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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 117

of the 'Antelope,' a Bombay Marine 2:alivat, which was convoy-
ing some richly freighted vessels toCarabay, steered his charges
through a wrong channel, where they ran aground, and then,
after giving a pre-concerted signal to the Coolies ashore, made
his escape by leaping overboard. The ' Antelope ' was speedily
assailed by a strong force of pirates, and, although gaUantly
defended for a time, further resistance was rendered hopeless
by the explosion of her magazine. Ten Europeans, two Las-
cars, and two Sepoys perished ; and the officer in command and
one seaman, were the only Europeans that jsurvived.
^•'^ellicherry was at this time the.most important settlement
orthe English under the Presidency of Bombay, Surat even
ranking after it in point of expenditure. When war broke out
between the Malabarese and Canarese, the English at Telli-
cherry ranged themselves on the side of the former, and, in-
deed, became in a little time the principal combatants. Their
troops, under Captain Stirling, and a party of seamen of the
Bombay Marine, under Captain Nunn, attacked a pagoda, called
Cheria Coonay, on Christmas-da}^ 1738, and, having carried it
after a short struggle, succeeded in intercepting the communi-
cations of the Canarese arnjy with their fort of ]\Iadday.
Alarmed lest he should be hemmed in, Ragonath, the Canarese
general, after bursting some of his guns, throwing others into
wells, and setting fire to his camp, abandoned with precipita-
tion a strong position, and sought refuge under the guns of the
fort. Here he entrenched himself, but his troops suffered con-
siderably from the English skirmishers and the fire of tlieir
guns, whilst the Malabarese remained inactive spectators of a
contest which had originally been undertaken on their behalf.
However, as it was thought good policy to conciliate him rather
than drive him to despair, he was permitted to enter the fort
without being assailed, and Captain Stirling, beating a retreat,
closed the campaign. The Chief of Tellicherry afterwards
wrote to Ragonath, declaring that if the English forces had not
shown singular moderation and forbearance, his whole army
would have been destroyed; and, the following April, the Ca-
narese, sensible of their inferiority, made proposals of peace.
Thus the first war in which the English of Western India
showed any military skill, or contended with field-artillery and
what was called a regular army, was brought to a favourable
termination, and the officers and seamen of the Bombay Marine
added to the laurels they had gained ashore at Surat, Gom-
broon, Carwar, and other places.
As 1742 was a year of peace, reductions, of which the (lO-
vernraent had almost immediate cause to repent, were made
both in the marine and military establishments. Officers who
had been many years in the Company's service, wen^ harshly
dismissed ; and, although the local government, leeling the great