296 



SAYYID SAID. 



conduct of war argued scant skill as a general, but 

 he never forfeited his well-earned favour for per- 

 sonal? gallantry. With the true Arab mania for 

 territorial conquest, he eventually succeeded in 

 flying his flag at all the ports that belonged to 

 the Yu'rabi Imams, and which had descended, 

 by the irregular right of succession, to his ances- 

 tor, Ahmad bin Safd the Hinawi. The Ma- 

 zara 5 (Mazrui) clan, alias the Arabo-Mombasah 

 princes, a turbulent and hot-tempered feudality, 

 who, after the massacre of the Portuguese, had 

 been allowed, by Sayf bin Sultan, to retain the 

 city on condition of sending occasional presents 

 and of doing certain baronial services, refused (a. d. 

 1822) allegiance to the Ayyal Bii Safd. Captain 

 Vidal, R.N., finding this important place threat- 

 ened by Zanzibar, accepted an application from the 

 citizens, who had hoisted the British flag; advised 

 tli at they should be received as prot^g^s, andper- 

 suaded the claimant to withdraw. The Sayyid 

 remonstrated against these measures with the 

 Bombay Government ; and the ministers of the 

 Crown to whom the question was referred, event- 

 ually removed our establishment. 



Sayyid Safd, early in 1828, sailed with a 

 squadron carrying 1200 men, to attack the town, 

 but after taking and garrisoning the fort, he was 



