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94 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
very unprotected state. He, accordingly, sent to Snrat, where he
caused to be built, in six months, the ' Britannia,' Captain AVeeks
commanding, and carrying eighteen guns and one hundred and
forty men, and the ' Fame,' Captain Passvvater, sixteen guns
and one hundred and twenty men. Each of these ships had, in
addition to the crew, a company of marines on board. This
squadron was now sent on a cruise down the coast ; and, after
a skirmish or two with Angria's vessels, returned to Bombay,
where the force was augmented by two new vessels, one of small
size, called the ' Defiance,' Captain Matthews, and the other of
twenty-four guns and one hundred and eighty men, called the
' Victory,' commanded by Captain Alexander Hamilton, who
was Commodore and Commander-in-chief of all the Company's
naval forces at Bombay, or on the coast of India. This
squadron, having received a body of troops on board, pro-
ceeded in 1718 to Carwar, where the sailors of the Bombay
Marine performed good service. Having once been plundered
by Mogul troops, the factory, which had been foolishly con-
structed some distance from the sea, and so " was nothing but
a genteel prison," had since been strongly fortified, and to this
the inmates now owed their liberty, perhaps their lives, for the
Desaee, as the ruler of the State of Sawunt Waree is called,
having thrown off his allegiance to the Rajah of Sattara,
considered that it was one of his royal privileges to claim all
wrecks on the coast as his property, and resented the conduct of
Mr. George Taylor, the Agent, who had appropriated to himself
the cargo of a ship cast ashore about four miles from the factory.
Commodore Hamilton gives the following interesting account
of the operations :—" The Rajah besieged the factory for two
months before the season would admit of forces coming to assist
them by sea ; and when they arrived, the seas run so high on
dency in 1715, and, after a brief interregnum, during which Stephen Strutt, the
Deputy Governor, discharged the duties of the executive, was succeeded by
Chai'les Boone, usually styled either President or Governor, who, again, was suc-
ceeded in 1720, by William Phipps. The Governor's salary was £300 per
annum, the Deputy-Governor, who was also accountant, received £100, and
Lawrence Parker, who succeeded Strutt in the ofBce, received £100 as Chief
Justice. The third in councU had £70, the fourth and fifth, £50 each, the sixth,
seventh and eighth, had each £40. Then came " the Minister," as he was called,
whose salary was £50 and usually another £50, a " gratuity, if found desei'ving."
A physician and two surgeons received £50 each. Altogether, in 1720, there
were forty-six covenanted servants in Bombay—military officers not being
then included under that head—whose salaries were paid half-yearly, and
amounted to £786 14*. 9d., or Rupees 6293. 3. 7, exchange being at the rate of
2s. 6d. per rupee. There was also a monthly charge of 2,620 rupees made on
these gentlemen's account for diet and other allowances, and horses were pro-
vided for them at tlie Company's cliarge. A separate account was kept for
extraordinary disbursements, under which head came the steward's biU of 1,170
rupees, for festivities on New Year's and Christmas Days. There was no restric-
tion on private trade, so that civil and military officers were openly engaged in
large mercantile speculations, with the Company's sanction, as may be seen in
the extant ledgers, called the " Latty Eecords." (See "Bombay Quarterly Re-
view," vol. iii.)