1851.
The Moorish pirates soon forgot the severe lesson they had received
from the fire of the 'Polyphemus,' and continued their depredations.
Amongst other vessels captured in 1851, were the schooner 'Emelia,'
and the brigantine 'Violet.' The latter had carried away her
fore-top-mast, and as it was blowing fresh, she stretched across to
get under shelter of the Riff coast. When within 15 miles of it, she
was becalmed about one o'clock in the afternoon of Sunday, 5th
October. Four boats then rowed towards them with about 150 men: when
about 300 yards off, they lay to on their oars to ascertain whether
the brig was armed, and being satisfied on this point, they towed up
alongside, two boats on the port and two on the starboard side, and
hailed to ask whether the brig were French or English, at the same
time commencing so hot a fire that the crew could not get aft to
hoist the ensign.
The master was badly wounded, and a seaman shot dead; and, after
searching the vessel, the pirates gave the crew charge of her, to
take her into the land. Seven more boats came out to meet them, all
well armed, and a scuffle ensued amongst the pirates, as to who
should take possession, which ended in one man out of each boat
coming on board, and the rest taking the vessel in tow. After three
days and three nights, they reached a bay where the crew were ordered
to let go the anchor, and furl sails. They were then sold to a chief
Shereef Alhadary, who came on board, and who treated them with
humanity, and would have sent them back to their vessel had not his
people threatened to shoot them. The master died of his wounds, and
the owner of the brig also.
The four surviving seamen were marched to the chief's house. In the
mean time rumours of the capture of the two vessels had reached
Gibraltar, and H.M.'s steam frigate 'Janus,' Commander Powell,
started from Gibraltar on the 17th October, and reached the Riff
coast on the 18th. She found the 'Emelia' a wreck on the beach,
stripped by the Moors, and after totally destroying the piratical
boats with shot and shell, set out for Cape Tres-Forcas. There she
found the ribs of the 'Violet,' and prepared immediately to attack
the pirate fleet; but the overwhelming numbers of the pirates
compelled the British to re-embark and return to their ship, which
during the contest had been firing shot and shell. Commander Powell
was severely though not dangerously wounded, and seven men were also
wounded, four of them dangerously. Through the intervention of
H.B.M.'s Consul at Tangiers, Mr. H. Drummond Hay, the survivors of
the 'Violet' were at length liberated, and embarked on board H.M.'s
ship 'Dragon,' to be conveyed to Gibraltar on the 10th January.