PEDITION AGAINST GHERIAH_

Trouble with the Portuguese--Madagascar pirates again--Loss of the
_Cassandra_--Captain Macrae's brave defence--The one-legged pirate--Richard
Lazenby--Expedition against Gheriah--Mr. Walter Brown--His
incompetency--Gordon's landing--Insubordination and drunkenness--Arrival
of the _Phram_--General attack--Failure--The Kempsant's alliance--Attack
on Deoghur--The Madagascar pirates, England and Taylor--Ignominious
flight--Fate of the _Phram_--Brown despatched south again--The pirates at
Cochin--They take flight to Madagascar--Their rage against Macrae and
England--England marooned--Taylor takes Goa ship--Rich prize--Governor
Macrae.

In addition to other embarrassments, Boone became involved, at this time,
in a quarrel with the Portuguese. The surrender of Bombay to the English
had, from the first, been extremely distasteful to the Goa authorities,
who understood the value of the place better than did the authorities in
Lisbon; and they had so interpreted the treaty that gave Bombay to the
English that, at the time of transfer, they had managed to retain
everything except the island of Bombay. The English had been obliged to
renounce all claim to Salsette and other dependencies of Bombay, or to
exclusive possession of the harbour, and to agree that the Portuguese
residents should be exempted from the payment of customs, and have full
liberty of trade with the Portuguese establishments in Salsette. This last
condition had been repudiated in England, but continued to be claimed by
the Portuguese, who harassed the position of the English by levying duties,
and impeding the passage of supplies, while they gave asylum to deserters
and runaways of all kinds. By the treaty, toleration for the exercise of
the Roman Catholic religion had been secured; and there had remained in
Bombay a large establishment of Franciscan friars, who made no efforts to
conceal their hostility to the Company's government. In addition to other
treacherous acts, Boone had to complain of the friars tampering with his
soldiers and slaves, and encouraging them to desert. In order to put an
end to the evil, he banished all the Portuguese friars, and installed in
their place an Italian bishop and some Italian Carmelite friars. This was
held by the Goa authorities to be an infringement of the rights of the
King of Portugal. In retaliation, all Roman Catholics in Bombay were
forbidden to recognize the authority of the Italian bisho