The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c16.16

c16.16

During the first Maratha war, the Peshwa’s fleet caused some anxiety to the Bombay Government, who wrote thus to the Governor-General and Council: ‘As a considerable part of our marine force is employed at Bassora and in the Persian Gulf, we have at present not a sufficient marine force for the protection of our trade on the Coast of Malabar from the Maratha fleet, which, it is most probable, will attempt making some depredations on it.’⁵ But actually little damage was done, and the Maratha fleet proved vastly inferior to that of its English opponents. Only two naval actions were fought during this war. The first took place in 1755 near Gheria. The frigate *Revenge* and the *ghurah* *Bombay* encountered the Maratha fleet near that port. The latter tried to flee, but one of their largest ships, the *Shamsher Jang*, was overtaken. After three hours’ fighting the Maratha man-of-war blew up and the Captain perished with most of his crew.¹ The second action, which was fought after the conclusion of peace, was lost by the English. The *Ranger*, a small brig of twelve guns, was conveying a number of high military officials from Bombay to Calicut, when it encountered the Maratha fleet under Anand Rao Dhulap, the best known, if not the ablest, of the Peshwa’s naval officers. The Maratha Admiral was ignorant of the termination of war, and the English Captain chose not to enlighten him. After a most stubborn fight the *Ranger* was captured and carried to Gheria, but not before the great majority of the men on board had been either killed or wounded. The *Ranger* was restored to the English Government as soon as Anand Rao Dhulap learnt of the conclusion of peace.²