The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c7.s9.21

Language: English

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“ The Maráthás had in the meantime sent a force from Poona and taken some other forts in the Suvarndurg district and threatened Ratnágiri.² Bánkot was not given up till after the rains, when the name of the fort was changed from Himmatgad to Fort Victoria, and eventually the sovereignty of the river and ten villages on it were ceded. This was, excepting Bombay, the first territory the English possessed on the west side of India, and besides being valued for the bullocks that could be obtained there, it soon afterwards was found most useful as a recruiting³ ground for our native regiments.

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It was probably also valued as a harbour, for the anchorage was then much better than it has since become, and the river was navigable for large vessels.⁴ A treaty regulating the trade of the river was concluded in the following year.⁵ After the rains the Maráthás under Rámáji Pant again commenced operations in the Konkan, and early in the year 1756 they took Anjanvel and Dábhol after a siege, and reported the prospect of the immediate capture of Govalkot.³ They then continued their operations, and before the expedition against Vijaydurg started had reduced all the coast forts north of that without any particular loss, except at Rájápur, where 300 men were killed by an accidental explosion of gunpowder.⁶ " After the rains it was determined to attack Gheria, but it was so long since any Englishman had seen this place, that trusting to the report of the natives, they believed it to be at least as strong as Gibraltar, and like Gibraltar situated on a mountain inaccessible from the sea. For this reason it was resolved to send vessels to reconnoitre it, which service Commodore James, in the *Protector* with two other ships, performed.

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He found the enemy's fleet at anchor in the harbour, notwithstanding which he approached within cannon shot of the fort, and having attentively considered it, returned at the end of December to Bombay, and described the place such as it really was, very strong indeed, but far from being inaccessible or impregnable.¹ Upon his representation it was resolved to prosecute the expedition with vigour. The Marátha army under the command of Rámáji Pant marched from Chaul, and the twenty-gun ship, and the sloop of Mr. Watson's squadron, were sent forward to blockade the harbour where they were soon after joined by Commodore James in the *Protector* and another ship which was of 20 guns belonging to the Company. On the 11th of February the Admiral with the rest of the ships arrived. The whole united fleet now consisted of four ships of the line, of 70, 64, 60, and 50 guns, one of 44, three of 20, a grab of 12, and five bomb-ketches, fourteen vessels in all. Besides the seamen, they had on board a battalion of 800 Europeans with 1000 sepoys under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Clive. Ives says that the Marátha army consisted of 5000 or 6000 horse and as many foot.

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Their fleet was three or four grabs and forty or fifty gallivats, and was lying in the Rájápur creek (about four miles north of Gheria), the small fort of which they had taken before the English fleet arrived.² On its appearance Angria was so terrified that he left his town to be defended by his brother and went and put himself into the hands of the Maráthás who having crossed the river at some distance from the sea, were already encamped to the eastward of the peta. Here he endeavoured to prevail on Rámáji Pant to accept of a ransom for his fort, offering a large sum of money if he would divert the storm that was ready to break upon him. But the Marátha availing himself of his fear, kept him a prisoner, and extorted from him an order directing his brother to deliver the fortress to the Maráthás, intending if he could get possession of it in this clandestine manner to exclude his allies the English from any share of the plunder. The Admiral receiving intelligence of these proceedings, sent a summons to the fort on the morning after his arrival, and receiving no answer, ordered the ships to weigh in the afternoon as soon as the sea wind set in. They proceeded in two divisions, parallel to each other, the larger covering the bomb-ketches and smaller vessels from the fire of the fort.

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As soon as they had passed the point of the promontory, they stood into the river, and anchoring along the north side of the fortifications, began, at the distance of fifty yards, to batter them with 150 pieces of cannon; the bomb-ketches at the same time plied their mortars, and within ten minutes after the firing began, a shell fell into one of Angria’s grabs, which set her on fire; the rest being fastened together with her, soon shared the same fate, and in less than an hour this fleet, which had for fifty years been the terror of the Malabár coast, was utterly destroyed. In the meantime the cannonade and bombardment continued furiously, and silenced the enemy’s fire. But the governor did not surrender when the night set in. Intelligence being received from a deserter that he intended to give up the place the next day to the Maráthás, Colonel Clive landed with the troops; and in order to prevent the Maráthás from carrying their scheme into execution, took up his ground between them and the fort.