The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-22 00:00:00

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TIPPERARY COUNTY.

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wiiTsiiiiiE, NOItTII.

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• 1914
1393

Capture of an Arab Dhow.

ADMIRALTY, JULY 20.

Her Majesty's ship Wasp, Seychelles, May 26, 1865

Lieutenant Theobald received a severe wound at the
onset, but notwithstanding boarded, and afterwards re-
mained in charge.
By the prisoners' statement, there were 70 Arabs on
board at the time of tho attack, and by report from the
shore 25 are missing of those who took to the sea.

I beg to enclose the officers' report of their proceedings,
and the surgeon's list of casualties.—l have, &c.,
(Signed) W. BOWDEN, Captain.
To the Secretary of the Admiralty,
Whitehall, London,

H.M.S. Wasp, Seychelles, May 26, 1865.
Sir,—ln obedience to your orders of the 12th May, I
proceeded with the pinnace and first cutter, manned and
armed, to endeavour to intercept a dhow which was to
sail from Zanzibar the same evening.
On leaving the ship I at once sent Lieut. Charles B.
Thoobald, in the pinnaco, down to Chapney Island, giving
him directions to look out for the dhow, and also for me
in the cutter. I then went in to where the dhow
was at anchor, at sunset, but found that she had
sailed. On inquiring on board another small dhow,
I heard that she had sailed about half an hour with only
part of her slaves on board, and that the rest had gone after
her in three large canoes. I immediately proceeded to pick
up the pinnace, and having come to the conclusion that she
must have anchored somewhere close in shore to receive
these slaves, I proceeded, in company with pinnaco, to
search the shore, intending to go down to Cockotoni, if we
did not find her in our way, the pinnace being about a mile
from the shore, and the cutter about a half a mile.
After proceeding about two miles, I observed a canoe in
shore of me, and immediately chased her ; as soon as she
saw mo she made for the shore,and reaching it all the crew
ran into the bush. I searched the canoe and found in it
several baskets of yams and a copper kettle, and from what
the interpreter said I had no doubt she was one of the three
canoes. I took her in tow and shoved off, and just as I
hoisted the sail, I observed a sail coming round the point,
and stood off towards her. As I closed her I saw that it
was a large dhow with her sail half hoisted, apparently
looking for something. When I was within 200 yards of
her she appeared to make me out, and hoisted her sail, at
the same time firing at me. I at once chased and
commenced firing at her, she returning it, and finding
that the cutter was sailing faster than the dhow, I kept
about 80 yards astern of her, intending to wait for the
pinnace. After chasing her about half a mile I observed
the pinuace commence firing on her from some distance
ahead, and at once got the oars out. About ten minutes
after I saw the pinnace close to the dhow, and almost im-
mediately she boarded her on the port bow. lat once
boarded with the cutter on the starboard quarter, and after
about ten minutes severe fighting we succeeded in captur-
ing her, many of her crew jumping overboard, and, owing
to the darkness, succeeded in cutting the boat away from
the stern of the dhow, and escaping in her.

1 must leave Lieutenant Theobald to finish this report,
as I regret to say I became insensible from loss of blood,
and on coming to I found myself in the cutter with several
wounded men, on our way to the ship, which we reached
at 7.30 a.m., on the 13th.

I have now only to say, that it is my firm conviction we
should never have captured her if Lieutenant Theobald
had not at once stood across to cut her off on seeing the
firing, and then without hesitation boarded. I wish also
to bring to your notice the manner in which Mr. W.
Wilson, midshipman, John Williams, able seaman and
coxswain of the cutter, and Charles Proudley, yeoman of
storeroom; behaved—the latter saved my life, when,
owing to loss of blood and my sword being broken, I was
hardly able to defend myself.—l have, &c.,
(Signed) CHARLES C. RISING,
Lieutenant in charge of Boats.
To Captain IV. Bowdon, her Majesty's ship Wasp.

Her Majesty's Ship Wasp, Seychelles,
May 26, 1865.
Sir,—Aftor the capture of the dhow, finding Lieutenant
Rising severely wounded and insensible, I took charge of
the boats.

I sent the cutter, with Lieutenant Rising and the worst
of the wounded, back to the ship, with a request for assist-
ance to be sent to me as soon as possible ; I then got un-
derway in the dhow, with pinnace in tow, and stood over
to the African coast until shortly before daylight, when I
wore, and seeing the ship coming towards us, I anchored
the dhow close to Chapney Island, and returned on board
at 11.30 a.m.

In conclusion, I beg to call your attention to tho gallant
behaviour of Mr. J. J. A. Campbell, midshipman, and tho
men under my command.—l have, &c.,
(Signed) CHARLES B. TIMBALE, Lieutenant.
To Captain Bowden, her Majesty's ship Wasp.

1, by the
night Return of Killed and Wounded, Officers and Men, during
Zanzibar, on the n
the Engagement and et aopftutrhee
ofl2atnh MA raayb Dhow, n
,
Boats of the Wasp.
John New, coxswain of the pinnace, spear wound of
chest, killed ; largo blood vessels divided.
Charles C. Rising, Lieutenant, sword wound of neck,
very severe ; all muscles left side of neck divided ; sword
wound of left hand, very severe ; hand amputated, except
little finger and thumb ; sword wound of right thigh,
severe; not dangerous.
Charles B. Thoobald, Lieutenant, spear wound of loft
valet, very severe ; spear went through the joint.
William Wilson, midshipman, sword wound of back,
severe ; sword wound of right wrist, severe ; some ten-
dons and nerves divided.
Oliver Norville, second captain foretop, spear wound of
abdomen, penetrating, very dangerous.
John Cramer, captain afterguard, spear wound through
forearm, very severe.
John Williams, A. 8., sword wound of forehead, severe.
Edward Thompson, A. 8., sword wound of forearm,
severe ; spear wound of chest, slight.
Chas. Treganna, ordinary, spear wound of back, slight.
William Springoll, sailmakor's crow, spear wound of
forearm, slight.

(Signed)

WM. E. O'BRIEN, Surgeon.

In consideration of this service, Lieutenants Rising and
Theobald have been ordered to be promoted tithe rank of
Commander, as soon as they are respectively eligible; and
the name of the other officers and of the men mentioned
in the despatch have been favourably noticed.

* Cutter—Charles Compton Rising, Lieutenant ; Wil-
liam Wilson, midshipman ; and 11 men.
Pinnace—Charles Barstow Theobald, Lieutenant;
John James Ava Campbell, midshipman ; and 13 men.

MURDER AND SUICIDE.—On Thursday morning
Mr. Priest, who is a very hard-working respectable
man, left his home, in the village of Worfield, at 6 o'clock
in the morning, leaving his wife and one child (about 18
months old) in bed together, and two children iu bed in an
adjoining room. He had not been gone long before the
woman went into the next room to her other children with a
gash in her throat and the blood rushing out. The children
of course raised an alarm, and some neighbours went iu.
They found the child (the one 18 months old) in bed with
its throat cut, and quite dead, and the mother apparently
dying. Dr. Thursfield, of Bridgnorth, was sent for, but
when he got there the woman had ceased to exist. There is
no reason to assign for this unnatural act on the mother's
part. She had been cautioned by the doctors not to stickle
her child so much.—Birmingham Poet.

A despatch, of which the following is a copy, has been
received from Captain Bowden, of her Majesty's ship
Wasp :

Sir,—ln compliance with article 31, page 5, of the Slave
Trade Instructions, I have the honour to report that, on
the night of the 12th May, an Arab dhow was captured by
the pinnace and cutter of this ship, under the charge of
Lieutenant Charles C. Rising, at a distance of from eight
to ten miles from the port of Zanzibar, with 283 slaves on
board.

She had a large crew of northern Arabs, who made a
desperate resistance, but owing to the gallantry displayed
by the officers, whose names aro in the margin,* and their
boats' crews, the vessel was carried, the Arabs taking to
the sea, and to a boat they cut from the stern, but leaving
S dead and 13 prisoners.

I regret to say that John New (coxwain of pinnace), the
first to board, was killed, and three officers and eight men
wounded.

I cannot speak too highly of the judicious way in which
the attack was conducted, and the gallantry displayed by
Lieutenant Rising, who has received three very severe
wounds.