The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c15.26

c15.26

The Portuguese and the Sidi were not the only enemies that Kanhoji had to reckon with. In 1712 he had captured the Governor of Bombay’s armed yacht with another English vessel, the *Anne* of Carwar. As a partisan of Tara Bai, he had waged a successful war against Shahu and extended his dominions on the mainland by the reduction of the strong fortresses of Lohagad, Tung and Tikona. Shahu’s Peshwa, Bahiro Pant Pingle, had been taken a prisoner by his forces. But these successes did not turn Kanhoji’s head. As a practical man he realised the limits of his resources and decided to conclude peace with Shahu and the English so that he might be free to defend his territories against the joint efforts of the Sidi and the Portuguese. A treaty with the English involved little difficulty, but peace with Shahu was not so simple an affair. Consequently, he decided to come to terms with the English at once, and sent a messenger to Bombay in February 1713 with proposals for peace, offering to deliver the captured vessels if an Englishman of credit was sent to Kolaba. The Governor and Council proposed the following terms: