The first English settlement in the Bombay presidency was in 1618, when
the East India Company established a factory at Surat, protected by a
charter obtained from the emperor Jahangir. In 1626 the Dutch and
English made an unsuccessful attempt to gain possession of the island of
Bombay, and in 1653 proposals were suggested for its purchase from the
Portuguese. In 1661 it was ceded to the English crown, as part of the
dower of the infanta Catherine of Portugal on her marriage with Charles
II. So lightly was the acquisition esteemed in England, and so
unsuccessful was the administration of the crown officers, that in 1668
Bombay was transferred to the East India Company for an annual payment
of L10. At the time of the transfer, powers for its defence and for the
administration of justice were also conferred; a European regiment Vas
enrolled; and the fortifications erected proved sufficient to deter the
Dutch from their intended attack in 1673 (see BOMBAY CITY: History). In
1687 Bombay was placed at the head of all the Company's possessions in
India; but in 1753 the government of Bombay became subordinate to that
of Calcutta. The first collision of the English with the Mahratta power
was in 1774 and resulted in 1782 in the treaty of Salbai, by which
Salsette was ceded to the British, while Broach was handed over to
Sindhia. More important were the results of the second Mahratta war,
which ended in 1803. Surat had already been annexed in 1800; the East
India Company now received the districts of Broach, Kaira, &c.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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