ns of
Mohammed Ali, Pasha of Egypt; who, under pretence of re-asserting
the ancient rights of the Porte to the sovereignty of Yemen, had
already occupied Mokha and Taaz, and was waging war with the tribes
in the neighbouring coffee country, whom he had exasperated by the
treacherous murder of Sheikh Hussein, one of their chiefs, who,
having been inveigled by the Egyptian commander into a personal
conference, was shot dead, like the Mamlukes at Cairo, in the tent of
audience. Aden, in the natural course of things, would have been the
next step; but an unforeseen intervention deprived him of his prey.

Since the establishment of the overland communication with India
through Egypt, and the steam navigation of the Red Sea, the want had
been sensibly felt of an intermediate station between Suez and Bombay,
which might serve both as a coal depot, and, in case of necessity,
as a harbour of shelter. The position of Aden, almost exactly halfway,
would naturally have pointed it out as the sought-for haven, even
had its harbour been less admirably adapted than it is, from its
facility of entrance and depth of water close to the shore, for
steamers to run straight in, receive their fuel and water from the
quay, and proceed on their voyage without loss of time; while the
roadstead of Mokha, [40] the only other station which could possibly be
made available for the purpose, is at all times open and insecure,
and in certain points of the wind, particularly when it blows from
the south through the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, communication with
the shore is absolutely impracticable. It was clear, therefore, that
the proposed depot, if carried into effect at all, must be fixed at
Aden; and there can be little doubt that its occupation was contemplated
by the Indian government from the time of the visit of the surveying
ships to the Red Sea. A pretext was now all that was sought for, and
this was not long wanted. It was reported to the Bombay Administration
in October 1836, by Captain Haines, (then in command of the Palinurus
at Makullah) that great insecurity to navigation prevailed on both the
African and Indian shores, at the entrance of the Red Sea; and one
particular instance was adduced, in which the crew of a Muscat vessel,
wrecked on the coast near Aden, were subjected to such inordinate
extortion by Sultan Mahassan, that "the master, in anger or despair,
burned his vessel. The Bombay government could only give general
instructions