Page 169 - INDIANNAVYV1

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 137
Soon after the fall of Angria, Commodore James, while
cruising in the ' Revenge,' twenty-eight guns, fell in with the
French ship ' rindienne,' bound from the Mauritius. Though
she had six more guns, and carried a crew of one-third more
men, he engaged her, and, after a short action, captured and
carried her into Bombay. A few months later we find Conmio-
dore James engaged in an adventure in which his scientific
attainments and originality of mind were displayed. He had
long supposed that by sailing out of the influence of the south-
west monsoon, it was possible for a vessel to reach a latitude
where variable gales prevailed, and that by such means a
communication might be kept up between the different parts of
the Company's settlements on both sides of the Indian Peninsula.
He, accordingly, sailed from Bombay in the middle of the
speaking of the capture of Gheria in 1756, " they were not possessed of any mari-
time force, but at present, having a safe and convenient seaport, with a strong
castle to defend it, they pay gi-eat attention to their Marine, which has made
them as powerful by sea as they have hitherto been considered by land. Tliey
are so jealous of this power, that they will not suffer ships of any nation to enter
the port of Gheria, excepting such as may be forced in by stress of weather.
They make prize of every European ship which they can overcome, and have
always continued this practice since they have had this port, excepting with
regard to the English, with whom, until the late rupture, they have been at peace
many years. The Dutch, French, and Portuguese cannot sail by or near tlieir
coast in safety, without being strongly convoyed. A very few months since, five
or six merchant ships sailed from Goa, bound for Suratand the isle of Diu, under
the convoy of a man-of-war of sixty-four guns, which they attacked with their
frigates, and after putting it to tliglit made prizes of his wliole convoy (which
were Portuguese), and carried them safely into Gheria." But notwithstanding
this success, their strength created no fear in the hearts of the officers of the
Bombay Marine, for we find the following reference to them by the same gentle-
man, who cruised along the Malabar coast on board the ' Eevenge,' Commodore
Moore, a redoubtable officer of tlie service, in company with the ' Bombay.'
" We were told at Goa that the whole Mahratta fleet were manned, and had
sailed from Glieria, and were resolved to attack the ' Revenge' and Bombay'
'
grab, with the ships and vessels uuder their convoy, notwithstanding the limited
time of the cessation of arms was not yet expired this did not affright the cap-
;
tains, officers, or crews of these 8hi])s, who rather wished to have another trial of
skill with them, on which account tliey proposed to sail on the 9th of February.
We sailed from the Aquada, and ke])t sailing up to tlic northward ; nn tlie 11th
we approached near to Gheria. We could not perceive their fleet in that port, or
in little Gheria, where we arrived on the 13th. We concluded they were either
at sea, or in some harbour to the northward, waitinij for us ; our conjectures
proved true, for early in the morning of the l(?th, we discovered their whole fleet
at anchor at the entrance of a port called Cole Arbor (Kolabah), about three
leagues to the north of us ; there wore so many, so near each other, tliat wo
could not count them. We kept on our way, and, as they were to windward, we
were in continual expectation of their coming out, and were much surprised tlu'y
did not. At noon we were so near them ns to be able to count tlunr number,
which was that of their whole JMarine force, consisting of three frigales, five
ketches, and ten galivats. We made a tack in shore, which brouglit us within
gunshot. Our Commodore and tiic fleet then hoisted Knglisli colours, and the
Mahratta Admiral lioisted his, and a red flag on his nniin-toinnast, when the
whole fleet hoisted their ensigns, but none offered to move; we then tacked offto
sea, and kept working to windward till eight in the evening, when we saw the
light in Old Woman's Island, and at eight next morning we anchored in the har-
bour of Bombay, where Commodore Sir Edward Hughes, of the sfpiadron of His
Majesty's ships under his command, lay at anchor, the 17th of February, 1770.