Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/549

 Chap. VI I] CAPTURE OF GIIERIAH. olo

Within ten minutes, one of the grabs which crowded the harbour was set on fire ad. itso.

by a shell, and the whole of the piratical tieet, which for tifty years had been

the terror of the Malabar coast, was in flames. Before night set in, the enemy's f^heriaii

attacketl.

fire was silenced, but no surrender was offered. There was little doubt tiiat the fort would be obliged to succumb, and the great question now was how to secure the spoil. According to the report of a deseiter the iMahrattas were to be put in [)Ossession of the place on the following day. Wiiat would then become of the prize-money, about the distribution of which the two services had been prema- turely quarrelling at Bombay? Once accessible to such dexterous pillagers, every vestige of it would speedily disappear. This was to be prevented at all hazards ; and therefore, as if the capture of the fort had been only a secondary object, or as if the Mahrattas, to whom the delivery of it in the event of its capture was guaranteed by treaty, had no right to take pos.session, Clive landed his troops, and took up a position commanding the only approach to the fort by land. The Mahratta commander, finding himself outwitted by this manceuvi'e, made secret overtures to Captain Buchanan, the officer on picket, and offered him a bill on Bombay for 80, rupees (£8000) if he would permit him and a few of his people to pass. The bribe, which would have rendered the receiver infamous, was indignantly rejected; but, as Duff remarks,^ "it is a circumstance worthy of notice as elucidating the character of the times, that the Bombay government thought common honesty so rare, as to present Ca})tain Buchanan with a gold medal in consideration of his extraordinary good ])ehaviour."

The Mahrattas having been excluded access to the fort the bombardment was renewed, and at length, on the afternoon of the second day, on an intima- tion by the garrison to the advanced guard of the troops on shore, that they were ready to surrender, Clive marched up and took possession. The captors had reason to congratulate themselves on their good foi'tune. Though the can- nonade had destro}'e(l the artificial works, the rock still formed a natimil bul- wark, against which, if it had been valiantly defended, nothing could have availed but regular approaches on the land side. Within the fort were found 200 Giieri!.ii pieces of cannon, six brass mortal's, a great quantity of naval and military stores of aU kinds, and value in money and other effects to the amount of £1 20,000. This sum was divided as originally arranged at Bombay. The Mahrattas got nothing, and when they complained were told that whatever claim they might have had was forfeited by the treacherous attempt to bribe a British officer and obtain possession for themselves. It may be so ; but, in considering the justice of the case, it is necessary to remember that those who now accused them of want of good fsvith had been the first to set them an example. It has been already mentioned, that in terms of a treaty made between the Conq)any and the Mahrattas, the former obtained possession of Bancoote, with some depen- dencies, and the latter were, in the event of its capture, to obtain pos.se.ssion < f

' flintor;/ of the 3fahratias, vol. ii. p. Ot'l.