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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 375
" 17th Xorember, 1777.
" General Orders.—The commanding officer, being entirely
satisfied with the appearance and behaviour of the Marine
Battalion at the review this morning, thinks proper to signify
the same in public orders, and desires the commandant to
thank the inferior officers in his name for their diligence and
attention.
"As that Battalion is intended to perform all marine duties,
one havildar, one naique, and eight Sepoys of that corps are
immediately to relieve the like number now on board the ' Betsy'
schooner ; tliey are also, on Thursday morning next, to relieve
all the detatchments from on board the other galivats and
vessels in the service of the Hon. Compan}'' now lying in the
harbour of Bombay, with the like number."
By the foregoing Order the Battalion entered on the perform-
ance of its Marine duties, but its strength not being found
adequate, it was augmented to an establishment of eight
companies by an order of Government, under date the 0th of
January, 1778, as follows:
" The Honourable the President and Council, finding the
Marine Battalion of Sepoys insufficient in number to the duties
required from it, have been pleased to order that it be
augmented as soon as possible to eight companies, which are
to consist of one hundred private men each, with the same
number of black officers as are at present allowed to each
company, and no increase of European officers."
While the Bombay Marine was actively employed in the year
1779, against Surdan Khan, an officer in the service of Hyder
Ally, the detachments of the battalion from on board the
several vessels, ' Durruck,' ' Eagle,' Manchester,' and 'Bombay,'
'
and the pattamars, then on the coast, were landed at Telli-
cherry, and, under the connnand of Captain Jameson, directed
to join the British force. In thr actions that ensued on
this service many officers and men were killed and woundetl.
These detachments were afterwards employed on board their
respective vessels in preventing the retreat of merchants, with
goods down the creek of Calicut, during the time the British
troops were besieging that fort.
In consequence of the great demand for men Ibr Murine
duties, in 1785 Government ordered drafts I'rom the 1st, '.h\\,
4th, and 5th Battalions to complete the complement of the
corps. In 1788, the Marine Battalion consisted of eight
companies, each company of one subadar, two jemadars, live
havildars, five naiques, two drummers and fifers, one waterman,
and one hundred Sepoys. In November of this year, when the
distinctions for the Native corps were selected by the T'om-
mander-in-Chief, the battalion feather was ordered to be black.