, that in case of any outrage being offered to a vessel
under British colours, redress should be peremptorily demanded. But
long before these instructions were issued, and, indeed, before the
intelligence which elicited them had reached Bombay, a case, such as
they had supposed, had really occurred."--(_Corresponderce relating to
Aden_, printed in May 1839, by order of the House of Commons,
No. 49, p. 38.)

[Footnote 40: "A vessel will lie" (at Mokha) "with a whole chain on end,
topgallant masts struck, and yards braced by, without being able to
communicate with the shore; while at the same time in Aden harbour she
will lie within a few yards of the shore, in perfectly smooth water,
with the bight of her chain cable scarcely taught."--CAPTAIN HAINES'S
_Report_.]

An Indian ship called the Derya-Dowlut, (Fortune of the Sea,) the
property of a lady of the family of the Nawab of Madras, but sailing
under British colours, was wrecked on the coast near Aden, February
20, 1837, when on her voyage from Calcutta to Jiddah, with a cargo
valued at two lacs of rupees, (L.20,000.) It would appear, from the
depositions of the survivors, that the loss of the ship was
intentional on the part of the supercargo and _nakhoda_, (or
sailing-master,) the latter of whom, however, was drowned, with
several of the crew, in attempting to get on shore in the boat. The
passengers--who had been denied help both by the officers who had
deserted them, and by the Arabs who crowded down to the beach--with
difficulty reached the land, when they were stripped, plundered, and
ill-treated by the Bedoweens, but at last escaped without any
personal injury, and made their way in miserable plight to Aden,
where they were relieved and clothed by a Sheikh, the hereditary
guardian of the tomb of Sheikh Idris, the guardian saint of the town.
The stranded ship, meanwhile, after being cleared of as much of her
cargo and stores as could be saved, was burned by direction of the
supercargo, who shortly afterwards took his departure to Jiddah,
carrying with him one-third of the rescued property, and leaving the
remainder as a waif to the Sultan of Aden. After he was gone, the
Sultan made an offer to the agent [41] of the ship to restore the
goods which had fallen to his share on a payment of ten per cent for
salvage; but this was declined, on the ground that after such a length
of time "the things on board must have been almost all lost; that he
did not require them