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144 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.

1761, His Majesty's ships 'Dtike of Aqnitain,' ' Snnderland,'
'Newcastle,' and ' Qiieensborough,' and the Company's ship 'Pro-
tector,' which had done such good service as Commodore James's
flagship, were driven ashore and lost, and other ships suffered
severely, though the arrival of Admiral Cornish with his Division,
enabled the Navy to renew the blockade of Pondicherry, which
capitulated a few days later.
Peace was concluded between the two countries in 1702, and
the 1st of September was observed at Bombay as a day of
thanksgiving, when the Governor and Council, accompanied by
the principal European and Native inhabitants, repaired to the
Green, where the King's proclamation of peace with France and
Spain was read and a salute fired.
During these years, so critical for the welfare of the nascent
British power in India, the Bombay Marine, besides affording
valuable co-operation to the Navy, continued to execute with
credit and success their duties as the police of the Eastern seas,
for, though Angria's power was most effectually crushed, they
had ample employment in keeping in check the piratical vessels
hailing from numerous ports in the Concan and Canara coasts,
and affording protection and convoy to the trade of the Red Sea,
Persian Gulf, and Malabar littoral.
We will now treat briefly of events at Surat, the cradle of
the Service, so far as they bear upon its history. The Bombay
Presidency, says a writer, had long fixed covetous eyes upon
that portion of the revenues of Surat wdiich were allotted to the
Seedee for the maintenance of his fleet, in order that he might
protect the native trade, and which had received the name
of tiinkha, from the small silver coin originally used for pay-
ment during the reign of Ackbar ; this tunkha was derived
from the assignment of the revenues of certain districts, with
a portion of the Customs, amounting in all to a yearly sum
of about c£36,000. Plans for the appropriation of this tribute
were now proposed by the Government of Bombay, and, after
the details had been fully discussed, an attempt was made to
put them into execution. Though still considered hereditary
Admirals of the Mogul empire, successive Seedees had been
gradually losing their reputation, and when Angria had, in
conjunction with the Peishwa, seized their fleet at Rajapore,
their flag was no longer respected by the Native powers, or
dreaded by the numerous rovers of the coast ; indeed they could
no longer afford the protection, in consideration of which a
portion of the revenues had been assigned to them. Of the sum
annually set apart for this duty, only about two lacs reached
their treasury, the remainder being intercepted by the
Nawab, or Native Governor, of the city, as his perquisite ; but so
far were they from fulfilling the conditions on which the grant
had been originally made to them, that they were themselves at