'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎420] (439/622)

420
HIST OUT OF THE INDIAN NAYY.
others of the household, who distrusted the British Mission,
Mahboob being specially irate with Lieutenant Dawes, whose
uniform he recognised as belonging to the Service which had bom
barded the Joasmi forts on the Arab coast more than forty years
before. The Mission left on the evening of the 8th of March,
and were not a little relieved to find themselves once more in
the desert. Lieutenant Dawes had sunstroke on the journey
to Riadh, and suffered much during the return march, from
fever. Eventually, after passing through the Nafood, or dan
gerous shifting sandy hillocks, where formerly an entire
Egyptian army perished, they arrived on the 17th of March at
Hoifoof, a beautifully fertile part of the district of El Hara,
the party suffering greatly from want of water. On the
evening of the 19th of March they arrived at Ojier, opposite
Bahrein, where they found the 4 Berenice' waiting for
them.
Lieutenant Dawes' observations, except those for longitude,
were all taken at night, on the housetop at Riadh, the artificial
horizon having been prepared after dark, and sights were
usually taken when the people were at evening prayers; or, if
accident prevented that, after the whole camp was quietly
asleep. The chronometer, carefully rated at Koweit, was by
John Poole, of Fenchurch Street, and, after being^carried nine
hundred miles on a camel, was found to be only 4^ in error, on
the return to Bushire. A map was prepared by Mr. Weller,
cartographer to the Royal Geographical Society, from Colonel
Felly's journal, and the principal points were fixed by observa
tions of the heavenly bodies, taken by Lieutenant Dawes, tor
which he was favourably recommended to Government by
Colonel Pelly. This was the first, and only, occasion on which
officers have visited Riadh in the character of Englishmen, or
in uniform, and, indeed, they were the only European
to that town, with the exception of Mr. Palgrave, who travelled
as a Syrian doctor.
Early in the following year the 6 Berenice' was burnt at sea.
Lieutenant Dawes and his ship's company escaping only wit
their lives in the boats. When hostilities with King 1 heodore
of Abyssinia were decided upon by the British Government, a
pioneer Expedition was despatched from Bombay, on the lo
of September, 1867, which included some officers of the fe er ™ e -
It consisted of several staff officers and some troops,** under e
* This pioneer force consisted of forty troopers of the 3rd Light Cavalry, one
hundred men of tlie 21st Native Infantry (Marine Battalion) and mty bapp
and Miners. The officers, all of whom embarked at Bombay, were Colonels
Merewether, Phayre, and Wilkins, E.E.; Majors Baigrie and Mignonj Captains
G-oodfellow, R.E., and Pottinger; Lieutenants Jopp, KE., and Mo *
Surgeons Lumsden and Martin. The men of the 21st, and tw^e horses,^em
barked in the ' Euphrates,' and the sowars of the 3rd and one hundred y
four mules and fifty horses, in the 4 Coromandel.'