Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/415

Book V. presidency of Bombay not providing for such an accident, but fearful that the letters they might write on this subject would be intercepted by the French, contented themselves with only sending to Madrass advices of the arrival of colonel Clive with the troops, without explaining their destination; however, slender as this information was, it served to suggest to some members of the council the whole extent of the company's intention; in consequence of which they formed a plan for the conduct of it, which they recommended in the strongest terms to the presidency of Bombay; but before these letters arrived, that presidency had taken the resolution of employing all their force, in conjunction with Mr. Watson's squadron, against another enemy, who bad long been formidable to the English commerce on that side of India.

The Malabar coast, from cape Comerin to Surat, is intersected by a great number of rivers, which disembogue into the sea; it appears that from the earliest antiquity the inhabitants have had a strong propensity to piracy, and at this day all the different principalities on the coast employ vessels to cruize upon those of all other nations which they can overpower. The Mogul empire, when it first extended its dominion to the sea in the northern parts of this coast, appointed an admiral called the Sidee, with a fleet to protect the vessels of their Mahometan subjects trading to the gulphs of Arabia and Persia, from the Malabar pirates, as well as from the Portugueze. The Morattoes were at that time in possession of several forts between Goa and Bombay, and finding themselves interrupted in their piracies by the Mogul's admiral, they made war against him by sea and land. In this war one Conagee Angria raised himself from a private man to be commander in chief of the Morattoe fleet, and was entrusted with the government of Severndroog, one of their strongest forts, built upon a small rocky island which lies about eight miles to the north of Dabul, and within cannon shot of the continent: here Conagee revolted against the Saha Rajah, or king of the Morattoes, and having seduced part of the fleet to follow his fortune, he with them took and destroyed the rest. The Saha Rajah endeavoured to reduce him to obedience by building three forts upon the main land, within point blank shot of Severn droog; but Conagee took these forts likewise, and in a few years got