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1786.

The Hiftory of the Empire of Indofian.

This defign was nothing less than to ftorm the city of Fritchinopoly in the night by furprize. The part which the French chole to make the affault upon was Dalton's battery on the weft fide, near the north-weft angle of the town, the fame indicated by the letter which captain Dalton had prevailed on the fpy De Cattens to write to the French commander Mr. Brenier; it had formerly been one part of the four gateways to this city. The entrance into an Indian fortification is through a large and complicated pile of building, projecting in the form of a parallelogram from the main rampart; and if the city has two walls, it projects beyond them both this building confifts of feveral continued terraffes, which are of the fame height as the main rampart, and communicate with it: the inward walls of thefe terraces form the side of an intricate paffage, about twenty feet broad, which leads by various fhort turnings at right angles through the whole pile, to the principal gate that ftands in the main rampart: for fome ípace on each hand of Dalton's battery, the interval between the outward and inward wall of the city was much broader than any where elfe. Captain Dalton when intrufted with the command of the garrifon, had converted that part of the gateway which projected beyond the outward wall into a folid battery, with embrafures; leaving the part between the two walls as it flood, with its windings and terraffes: an interval was likewife left between the backfides of the battery, and the terrafs nearest to it, which lay parallel to each other; fo that an enemy who ad gained the battery could not get to the terrafs without defcending into the interjacent area, and then mounting the wall of the terrafs with fcaling ladders: the battery, however communicated with the rampart of the outward wall of the city, but being, as that was, only eighteen feet high, it was commanded by the terraffes behind it, as well as by the rampart of the inner wall, both of which were thirty feet high. Upon one of the inward cavaliers, fouth of the gateway, were planted two pie ces of cannon, to plunge into the battery, and fcour the interval between the two walls, as far as the terraffes of the gateway; and two other pieces mounted in the north-west angle of the inward rampart, commanded in like manner both the battery and interval to the north of the terraffes. The French were by De Cattans' letter, and by defer ters, apprized of all thefe particulars, and notwithstanding the many difficulties they would have to furmount in attempting to force their way into the town through this part of the fortifications, they preferred it to any other, because it is more acceffible from without; for a rock level with the

-195water almost choaked up the ditch in front of the battery.

On the 27th of November, at night, the greateft part of the enemy's army croffed the river: the Myforeans and Marattahs were diftributed in different parties round the city with order to approach to the counterfcarp of the ditch, and divert the attention of the garrifon, during the principal and real attack, which was referved for the French troops. Of this body 600 Europeans were appointed to efcalade, whilft Mr. Maiffin, the commander, with the reft of the battalion, 200 men, and a large body of Sepoys, waited at the edge of the ditch, ready to follow the firft party as foon as they should get into the town. At three in the morning the firft party croffed the rock in the ditch, and, planting their scaling ladders, all of them mounted the battery without giving the leaft alarm to the garrifon: for although the guard appointed for the battery confifted of 50 Sepoys, with their officers, and fome European gunners, who were all present and alert when the rounds paffed at midnight, most of them were now abfent, and they who remained on the battery were fast asleep: thele the French killed with their bayonets, intending not to fire until they were fired upon: but this refolution was immediately after fruftrated by an unforeseen accident; for fome of them attempting to get to a flight counterwall which lines the backfide of the battery, fell into a deep pit, which had been left in the body of the battery itfelf, contiguous to that wall: none but the moft tried foldiers can refrain from firing upon an unexpected alarm in the night, and upon the fcreaming of thofe who were twinbling into the hole, feveral mufkets were difcharged. The French now concluding that they were difcovered, imagined they might intimidate the garrifon by fhewing how far they were already fuccefsful, and turning two of the twelve pounders upon the battery against the town, difcharged them together with a volley of fmall arms, their drums beating, and their foldiers fhouting their ufual military cry, vive le roy! Fortunately the main guard, the barracks of the garrifon, and the quarters of the officers were in the north part of the town, not more than 400 yards from the battery. Captain Kilpatrick, who commanded, remained fo ill of the wounds he had received in the last engagement that he was unable to remove from his bed; lieutenant Harrison, the next in command, came to him upon the alarm to receive his orders, which he gave with the ufual calmnefs that diftinguifhed his character on all occafions, directing lieutenant Harrifon to march inftantly with the piquet, referve, and the Sepoys who were not already pofted, to the place where the attack was

made,

made, and to order the reft of the garrifon to repair to their respective alarm pafts, with injunctions not to ftir from them upon pain of death. The enemy having drawn up their scaling ladders into the battery, fent two parties down from it into the interval between the two walls one of these parties carrying two petards, and conducted by a deferter, entered the paffage which led through the terraffes, intending to get into the town by blowing open the gate which ftands in the inward rampart the other party carried the ladders, and were appointed to efcalade; whilft the main body remain ed upon the battery, keeping up a conftant fire upon the terraffes, and upon the inward rampart. But by this time the alarm was taken, and the cannon from each hand began to fire smartly into the interval between the two walls, and upon the battery. Lieutenant Harrison, with the main guard, was likewife arrived upon the rampart, from whence the greatest part of them paffed to the terraffes. The mufketry of the affailants and defenders were now employed with great vivacity against each other, but with fome uncertainty, having no other light to direct their aim except the frequent flashes of fire: notwithstanding the hurry and confufion, lieutenant Harrifo had the prefence of mind to ftation a platoon upon the rampart, directly above the gate, ordering them to keep a conftant fire upon the passage immediately below, whether they fawany thing or not nothing could be more fenfible or fortunate than this precaution; for the platoon killed, without feeing them, the man who was to apply the firft petard, as well as the deferter that conducted him, and both of them fell within ten yards of the gate. Thofe appointed to efcalade fixed their ladders on the fouth fide of the terrasses, and a drummer, followed by an officer, had already mounted to the top, when a party of Sepoys came to this ftation, who killed the drummer, wounded and feized the officer, and then overturning the fcaling ladders overfet the men who were upon them: the ladders broke with the fall and the affailants called for more; but found that the reft which they had brought were shattered and rendered ufelefs by the grape-fhot fired from the two pieces of cannon planted upon the cavalier they foon after found the man who was to manage the fecond petard was killed. Thus defeated in all their expectations theydetermined to retreat, and went up the battery again, where the whole now refolved to make their efcape; but this for the want of their ladders was no longer practicable, except by leaping down eighteen feet perpendicular, either upon the rock or into the water. Defperate as this attempt appeared, near one hundred made the experiment; but what they suffered de

terred the reft from following the example, who, in despair, turned and recommenced their fire from the battery upon the defenders. Lieutenant Harrison, with the greatest part of the Europeans, were aflembled upon the terrafs neareft the battery, and the two bodies, feparated only by an interval of twenty feet, kept up a finart fire upon each other as faft as they could load: but the defenders had the advantage of firing under the cover of parapets from a fituation twelve feet higher than the enemy upon the battery, who were totally exposed from head to foot, and were likewise taken on each flank by two pieces of cannon, as well as by the fire of fome parties of Sepoys pofted on the main rampart on each hand of the gateway. Thus galled, unable to retreat, and finding that refiftance ferved only to expose them more, they defifted from firing, and every man endeavoured to fhelter himfelt as he could; fome in the embrafures of the battery, others behind a cavalier contiguous to it, and the reft in the interval between the two walls; the garrifon neverthelefs, trufting to no appearance of fecurity, continued to fire on all fuch places in which they fufpected them to be concealed. At length the day long wifhed for by both fides, appeared; when the French, flinging down their arms, afked for quarter, which was immediately granted. The officers from the rampart ordered them to assemble in the interval between the two walls, from whence they were conducted in small bodies at a time by a party of Europeans into the city through the gateway they had affanlted. Three hundred and fixty Europeans were thus made prifoners, of which number fixty-feven were wounded: thirty-feven were found killed upon the battery and in the rest of the works: those who escaped by leaping down were taken up by their own troops waiting on the outfide of the ditch; but the French themfelves confeffed, that of the whole number, which was near one hundred, every man was much difabled; and fome few were killed. Thus ended this affault, which after expofing the city of Tritchinopoly to the grea teft rifque it had run during the war, ended by impairing the French force more than any other event fince the capture of Scringham: neverthelefs we do not find that lieutenant Harrison received any recompence for his gallant and fenfible conduct in this ha zardous and important fervice: he died fome time after, without being promoted from the rank in which he ferved when he sayed the city.

The firing was heard by the outguards at Koiladdy, where the next evening a meffenger arrived from the city, upon which major Lawrence immediately detached a

party

1786.

The Hiftory of the Empire of Indoftan.

party to reinforce the garrifon, and prepared to follow with the reft of the army, but heavy rains prevented him from arriving before the 3d of December. In the mean time the enemy on the third night after the affault croffed the river again, with all the Myfore cavalry, eight thousand men, dismounted, who had promifed the regent to make a more fuccefsful attack upon the city; but finding the garrifon alert they retreated without attempting any thing.

The king of Tanjore, who, notwithftanding the alliance he was entering into with the French, knew nothing of their intentions to form Tritchinopoly, was not a little aftonished at the news, and the lofs which they fuftained in the attempt, made him repent that he had fhewn fo much inclination to abandon the nabob and the English: the French finding that their misfortune produ ced a change in the intentions which the king had began to entertain in their favour determined to wafte no more time in negociating with him, but prepared to fend a party of Marattahs to ravage his country. The king having intelligence of their defign fent a body of troops under the command of his uncle Gauderow to Tricatapoly a fort eighteen miles eaft of Tritchinopoly, where they were ordered to remain and punish the Marattahs: for this phrafe, in the vain language of the princes of Indoftan, is fynonymous to fighting, and is not feldom made ufe of even by those who lofe the battle. The king making a merit of this refolution to the nabob, pretended that Gauderow only waited on the frontiers till the whole army was affembled which would then immediately march to Tritchinopoly. Major Lawrence, willing to put the fincerity of this profeffion to the teft, wrote to the king that his troops would be of little fervice whilft they were commanded by fo unexperienced an officer as Gauderow, and defired that Monack-jee might bereinstated in the command, of which he was the only man in the kingdom capable. This commendation ferved to confirm those suspicions of the general which had been raifed in the king's mind by the artifices of his minifter; and major Lawrence being informed of the alarm which the king had taken from his remonftrances in Monack-jee's favour, refolved to make no farther mention of his name, left the confequences should be fatal to him; but requested that the Tanjorine troops might join him without delay, even under the command of Gauderow. None however came; for the Marattahs having fent a fmall party to amuse Gauderow, their main body of 1500 men penetrated into the kingdom at the end of December by another road, and, as they had threatened, began to lay the country waste with fire and fword.

197 This was the first motion which any of the enemy's parties had made fince the affault of Tritchinopoly; in the mean time several convoys were escorted from Trieatapoly to the English camp.

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In the Carnatic the diftricts which acknowledged the nabob had received no moleftation from his enemies fince the defeat of Mahomed Comaul at Tripetti, which happened in the month of September. The troops which Mr. Dupleix was able to fend into the field from Pondicherry had lately been employed in befieging Palam Cotah, the fame fort which they had refused to reduce for Morari-row. This place, with the circumjacent territory, is the only part in the Carnatic which does not depend on the nabob of Arcot; it belongs to the nabob of Cudapah. Examples of fuch fequeftrations occur in every province of the Mogul empire, which, among the rest of its feudal inftitutions, allots to every nabob a certain revenue arifing from the product of lands, for his private expences: but as the basis of the Mogul government confifts in regulations which deprive all its officers of any pretenfions to real eftates, and in obliging them to acknowledge that they hold nothing by any other title than the favour of the fovereign, the lands thus allotted to a nabob are rarely fituated in the province governed by himself, but rally chofen in the moft diftant part of one of the neighbouring provinces; so that in this inftitution the Mogul's authority over all his officers appears in its utmostmajefty; fince the inhabitants of a province fee the nabob appointed to rule them, excluded from the right of appropriating to himself any part of the territory over which his jurifdiction, notwithstanding, extends. Hence likewife a perpetual fource of difputes is established between the nabobs of neighbouring provinces, who never fail to give one another reafon to complain of violence committed in these fequeftered lands. The nabob of Cudapah applied to the prefidency of Madrass to aflift the governor of Palam Cotah, on which they ordered a detachment of thirty Europeans, and two hundred Sepoys,, to march from Devi Cotah and relieve the place. The detachment did not take the field before the ene:ny had made a practicable breach, which they intended to ftorm the next day but lieutenant Frazer having concerted measures with the governor, contrived to introduce his party that very night, and the enemy at day break hearing English drums beating in the place, fufpected what had happened, and immediately raised the siege.

(to be continued.)

Mufice!

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