The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c17.51

c17.51

But however crude and fanciful the practices of the Marathas may seem, we have seen that they had the sanction of a well recognised custom behind them and had formed the subject matter of solemn treaties; their legitimacy cannot, therefore, be questioned. At least one English writer, Captain Alexander Hamilton, seems to have frankly acknowledged this, when writing about the sovereignty of the sea claimed by the Chief of Burgara. He observes: 'Our own King was invested with the like sovereignty not only on his own coasts, but on those of France, Holland and Denmark, and could have no greater right than he had, only he was in a better condition to oblige the transgressors of his laws to obedience than he was .’¹ In the first half of the eighteenth century might still constituted the best right in international affairs all the world over.