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nor; and held every member of the administration who should fubmit to it in the prefent inftance, to be anfwerable to the Company for the fubverfion of the government, and to him, for any lofs he might fuftain in his perfon or liberty. The fufpenfion was however confirmed by a majority of the council; and the late prefident affumed a merit from that moderation, which induced him to prevent the evils of a civil war by fubmitting. Mr. Smith, as next to the chair, fucceeded to the govern

ment.

that remained for their defence; that the field artillery requifite for a campaign was fo far from being in readinefs, that the carriages were then making up. That the troops were difpirited, the fepoys deferting, the country defolated, the inhabitants treacherous, all communications cut off, their provifions confumed, and their refources exhaufted. That the Nabob, fo far from being able to give affiftance in this exigency, had neither men, money, or influence, and looked up to the Company for the fupport of his interefts and credit. After ftating the dangerous and ruinous conduct which had been pursued with respect to Pondicherry (the effects of which will appear) he obferves, that to all the difadvantages arifing from thefe misfortunes, and from the mifconduct of government, on one fide, fhould be added the increase of fuperiority to the enemy, arifing from his good policy, as well as from the strength and fuccefs of his arms; "for that Hyder

The fituation of affairs in the Carnatic, at the time of Sir Eyre Coote's arrival, was fo deplorable, as far to exceed all report and ima gination upon the fubject; and the unaccountable neglect which had marked every department of adminiftration, feemed rather the effect of fome fatality than of indolence or weakness. That general obferves in his letters to the directors, as well as to fome of the principal officers of the ftate, that the fame inactivity and bad policy" had taken every measure which which had operated, in not collecting the troops, in the defect of every kind of preparation, in leaving the paffes open to Hyder's entrance, and in fo many other ruinous inftances, were ftill prevalent at the time of his arrival; and that what ought to have been their first care, lay as much neglected as if no enemy had been

near.

That even the neceffary arrange ments for the fecurity of Fort St. George, the very foundation of our existence on that coast, had not been made; that no pains had been taken to repair the fhattered condition of the very small army

"could occur to the moft expe"rienced general to diftrefs us, "and to render himself formi"dable; and that his conduct in "his civil capacity had been fup"ported by a degree of political "addrefs, unequalled by any power " that had yet appeared in Hin

"doftan."

Such was the enemy with whom the Eaft India Company were now engaged in fo arduous a conteft; and fuch was part of a picture of the affairs of the Carnatic, drawn upon the fpot, at the clofe of the year 1780, by Sir Eyre Coote.

СНАР. IV.

Sir Eyre Coote's defign of relieving the befieged fortreffes, confirmed by the opinion of the council of avar and the approbation of the felect committee. Hyder raifes the fiege of Wandewah, and retires with precipitation, on the approach of the British army. The other beleaguered places relieved and Supplied. Dangers arifing from the perfidy of the French at Pondicherry obviated, by the general's difarming the inhabitants, deftroying their boats, and removing their magazines from Carangolly. Hyder's fhipping deftroyed in his own ports by Sir Edward Hughes. Sir Eyre Coote marches to Porto Novo, to fruftrate the enemy's defign on Tritchinapoli. Hyder's immense force. Numberless difficulties which the English general had to furmount. Grand battle on the ift of July. Hyder's vaft boft, after a very long and obftinate engagement, defeated. Hyder retreats towards Arcot, and Tippoo Saib raises the fiege of Wandewah. English general marches to the northward, and forms a junction with the forces from Bengal. Takes Trepaffore, defeats Hyder, in a bard and difficult conflict, on the 27th of Auguft. Defeats him a third time on the 27th of September. Succeeding actions, in which the English army is conftantly victorious. Sir Edward Hughes and Gen. Sir Hector Monro befiege Negapatam by fea and land. Place furrendered upon conditions. The admiral proceeds to the island of Ceylon, and takes the Dutch forts and fettlement of Trincomale.

A

MONG the good confequences which attended Sir Eyre Coote's coming to take the command in the Carnatic, the unanimity which from thence prevailed in the government was far from being the leaft. The council were unanimous in his fupport, and wifely committed the whole Conduct and management of the war, without referve, into his hands. An appearance of vigour, in defpite of weaknefs and of all the wretched circumftances of affairs, accordingly took place in every department; and the enemy, impreffed with a fenfe of the general's fame and military abilities, became more guarded in their

conduct.

Hyder's army was by this time prodigioufly augmented';' his force within the Carnatic was fuppofed far to exceed an hundred thousand men; and fome accounts went fo far, as to estimate his matchlock men and irregular infantry only, at not lefs than 80,000. The weaknefs of the army at Madras, the neceffity by which he knew it was tied down to the protection of that place, together with the multitude of his own troops, encouraged and enabled Hyder, after the taking of Arcot, to lay fiege at one and the fame time to feveral of the principal fortreffes in the Carnatic.

Few generals have had a more difficult game to play, or a greater

ftake

ftake depending, than Sir Eyre
Coote at this
this juncture. His
whole force did not exceed 7,000
men. Yet with what, may be
comparatively called a handful of
men, his dependence was fo great
on the goodness of the troops and
upon his own ability, that in any
Jefs critical state of war, he would,
without hefitation, have met Hy
der's vaft hoft in the field. But
every thing was now at stake. The
fate of Madras, of the British in-
terefts in the Carnatic, and per-
haps in all India, to the very
existence of the English name, be-
ing wrapt up in that of the fmall
army he commanded, a greater
degree of confideration became
neceffary. And, befides the prin-
cipal danger of any misfortune to
the army, it was forefeen that
Madras itself might be expofed
during its abfence, however fuc-
cessful he might be in relieving
the befieged fortreffes. The mul-
titude of Hyder's troops enabled
him to make detachments to any
amount, and the celerity of his
numerous irregular cavalry laid
all parts open to their fudden en-
terprife; while his main army,
inftead of being weakened, was
rendered more manageable by de-
taching.

In thefe critical circumftances, and under fuch a weight of danger and of perfonal refponfibility, the general thought it wife and neceffary to take all the counfel which it was in his power to obtain; his Own opinion going ftrongly, under a full fenfe of all the poffible confequences to the relief of thofe fortreffes, which were the most important, and in the greatest danger. He accord

ingly drew a fhort but comprehenfive fketch of the prefent fituation of things in writing, fully ftating the value, importance, and refpective danger of the objects in view, the degrees of hope and apprehenfion to which the propofed measure of relief would be liable, with his own opinion upon the whole; and calling a council of war, compofed of Sir Hector Monro, Lord Macleod, and Brigadier General Stuart, laid it before them, defiring, that after the moft mature confideration, they would give their feparate opinions in writing upon the fubject..

Vellore, Wandewafh, Permacoil, and Chingleput, were the places befieged; the firft, from its fituation and ftrength, afforded no caufe of immediate apprehenfion, excepting from the treachery of the garrison; but fome of the others were in imminent danger; and as they contained large magazines of provifions, the fupply of the enemy in that refpect, as well as with their artillery and ftores, would have been a twofold prejudice. It was remarkable in the ftatement upon this fubject prefented by the general, that he obferved, as a known fact, that they had not only Hyder, but the whole Carnatic to combat againft; fo that they could not hope for the fmalleft affiftance in any part of the road through which they were to march, or of the country which they might enter: and he informs them, that the treachery of one of the Nabob's renters in endeavouring to betray Vellore to the enemy, having been fortu nately difcovered by the commander of that garrifon, he had

ordered

ordered him to be put in irons; felect committee, defiring their hoping, he faid, that he might advice upon the fubject: a mea "be inftrumental to the difco- fure, however irregular and un"very of those dark designs ufual, which could not fail effec"which he had long fufpected tually to rivet their confidence in "to exift in the court of a native him. The event was, a full appower, living under the very probation of the opinion of the "walls of our garrifon of Fort council of war. "St. George."

"

The three general officers coincided entirely in opinion with Sir Eyre Coote, for the march of the

army to the relief of the befieged places; and as Wandewash was in immediate and imminent danger, and it was expected that Hyder would collect his whole force, and ufe his utmost efforts to prevent their paffing the river Palaar, which lay in their way to that place, Sir Hector Monro, fo far from being difcouraged by that circumstance, declared there was nothing more, to be wifhed than the bringing him to a general action; at the fame time generoufly declaring his confidence that the army would be fuccefsful under its prefent leader. Upon the fame ground, he did not wifh that the commander in chief fhould be fettered by a refolution for the immediate return of the army to the protection of Madras when the intended fervice was performed; but, on the contrary, that it fhould be left entirely to his own difcretion to act in that refpect, as future information might indicate, or circumstances point out.

So nice, notwithstanding, was the caution of the general in this critical and momentous business, that he departed from the establifhed military rule in fuch cafes, by laying the whole proceedings of the council of war before the VOL. XXV.

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Sir Eyre Coote marched at the head of the army from the encampment at the Mount, to the relief of Wandewah,

1781.

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in the beginning of Jan. 17th, the year, Hyder Ally, upon the first account of his approach, not only raised the fiege of Wandewafh with precipitation, but abandoned all the others in the fame manner; and fo far from meeting the English army in the field, or oppofing, as was pected, their paffing the Palaar, retired with his whole force to a cautious and guarded distance. Thus the beleaguered places were not only relieved and provided, and other garrisons that were weak and expofed reinforced, but a great extent of country was recovered, and a new frontier formed; and from hence Sir Eyre Coote, continuing to keep the field and prepared everywhere to look the enemy in the face, provided as effectually for the fecurity of Madras, as if the army had been encamped under its walls. So fudden a change in the face of affairs, restored the fpirit and confidence of the troops, both European and native, and prepared them for every exertion which their commander might require.

The perfidy of the French inhabitants of Pondicherry, who had been treated with unexampled lenity and tenderness fince the reduction of that place, had con[F]

tributed

tributed greatly to increase the alarm and confufion of the Carnatic. These people, befides the fulleft protection in the poffeffion and enjoyment of their houses and eftates, and the most liberal conftruction of the articles of capitulation in their favour, were even admitted to the rights of fubjects, and to traffic under the English flag. The fortifications and the powder magazine had been alone demolished; in all other refpects, the town, port, and public buildings, were left in their former ftate.

Upon the commencement of the prefent troubles, as it became neceffary to withdraw the British troops to Madras, it was thought fitting to remove the French othcers and veterans, who, through lenity and tenderness for their circumstances, had hitherto been left upon parole at Pondicherry, to the fame place; while these gentlemen expreffed the most grievous apprehenfion, left this removal might proceed from any doubt of their honour in the strictest adherence to their paroles. At the fame time, as the conduct of the inhabitants had lately afforded much room for jealousy, and became daily more fufpicious as the troubles in the country and the expectation of the arrival of a French force increafed, it was in contemplation to fend the late with feveral attorney general, with other of the principal inhabitants, who, from their conduct, influence, or turbulence, were deemed the most dangerous, to Madras likewife. Lenity, however, prevailed; and the meature was evaded, by these perfons renewing their allegiance, and voluntarily pre

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senting a written declaration, figned with their names, and binding themfelves anew to the most inviolable fidelity; thus rendering themselves doubly criminal.

For, in return for all paft favour and prefent confidence, Colonel Brathwaite had fcarcely marched ' with his troops out of fight of the place, when the French inhabitants fuddenly rife in arms, feize and plunder the folitary English refident who had been left to fuperintend their conduct, and, to complete the outrage, compel him, with fixed bayonets at his breast, to fign a written inftrument, the contents of which he is totally unacquainted with. They then proceeded to raife and arm two or three battalions of fepoys, most of whom, having compofed a part of the late garrifon, had received the fame protection, and were bound to the fame conditions with themselves. As fome cover to this breach of faith, they, however, pretended that these fepoys were in Hyder's pay and fervice; the former of which indeed was probably true. And, that nothing might be wanting for the reception and fupport of the fleet and army which they expected from the Mauritius, they proceeded to amals vaft quantities of provifion at Carangolly, a town at fome diftance, upon the fea-coaft.

Such infractions of faith are to be condemned, befides their own inherent turpitude, as they tend to difcourage the exercise of clemency and moderation. But we are always happy to find councils ever erring on the fide of lenity juftified by the final event; as was the cafe in the prefent inftance.

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