GALLANT FIGHT WITH AN AFRICAN SLAVER.

West Coast Times, Issue 116, 31 January 1866, Page 3

GALLANT FIGHT WITH AN AFRICAN SLAVER.

The Cnpe papers record a gallant engagement, although unfortunately attended with fatal results, which had occurred between tho boats of 11. M.5. Wasp and an Arnb slave dhow on the East Coast. While the wasp was lying in tlie harbor of /"jair/ibar, Information wns received that a dhow Was to fill up with slaves and run outona certain night. Two boats — the pinnace and cutter — wero sent from thojWnsp to intercept the movement. They lay at the back of a small island, guarding the English Passage during tho night. Between two and three o'clock in the morning .they saw the dhow, a' vessel of over 200 tons, coming down towards them. The boats came out from under tho- lee of the river and fired into her, with tho object of carrying away her masts, but in this they were not successful. Tho dhow immediately bore up, and made for tho pinnace to run her down, and as she struck the boat fired a volley of musketry and spears into her. Thcro wns a force of forty-six men on board, nil fighting Arabs, engaged from the shore to run tho slaver to the north part of tho island clenr of danger. The pinnace hnd only a crew of eighteen men, nnd the officer in charge, Lieutenant ltising, seeing there wns no serious work to be done, gave the order to his men on board. They succeeded in boarding over tho bows, but mot with obstinate resistance, and had to fight their way inch by inch on tho deck of the dhow. They were gradually making wny, nlthoug'i against grent odds, wlion the cutter came up and bonrded at tho stern, taking tho slavers ,in the rear, and soon had possession of the vessel. Tho Arabs, seeing they were defeated, jumped overboard, and some of them made for the shore. 4 The Wasp's boat's crew had several men wounded, and the coxswain of the pinnace \\ as killed, having been speared through the body, Tho fighting wns very severe. Lieutenant Rising led his men most gallantly, antl, after his sword was broken in the engagement, he still fought with the hilt of it, until he wns nt last borne down in the bottom cf the dhow, just as tho Arabs were beaten. Thcro were 287 slaves on board the dhow, who had been taken to Seychelles. There was great excitement in the town of Zanzibar after this affair.

Tho Morning Slav stales flint arrangements will bo mado in duo tinio for a biography of Mr, Cobden, under fho authority and with tho Riiudion of his family ; until which tinio (.lio friond.s of Mr. f'obden nro respectfully requested to reserve his letters to (hem. Madanio Andelow, tho well-known Sclavonic writer, died nl Dorporl, towards tho end of Angusl. On (ho slh iSeptenibor, Dr. Fricclorich Hocli, tho lyric, poof, died ntWorsrlmfg j and on Iho J-flh, nt l'erlin, ])r. Morilst Jiniuni'rl, Info professor of chemistry nt Bonn. Tn n Chincso geography, wrillon by Wang Tno Lni, antl just franslaledhy Dr. Mcdhuvat, we Imvo this choice descripfion :— " The ISnglish nation is poor but powerful; and boing silunfednl a inosl important point, frequently nft neks tlio others."

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