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 Chap. VII.] THE ANURIA PIKATES. 513

The Mahratta commander was so elated by a success which far exceeded his ad. 1-55. utmost hopes, that he endeavoured to tempt the commodore by an offer of 200, 000 rupees to continue his career of victory, and complete it by the captiu-e of Dabul, another of Angria's strongholds, situated on the coast about eight miles farther south. The commodore's own wish would have been to comply with this proposal, but having already exceeded his instructions he did not ven- tiure to act without express sanction. In the hope of obtaining it, he hastened off in the Protector to Bombay. Here, however, notwith.standing his unex- pected achievements, the presidency were still haunted by doubts and fears, and he was reluctantly compelled to desist from further operations.

Such was the state of matters when the Bombay presider:cy, by the arrival Tooiajee

Angria's

of Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, found themselves in possession of a stronghold. powerful force, for which, from their determination not to employ the troops in the Deccan, as originally intended, they had no immediate ( ccasion. In these circumstances, the work which Commodore James had so ably begvm, naturally suggested itself, and it was determined to strike at the root of Tooiajee Angria's j)Ower by attacking Viziadroog or Gheriah. This place, situated about 170 miles south of Bombay, was very imperfectly known by Euiopeans, and figured in their imaginations as a fortress built, like Gibraltar, on an inaccessible rock, and at least equal to it in strength. So prevalent was th.e idea, that it was deemed prudent, before actuall}^ undertaking the expedition, to reconnoitre. With tliis view Commodore James proceeded with the Protector and two other ships, and, undeterred by the fleet which lay crowding tiie harbour, advanced sufficiently near to the fort to obtain a full survey of it. His report was, that Gheriah, though undoubtedly strong, was very far from being impregnable. Its site was a rocky promontory, connected with the mainland by a narrow belt of sand, and stretching south-west about a mile in length by a quarter of a mile in breadth. The face of the promontory all roimd, where washed by the sea, formed a continuous precipice about fifty feet high. Above this rose the fortifi- cations, consisting of a double wall flanked with towers. The sandy isthmus contained the docks where the grabs were built and repaired ; and immediately beyond, on the north, was the harbour. i)artly formed by the mouth of a stream which descended from the Ghauts.

Commodore James returned from his survey in the end of December, 1755; Prcimrations but nearly six weeks were afterwards spent in making preliminary aiTangements Man united Some of these related to the terms on which the Company and the Mahrattas ^^^^^f,^^ '^" were to co-operate, and it was expressly stipulated, that while the former were to obtain Bancoote and five adjoining villages in perjietuity, Gheriah, if taken, should belong to the latter. Another an-angement related to the distribution of the spoil which was expected to fall to the actual captors. With this the two governments could not well interfere ; but it is difticult to understand how, in making this an-angement, the undoubted title of the Mahrattas to a fair ])ropor- VoL. I. 65.

■atta force.