At last, the Chandos, Pelham, and Phram arrived, having spent ten days in their voyage from Bombay.  Nothing better occurred to Brown than to send the Phram at once to engage the fort.  On opening fire, it was found that her ports were so low and the gun-carriages so high, that her guns could only be fired when depressed so as to strike the water twenty yards off.  So she was brought out again with one man mortally wounded, and the officers and soldiers so mightily discouraged that they declared, unless she could be made serviceable, it was useless to attempt anything further.  The ships’ carpenters were set to work on the Phram, while the dejection and drinking increased.  Fifty men of the Chandos who had not yet had an opportunity of gauging Brown’s incapacity, volunteered, for forty rupees a head, to join a landing party; but not a single seaman in the squadron would consent, ‘upon any consideration whatsoever,’ to go on board the Phram, till an increased bounty secured the services of the Chandos’ sailors.

By the 29th all was ready for the grand attack.  Two landing parties, one of three hundred and forty soldiers under Captain Stanton, and the other of two hundred and thirty-seven seamen under Captain Woodward, were held in readiness, and soon after midday the fleet stood into the inner harbour, with the exception of the Phram, which engaged the fort from the outer harbour.  Lieutenant Wise had been selected as a fit person to command and point the Phram’s guns, which he did so badly that his shot mostly fell in the inner harbour.  The Mahrattas were quite ready for them, and all the afternoon the cannonade went on, till sunset put an end to it.  Five men on board the Phram were wounded, but it had engaged at too great a distance to do or suffer much harm.  Brown, in the London, had kept out of action, and contented himself with sending six dozen of wine and arrack to the men on board the Phram, together with orders to Stanton, who was on board, to warp into the harbour at night and renew the action next morning.  The following day firing recommenced, and it was found necessary to displace Lieutenant Wise, he being continually drunk, and to allow the sailors to point their own guns.  The closer range caused numerous casualties on board the Phram.  Among the soldiers, Mr. Tuladay and four men were killed, and a great number wounded.  The seamen also had several killed and wounded.  Many of the casualties were caused by the bursting of a gun on board the Phram.  The explosion fired the gun on the opposite side of the deck, which was loaded with grape, and pointing over a boat full of topasses.  The flame from the gun ignited their cartridge boxes, and the poor wretches were terribly scorched and injured.  The fire of the ships in the inner harbour was successful in destroying a number of Angria’s ships that had sought refuge in the river; one of five hundred