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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAYY. 209

cessfnl ill intercepting several of these vessels. Man}' deeds of
daring were achieved by tliese ships' boats, which h)st two
men killed and several severely wounded, while employed on
this duty.
Mr. Denton also performed good service in his gunboat. One
day, while cruising off the bay of Boloo Comba, in the island of
Celebes, he fell in with a large proa, but as, owing to a dead
calm, his little craft could not close with the enemy, he pushed
off with two small boats. Before the second boat could get
alongside Mr. Denton boarded the enemy, but the odds were too
great, and he was repulsed with the loss of two men, himself
and the remainder of the boats' crew being hurled overboard.
He was picked up by the second boat, and, as a light breeze
had sprung up, proceeded to the gunboat and made sail
towards the proa. A second time he tried to carry the enemy
Ly boarding, but failed, owing to their numerical superiority.
He now ran the proa close on board at the bow, and himself
having lashed her bowsprit to his taffrail, steered for Boloo
Comba, engaging her the whole time. At length, when five
miles from that place, the proa sunk from the effects of the
gunboat's shot, and, out of her crew of seventy desperadoes,
only eleven survived. This vessel was proved to be laden with
gunpowder, and, had she succeeded in entering the port of the
Rajah of Boni, would have enabled him to continue his resist-
ance to the British.
These operations closed the services of the Bombay Marine
in the Eastern islands, for, in pursuance of a convention con-
cluded between the Ijritish and Netherlands Governments, the
former agreed to deliver up to the Dutch the island of Java and
its dependencies.* The ' Nautilus' brought instructions to the
Lieutenant-Governor arranging for tlie transfer, which took
place, with ap[)ropriate ceremonies and nnder the usual salutes,
Before that date the troops and
on the IDth of August, 181 ().
civil and military authorities at Batavia, were end)arked in eight
transports, and the ships of the Bombay i\larinet returned to
Bombay after a lengthened, eventful, and distinguished service,
during which they had taken part in five important Expeditions ;
namely, the conquest of Java, and the minor operations directed
against Palimbang, Samarang, Sambas, and Boni, besides much
harassing service in keeping the jiolice of the seas. How well
they had performed this duty, may be gathered from the great
* Of all our conquests from tlie Dutch, tlie Cape of Good Hope was alone
retained, and their settlement of Cochin was exchanficd for the island of Banea,
which had been acquired by a deed of cession from the Rajah of I'aliinbanj;.
By the treaty of 1814 with France, most of the colonies and factories taken from
her during the war were restored, except the island of JIauritius.
t While cni])loyed under the IJengal Cioverument, the olllcers received a high
rate of extra pay, wliicli was also made in sicca rupees, a coin of greater value
than the old Eoiiibay rupee.