hree 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 tons, one of two
hundred tons, and ten smaller ones were set on fire and burnt. By
nightfall, all hands thought they had done enough, and told Stanton so,
and in spite of Brown's messages of expostulation, they took advantage of
a land breeze to come out. At midnight came Captain Woodward, of the
_Revenge_, to report, in a panic, to Brown that he had left his ship on
the rocks close to the fort, and that both vessel and crew were as good as
lost. Half an hour after, the _Revenge_ was seen coming out with the other
vessels. She had not been ashore at all, and the only conclusion was that
Woodward was frightened out of his senses; so he was put in i