Page 188 - INDIANNAVYV1

15G HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
were opened on the 20tli of December, and, on the eighth day,
the breach was considered practicable. As it was necessary to
fill up the ditch before an advance to storm could be made, an
attempt to effect this operation was undertaken on the night of the
27th of December, which, however, was unsuccessful, the column
being forced to retire with the loss of one hundred Europeans.
On the following evening the assault was delivered, and with
complete success ; but the troops, exasperated by their losses,
put the greater part of the garrison to the sword. " Among
those who fell at Tannah," says Grant Duflf, " was Commodore
John Watson, a brave and experienced officer, who was mortally
wounded* on the third day of the siege." To this gallant and
lamented officer, to whose memory the Company erected a monu-
ment in St. Thomas's Cathedral at Bombay, might be applied
"—
the epigram from Tacitus' " Life of Agricola : " Tu verofelix
non tantum vitce claritate, sed etiam opportunitate mortis^'' which
may be translated " Thou hast been happy, indeed, not only in
the brilliancy of thy life, but even in the occasion of thy death."
Before New Year's Day the whole of the Island of Salsette
was reduced, and the Island of Caranja occupied.
While Colonel Keating was engaged in Guzerat in prosecuting
the war with the contingent of two thousand five hundred
Bombay troops, supplied to enable Rugonath Rao to establish
himself at Poona, the Bombay Marine well performed its part,
and of njany acts of gallantry we will mention one that reujains
on record. The Mahratta Navy, which was in the interests of
the ministers at Poonah, consisted, at the commencement of the
war, of six ships—one of forty-six guns, one of thirty-eight,
one of thirty-two, and three of twenty-six guns, with five ketches
of from twelve to fourteen guns, and twelve galivats having
from six to ten guns each. This fleet was met at sea off Gheria,
which had been handed over, after its capture, to the Mahrattas,
by Commodore John Moore, in the ' Revenge ' frigate and ' Bom-
bay' grab, Captain Sheriff, when, notwithstanding the great
disparity of force, the Commodore bore down upon the hostile
line. The Mahratta fleet, however, avoided an action, and made
sail to escape. Having singled out the largest ship, the Shum-
'
sher Jung,' of forty-six guns, the English vessels gave chase,
and, at length, the little grab, being an excellent sailor, brought
her to action. The Commodore came up to the assistance of the
' Bombay,' and, after an engagement of three hours, the 'Shum-
sher Jung' blew up, when the commander and the greater
portion of her crew perished, and the ship was totally destroyed.!
A writer who was in Bombay the year following this event, and
* His wounds were most painful, but of a rather singular diaracter. A canuon-
sLot struck tiie sand near him and drove the particles into his body.
t Grant Duff's " History of tlie Mahrattas," vol. ii., p. 305. Also " Historical
Account of Bombay ," and Ives' Voyage.