Page 188 - Arabian Studies (II)

180 Arabian Studies II
clear that if Aden were to be occupied, it would have to be by military action.
When Leigh arrived, the decision had been taken to use force, and the British
were waiting for the arrival of reinforcements from Bombay. Leigh was unable
to go ashore and after twenty days spent in social visits and an abortive attempt
to get to Zaila‘, he sailed for Berbera. When he returned on 28 January, Aden had
been taken and the British troops were encamped in the town and behind the
Turkish wall. Leigh spent the next ten days staying with Lieutenant Evans of the
Bombay European Regiment who were encamped at the Pass. He occupied his
time walking round the town, climbing Jabal Shamsan and Sirah, and examining
the tanks and the Turkish wall. The main interest of the diary is the account of
Aden at a time when the population had shrunk to an estimated 800 families, of
which a large proportion were Jews and Indians.
In the extracts quoted, Leigh’s spelling has been retained, but the long
passages separated by dashes, which is the style of the diary, have been divided
into sentences to facilitate reading.
To avoid lengthy notes and to provide a more coherent description of the
places mentioned in the text, they have been discussed together after the
transcript of the diary.

J.S.K.
D.B.D.

The Diary
December 1838.Gu\f of Aden
25 Fine, A dull Chrismas Day spent onboard. The wind
disappointed our expectations of getting to Aden today.
26 Fine. Steered for Front Bay, when we got sight of Cape Aden
which was at daybreak, thinking the Coote was there but
seeing her masts as well as those of another vessel in Back
Bay we went in there.
The entrance is very picturesque; lofty hills on each side
of various shapes. The Maia brig1 was in pursuit of a dow as
we went in to bring her to. In the bay were the Coote,
Company’s sloop,2 an Irish collier3 with a supply of coals for
the steamers and two dows, one of which had been taken by
the Coote as she belonged to Aden.
A boat came onboard from the Coote with the purser,
doctor and first lieutenant and when they left I went to her,
Captains Denton and Haines,4 the latter of whom had been
resident at Aden, recieved me very kindly. They are waiting
the arrival of some troops from Bombay to commence active
hostilities; in the mean time today the Maia threw some shells
into the town, which is crowded with Bedouins.