The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c15.128

c15.128

Sambhaji was the aggressor on this occasion. Unreconciled to the loss of Kolaba, he was only waiting for a suitable opportunity to recover it from his brother. Early in April he suddenly landed at Alibag, captured Hirakot and Sagargad, and then laid siege to Kolaba. Manaji in his distress appealed to the Peshwa and the English for help. He had not always been friendly to the English, and only a year previously the Bombay Government had found it necessary to chastise him. But though they disliked Manaji, they feared Sambhaji more, and neither the Peshwa nor the English could afford to be indifferent witnesses of Manaji’s ruin, which would mean a further increase of Sambhaji’s power. A Maratha force under Balaji Baji Rao and an English naval squadron almost simultaneously appeared before Kolaba, and Sambhaji had to beat a hasty and ignominious retreat.²