The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c15.85

c15.85

In 1724 Kanhoji addressed a letter to William Phipps, who had succeeded Charles Boone as Governor of Bombay in January 1722,³ proposing a treaty of peace. Phipps replied in a haughty tone, commenting on the character of Kanhoji’s government, but Kanhoji renewed his proposal of exchanging prisoners, adding retorts to Phipps’ criticism, which were full of sarcasm. He was impelled to make this proposal, as we are informed by a Portuguese writer, by the desire of securing the liberty of Shivaji Naik, one of his captains, who had been taken prisoner when a Pal of Angria’s fleet surrendered to the English near Cape Rama. Eventually, an exchange of prisoners was effected in 1725, though the main