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102 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.

English ship, tliat they ordered the officer who connnunded their
Heet to be put to death.
Madagascar continued to be, as it had been for a century, a
stronghold of pirates. In 1720, two of their vessels boldly
attacked three ships as they were lying at anchor ; two. called
the 'Greenwich' and ' Cassandra,' " being English, the third
belonging to the Ostend Company, who were "interlopers."
The ' Greenwich' and the Ostend ship weighed and put to sea,
but the ' Cassandra' ran by accident on some rocks. The only
piratical vessel which attacked her was of Dutch build, with
twenty guns; and she also grounded about twenty yards from
the Englishman, so that she lay towards his broadside. In this
predicament her decks were swept by the ' Cassandra's' guns,
and her crew compelled to seek shelter in the hold, but on her
companion coming to her assistance, the English Captain found
it necessary to save the lives of himself and crew by taking to
the boats. The most remarkable part of this affair was, that
he afterwards had the address and courage to visit the pirates,
and so gained upon their better feelings by his judicious appeals,
that they presented to him their own vessel which he had so
severely battered. With this he, and his distressed crew,
reached Bombay in September, when their bravery was rewarded
by the thanks and liberality of the Governor. Commodore
Matthews sailed with his grabs to revenge this and other
injuries in 1722, but, says Hamilton, " found they had deserted
the island of St. Mary's, leaving behind them some marks of their
robberies, for in some places they found pepper a foot thick, lying
on the ground in the open air. The Commodore aforesaid went
with his squadron over to the main island, but the pirates had
carried their ships into rivers and creeks, out of danger of the
men-of-war, and to offer to burn them with their boats would
be impracticable, since they could have easily distressed the
boat's crews out of the woods. The Counnodore had some
discourse with some of them, but they stood on their guard,
ready to defend themselves if any violence had been offered
them."*
: —
* Hamilton writes " There had been several squadrons of British men-of-
war sent to cruise on the pirates, but have had very ill success in finding them
out ; but one Scot's ship, commanded hj one Millar, did the publick more service
in destroying them, than all the chargeable squadrons that have been sent out in
quest of them ; for, with a cargo of strong ale and brandy, which he carried to
sell tliem, in anno 1704, he killed about five hundred of tliem by carousing,
though they took his ship and cargo as a present from liim, and his men entered,
most of them, into the society of the pirates. It was reported in India, that
Commodore Littleton had some of that gang on board the ' Anglesey' at Mada-
gascar, but, for some valuable reasons, he let them go again
; and because tliey
found difficulty in cleaning the bottoms of their large ships, he generously
assisted them with large blocks and jack-falls for careening them. Whether those
reports were true or false, I will not undertake to determine, but I saw a pirate
at Bengal, in the French Company's service, that affirmed it. Madagascar is-
envii-oued with islands and dangerous slioles, botli of rocks and sand. St. Mary's,