The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c7.s9.18

Language: English

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"The Maráthás who were in possession of the main land opposite to Bombay, had several times made proposals to the English Government in the island, to attack this common enemy with their united forces, but it was not before the beginning of 1755 that both parties happened to be ready at the same time to undertake such an expedition. The Presidency then made a treaty with Rámáji Pant, Báláji Peshwa’s general in these parts, and agreed to assist the Maráthás with their marine force in reducing Suvarndurg, Bánkot, and some others of Angria’s forts, which lie near to Chaul, a harbour and fortified city belonging to the Maráthás. Accordingly Commodore James, the commander-in-chief of the Company’s marine force in India, sailed on the 22nd of March in the *Protector* of forty-four guns, with a ketch of sixteen guns and two bomb vessels; but such was the exaggerated opinion of Angria’s strongholds, that the Presidency instructed him not to expose the Company’s vessels to any risk by attacking them, but only to blockade the harbours whilst the Marátha army carried on their operations by land. Three days after the Marátha fleet, consisting of seven grabs and sixty gallivats, came out of Chaul, having on board 10,000 land forces, and the fleets united proceeded to Comara-bay, where they anchored in order to permit the Maráthás to get their meal on shore, since they are prohibited by their religion from eating or washing at sea.

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Departing from hence they anchored again about fifteen miles to the north of Suvarndurg when Rámáji Pant with the troops disembarked in order to proceed the rest of the way by land. Commodore James now receiving intelligence that the enemy’s fleet lay at anchor in the harbour of Suvarndurg represented to the Admiral of the Marátha fleet, that by proceeding immediately thither they might come upon them in the night, and so effectually blockade them in the harbour that few or none would be able to escape. The Marátha seemed highly to approve the proposal, but had not authority enough over his officers to make any of them stir before the morning, when the enemy discovering them under sail, immediately slipped their cables and put to sea. The Commodore then flung out the signal for a general chase; but as little regard was paid to this as to his former intention; for although the vessels of the Maráthás had hitherto sailed better than the English, such was their terror of Angria’s fleet, that they all kept behind, and suffered the *Protector* to proceed alone almost out of their sight. The enemy on the other hand exerted themselves with uncommon industry, flinging overboard all their lumber to lighten their vessels, not only crowding all the sails they could bend; but also hanging up their garments, and even their turbans, to catch every breath of air.

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The *Protector*, however, came within gun-shot of some of the sternmost, but the evening approaching, Commodore James gave over the chase, and returned to Suvarndurg which he had passed several miles. Here he found Rámáji Pant with the army besieging, as they said, the three forts on the main land; but they were firing only from one gun, a four-pounder, at the distance of two miles, and even at this distance the troops did not think themselves safe without digging pits, in which they sheltered themselves covered up to the chin from the enemy's fire. The Commodore, judging from these operations that they would never take the forts, determined to exceed the instructions which he had received from the Presidency, rather than expose the English arms to the disgrace they would suffer, if an expedition in which they were believed by Angria to have taken so great a share, should miscarry. The next day, the 2nd of April, he began to cannonade and bombard the fort of Suvarndurg situated on the island;¹ but finding that the walls on the western side which he attacked, were mostly cut out of the solid rock, he changed his station to the north-east between the island and the main; where whilst one of his broadsides plied the north-east bastions of this fort the other fired on Fort Goa, the largest of those upon the main land.

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The bastions of Suvarndurg however, were so high, that the Protector could only point her upper tier at them, but being anchored within a hundred yards, the musketry in the round tops drove the enemy from their guns, and by noon the parapet of the north-east bastions was in ruins, when a shell from one of the bomb vessels set fire to a thatched house, which the garrison, dreading the Protector's musketry, were afraid to extinguish; the blaze spreading fiercely at this dry season of the year, all the buildings of the fort were soon in flames, and amongst them a magazine of powder blew up. On this disaster the inhabitants, men women and children with the greatest part of the garrison, in all near 1000 persons, ran out of the fort, and embarking in seven or eight large boats, attempted to make their escape to Fort Goa, where the enemy after suffering a severe cannonade, hung out a flag as a signal of surrender; but whilst the Maráthás were marching to take possession of it, the governor, perceiving that the Commodore had not yet taken possession of Suvarndurg, got into a boat with some of his most honest men, and crossed over to the island, hoping to be able to maintain the fort until he should receive assistance from Dábhol which is in sight of it.

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Upon this the Protector renewed her fire upon Suvarndurg, and the Commodore finding that the governor wanted to protract the defence until night, when it was not to be doubted that some boats from Dábhol would endeavour to throw succours into the place, he landed half his seamen under cover of the fire of the ships, who with great intrepidity ran up to the gate, and cutting down the sallyport with their axes, forced their way into it; on which the garrison surrendered: the other two forts on the main land had by this time hung out flags of truce, and the Maráthás took possession of them.¹ This was all the work of one day, in which the spirited resolution of Commodore James destroyed the timorous prejudices which had for twenty years been entertained of the impracticability of reducing any of Ángria’s fortified harbours. On the 8th of April the fleet and army proceeded to Bánkot which surrendered on the first summons, and the Maráthás consented that the Company should keep it. Rámáji Pant was so elated by these successes, that he offered Commodore James 2,00,000 rupees if he would immediately proceed to Dábhol and some other of the enemy’s forts a little to the southward of that place; and certainly this was the time to attack them, during the consternation into which the enemy were thrown by the losses they had just sustained.

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But the monsoon was approaching, and the Commodore having already exceeded his orders, would not venture to comply with the Marátha’s request without permission from Bombay. But the Presidency, notwithstanding the unexpected successes of their arms, was so solicitous for the fate of one of their bomb ketches, a heavy flat-bottomed boat incapable of keeping the sea in tempestuous weather, that they ordered him to bring back the fleet into harbour without delay. Accordingly on the 11th he delivered the forts of Suvarndurg to the Maráthás, striking the English flag, which for the honour of their arms he had hitherto caused to be hoisted in them, and on the 15th sailed away with his ships to Bombay : the Marátha fleet at the same time returned to Chaul.