'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎388] (407/622)

■11 til!
388
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
illflilis Hlllt
I ji; # ! f
proceeded to Mecca with the greater portion of the troops, were
massacring the English and French consuls and the Christians
generally. At daylight Captain Pullen sent in the boats of the
6 Cyclops,' but, at the request of the Lieutenant-Governor, thev
returned without landing. On the return of Namick Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
the surviving Christians, twenty-four in number, including the
heroic daughter of the French Consul, who had killed her
father's murderer with her own hand, were sent on board the
6 Cyclops,' upon which the seamen and marines were landed, and
rehoisted the British and French flags. Captain Pullen then
proceeded to Suez, and, having received instructions from the
Admiralty, and authority from the Emperor Napoleon to act for
the French Government, returned to Jiddah, where he arrived
on the 23rd of July. Here he found the 4 Lady Canning,'
Lieutenant Peevor, who had brought the Morocco Princes
on a pilgrimage to Mecca, it being the Kourban Bairam,
or Feast of the Sacrifice. Captain Pullen demanded, on the
part of England and France, the immediate punishment of the
authors and perpetrators of the late massacre, and granted a
period of thirty-six hours for the purpose, failing which he
expressed his intention to open fire on the town. Meanwhile,
the 4 Cyclops' and 4 Lady Canning' enforced a strict blockade
of the port, for which purpose they took up their stations
at a point about a mile distant, commanding the town,
wdience the guns could sweep the channels leading into the
harbour.
Early in the morning of the 25th of July, the time of grace
—extended to forty hours—having expired, hostilities were
commenced, the two ships opening fire with shot and shell
from their 68 and 32-pounders. 'During the course of the day
the armed boats of the 'Cyclops' and 4 Lady Canning' pro
ceeded to burn and sink fifteen native craft, when it was found
that almost all of them, though seemingly inoffensive trading
vessels, were armed with guns. The bombardment was re
sumed at intervals during the 25th and 26th, and had the
effect of driving all the inhabitants outside the walls. Alto
gether some hundreds of shot and shell and rockets were thrown
into Jiddah, and, during the night, the boats of the ships
approached nearer the town, and discharged some more of these
latter missiles, which, it was afterwards ascertained, struck
intense terror into the hearts of the people. It was thought
that an attempt might be made to carry the ships by boarding
during the night, as there was a large body of troops on shore,
and many boats and native craft lying under the protection of
the batteries, and, accordingly, strict w^atch was kept by guard-
boats, but the Turkish Governor was deficient in enterprise, and
no attempt was made to act on the offensive. On the afternoon
of the 26th, a secretary of Namick Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. came on board from