Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/362

 •^-8 HISTORY OF INDIA. [Eook II.

A.D it574. Sevajee was luitmaily jcaloas oi' this arrangement, and though, from his

anxiety to see tlie Company's factoiy again e.staljlished at Rajahpore, he entered Treaty with into a formal treaty with them, binding himself to compen-sate them for all the losses which they had sustained by his depredation.s, it soon became apparent that he was determined not to tolerate the continuance of a hostile fleet in Lis Immediate vicinity. His first step was to send his general, Moro Punt, down the Ghauts with 10,000 men, to occupy Callianee or Kallian, opposite to the i.sland of Salsette. By this movement he accomplished two objects — he levied chout on the Portuguese, who had greatly offended him by a fanatical attempt to force the Mahrattas within their territories to become Chri.stians, and he overawed the Siddee, who, afraid for his fleet, made all haste to depart. Bombay har- bour had, however, proved so convenient a station that the Siddee fleet, after a short cruise, during which many devastating descents had been made on the Mahratta coasts, again retm-ned. The Bombay government having again permitted it to occupy its former station, Sevajee was greatly incensed, and resolved to rid himself of it at all hazards. With this view he at first collected a large fleet of boats within his own territory, on the east side of Bombay har- bour ; but finding the attack of the Siddee fleet in this manner impracticable, he made application to the Portuguese at Tanna for permission to cross over to Salsette, from which he anticipated little difficulty in finding access to Bom- bay itself This permission being refused, he turned his attention to an opposite Sevajee quarter, and dexterously availed himself of two small islands, called Kennery

occupies.

Kenuerv. and Hcnery, situated so as to command the southern entrance of Bombay har- bour. The natural strength of this position had hithei-to been overlooked both by Portuguese and English ; and when Sevajee had not only discovered it, but taken possession of Kennery, the larger of the two islands, and began to erect fortifications upon it, the greatest alarm prevailed. It was of no use to attempt negotiation, and therefore action was immediately resolved upon. The plan, however, was very defective, and in the first encounter the advantage was rather in ftivour of Sevajee's party. A second attempt would have been disas- trous to the assailants had not the Revenge, the only English fi-igate present, kept her ground, and, after sinking five of the enemy's vessels, compelled the whole fleet of fifty to seek safety by flight. The Mahrattas still kept possession of Kennery, and, mounting several cannon, fii'ed without much skill or effect. Meanwhile the Moguls, informed of the hostilities, expressed a desire to share m them, and sent a considerable fleet to Bombay. The dislodgment of the Mahrattas might now have been easy ; but the English, having discovered that the Siddee, if he succeeded in capturing it, meant to keep it to liimself, with- held their aid, and left the two native powers to fight it out as they best could. The struggle was in consequence protracted, and was not finished when Sevajee died in 1680.

Though war was thus raging in its vicinity, Bombay continued to make