152 CIVIL HISTORY AND 



It was about the year 1797 that they first came 

 iiito colUsion with the British government in the 

 East ; for as they had hitherto waged war only 

 against what are called native vessels, no hostile 

 measures had been taken against them by the Eng- 

 lish. In that year they had the boldness to violate 

 this neutrality by attacking, under pretext of obtain- 

 ing a supply of ammunition, one of the East India 

 Company's cruisers, the Viper, of ten guns, while 

 lying at anchor in the imier roads of Bushire. The 

 pirates were beaten off; but with the loss of the 

 gallant Lieutenant Carruthers and a considerable 

 number of the crew. This act of daring treachery, 

 however, did not call forth the immediate vengeance 

 of the India government. In 1804, fresh aggressions 

 were commenced, and continued for a series of years 

 with increasing insolence and barbarity. Not fewer 

 than nine British cruisers or ships of war, — the 

 Fly, Shannon, Trimmer, Fury, Mornington, Teign- 

 mouth, Minerva, Sylph, and Nautilus, — were suc- 

 cessively attacked or seized by these daring maraud- 

 ers, and numbers of their crews and passengers put 

 to the sword. 



This system of lawless aggression, and the seri- 

 ous injury suffered by the Gulf trade, at length in- 

 duced the British government to have recourse to 

 vigorous measures for maintaining the national 

 character, and clearing the seas of these brigands. 

 In 1810, Lieutenant-colonel (afterward Sir Lionel) 

 Smith and Captain Wainwright were sent against 

 them with a considerable armament, which sailed 

 from Bombay in September, and soon anchored off 

 Ras el Khyma, where the troops were landed under 

 cover of the boats and ships. This metropolis of 

 the pirates stands in latitude 25° 47', and longitude 

 55° 34', on a narrow tongue of sandy land, with a 

 safe harbour, extending about half a mile in length 

 and a quarter in breadth — having several strong 

 points of defence with towers and batteries. Their 



