sohar.
accompanied by the Imaum's contingent, commanded by that
Prince in person, and taking with tiiem two ()-pounders, two
howitzers, and two iron l8-pound<irs, together with nine
hundred camels and other draught cattle. After a fatiguing
march, the combined force arrived, on the Sth of November, at
a town of the Imaum's, called Belad Beni-boo-Hussein, within
three miles of Belad Beni-boo-Ali, the capital of the tribe, to
* The Beni-boo-Ali, a licrco and turbulent race, I'csided in Jaalau, a proTinco
bcloni'ing to tlie Iniauui, whoso authority tliey had thrown off in June of this
year. Forster, in his learned work, " The Geography of Arabia," suppoaes tlicni
to be identical with the Bleulai, a tribe nieutioued by BUny.
B B 2