Page:Notes on the Anti-Corn Law Struggle.djvu/52

 C. W. Thompson "15th March, 1884." The slip of printed paper containing the letter is headed "Letters to The Standard—A forgotten page of History." The letter commences thus—"C. R. Low, author of the 'History of the Indian Navy,' writes:—

"'The British public appears surprised at the reckless gallantry of the Desert Arabs; but the actions of El Teb and Tamati are not the first in which our troops have been engaged in close and deadly conflict with the Arab race. By a strange coincidence also it was the 1st Tork and Lancaster (then known as the 65th Regiment), that before took a prominent part in the sanguinary fighting.'"

In the following passage of the letter, I have availed myself of General C. W. Thompson's corrections which he has made in the margin, without altering the text. The letter as corrected thus proceeds:—

"'In 1820, the Beni-Boo-Ali Arabs, who inhabit the country near Ras-ul-Had, in Arabia, having committed some excesses, a force of three hundred and twenty Bombay Sepoys, with four guns, manned by European Artillerymen, and about two thousand troops of the Imaum of Mascat, under command of Captain (the late General) Perronet Thompson, of the I7th Dragoons, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, landed on the Arabian coast and marched inland to inflict chastisement on the Arabs. On the 9th November, the opposing forces came"