9th June.—­Returned our gallivats, having by mismanagement of the
    chief officer lost about fifty men and destroyed one town of Angria’s.

Downing, who was present, gives an account of the attack on Gheriah, though he makes a mistake as to the date.  As it is the only account we have of what took place, it will be better to give it in his own words.

“On the 10th of the same instant the President reviewed the land forces on shore, and saw all things put in good and sufficient order.  Major Vane, chief engineer for the Company, had tried all the mortars and coehorns, then fitted and stocked for the expedition.  Mr. John Minims was appointed chief engineer for the direction of these mortars and coehorns, which did great service.  We proceeded down the coast for Gerey, which is not above twelve hours’ sail from Bombay, where we with all our navy soon arrived, and run boldly into the harbour.  Captain Berlew (Bellew?) Commodore, and ranged a line from the eastermost part of the fortifications to the outer part of the harbour.  Keeping all our small galleys and galleywats on the off-side under shelter.  But they had strong fortifications on both sides; so that we left our strongest ships in the harbour, to make a breach in the walls, in order to storm the castle.  The rocks were very high, and so slippery that one could hardly stand without a staff, and consequently not a place convenient to draw men up in any posture of defence.  We endeavoured to get the fireship in, but could not; for on the east part of the fort they had a cove or creek, where they had laid up a great part of their fleet, and had got a strong boom across the same; so that we could not annoy them any otherwise than by throwing our bombs and coehorns very thick into the garrison, which we did for a considerable time, and were in hopes after the first and second day’s siege, that we should have drove them out of that strong castle, but we soon found that the place was impregnable.  For as we kept throwing our shells as fast as we could in regular time, cooling our chambers before we loaded again; after we had beat over two or three houses in the castle, the shells fell on the rocks in the inside the castle, and their weight and force of falling would break them without so much as their blowing up....  As to storming the walls, they were so high that our scaling ladders would not near reach the top of them....”

“After the second day we landed all our forces, taking the opportunity of the tide....  We got them all on shore, and marched up the country, without molestation; only now and then the castle would let fly a shot or two, which did us small damage.  We attempted to march the army down to their shipping, and to set them on fire; but when we came within a mile of the place the land was all swampy, and so very muddy by the spring tides flowing over that we could not proceed.  On our retreat they galled us very