Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/359

 Chap. VI. J

PEOJECTED IMPROVEMENTS AT BOMBAY.

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English Fokt, Bombay.— Churchill's Voyages.

to be enlarged and strengthened; a town, so situated as to be under its a d. icoo protection, was to be built on a regular plan ; inhabitants were to be in- duced to settle by exemptions f'.om castoms; and while the English were to be preferred, others also were to be encoui-ao-ed by the free exercise of their re- ligion. The improvement of the revenue, so far as practicable, without imposing new and bur- densome taxes, was not to be forgotten. To foster manufac- tures of cotton and silk goods, looms were to be purchased for the weavers ; and to give new facilities to commerce, a liarbom- and docks were to be constructed.

Before much progress could be made in carrjHing out these arrangements, ii,awb.ickg several untoward events took place, and new difficulties arose from various (luarters. The Portuguese, who had never been reconciled to the ces.sion of Bombay, endeavoured to render it as little lucrative as possible to its new pos- sessors, by taking advantage of their position at Tanna to impose heavy transit duties on all goods passing through it to or from Bombay ; the trade of which was in consequence greatly crippled, as Tanna, situated at the head of Bom- bay harbom', commanded the only proper line of communication with the main- land. While an important branch of traffic was thus in a manner interdicted, the trade of Surat was again suspended by an incursion of Sevajee. Tmme- s„rat again diately after his former visit, a substantial wall of brick, flanked with bastions, i;'"8*' > lijid been commenced and was approaching completion, but as much still remained open as to make it easy for Sevajee to penetrate into the heart of the town and resume his work of plunder. Besides the English and Dutch, there was now also a French factory. The last showed no fight, but obtained an ignominious exemption by giving the Mahrattas a free passage through their factory, and thus enabling them to obtain a rich booty by the plunder of a Tjirtar prince who had returned by way of Surat from a jiilgrimage to Mecca. The Dutch stood upon the defensive, and seemed so well prepared that they were allowed to escape. The English, under President Aungier, who had suc- ceeded on the death of Sir Georije Oxinden, distinmiished them.selves as before by beating off" repeated attacks. On this occasion, however, they were not so fortunate as to obtain the approbation of the Moguls. Sevajee, before he retired, had opened a friendly negotiation with the Englisii, and several conferences had been held with the view of arranging the re-establishment of the Company's factory at Rajahpore. Sevajee was anxious to secure the revenue which had