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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 215

Indian Navy was armed with all the privileges of a Naval
Service, the complements of the vessels of war, so far as
regarded the able-bodied seamen, were maintained at their
necessary strength by drafts from the jails. Often has the
writer brought off to his ship from Aden prison a batch of
seamen, who had the option of confinement in the •' chowkee,"
or service on board one of the Honourable Company's ships,
and we can aver that oftentimes the best men were these so-
called "jail-birds," who, though amenable to discipline nnder
the terrors of martial law, were too high-spirited to submit to
the brutality of a certain class of merchant skippers, who sub-
ject their crews to worse treatment than any costermonger dare
inflict on his donkey in England.
Notwithstanding all the disadvantages under which the
Bombay Marine laboured at the time of which we are writing,
and the paucity of the ships, it continued to perform good service
to the State ; the pirates were kept in check throughout the
Eastern seas, protection was afforded to the Indian coasting
trade, which in those days was of considerable value, maritime
surveys were prosecuted with vigour and success, and lastly,
many officers of the Service, travelling out of the sphere of
their regular duties, performed honourable service with the
troops engaged in the great struggle which we prosecuted
during the eighteenth century with the Mahrattas, and the
Mysore Princes, Hyder Ally and Tippoo Sultaun.
In the year 1802, the following were tiie ships of the Bombay
Marine:—The frigates 'Cornwallis,' of fifty-six guns — built at
Bombay, in 1800, and named after the Governor-General—and
'Bombay,' thirty-eight. The sloops-of-war 'Mornington,'twent3'-
two, launched at Bombay in 1800, and named after the then
Governor-General ; Teignmouth, sixteen, built in 1799, and
named after Sir John Shore; and ' Ternate,' sixteen, built in
1801. The fourteen gun brigs Antelope and ' Fl}^' added to the
'
'
Service in 1793. The snows ' Drake,' eighteen (1787) ; ' Panther,"
fourteen ; 'Viper,' fourteen; 'Princess Augusta,' four-
(1778J
teen (1768); 'Princess Royal,' fourteen (1768); 'Comet,' ten
(1798) ; and ' Intrepid,' ten (1780). The ketches ' Queen,' four-
teen; and 'Rodney,' fourteen. Besides these vessels,* there
were prizes and others purchased into the Service, for special,
or temporary, uses, such as the 'Swift,' 'Star,' ' Les Frcres
Unis.' ' Alert,' ' Assaye,' and others ; and there were also some
small craft and pattamars, armed with guns.
The personnel of the Bombay Marine at this time was com-
posed of the Superintendent, Mr. Philip Dundas, the i\Iaster-
* The armament of some of these ships differs from tliat given in tlic narrative,
which may be accounted for b}' the circumstance tliat ships-of-war, though pierced
for a certain number of guns, frequently carried more or less. Thus wlien tlie
old carronades fell into disuse, fewer, but heavier and more serviceable, guns wera
employed.