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98 HISTORY OP THE INDIAN NAVY.
from the easternmost part of the fortifications to the outer part
of the harbour, keeping all our small galleys and galivatson the
off-side under shelter. But they had strong fortifications on
both sides, so that we left our strongest ships in the harbour to
make a breach in the wall, in order to storm the castle. The
rocks were very high and slippery, that one could hardly stand
without a staff, and consequently not a place convenient to draw
men up in any posture of defence. We endeavoured to get the
fire-ship in, but could not, for on the east part of the fort they
had a cove or creek, where they had laid up a great part of their
fleet, and had a strong boom across the same, so that we could
not get among them any otherwise than by throwing our bombs
and cohorns very thickly into the garrison, which we did for a
considerable time, and were in hopes, after the first and second
days' siege, that we should have drove them out of that strong
castle ; but we soon found that the place was impregnable : for
as we kept throwing our shells as fast as we could, in regular
time, cooling our chambers before we loaded again, after we had
beat down two or three houses in the castle, the shells fell on
the rocks in the inside of the castle, and the Aveight and force
of falling would break them without so much as their blowing
np, which was supposed to be owing to the fusee of the shell
burning too long. As to storming the walls, they were so high,
that the scaling ladders would not near reach the top of them."
Notwithstanding all their exertions, the commanders had to
draw oft' their forces on the 18th of April, 1717, having, pre-
viously, made an attempt to storm with the troops, who were
driven back with great loss.
In October, 1718, we find the squadron employed, in conjunc-
tion with the troops, in attacking Kenery, now in the occupation
of Angria. The first day a continual fire was kept up on both sides
from four in the morning till eight at night ; the English, how-
ever, appear to have been short-handed, as we gather from the
notice issued by the Governor, Mr. Boone, the same evening,
" that if any would go volunteers for the next day's service, they
should be paid on their arrival at Bombay forty rupees, and
whosoever should lose a leg or an arm in the said expedition,
should have £30 paid by the Company at their arrival in
London, and be employed in their service during life." This
bait only procured forty men, and the expedition proved
unsuccessful; on landing next morning and attempting to carry
the strong fortifications by storm, the small British force was
driven back with considerable loss. This failure was said to
be owing to the treachery of one Rama Kamattee, by whom the
garrison were placed on their guard.* This man was brought
* The following letter, said to have been written on this occasion by Rama
Kamattee to Angria, is a curious specimen of the style used in addressing the
petty princes of India ;
"To the Opulent and Magnificent as the Sun, valorous and victorious, always