out ammunition, the officers fighting only with their fwords, and the foldiers with their bayonets, and most of them grievoufly wounded, refifted and repulfed the enemy in thirteen different attacks; until at length, incapable of withftanding the torrents of fresh troops that were continually pouring upon them, they were borne down and trampled under foot by the horse and elephants.

Many of the ftill unconquered private foldiers, though cut down and miferably wounded, difdained to accept of quarter, and as they lay upon the ground, continued to thruft fiercely with their bayonets at man and horfe that approached. Never was reputation more highly established, or more dearly purchafed by any army. This action afforded the first inftance in which fepoys were only diftinguishable by their colour from Europeans in hard and defperate action.

The lofs on the English fide has been variously eftimated, from 3,300 to 5,000 fepoys, and from five to seven hundred Europeans. The lower calculation is probably nearest the truth; at leaft with refpect to the fepoys. The gallant and lamented Col. Fletcher was one of the number of brave English officers who lay on the field. It is indeed a matter of no Imall wonder that any of them could have efcaped the rage of fuch a carnage. Col. Baillie, with fomething about 200 Europeans, were, however, made prifoners. Lefs mercy has often been fhewn in conflicts of much lefs blood and feverity, between Europeans and Chriftians. Col. Baillie, ftript, forely wounded in three places,

brought in that condition before Hyder. The conqueror, enraged at his lofs, and at the fame time intoxicated by his fudden and unexpected fuccefs, with that rough barbarifm in war, which only European manners have yet been able in fome fort to fubdue, is faid to have infulted his brave prisoner by the haughty and imperious tone of his exultation. Baillie, difdaining to fink under misfor tune or danger, indignantly appealed to his fon, and to the general officers who were prefent, asking if the victory was not in his hands, until he was deprived of it by a difafter which no human forefight could have prevented?

This fatal difafter is faid to have proceeded from the loofe powder, which was conveyed in bags by Col. Fletcher's detachment, and which there had not been time for fhifting into proper packages. As every thing relating to fo fignal and extraordinary an action becomes interefting, it probably will not be thought too minute_to relate the account given by an European refident at Hyder's court (who was prefent at the action, and is faid to be a military officer of diftinction in the fervice of his own country) of the behaviour of the prifoners. This ingenuous foreigner, who feems to have felt all the fympathy of a brave man in the fate of the troops, fays of them, "Officers and men fup"ported their misfortune with that "haughty fullen fortitude which "is the characteristic of their "country."

The Myfore army purchafed their victory very dearly. The flaughter fell almoft entirely upon

their beft troops; and is faid to have been fo immenfe, that if a particular account of the lofs could be obtained, the amount would appear incredible. It is likewife faid, that if the Conjeveram army had come up, at any time during the engagement, previous to the fatal event of the tumbrils, Hyder would not have been able to carry a fingle gun, or a fingle battalion off the field. He appeared in the field mounted on an elephant; and it is faid, was fired at five times by an English artillery officer. Hyder was fill fo apprehenfive of the fuppofed danger of his fituation, that only upon a flying rumour of Sir Hector Monro's army advancing upon him, he precipitately abandoned the field of battle, and retreated in great confufion, to a place called the Round Wells, leaving a great part of his baggage and all the wounded behind. But upon receiving information there, that the English army had abandoned their artillery, and were retreating towards Chingleput, he inftantly difpatched all the fresh and irregular cavalry in purfuit, who returned fuccefsfully, loaded with spoil, and fufficiently incumbered with wounded prifoners.

It appears that the Conjeveram army had advanced on that unhap py morning along the Trepaffore road, in order to meet the expected detachments; and that they both heard the firing, and faw the fmoke on their left; but at too great a distance for their coming up before the firing ceased. It would feem, that no notion was 'entertained of Hyder's advancing with his whole army to action; that the firing was confidered as

proceeding only from the defultory attacks of his cavalry; and that too great a confidence was placed in Baillie's fuccefs against every obftacle. The repeated firing of the appointed number of fignal cannon, without any return being made, along with the dead ftillnefs which on all fides prevailed, began to afford fome melancholy prefages of difafter (though nothing near fo bad as it really was) when, at length, the arrival in fucceffion of two or three wounded fepoys, who had the fortune fingly to efcape from the carnage, although their relation was indiftinct and diftracted, carried fuch teftimonials about them, as left no longer a doubt of the fatal event.

The army, both officers and men, Europeans and natives, were ftung with anger and with grief, almoft to madness, at the deftruction of their friends and fellows. They were accordingly, without regard to strength or condition, almoft outrageous in their defire to take an immediate and fevere revenge on the enemy.Undoubtedly, in that temper, it would have been no eafy matter to withstand their fury. But the general, who was fully fenfible of the weakness of his force, and who law and knew the critical fituation of affairs, found it neceflary to reftrain this impetuofity. He was totally uninformed as to the state and circumftances of Hyder's army, and ignorant of the great lofs they had fuftained in the late action. His own was too certain; he had loft the flower of his army. His provifions were likewife within a day or two of being exhaufted; his weaknefs and want of cavalry rendered the procuring a fupply [E] 4

im.

ble to be cut of, and the army might be furrounded, and obliged through mere hunger to furrender at difcretion, without ftriking a blow. The confequence would be, the lofs of Madras, and of the whole Carnatic.

However fufficient thefe caufes were, and however well-founded thofe deductions and measures which arofe from them, the greatest difcontent prevailed in the army; and nothing but cenfure and reproach was to be heard. This temper and difpofition was fpread even among the officers; and went fo far, as it was faid, as to put an end to all friendly intercourfe between the general and the nobleman who commanded the regiment belonging to the crown, which, as we have feen, had fome time before arrived from Europe. The orders for a retreat, for fpiking the heavy artillery, and destroying the camp equipage and baggage, not only increafed thefe difcontents, but are faid to have produced an unequalled fcene of diforder and confufion. Such a series of lofs and difgrace was new to the troops, and could ill be borne by them. It was impoffible that a retreat could be well and orderly conducted under fuch circumftances; and to thefe are to be charged the lofs which the army fuffered, through the purfuit of Hyder's cavalry, on their return to Chingleput.

At Chingleput, they were 12th. joined on the day of their arrival by the forces which Col. Colby had collected for the enterprize against Hyder's convoys, confifting of ten companies of fepoy grenadiers, about an equal

infantry companies, with two regiments of the Nabob's cavalry. Small as this reinforcement was, if it could have joined the army before the late misfortune, a very different face of affairs might probably have appeared. The want of provifions obliged the army to proceed from Chingleput to the neighbourhood of Madras, where they were encamped.

The terror and confufion which now reigned in the Carnatic, may be much more cafily imagined than defcribed. The danger feemed everywhere immediate; and Madras itself, deftitute as it was of provifions, and of moft or all of the neceffaries effential to defence, trembled under the apprehenfion of a fiege. This ftate of difficulty and danger was rendered still more hopelefs by the diffentions which prevailed in the government; if not by its conduct. Two members of the felect committee made grievous complaints of that of the majority; and charged no fmall degree of blame to the inftitution itfelf, which they represented as being exceedingly faulty in its conftruction, and pernicious in the effect. They alleged, that it threw fo much power into the hands of the governor, as rendered him in a great degree independent of the council; and to this want. of controul they attributed the moft ruinous confequences; particularly charging the late governor (who had fome small time before the invafion returned to England) with withholding from them the full and perfect information which he had received at various times, and in fome inftances long

before

before his departure, of Hyder's preparations and defigns. Their charges against the majority were of the fame nature with thofe, for a reprefentation of which, Mr. Sadier had been degraded; like him, they laid all the prefent calamities at their door. They likewife objected, in ftrong terms, to the difpatches which were then making up for Europe. A favourable reprefentation of conduct and tranfactions was, they faid, in a certain degree allowable; but a ftatement of things, infupportable by facts, was not to be endured; nor could the purpose it was in tended to produce be of much avail, as the detection, at no great distance of time, would be inevitable.

In this feafon of diforder, a mutinous fpirit appeared, and great difturbances broke out among the fepoys in the northern circars. That order of men, in general, bear a mortal averfion to voyages by fea; to that it requires not only the most perfect difcipline, but a frong attachment to their commanders, to induce them to forego a prejudice, which is founded as much in the peculiar maxims, habits, and rites of their religion, as in their natural apprehenfion of an element with which they have fo little acquaintance. It being now necellary to draw fome of the troops from the northern circars, and the way by land being impracticable, they were ordered to fake their paffage by fea; which the fepoys abfolutely refufing to comply with, the endeavour to force them to fo hated and dreaded an adventure, produced the difturbances we have mentioned. At the prefidency of Mazulipatam the

mutiny was quelled, and order with difficulty restored, through the addrels of the commanding officer, the point of embarkation being, however, given up; but at Vizigapatam, the fepoys proceeded to the moft extreme outrages, and after killing feveral of their officers, made a complete plunder of the place, the property of individuals being no more ípared than that of the Company. The revolted fepoys then marched off in a body, with their arms and plunder; their farther defign being not lefs alarming than their past acts had been prejudicial.

In this state of danger and general difaffection it was no matter of wonder that Sitteram Rauze, a man always of bad character, fhould now few how unworthy he was of the unaccountable fa vour which he had lately met with at Madras; but it was icarcely to be expected that his eldeft brother, at whofe expence Sitteram had been placed in great opulence, authority, and poffellion (although his direct reverte in every thing) thould fo far forget the recent wrong, as to give, in this trying feafon, a fignal proof of his fidelity. While Sitteram kept at a diilance, and evaded giving any afliftance towards the prefervation of the country, which, under the example of the fepoys, and the diffatisfaction of the people, was on the point of throwing off all allegiance to the Company, the injured Vizeram Rauze immediately collected the troops of his remain ing zemindary, and with the vigo rous affiftance of another zemindar in funilar circumftances, who had likewife loft a part or the whole of his poffeflions, the mutineers were

pursued