Aden
The British settlement of Aden, which was almost the most southerly point on the Arabian coast, is situated in lat. 12°47'N., and long. 45°10'E. It is a peninsula of about fifteen miles in circumference, of an irregular oval form, five miles in its greater, and three in its lesser diameter, connected with the continent by a low narrow neck of land, 1,350 yards in breadth, but which is in one place nearly covered by the sea at high spring tides. It consists of a large crater, formed by lofty and precipitous hills, the highest peak of which has an altitude of 1,775 feet: these, on the exterior sides, slope towards the sea, throwing out numerous spurs, which form a series of valleys, radiating from a common center.
The town and part of the military cantonments are within the crater, and consequently surrounded on all sides by hills, save on the eastern face, where a gap exists, opposite the fortified island of Seerah, the appearance of which would induce the belief that this rock had at one time completed the circle, but that, having been separated by some convulsion of nature, it had been carried out and deposited in the sea, a few hundred yards in advance of the gap caused by its removal. The inlet thus caused is known by the name of Front or East Bay.
Aden on the south Arabian coast became a British possession in 1839, and with the adjacent island of Perim constitutes a dependency of the Bombay presidency. At that time, the appearance of Aden must be deemed wretched and miserable. The sole remains of the grandeur it once boasted consisted of about ninety dilapidated stone houses, the greater number of dwellings which seem to shelter its scanty population being nothing more than huts rudely constructed of reeds. These wretched tenements, huddled together without the slightest attempt at regularity, occupied the crater of an extinct volcano. Unrelieved by trees, and assimilating in colour with the arid soil and barren hills rising around, they scarcely conveyed an idea of the purpose for which they are designed. A stranger, entering Aden, would find it difficult to believe that he was in the midst of an inhabited place, the houses appearing to be fewer in number, and more insignificant, than a closer inspection proves them to be.
Socotra, a large island in the Indian Ocean, 543 miles from Aden, has been since 1876 under the government of Aden, which pays a small subsidy to the Sultan of Keshin, to whom it belonged. The Kuria Muria Islands, a small group off the coast of Arabia, are also attached to Aden. The Arab chiefships between Aden and Muscat territory are also in subordinate treaty relations with the Government of India, these relations being within the charge of the Aden Residency. Aden is chiefly important as a coaling station and is presided over by a Resident who is also commander of the troops of the garrison. The Government derives its revenue from opium, salt, liquor, and local taxes.
The coast, from the British boundary, eastward, was inhabited by the Fadthli, a numerous tribe reckoned at about 15,000 souls, and as a general rule not to be trusted, whose territory extended in an unbroken line for nearly 100 miles along the shore, beyond Shukra and as far as Makatein. In the interior was the Yafai tribe, spread over an extensive tract of country, including a portion of Jebel Yafai. This range, which rises about 6,500 feet above the sea, extends nearly 100 miles in an East and West direction, averaging between 20 and 30 miles from the shore. The Yafai territory is mountainous, with numerous valleys, producing coffee, wheat and millet.
The Fadtbli territory is stated as here extending inland about 80 miles. The country is chiefly mountainous, Jebel Aris, a high range 14 miles north-eastward of Shukra, attaining a height of 5,596 feet above the sea. The Wadi Bahrein winds through this range of mountains, abundantly supplied with streams which flow into an extensive lake, from whence the. valley takes its name. The largest village in this district is Mein, with a population of about 1,500, said to be 36 hours' journey north-westward of Shukra. The natives are 11 fine bold-looking race, many of them inhabiting caves in the mountains ; their religion is a lax state of Mohammedanism, the fast of the Ramazan passing almost unnoticed.
Aden under the British
All the ancient defensive works were abandoned, and under the British the place was entirely re-fortified, and it now holds a very respectable position amongst our oriental fortresses : strong by nature, immense sums of money and the highest engineering skill have been expended to render it impregnable to any probable attack; and it may be confidently asserted that nothing short of a large European army and fleet, supplied with a complete siege train, could succeed in reducing it.
The isthmus was guarded by massive lines of defence, strengthened by a broad, deep ditch, bastions, demi-bastions, redans, and casemates, armed with heavy ordnance; this line is divided into two parts by a hill, through which communication is maintained by means of a tunnel. A line of scarp running along the Mansoorie range of hills, defended by batteries and towers, connects the two ends of the isthmus defences, and completes the enceinte of the defensible position. Within it are located the arsenal, magazine, barracks for a portion of the garrison, capacious water-tanks, which are in process of being connected, by a second tunnel, with the wells and reservoirs near the town, and other public buildings. It is also in contemplation to erect a condensing apparatus there, to guard against any possible failure of water in times of necessity.
The seaward defences consist of strong, heavily armed martello towers, casemated and open batteries on the hills, and a fieur cCeau, as well as on the adjacent islands, together with piers of obstruction and other subservient works. Barracks for the remainder of the garrison are built on the sea-face near the town, and at Steamer Point. The treasury, jail, churches, and other public buildings are situated near the town.
Aden was declared a free port in 1850, since which it has engrossed nearly the whole of the coffee trade formerly enjoyed by Mokha. The principle articles of export are skins, feathers, gums, &c., brought from the African coast; imports chiefly coal, cotton goods, cattle, sheep, malt liquors, wines and spirits. The population consisted in 1856 of about 25,000 souls; but the difficulty of inducing Mahomedans to state exactly the number in their households, especially of their females, renders an accurate census a matter of considerable difficulty.
Mnny acute persons considered the project of colonizing a barren spot, surrounded by hostile tribes, by a handful of soldiers from India, chimerical, especially in the teeth of predictions which had for so long a period been fulfilled to the letter. It is stated that the Imaum of Muscat asked, in astonishment, whether the British were mad enough to contemplate the subjugation of the Arabs, the sons of his father Ishmael; since the British could not be so ignorant of their own Scriptures as not to know that the hands of the Arabs were to be eternally against every man, and every man's hand against theirs. But, although the Arabs should continue hostile, while the British were masters of the sea and can strengthen Aden so completely upon the land-side as to render it, what many people believe it can be made, a second Gibraltar, the British had a wide field for commercial speculation in the opposite coast of Africa. Aden was, in the 1840s, a very expensive possession.
Aden is situated in the territory of the Abadil tribe, which was said to number about 10,000 souls in the 1880s, who were not friendly towards Europeans; it was not advisable, therefore, to land on the western shore of Aden West bay. The religion of the Abadil tribe is Mohammedan, and they were, apparently, very strict observers of their creed.
About 25,000 tons of coal was usually in stock at Aden in the 1880s, about one half of which belonged to the large Steam Ship Companies. Private merchants had large quantities stacked in the Inner bay within Flint rock. There were great facilities for coaling in the harbour, and no interruptions, but at times, especially during southwest monsoon period, delays occurred when coaling in the bay. Coaling was by lighters.
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