22G VISIT OF PRIME MINISTER. [1845. 



the state officers, one of whom, the Laksimana, or Lord 

 High Admiral, the brother, I believe, of the Sultan, came 

 on board, and was very civil, until, on our reaching the 

 lower end of the town, he imperiously ordered us " to 

 anchor immediately." As I began to notice some little 

 confusion this was not attended to ; a dispatch boat then 

 came off from the shore with a similar order, which we 

 also disregarded. By this opportunity I sent a message 

 to the Sultan, informing him " that as my visit was to 

 him, I should anchor in the most convenient spot for that 

 purpose." Considerable alarm prevailed, until ranging 

 up within twenty yards of the muzzles of his guns, which 

 had no protection of any kind, we dropped our anchors. 

 These guns, about ten in number (two heavy iron ship 

 guns, and the remainder brass Leilas *), were loosely 

 mounted on the bank, and any attempt either to fire or 

 re-load them, would have entailed death from our mus- 

 ketry. 



The Prime Minister, an Arab priest, a fine com- 

 manding person, about sixty years of age, came off to 

 arrange about the salutes, which they would willingly 

 have foregone, but having been informed by the envoy 

 from the Sultan of Gunung Taboor, of the etiquette ob- 

 served there, their pride could not submit to less. It 

 was arranged that they should, as a token of friendship, 

 salute Her Majesty's flag with twenty-one guns, which 

 should be duly returned from the boats. My reason for 

 insisting upon the previous salute from them, was the 

 doubt of their returning a similar number of guns, and 



* A Leila varies from a one to a twenty-four pounder ; they are 

 longer in proportion than other guns, and are bell-mouthed. 



* 



