A History of the Mahrattas v1.c22.50

v1.c22.50

A.D. 1737.—The Portuguese, who had assisted in taking Kolabah, not having received some districts promised to them in the neighbourhood of Rewadunda, now appeared, as the allies of Sumbhajee Angria against Mannajee, in another attack upon Kolabah. The Peishwa was sent to repel this attempt, in which he succeeded, took Mannajee under his protection, on condition of his paying the yearly sum of seven thousand rupees, and presenting annually to the Raja foreign articles from Europe or China,¹ to the value of three thousand rupees more. The war with the Portuguese led to the invasion of Salsette. Visajee Punt Leiley, a Carcoon in the service of the Peishwa, corrupted some natives in the Portuguese service.² The Mahrattas first possessed themselves of a small fort³ on the opposite side of the river from Bassein, on the night of the 6th April, put the commandant with his garrison to the sword, and occupied the river so as to prevent all succour from Bassein to the other forts on the island; numbers of their troops crossed on the seventh, and the fortifications of Tannah being then unfinished, and a whole curtain wanting, the Portuguese governor of Salsette, Don Lewis Botelho, who was there, without attempting to defend it himself, called a council of war and decided on retiring to Caranja, leaving Captain John de Souza Pereira to defend the fort, and Captain John de Souza Ferraz to command the garrison of Bandora opposite to Mahim. Pereira behaved with spirit, and gallantly repulsed two assaults, in the last of which he was severely wounded; but the officer who succeeded him, having been seized with a panic when there was no enemy in sight, shamefully took to flight. The English at Bombay, interested in the defence of Bandora, sent both men and ammunition to that post; but on other occasions declared their neutrality.⁴ The Peishwa, to secure these conquests and to maintain the war against the Portuguese, entertained some Arabs and a very large body of infantry, principally Mawulees and Hetkurees. But news from Delhi obliged him to withdraw a part of his forces from the Concan.