'A voyage from England to India, in the year 1754, and an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, in the years 1755, 1756, 1757 ... Also a journey from Persia to England by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron, etc.' [‎78] (107/562)

t 78 ]
P. VII.
the fquadron leaves Fort St. David, and contes to an anchor inUzink road.—
Sails again for Bombay,— The pips agawjl
the attack and furrender of that fortrefs;
and valuable efftds found there—Admiral Watfon fays a vifit Angna'j
wives and children. — His humanity Europeans
redeemed from Jlavery.— DefertpHon of a Mahomedan 1 ahfman found la
AngriaV houfe.
IN the morning of the 19th of Auguft 1755, we once more took our leave
of Fort St. David, and the fame evening came to an anchor with the
whole fquadron in Madrafs road *. At the fame time, Commodore James in
the Proteftor, who commanded the company's marine force in India, and had
come round to this coaft after his expedition and iuccefs againfty%™f, (com
monly called the Pirate,) failed for Bombay. It being the time of the contrary
monfoon, he proceeded by the fouthern pajfage which he himfelf had happily
explored the year before, and accompliftied in forty days, although obliged
to crofs the equinoftial line, and to advance as far as 10° 30' fouth latitude,
for the advantage of having the S. E. trade-wind frefti and certain to run to
the weftward. This difcovery is of important and general benefit to navi
gation, Mr. Jatnes having proved the pafiage to be, in the height of the con
trary monfoon, very pradlicable, and not long •, as it may be performed in
little more than one of the fix months that the contrary monfoons blow on
the Malabar coaft, and which till now had rendered the communication by
fea between the prefidencies on the coafts of Malabar and Coromandel almolt
imprafticable till the change. But befides its great importance to navigation,
the difcovery is of eflential fervice to thetompany; for fhould Bombay be
* " In working up from Fort St. David to Madrafs, ifVIunngtheN .E. monfooB, the moft certain
and expeditious method is to ftretch about 20 leagues to fea before you ftand in for the land.
1 know an inftance of two (hips of war failing together from Fort St. David, one of which
never Hood farther than about 6 or 7 leagues from the land, and was 14 days in her pafla^e
to Madrafs i but the other, by the forementioned method, performed it in 4 days. So in
working to windward on this coaft in the S. W. monfoon, Ihips Ihould be clofe in with the
land about fix o'clock in the evening to make advantage of the land-wind ; and fhould be well
off fliore between 11 and iz o'clock at noon, to make a good ftretch in with the fea breeze."
Extrafi of minutes made by Captain Richard Kin?, an officer uubom I (hall have frequent
cccafion lo mention.
•j- In the month of April this gallant officer with a very fmall force reduced fix of
Aagriei\ forts,, and took or dertroyed "fifteen armed veffels in their harbours. One of thefe forts,
heverndrocg, was the Itrongefl: Angna had, Gtriah excepted, and covered his beft port for (helter-
ing his {hips to the northward ol ijeftah, and was that which gave independency to his ancef-
tors. Its vicinity alfo to Bombay gave his cmizers an opportunity of being with impunity very
troublefome to the Englijh, as there they always had an afylum of retreat, efteemed impreg
nable. See a particular account of tie Commodore'/ urndutt and courage in this expedition, in Orme's
hiiloxy of India. 6 r
attacked