Volume 1

Materials towards a statistical account of the town and island of Bombay in three volumes.

  • Bombay Presidency
Date:
1893-1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Materials towards a statistical account of the town and island of Bombay in three volumes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    188/522 (page 170)
    170 BOMBAY TOWN Chapter I. History. English take over Underi, 1733. Treaty with the Sidis of E.cijj)uri, im On the 26th July the President acquaints the Board that pursuant to our resolution of the 13th instant (July), the Mary, Captain Holden Commander, weighed anchor the 15th of this month and stood towards the island of Underi with four of the Honourable Company’s fighting galivats and under their convoy six Thana boats with the detachment artillery and stores sent to the succour of that island. The galivats and boats happily arrived at Underi that evening, but the Mary was obliged to come to an anchor five miles distance, the Commander not esteeming it safe this season of the year to approach nearer. Upon their arrival Captain Inchbird and Captain Macneale, according to the Presidents instructions to Captain Inchbird, went to the Killedar Sidi Balal and delivered to him the Presidents letter and acquainted him with the occasion of their coming and the succours they had brought. After having taken a survey of the fort which they esteemed tenable, they proposed to the Killedar the hoisting the English flag to which they believed the enemy would pay a greater regard than to that of the Sidi. To this the Killedar agreeing the English flag was accordingly hoisted on the 16th in the morning under the discharge of the artillery of the fort and the galivats. Then the enemy from Cundery and their batteries from Thai began and continued to fire pretty briskly at the fort of Underi for that and several following days but without doing any damage. On the I9th the galivats and boats returned with several families of women and children from Underi and the weather having proved very boisterous for two days before, the Mary being no longer of any use where she lay, the Commander slipped his cable, not being able to j)urchase his anchor and came into port. At the same Consultation the President likewise acquaints the Board that he had received a letter from the EmperoEs secretary of state Shamshad Haula (formerly known by the name of Khan Hara) requiring him in his majesty^s name to assist the Sidi in conjunction with the Portuguese in recovering his territories that have lately been overrun by the Shahu Raja and Angria. To this the President re- turned answer : If his majesty would defray the whole expense of such an undertaking and send his royal army we should be glad to act in con- cert with them or v/ith such other forces as may be procured from the Portuguese for restoring the Sidi to his dominions. But that as our business in these parts of the world is trade and not to increase our charges, we keep up such a number of troops only as are caj^able of defending and protecting our commerce, without interfering with the too frequent quarrels of the neighbouring ]3owers.^ At a Consultation dated 11th December 1733, Messrs. Lowther and Dickins being returned from Rajpuri give in their diary of their trans- actions there and the treaty of alliance concluded with this Government under the seals of seven of the principal governing Sidis. The counter- part signed by the President and Council and sealed with the Company's seal, is to be returned to the Sidis of Rajpuri.^ ^ Bom. Gov. Consultation, 26th July 1733, Pub. Diary 5 of 1732-33, 156-157* Forrest’s Horae Series, II. 53-54. 2 Bom. Gov. Consultation, lltli December 1733, Pub. Diary 5 of 1732-33, 285. For the treaty see pages 286 to 289 of the same diary.