The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c14.63.2

c14.63.2

When requested to withdraw, he firmly replied that he had occupied the island at Shivaji's command and would not retire without his order. The Surat council resolved on 15 September to ‘repell them with force as an open enemy’. This was followed by a rash assault on the island, in which Ensign (?) Thorpe lost his vessel and his life. This disaster was followed by a naval action between the English squadron and Daulat Khan's fleet (‘consisting of upwards sixty vessells small and great’). At the first onslaught of the Maratha armada most of the English ships were struck by panic and the Dove¹ surrendered without firing a shot. Captains Keigwin and Minchin in the frigate Revenge, left alone to face the enemy, coolly awaited the Marathas. Better artillery and science prevailed in the end over number, and Daulat Khan's fleet was put to flight. The defeat of the Maratha fleet, however, did not lead to the abandonment of Kenery. The Sidi shortly appeared on the scene and began to batter the hastily built ramparts of the island but after a few days the English ceased to co-operate with him. His occupation of the sister island of Henery was not calculated to conciliate the English and although Bombay advocated a vigorous policy of hostilities, Surat counselled a more moderate policy. Their man-power was limited;