The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-03 00:00:00

THE B OMB ARDMENT OF JEDDAH.

(FROM A CditRESPONDENT OF THE TIMES.)
ALEXANDRIA, AUG. 17.
After nearly a month's expectation the Cyclops
has ieturned to Suez, and we have obtained the
assurance that the first measure of retribution has
been dealt out upon the fanatics of Jeddah.
The instructions brought to Capt. Pullen by the
Wanderer are already well known to your readers.
On the evening of the 18th ult. the Cyclops sailed
from Suez, all on board, men as well as officers,
eager to prove to their treacherous enemies that
when they last left the place it was neither weak-
ness nor fear that had arrested their arm.
They reached their destination on the morning
of the 23d, and anchored at the entrancris.of the port
of Jeddah. The festivities of the Kourban Bairam,
the feast of the sacrifice, were at their height ;
the town wore a holiday appearance, with the
shipping in the harbour decked out with gay flags,
and it seemed as if on the spot Where so lately a
great crime. was perpetrated—one for which even
then the entire civilised world was calling for ven-
geance—all remembrance of it had already passed
away.
It was soon ascertained that Naamik Pasha was
at Mecca ; but no time was to be lost, and a letter
was at once despatched to the Kaimakam for trans-
mission to the Pasha, informing him that Capt.
Pullen had come to the place, by order of his
Government, to demand, on the part of England and
France, the immediate punishment of the authors of
the late massacre ; that a period of 36 hours was
allowed for the purpose, after the expiration of
which, if the required satisfaction were not given, he
would take the matter into his own hands and open
fire upon the town. Four hours more were subse-
quently granted, to make up for time lost in
further communication with the Kaimaikam. He
had sent to say that no person about him under-
stood any European language, and the purport of
the letter had, consequently, to be explained to him.
Meanwhile a strict blockade was enforced, in which
the Cyclops was assisted by the Lady Canning, a
small, lightly-armed East India Company's steamer,
which had conveyed the Morocco Princes to Jeddah,
and which was awaiting their return from Mecca.
The two vessels took up their position at a point
commanding the town, at a distance of about a
mile and a half, and whence their guns could
sweep the two channels leading into the inner
harbour.
No fresh communication came from the shore, ex-
cepting a message from the Kaimakam, brought by
a negro slave, the object of which was to beg for
a longer delay; but the request was met with a
prompt refusal, to which it was added that Captain
Pullen would hold no further intercourse with the
authorities on shore, excepting it were through the
medium of an officer of proper rank.
Early on the morning of the 25th the time had
expired, and hostilities were forthwith commenced.
A few rounds of shot and shell were fired into the
town from the four ten-inch guns. When day
broke they were found to have had the effect of
driving almost all the inhabitants to seek refuge
beyond the walls. During the course of the clay
the boats of the Cyclops and Lady Canning were
sent off to destroy a number of bungalows, or
native coasting vessels, belonging to the place,
some 14 or 15 of which were burnt or sunk.
Almost all were fully armed and their guns gene-
rally too heavy for removal.
The bombardment was resumed at intervals dur-
ing the course of the day, and was continued in
like manner on the 26th. Altogether, about 100 to
150 solid shot, shells, and rockets were thrown into
the place, and of the latter a few were fired from
the boats of the Cyclops during the night. It was
afterwards ascertained that their appearance had
struck' intense terror into the minds of the people
on shore. The women, as the fearful missiles came
hissing through the darkness in a train of fire,
shrieked aloud, and the men slunk away in an
agony of fear. The Moorsom shells had also an
excellent effect, but, upon the whole, the town was
very little damaged, and the loss of life is not
known to amount to more than 10 or 12.
During the whole of this time the forts continued
perfectly silent, and never once did they attempt to
offer the slightest opposition. Captain Pullen had
previously declared his wish to spare all, public
buildings and Government property, and had re-
quested that flags should be hoisted over them,
which, after some demur, was complied with.
On the afternoon of the 26th a secretary of the
Pasha's arrived from Mecca, and implored Captain
Pullen to desist, declaring that the murderers, 16
in number, were in confinement ; that their punish-
ment was certain, but that it could not be carried
into execution until approval of the sentence was
received from Constantinople. Captain Pullen,
however, continued firm in his first demands.
On the following day some 600 Albanian troops
arrived from Suez in open sailing boats, and Cap-
tain Pullen was requested to allow them to land.
This was at once granted, together with a fresh re-
spite to the town. During this interval the Kai-
makam (who, it was found, had been recently ap-
pointed, and was not the person who occupied the
post at the time of the massacre) paid his first visit
to the Cyclops, and announced the arrival at
Jeddah of Naamik Pasha. The latter came off next
day, and now the same arguments had again to be
listened to, with the same expostulations and en-
treaties for delay until the expected reply could be
received from Constantinople ; but Captain Pullen
continued steadfast. He required the immediate
punishment of the assassins, failing which he would
obey his orders, even though the whole of the city
should be destroyed, and the responsibility of what-
ever might occur he declared would rest with the
Pasha. As, however, the pilgrims had now com-
tenced returning from Mecca, a further respite was
afterwards granted, and it was ultimately extended
to the sth of August, so as to allow them ample
time to lave the place. On the 31st the Moorish
Princes embarked on board the Lady Canning and
sailed for Yembo, whither they proceeded to per-
form the pilgrimage to Medina. One of the three
Princes died at Mecca of apoplexy. It was also
ascertained that cholera was raging in the city, and
'the disease, it was said, had broken out among the
people at Jeddah. _
The town was now filled with pilgrims, who, how-
ever, speedily began crowding on board the craft
available for carrying them away, and in these
operations they received every possible assistance
from the Cyclops, even to supplying the vessels with
water from her condensing machines. Naamik
Pasha continued to protest his inability to comply
with what was demanded, and it seemed as if
nothing could save the town from destruction. But
its fate was averted in a manner which none at
Jeddah hoped for. On the morning of the 2d of
August a steamer hove in sight, which turned out
to be the Gabarri, with Ismail Pasha and about
450 Egyptian troops. The object of Ismail Pasha's
mission soon became known, and his arrival at once
pat an end to all further suspense or difficulty.
Shortly afterwards a letter came from Naamik
Pasha, stating that he had received a firman from
the Sultan conferring upon him the necessary
power, that he was consequently prepared to satisfy
to their fullest extent the demands made upon him,
and that it only remained for Capt. Pullen to point
out the spot upon which the execution of the crimi-
nals should take place. Sixteen men, a list of whose
names was furnished to Capt. Pullen at his request,
had been condemned by the Turkish courts, but one
of these had died in prison, and against four of the
others the evidence was declared insufficient to
prove that they had been guilty of actual murder.
They were reserved to be sent to Constantinople,
condemned to the hulks for life. The r^mainine, c
11 were to suffer death.
The spot selected was one of the river reefs, in full
'view of both the town and harbour. On the morn-
ing of the sth a force composed of the Marines of
the Cyclops and of part of the crew, all fully armed
and with fixed bayonets, were landed and drawn
up upon the ground ; and the prisoners soon after
arrived, escorted by a strong body of Turkish and
Egyptian troops. Decapitation was the mode of
death that had been decided upon ; but I will spare
your readers and myself the horrible and sickening
details of the scene that ensued. The executioners
were inexpert or their weapons blunt. There were
few among our men whose cheeks did not turn pale
at the spectacle they were compelled to witness.
Most of the men met their fate with the utmost
fortitude. Each of them was asked, his name, and
all distinctly confessed their guilt, some, indeed,
maintaining an air of defiant exultation to the very
last.
The moral effects of these events cannot fail to be
most beneficial.
The town of Jeddah has received
a lesson which- will doubtless make a deer, impres-
sion, and the salutary effects of which will spread
throughout the whole of the Mussulman world. A.
considerable number of Indian vessels have, more-
over, witnessed all that occurred, and will carry
home the news among their countrymen, to whom
it will afford fresh proof how delusive was the no-
tion that the " raj ' of England was passing away
from among them, and how utterly hopeless it must
he to defy or insult her power even on the shores
of a distant and comparatively unprotected sea, and
far more so, therefore, on her own territory:.
We must, however, guard ourselves against too
readily believing that the work has been completed,
or that the ends of justice have been fully attained..
In some comments that lately appeared on the sub-
jectit was observed that the demands of the English
and'Freneh Governments would probably be met by
the execution of some few of the subordinate, actors,
while attempts would be made to screen the more
powerful and wealthy—those, in fact, whose guilt
Is by far the deepest. According to all appearance
the
.prediction has been fulfilled to the letter. Of the
11 men who were executed one was a tinsmith, an-