'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎421] (440/622)

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
421
command of Colonel W. Merewether, which were embarked in
the 4 CororaandeV Lieutenant G. B. Hewett, (an officer who had
been favourably mentioned for his services in the Persian War,
particularly at Ahwaz, where he attracted the notice of Captain
Hunt of the 78th Highlanders, who mentions him in his work.)
and the steamer, 4 Euphrates,' Captain Dunn, with Lieutenant E.
Dawes as transport officer. Besides these officers, the following,
formerly in the late Indian Navy, were employed in connection
with the Abyssinian ExpeditionLieutenant T. C. R. Carpen-
dale, in command of the 'Dalhousie;' Lieutenant W. P. Arnot,
in command of the 4 Ferooz,'* with Mr. C. King (late midship
man, LN.) as first officer; Acting-Master T. B. Tolputt, in
command of the 'Earl Canning;' and Lieutenant W. Grant
(lent by the Peninsular and Oriental Company, with whom he
bad taken service) employed for harbour duty in Annesley
Bay. These ships and others, forming a great portion of
the enormous fleet of two hundred sail, conveying the
Bombay contingent of troops under the Commander-in-chief,
Sir Robert Napier, were despatched under the direction of the
Superintendent of the Bombay Marine The navy of the East India Company. , Captain J. W. Young,
C.B., late of the Indian Navy, assisted by Lieutenant Morland
and other officers of the Service.f
At Colonel Merewether'sJ request, Lieutenants Hewett and
Dawes made a rough chart of the place selected for landing
the troops. Lieutenant Dawes assisted in disembarking the
reconnoitring force and also the advanced brigade of the
army under Sir Robert Napier, and officiated as harbour
master until the arrival of Staff-Commander May, R.N.,
who was appointed by the Admiralty. On the breaking
up of the reconnoitring party, Lieutenants Hewett and Dawes,
in common with the other officers, received the special
thanks of Colonel Merewether. After being relieved by
Commander May, Lieutenant Dawes was placed in charge of
about 1,700 natives, collected from various parts of the Arab,
Persian, and African coasts, who were partly employed on shore
and partly in about one hundred and sixty native vessels. His
duties were to assist the Engineer, Artillery, Commissariat, and
Medical Departments, and to provide all the stone which was
collected, to the amount of some thousands of tons, for the pur
pose of constructing piers, building up the fore-shore, and
* The 'Ferooz' conveyed Sir Eobert Napier to Suez on the successful com
pletion of the Expedition.
f Between the months of April and August in this year, another officer of the
Service, Lieutenant Carew, had been employed in the ' Dalhousie,' on the
Abyssinian coast, under the orders of Colonel Merewether, in connection
with the preparations for the relief of the prisoners in the hands of King
Theodore.
t Now Sir William L. Merewether, K.C.S.L, C.B., Member of the Council of
India.