the ship.  She caught fire in three places, the poop and half-deck being burned through.  The two pirate ships likewise caught fire, which caused them to slacken their efforts.  In the confusion Hamilton managed to disengage his ship, and made sail; the five pirate ships being so entangled together that they were unable to pursue, and two of them so injured as to be in a sinking condition.  So Hamilton brought off his ship in safety, after as gallant a feat of arms as was ever performed.  Seven of his men were killed, and about the same number wounded, and finding no surgeon in Surat, he came on to Bombay.  The native merchants who were carried off by the pirates were made to pay a ransom of L6000, and brought back word that great slaughter had been done on the pirates, while their Commodore lost his head, on returning to Beyt, for allowing so rich a prize to escape.

In April, Boone sent down the Fame and the Britannia, under Commodore Weekes, to attack Vingorla.  They carried a company of sepoys under Stanton, one of the Company’s military officers.  On the way they were joined by the Revenge, and they also had with them ten or twelve gallivats.  Weekes appears to have been timid and incompetent, while the force was altogether insufficient for the purpose.  Several days were spent in trying to find a landing-place, without success, on the rocky, surf-beaten shore, while the fortress was bombarded from different points.  A violent quarrel occurred between Weekes and Stanton, and the expedition returned to Bombay.  This was the first, but not the most serious, of Boone’s failures.  It was characteristic of all the warlike expeditions he sent out, that while he was indefatigable in preparing armaments, all other details requisite to success were left to chance.  The Council resolved that Weekes was unfit to be Commodore, and deposed him.  To fill his place the veteran Alexander Hamilton, whose recent defence of the Morning Star had shown his fighting capacity, was induced to relinquish his private trade, and made Commander-in-Chief of all the Company’s frigates on a salary of Rs.80 a month.  His ship, the Morning Star, was also hired by the Council.

As soon as the monsoon was over, he was required to conduct an expedition to relieve the Carwar factory, which was beleaguered by the Sunda Rajah.  The chief of the factory at this time was Mr. George Taylor.  In the spring of 1717, a Bombay merchant’s ship carrying an English pass and flying English colours had been seized by the Rajah, who imprisoned the crew.  Demands for their surrender were being made, when, in May, the Elizabeth, belonging to Mr. Strutt, a private merchant at Surat, with L15,000 worth of treasure on board, went ashore near Carwar.  Before more than half the treasure could be removed in safety to the factory, the Rajah sent down an armed force to seize the ship as jetsam, imprisoned the captain and crew, and laid siege to the factory.  So Hamilton