Matters came to a head, however, between 1689 and 1690. There were signs that the Sidis were preparing for an invasion of Bombay and the British informed them by letter that any attempt by Sidi ships to make their way from Danda-Rajpuri to Bombay would be considered an act of aggression. Bombay was a relatively defenceless, and therefore tempting, target for the Sidis, who in this instance acted of their own accord - rather than at the instigation of Aurangzeb - in response to the provocation by the British. The British captured the Sidi fleet laden with corn and cloth and offloaded the goods in Bombay. The Sidis requested the British to return their fleet and goods, but the request and subsequent threats by the Sidis fell on deaf ears. As a result, the Sidis landed on the shores of Bombay on 14 February 1689. Their initial advances into Bombay and plunder of the surrounding area remained unchecked as the British deserted the Bombay forts, leaving behind treasure and ammunition that fell immediately into Sidi hands. It was not until the following day that the British governor decided to take action, albeit in vain, since the Sidis took hold of most of Bombay except Bombay Castle and remained stationed in Bombay for the ensuing months. The only means by which some semblance of order could be regained was through the intervention of Aurangzeb, who issued a farman calling for the reinstatement of privileges to the British with regard to trade, as well as the dismissal of the governor of Bombay, Sir John Child, who had clearly proved to be incompetent, and the evacuation of Bombay by the Sidis. The Sidis, however, were most reluctant to leave their gains in Bombay. It was only when the demand for treasure by the Sidis had been satisfied by the British that they finally agreed to depart from Bombay on 22 June 1690. Much of Bombay had been left in ruins and had resulted in heavy losses for the British, both in monetary terms and manpower (Banaji, 1932, pp. 40-58).