'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎79] (120/590)

HISTORY OP THE INDIAN NAVY. 79
Captain Hamilton describes Mr. Annesley as " a cunning,
designing fellow." He says of his dealings with the officers of
the Marine:—"The Mogul's subjects have a good many fine
large ships that trade all over India. The owners of those ships
had a very great regard for the courage, condnct, and art of
navigation of the English, above any other European nation in
India; and, for those qualifications, the Indian owners procured
English officers to go in their ships, and allowed them very
handsome salaries and indulgencies. The captains had from
their fleets comprised twenty ships, which being ranged at a distance of five miles
from each other, made a line of one hundred miles, and that as soon as one des
cried a merchant ship she made a signal to the rest, so that it was scarcely pos
sible for their victim to escape."—(Pennant, vol. i., quoted by Anderson in his
" Englisli in Western India.")
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the cruisers of the Indian
Marine were actiyely employed in the suppression of the native pirates on the
West Coast of India, among whom the most formidable were the Sangarians or
Sanganians, mentioned by Arrian, whose name Todd derives from Sangam, an
" embouchure," because they frequented such places. Hamilton, the author of the
"New Account," traces the name to Sangania, a province of Cutch, which has
always been notorious for these marauders.
The pirates that now appeared in the Indian Ocean were much more
to be dreaded, the ships being large and well-armed, and manned by Euro
pean crews. Captain Hamilton writes:—"The pirates for many years in
fested the mouth of the Red Sea, committing frequent robberies and barbarities.
Captain Evory was the first that led the way, in Anno 1695 ; and the pirates
finding great booties, purchased with small danger from the traders into the Eed
Sea, had a project to be masters of the key of that door, so they found the island
Prim, which was within gunshot of Babelmandel, to have a good commodious
bay for the security of their shipping; upon which consideration they begun
to build regular fortifications, and dig for fresh water, and, with much labour,
they dug through a hard rock, fifteen fathoms deep, but found none but brakish
water ; wherefore they desisted, and moved to St. Mary's Island, on the east side
of Madagascar, as I observed before, and are since removed, for more security,
over to the main island, and there they fortify themselves by marriages into the
noble families of that great island, from whence they come into India and cruise
m those seas.
In Anno 1696, they met with a ship from Bombay, commanded by one
fcawbridge, who was carrying Arabian horses for Surat. After they took the ship,
bawbndge began to expostulate with them about their way of life. They ordered
him to hold his tongue, but he continuing his discourse, they took a sail-needle and
twme sewed his hps together, and so kept him several hours, with his hands tied
behind him. At length they unloosed both his hands and lips, and carried him
on board their ship; and, after they had plundered Sawbridge's ship, they set
her on fire and burned her and the horses together. Sawbridge and his people
were set ashore near Aden, where he died presently after.
" Captain Evory was not so inhuman for the year before he took a We ship
belonging to the Mogul, and got a booty of 2,600,000 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , which amounted to
n sterling money £325,000. He freed the ship and let her go, without torturing
he people ; but carried a young Mogul lady with him, and some of her female
!! rV t at Mecca " Tllis affair caused the popular emeute which
fc e suited in the confinement of Mr. Annesley and his compatriots.
Ill)' in l79 7. Pirate ships, flying English colours, plundered and burnt three English
^ Xw ^ ^ ^ . becoine tbat 0Ii e of them attacked the British
rincrfnr. 1X '. 011 whlcl1 Slr George Byng, afterwards Viscount Tor-
wnfnff' T/ e T ng a l lie Y teDant ' whlchL soon sunk her assailant. A large reward
was offered for Avory by the Lord Chief Justice of England and the Company,
sold bk Tv 6 reach ! n £ theIsland 0f Prol ' idenc e in the Bahamas, when he
and executed pe 8 crew ' five of wll0m were subsequently apprehended