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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAYY. 153
The French burnt the ' Speedwell ' sloop, and at high water
hauled in their twenty-two gun ship within four hundred yards
of the factory; they also landed their troops and heavy guns,
and battered the west face of the building for two hours. About
three in the afternoon the French sunnnoned the place to sur-
render, and Mr. Douglas capitulated, his men being regarded as
prisoners of war, with liberty to carry away their personal
effects ; by one of the articles it was agreed that the twenty-six
civilians, found in the place, should be exchanged for Count
d'Estaing, who, being on parole, was ostensibly proceeding to
Europe by way of Bussorah, though, in reality, he conducted
the operations. The French, having burnt the factory, and left
a quantity of articles as a present to MooUah Ali Khan, the
Persian Governor, set sail on the 30th of October, but they
certainly derived more profit than honour from this feat of arms,
for we are told the account of how they laid regular siege to
an almost defenceless factory, was received with surprise and
derision by "all military gentlemen in India."
In December, 1700, took place the death, without issue, of
Sumbhajee, Rajah of Kolapoor, the last lineal descendant of
Sevajee, whom the English also called the Sow Rajah, a name by
which the dynasty is generally denominated by Grose and other
travellers and writers of that time. After Sumbhajee's death
piracy again prevailed to a great extent on this coast. We find
it recorded that, in 17G5, the Bombay Government sent an
expedition, including some ships of the Bombay Marine, which
reduced both Malwan* and Rairee, the former belonging to Kola-
poor, and the latter to Sawunt Waree.
Early in 1768, the Bombay Government fitted out an expe-
dition, consisting of a squadron of their ships, with four hundred
European troops and a large body of Sepoys, to attack llyder
Ally's seaports on the Malabar coast. The enterprise was
completely successful. The expedition firstmade its appearanceoff
Onore, or Honawur, where Ilyder Ally, the great ruler of Mysore,
familiarly known at this time as Hyder Naick, had begun to
prepare a fleet. He had, however, alienated from his interests
the captains of his ships by appointing as his admiral Ali Bey,
an officer of cavalry, who, of course, was totally ignorant of
nautical matters. The consequence was that, when the expedition
appeared off Onore, Hyder's llei-t, consisting of two ships, two
grabs, and ten galivats, sailed and joined the English. Onore, and
Fortified Island, at the mouth of the Onore river, were captured,
and thence the expedition sailed for Mangalore. The forts were
captured with but small loss, and the squadron brought off nine
*Malwan is a strong fort on the mainland near Mehimly Island or Sindecdroog ;
the port of Malwan allordcd shelter to the pirates who derived their name from
the place. About twenty miles to the southward is Karee Point and Fort, the
latter situated on a commandiii'' eminence.