The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1840-06-04
THE ARABIAN CORVETTE sULlAA1.

The arrival in our harbor, some days
AFRO, Of the first Arabian man oi.war that
ever crossed the Atlantic is an occurrence
of mueh interest The Satam was built
at Bombay, of teak rood, and is hand
somely modelled and well equipped ship
Her officers and crew are all ArabIans, aud,
in their oriental costume of turbsns, loose
robes, and long boards, present strange +
appearance on a ships deck. She is com
mauded by captain OF the SuIIans navy,
" hose bearing has all the dignity and grace
SO characteristic Of the upper classes of the
Arabians. The Sultan of Muscat, to whom
she belongs has sent her out on CONNER
cial expedition, (under treaty effected
with the Government in 1885, loaded with
the products Of Arabia, and among them,
as presents TO the President, two fine Ara
tian horses, box of pearls, sabre, DC.
There has probably been no Instance OF
more prompt aud unlimited national hospi.
tally than was manifested BY the Sultan to
one OF our ships al the time OF the ralIiica.
ton OF this treaty. The United States ship
Peacock, having the treaty, duly signed, on
board, 10 the month Of September, $3.50, On
her voyage TO Muscat, ran on a coral reel
IN the night, on the coast of Arabia Felix,
at distance of about mile from the shore,
and, as the tide FELL settled on her sido, so
that not one Of her guns could be brought
10 bear. Her situation was Of course very
critical, and her boats had abundant occu.
patton in repellIng the Arab dGuS, By which
she was soon approached. After twenty
lour hours oi iiutless attempt 10 get her
of Capt Kennedy determined, as a last
resort, TO despatch an officer 10 one Of the
ships boats TO Ike Sultan Il Muscat, 90 the
Persian Gulf, a distance Of some geo miles
across the Arabian Sea, 10 carry the tlea.
T ", and #, possible, to procure ASSISTANCE.
Alter mos, perllous voyage Of five days
+ and nights IN which this Ii,ile open boat
with eight men llucmdng Mr.. Taylor, who
commanded her, and Mr. Roberts, the lul
ted States agent, who negotiated lhctreaiy,)
narrowly escaped destruction from the
Arabs, who pursued her, and afterwards
/ from the rough weather, IN which she WAS
with tie greatest difficulty kept ahoat, She
reached lluScat IN safety. At one time,
when a large dGu, manned by about thirty
/ Arabs, was gaming 90 the boat the crew OF
which bad prepared for her warm ,fcccp
/ ton, with their LILLE armament, Of muskels
the officer, to test the pluck Of hts men,
SAID Boys, il iha, fellow comes up with
Il rs, what shall VIC DO z $50, to Muscai
10 the prize, sir :" was the reply. These
were, OF course, the right sort Of men TOR
such an expedition.
On their arrival al Muscal, they Here
treated by the Sultan with every possible
hospitality. When he heard Of their arm
val, aud before he had seen them, he was
JUS, gong OF on a visit Of state to an In.
glsh man.oi war, but Immediately sent
word tothe commander that he should iorego
his VISIT as he had Just learned that q ship
Of his allies, the UuIled States, was wreck
ed 90 his coast, and hc should do nothing
until he had taken every measure for her
teliei. lie Immediately placed The Sultani,
, with full compliment OF officers and men,
under the command of Mr.. /. to proceed
4 to the relief Of The Peacock, aud rendered
! The use Of any ship IN his navy On case the
/ Peacock should not be saved TO return To-
I the United States with her officers aud
crew, or TO complete her cruise, ms Capt.
/ Kennedy might elect. The Go'ernor Of
Xor, a town some eighty or ninety niles
distant from Muscat, toward where the
peacocl, lay, who was al tie time in Mus
cat, was despatched 70 tia, place, with or
ders 10 send every vessel bearing the Arab
flag to the relief OF the Peacock and Be
doulu chief was sent, with his cau.cls, across
the desert with message from the Sultan
10 the Shelk OF the tribe occupying the
coast on which the Peacock was wrecked,
that he would hold the tribe ard every
member Of /, accountable for auy injury to
the Peacock or her crew.
Tho SuIlani feli 10 with the Peacock at
sen. She bad lain on the reef TOR fifty ss
hours, and was not 13aled Until she had lost
several Of her anchors and thrown over
board eleven Of her guns. After visiting
/ Museat, were they were all treated with d
degree Of courtesy aud hospitality rarely
met with in Christian countries, the Pes.
cock proceeded to Bombay to redt, and
purchased from the East India Company d
battery in place Of the guns thrown over.
board on the coral reef Alter lying ut
Bombay about a month, and as the Pea
cock was on The eve Of sailing 90 her cruise,
a ship was seen entering the harbor, bear.
ing the Arab flag. 1t proved to be the
Slian's ship VITA the pcacock's guns,
which had been thrown over uui which the
Satan bad caused 10 b raised, ord sent bis
vessel with them TO oVertakc aud restore
them to the Peacock "a distance ola ,hous
and miles FROM the Place where they had
been lost
For all this labor and expense, which il
IS believed has not TO this day met either
requital or acknowledgement from this Gov.
eminent, the Sultan would receive no com.
pensatlon. Such conduct as this certainly
Jusitles the statement Of our officers who
have seen him, that the Sultan is d gcafe
man, IN the largeet aud strictcs, sense of
the term, and affords an eYafnnln 9, oil ,vor.