power waned towards the end of the 17th century, Baçaim suffered considerably. The importance of Baçaim was reduced by transfer of neighboring Bombaim island to the British in 1665. The East India Company had been coveting the relatively safe Bombay Harbour for many years, even before their trading post was affected by the Sack of Surat. Bombaim was finally acquired by them through the royal dowry of Catherine Braganza, before that they had ventured to seize it by force in 1626 and had urged the directors of the East India Company to purchase it in 1652. Their colonization efforts gradually divided the lands into estates or fiefs, which were granted as rewards to deserving individuals or to religious orders on a system known as aforamento whereby the grantees were bound to furnish military aid to the king of Portugal or where military service was not deemed necessary, to pay a certain rent. Portuguese administration saw frequent transfers of officers, and the practice of allowing the great nobles to remain at court and administer their provinces. The Portuguese trade monopoly with Europe could henceforth last only so long as no European rival came upon the scene. The community known as the "Bombay East Indians" were called Norteiros (Northern men) after the Court of the North, based in the fort. Maratha Era In the 18th century, the Bassein Fort was taken over by the Maratha Empire under Peshwa Baji Rao's brother Chimaji Appa and fell in 1739 after the Battle of Vasai. The fort was taken by British in 1774 and returned to Maratha in 1783 under the Treaty of Salbai. The British in 1818 attacked and again took over the territory from the Marathas. The fort also played a strategic role in the First Anglo-Maratha War. British Era Treaty of Vasai (1802) The Treaty of Vasai (1802) was a pact signed on 31 December 1802 between the British East India Company and Baji Rao II, the Maratha Peshwa of Pune in India after the Battle of Pune. The treaty was a decisive step in the dissolution of the Maratha Empire. Present The fort is a major tourist attraction in the region . The ramparts overlook what is alternatively called the Vasai Creek and the Bhayandar Creek and are almost complete, though overgrown by vegetation. Several watch-towers still stand, with safe staircases leading up. The Buildings inside the fort are in ruins,