الحملة التركية إلى نجد [و‎‎٤‎٦‎٥] (٩٤/٢٣)

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Enclosure No. 7 .
No. 2S, dated Baghdad, the 21st June 1871.
F r - L rEMT .c° LomL c . Heebekt, Consul General.
o-Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador, Constantinople.
enclofe E Ihrrpit m wiSr P £lati > on s 6 ’ ^ tant ’ 1 f W tIle hon «' to
Muteserif of Bussorah, to the address of TVTrlT ^p e § 1 rams 1 fro l m Tj tlle Offiemting
sent for my perusal on the 12th instant 1 U Paslia7 wlllcl1 His Excellency
it reacLh^iXrllhel^rSr 88 ° f th6 f ° rCe is ’ that
on the following morning, marched tiVf 3
i ^i iat n^ 16 ^ e x ?P^ e oc cupying the country through which it passed at first
shewed a dispositton to hostility, but the object of the expedition Mug e^pkin
ed to them, they were satisfied and expressed gratification at the prospect of
SSai7Cfb^SS^. ofT ”“ 1 ^* *-
That, on the troops drawing near to Kateef, Syed Mahommed Saeed
Efrendi son of the Nukeeb of Bussorah, and who had accompanied the troops
7 * as ’ at Herepeated written request of Abd-uhAziz, commanding the fort on
beiiah ol oaood, sent to him to negotiate.
That Abd-ul-Aziz stated to him his regret to be obliged to oppose the
imperial troops, but pleaded the many favors he had received from, and the
confidence reposed in him by, Saood as his excuse for resistance, and declared
his detei ruination not to surrender the place until compelled by superior
force. 1
That he had levelled the mosques and other buildings round the fort with
a view to defence, and that he opened fire on the troops who surrounded the
place on three sides, while the Turkish steamer Assur and the ’ boats from
Koweit attacked it by sea, and that it fell after a bombardment of three hours.
That after taking possession of this place with the guns, ammunition
and stores it contained, the troops marched to Damam, capturing en route a
position called Anuk, which surrendered after a show of resistance and in which
were found three guns, besides arms and ammunition and public stores, all of
which were placed in charge of an officer and guard.
That Abd-ul-Aziz, son of Saood, who was in Damam, fled on the approach,
of the troops, and the place was surrendered by Ibn-el-Tehnooneh—Mahommed
ibn Feysul, who had been confined in it, being set at liberty.
That Damam was found to be well fortified with three strong lines of
defence and to contain eleven guns,— nine iron and two brass,—and a large
quantity of ammunition and stores, of all of which possession was taken, proper
measures being adopted for their safe keeping. A guard of two companies of
infantry were placed in the fort, and the force returned to Kateef, accompanied
by Mahommed ibn Eeysul, and taking with it Ibn-el-Tehnooneh and the others
who were captured at the fall of the place.
It is now said that the force will proceed to El-Hasa, and I am glad to be
able to report that His Excellency Midhut Basha has told me that there is no
present intention of their making any attempt to proceed beyond that town.
Little or nothing is to be learned here just now of the movements of Ab
dullah or Saood, but it is said that the former is somewhere to the smith of
Biad, and that the latter has been to the capital and returned toward EbHasa.
The reports contained in the accompanying telegrams of a battle between
the forces of the two brothers, in which the latter was defeated, has been
dilation here, but does not meet with cie en
m cir-