'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎321] (340/622)

HISTORY OP THE INDIAK NAVY.
321
argument to which alone the Joasmi chief would listen, and,
accordingly, he returned to Shargah without the anticipated
plunder of a rich Persian town.
Soon after Captain Sawyer's action with the Beni Yas, a
portion of the tribe, in order to escape the consequences of the
British demand for the restitution of the plundered property,
migrated from Abu Thubi to Adeed, the situation of which
afforded peculiar facilities for continuing a lawless mode of
living. Some members of the tribe, acting independently of
each^ther in three vessels, commenced a course of piracy on
the high seas, their practice being to take their plunder into the
interior for disposal. As this could not be permitted, the only
course was to hold the chiefs of the ports of Adeed, Wukra, and
Biddah, responsible for the acts of these people, whom they not
only permitted to go unmolested, but supplied with water and
other necessaries; accordingly, to fulfil this object, and, at
the same time, to remove the impression that any part of the
dangerous and intricate coast between Ras Eeccan and Adeed
was 0 inaccessible to our cruisers, two sloops-of-war and a
schooner were despatched to make the attempt to coerce
these chiefs. It was entirely successful, and, after threading
the numerous and dangerous shoals, they succeeded in reaching
Biddah, Wukra, and indeed in safety, and bound the Sheikhs
of those places by the enforcement of pecuniary guarantees, to
seize the boats of the pirates ; and, eventually, some men of
the pirate chief, Jassim bin Jubbur Rugrajee, were seized, and
their baghalah was burnt on the beach in the presence of the
Resident. This took place in 1836, and, five years later, the
same pirate chief, who had during that interval been guilty of
similar acts, seized and plundered a Ras-ul-Khymah vessel;
as the Biddah Sheikh was suspected of sharing the proceeds of
previous piracies committed by this old offender, and he had
been personally warned by the Resident in September, 1836,
not to harbour him, Commodore Brucks proceeded in February,
1841, with a squadron, consisting of the steam frigate ' Sesos-
tris,' which had arrived from England in the previous June,
the ' Coote,' eighteen-gun sloop-of-war, and the ' Tigris,' ten-
gun brig, to demand the surrender of the pirate vessel and its
prize, together with the payment of 300 dollars, and an addi
tional sum for other property plundered. " This affair," says
Captain Kemball, "was most judiciously arranged." After a
brief fire, when the shells from the ' Sesostris' created great
consternation, the Commodore's demands were complied with,
and the vessel of Rugrajee, who was actually at Biddah when
the squadron arrived, but fled into the interior, was publicly
burnt and his effects were confiscated. On the conclusion of
this affair the squadron proceeded to Debaye, to settle accounts
with the chief of that place, who, like the Adeed and Biddah
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