Star.
London, England, 1820-08-08 00:00:00

EAST INDIES.

EXPEDITION AGAINST THE PIRATES OF THE
PERSIAN GULF.
BOMBAY, JANUARY 26.
A dispatch has been received from Major-General
.Sir W. Grant keir, dated the 3d of this month, to the
address of the Adjutant-General of the Army, of
which the following is an extract:
" Stn—l have the honour to report, for the in-
formation of his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief,
that a few days after I had last the honour of addres-
sing you, it was reported to me that the town of
ittunpo, one of the piratical ports described in my in-
structions, about eight miles to the northward of Ra-
sulkhyma, had been abandoned by its inhabitants,
who were supposed to have taken refuge in the hill
fort of Zyah, which is situated at the head of a nevi--
gable creek, nearly two miles from ;he sea coast. This
place was the residence of Hussein Bin Aly, a Sheikh
of considerable importance among the Juasinee tribes,
and a person who, from his talents and lawless habits,
AS well as from the strength and advantageous situa-
tion of his fort, was likely to attempt the revival of
the piratical system at the first favourable opportu-
nity. It became a desirable object, therefore, to ex-
tinguish at once the only remaining hopes of the ill-
disposed part of the neighbouring population, by .re-
ducing the power of this Chieftain, whose influence
was hourly increasing, and a detachment was accord-
ingly formed fur this purpose, under the command of
Major Warren, of his Majesty's 65th Regiment.
" This detachment was composed of 30 artillery-
men, his Majesty's 56th Regiment, and the flank
companies or the Ist !battalion 2d Regiment, with
two brass 12-pounders, two mortars, and four field-
pieces, which were considered fully adequate to the
performance of the service. His Majesty's ships Li-
vcrpool and Curls: moved down to itumpo to expe-
dite the landing of the stores, and render any further
assistance that might be required, and this arrange-
ment enabled rme to proceed thither to superintend
the progress of the operations. It was soon disco-
vered that the fortifications were more formidable
than Lad been represented, and I found it necessary
to order a reinforcement of four flank companies, to
complete the close investment of the place. Some
heavy guns v:e:e also found indispensable, and to
save the time and labour which it would require to
bring them flop calep, Captain Collier, with his
usual readiness to promote the public service, offered
two of the Liverpool's twenty-tour pounders, which
were immediatnly landed and placed in battery
against the fart.
" Camp Zyulz,.C:.lf of Persia, e:sl Bet-ember, 1819.
" Ste—Agreeable to your desire, I have the ho-
nour to detail the operations of the detachment un-
der my command, which lcd to the surrender of the
hill fort and town of Zyah yesterday at noon.
" On the 18th instant, I embarked at Resnik-
hyma at daybreak, in the boats of the fleet, with his
Majesty's 65th Regiment under my command, and
at neon formed a junction with the flank companies
of the Ist 2d Regiment Native Infantry, under Cap-
tain Cocke, within four miles of our destination.
This operation,.however, was attended with consi-
derable difficulty and risk, owing to the heavy surf
that beat on the shore, and which was the occasion
of some loss in ammunition, and of a few boats being,
upset and stove in.
" At half-past three, end. having refreshed my'.
men, we commenced our march, and fording the
creek or back water, took up our posi:ion at sunset,
to the um th-eastward of the fort, the enemy firing at
us as we passed, notwithstanding that our messen-
ger, whom we had previously sent in to summon the
S leikh, was still in the place: and I lost no time in
pu,liing our riflemen and pickets as forward as I
could, without exi,osing them too much to the firing
of the enemy, whom 1 found strongly posted under
secure cover, in the date tree groves in front of the
:own. Captain Cocke, with the light company of
lii, Battalion, was at the same time sent to the west-
ward. to cut off thereireat of the enemy on that side.
" At daybreak next morning, finding it necessary
to chive the enemy still further in, to get a nearer
view ut his defences, I moved forward the rifle com-
pany of his Majesty's 65111 Regiment, and after con,
siderable opposition from the enemy, who, you are
well aware, are peculiarly adapted for this species of
;warfare, I succeeded, with a few casualties, in forcing
Itim to retire some distance, but not without disputing
every foot of the ground, which was singularly cal-
culated for resistance, being intersected at every few
yards by banks and water-courses, raised for the
purposes of irrigation, and covered with date trees.
" In the course of the day, our messenger returned,
with an evasive answer froin the Sheikh : and a couple
einht-inch mortars were landed, with great labour
and fatigue, one of which commenced playing the
same t veniag on the hill fort, and the other the next
'morning. Oa the morning of the '2oth, the position
'occupied by the enemy being still in advance of the
tow n, I moved forward the riflemen again, who, in
ihcir usual spirited style, quickly forced the enemy
--ield up his cover, and would soon have driven]
io the walls of his town, had they not been re
lnetaatli compelled, by my orders, to occupy the