The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c7.s9.70

c7.s9.70

The first event in the Konkan after the accession of Náráyanráv in 1771 was the reduction of Ráygad, the *haváldár* of which had been for some months in rebellion. About the same time a British envoy was sent to reside at Poona, with the chief object of obtaining the cession of Sálsette Bassein and the islands of Bombay harbour,⁴ which the Court of Directors had now for several years looked on as a matter of the highest importance, declaring in 1769⁵ that Sálsette Bassein and their dependencies and the Maráthás' proportion of the Surat provinces were all that they sought for on the west side of India. Sálsette was wanted because its produce almost supplied Bombay, and with Karanja and Bassein quite sufficed for the wants of the English. Bassein was necessary for the provision of timber for the Company's dockyard.⁶ Some of the inhabitants of the island are said to have treated with the Bombay Government for its delivery a little later than this.⁷ After the death of Náráyanráv the ambition and unpopularity of Raghunáthráv made the alliance of the English very necessary to him, notwithstanding which he at the end of 1774 positively refused to surrender the coveted territory. But just at this time it was rumoured that a Portuguese armament was on the way from Europe to recover Sálsette, and the Bombay Government being determined that no European nation should again settle themselves so close to Bombay resolved to take the island by force. Thána had just been reinforced by 500 Maráthás: but on December 12 a force of 600 European and 1200 Native troops were sent up the creek from Bombay. The batteries were opened on the twentieth; on the twenty-seventh an attempt was made to fill up the ditch, but was repulsed with the loss of 100 Europeans. On the following evening, however, the fort was carried by assault with trifling loss on our side and the greater part of the garrison was put to the sword. Commodore Watson who commanded the naval force had previously been mortally wounded.¹ More than a hundred cannon were found on the walls, but most of them had been damaged or dismounted during the siege.²