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1679] Bombay and 30 miles north of Janjira. As early as April 1672 the people of Surat learnt of his intention to build a fort on the island. The English President at once decided to prevent it, as affecting the interests of Bombay even more than those of Surat, because no ship could enter or issue from Bombay harbour without being seen from Khanderi. (F. R. Surat 87, Surat to Bomb. 22 April; Vol. 106, 1 May 1672.)

The progress of the Maratha engineers was very slow, and in September next their fortifications were still incomplete. The English and Siddi fleets came there in concert and warned the Marathas to stop their work. Shivajfs admirals, Daulat Khan and Mia Nayak, finding themselves opposed to very superior forces, withdrew from the island. (F. R. Surat, 106, T. Roach to Surat, 26 Sep. 1672; Dig. 192.) At the end of August 1679, Shiva again took up the project of fortifying Khanderi, and collected men and materials for the purpose at Chaul. He allotted one lakh of hun from the revenues of Kalian and Chaul to be spent on the work. On 15th September we find that 150 men of Shiva with four small guns under command of Mia Nayak are already on the island and have run up breast-works of earth and stone all around it. (Orme MSS. 116.) A request from the Deputy Governor of Bombay "to quit the place as it belonged to the island of Bombay," was