Page:Historyofpersiaf00watsrich.djvu/455

 BRITISH EXPEDITION TO THE PERSIAN GULF. 435 and disgrace to Persia, seems soon to have come home to the Sedr-Azem himself. He now took occasion to super- sede his nephew in the command of the field-force, by the chief of the royal body-guard with whom he was not on friendly terms, and whom he hoped to see disgraced in the too-probable case of his being defeated. The Sirkisikchi-Bashi * was the chief of the upper branch of the Kajar tribe, and he was a man of sufficient conse- quence to bear all the blame of the disasters which every one expected. The selection of such an officer to the command in the field was prudently made ; but the far-sighted views of the Sedr-Azem were frustrated by the slow movements of the Sirkisikchi-Bashi. Before his Excellency's arrival at the head-quarters of the army in the south of Persia, the disasters that had been fore- seen had already taken place. On the 4th of December, 1856, the island of Karrack in the Persian Gulf was occupied by British troops, and preparations were immediately made for landing a force near Bushire. The disembarkation at Halilla Bay occu- pied the greater part of three days and two nights, and no serious opposition was offered by the Persians ; three or four hundred men who appeared in the vicinity of the bay being scattered by the fire from the English gun- boats. The Persians had taken up an intrenched position near Bushire, commanding the wells from which the place is supplied with water ; but on the British line being formed, this position was abandoned. On the 9th of December the Persians were dislodged from the old Dutch fort of Keshire. A short but fierce struggle took place on this occasion, and four English 28 a
 * This officer was appointed prime minister of Persia, March 21, 1865.