The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c7.s9.90

c7.s9.90

By the autumn of 1778 Raghunáthráv was again in the ascendant, and on the pretext that the ministerial party had not observed the treaty of Purandhar a new engagement was entered into by our Government with him under which he was to be recognised as Peshwa, and the province of Bassein and the island of Khánderi were to be ceded to Bombay.³ This led two years later to the only serious campaign in the Konkan in which our troops were ever engaged. The advanced party of the force intended to conduct Raghunáthráv to Poona, took possession of the Borghát, and the main body of the troops left Bombay on November 23, and after taking the fort at Belápur and leaving in it a garrison of sixty men disembarked at Panvel where they remained for several days. After a further unnecessary delay the force went up the Ghát on December 23.⁴ The unfortunate events that followed, including the disgraceful convention of Vadgaon do not belong to the history of the Konkan, but while the army was above the gháts all supplies had to be sent from below, and to keep the road open between Panvel and Khopavli (Campolee) a company of Europeans, three of sepoys, and two guns were sent out under the command of Colonel Egerton. Raghunáthráv had also a force at Kalva opposite to Thána, but the enemy had about the district five thousand horse which had come down the Kására Ghát. It appears on the whole that communications between Panvel and Khopavli were not generally kept open, and that the two parties in the Konkan were pretty equally matched.⁵