fupport if not the equipment of a large army; and its being befides fo capacious, as to afford cover and fecurity as well as fubfiftence. It was defended by about 7,000 of the Nabob's people, of all forts, in arms, and about 150 of the Company's European infantry and artillery, with a few companies of their fepoys. The place feemed capable of a long defence, at leaft against an Indian army; but befides the little dependence that was to be placed on the Nabob's people, Hyder's army was now become truly formidable even in fieges. His best troops, and thefe were fufficiently numerous, were compofed principally of deferters from the Company and the Nabob's fervice, who had been trained up and difciplined by English officers. His approaches were accordingly conducted with fuch regularity, his attacks fo well fupported, and his artillery fo well ferved, as could not but greatly furprite the Europeans in garrifon; who were particularly aftonished, and no lefs difheartened, at the facility with which his batteries difmounted their can

non.

In the mean time, his cavalry were fo thoroughly mafters of the country, that even in the camp Dear Madras, the troops could not venture two miles from their entrenchments; and fuch was the difaffection that prevailed in the Nabob's garrifons, that feveral of bis forts were furrendered to parties of the enemy's horfe, without the firing of a fingle fhot on either fide. Nor was it among the fmalleft evils or misfortunes of the prefent time, that the government had become fo generally odious to

the people, as to have it fuppoled that there was fcarcely a native from one end of the Carnatic to to the other who did not wifh fuccefs to Hyder's arms.

The government of Bengal were fo little fatisfied with the past, and placed fo little confidence in the future conduct of Madras, that they did not think it fitting, upon the firft account which they received of the invafion, to take any immediate measures towards their relief; confidering it as better to wait for fuch further information as would not only enable them to afcertain the degree of affistance that was really neceffary, but likewife to adopt fuch measures as fhould enfure its right application.

But when accounts were receiv→ ed of the fevere blow sustained in the lofs of Col. Baillie's detachment, and of the danger and ruin which involved the whole Carnatic, the most vigorous meafures of relief were immediately adopted; to which, however, the monfoon feafon then prevailing, was a great impediment. A confiderable reinforcement of European troops by fea, with a fupply of fifteen lacks of rupees in money, was immediately refolved; and as the repugnance of the fepoys to all expeditions on that element was too ftrong to be fafely meddled with, it was determined, as foon as the feafon and roads would admit, to fend a strong body of thofe forces to the relief of the Carnatic by land. But this being a meafure of much doubt, delay, and difficulty, no great reliance was probably placed on its fuccefs; for the route of the fepoys, in their way to the northern circars, was, of neceffity, through Moo

dajee

dajee Boofla's territories in the province of Oriffa; and that prince's difpofition was not only doubtful, but his fon was then advanced with a strong army to the borders of Bengal, and lay in the Cuttack, full in the courfe which they fhould pafs, with views apparently hoftile. Meafures were at the fame time taken by the fupreme council for a plentiful fupply of grain, as foon as it could be done, to Madras; and a quantity of falted provifions were directly fent, to provide against the neceffities of a fiege, if fo unexpected an extremity fhould poffibly

occur.

But all the hopes of the fupreme council for retrieving the British affairs on the coast of Coromandel were centered in the abilities and fervices of that experienced and diftinguifhed officer General Sir Eyre Coote, who was then a member of their own body, as well as commander in chief of all the forces in India. It was urged in council, that the danger impending on the Company's interefts in the Carnatic might be eafily repelled, even by its own immediate force, if that were properly applied and conducted.-But that it did not appear to have been properly applied; nor could it be expected to be properly conducted,

unlefs Sir Eyre Coote would at "this crifis ftand forth and vin"dicate, in his own perfon, the "rights and honour of the British "arms.'

A refolution was accordingly paffed, to intreat Sir Eyre Coote to take upon him the command of the army, and the application of the means for the relief and deliverance of the Carnatic: a requifition with

which, notwithstanding the badnefs of the feafon, and the precarious ftate of his health, he immediately complied. Doubts being then fuggefted, and the question agitated, upon the propriety of entrufting fo large a fum of money as 15 lacks of rupees to the manage ment of thofe whofe mifapplication and wafte had, it was alleged, brought on their own prefent neceflities and dangers, it was refolved that the treasure fhould be configned to the care of Sir Eyre Coote, and by him to be appropriated exclufively to military fervices; with however a difcretionary authority in the general of advancing any part of it on the requifition of the prefident and felect cemmittee of Fort St. George, but being himself to determine on the expediency of the measure.

The fupreme council communicated, both to the prefidency of Madras and to Sir Edward Hughes, an early account of the meatures of relief which they were taking; together with an affurance of their difpofition to a peace with the Marattas, and their determination to make fpeedy propofals for that purpose. Upon this head they were however more full with that admiral than with the prefidency, as an anfwer to the letter which he had fo lately written upon the fubject; they alfo requested that he would, if poffible, direct the operations of his fquadron against Hyder's ports and fhipping on the Malabar coast.

Sir Eyre Coote's voyage was unusually short and favourable for the feafon, he being only 23 days on his paflage from Calcutta to Madras, where he arrived on

the

nor; and held every member of the adminiftration who fhould 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 president 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.

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 imagination upon the fubject; and the unaccountable neglect which had marked every department of administration, feemed rather the effect of fome fatality than of indolence or weaknefs. That general obferves in his letters to the directors, as well as to fome of the principal officers of the state, that the fame inactivity and bad policy 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 arrangements for the fecurity of Fort St. George, the very foundation of our existence on that coaft, had not been made; that no pains had been taken to repair the hattered condition of the very fmall army

that remained for their defence; that the field artillery requifite for a campaign was fo far from being in readiness, 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 exhausted. 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 stating the dangerous and ruinous conduct which had been purfued with refpect 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 ftrength and fuccefs of his arms; "for that Hyder "had taken every measure which "could occur to the most 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 af fairs of the Carnatic, drawn upon the ipot, at the clofe of the year 1780, by Sir Eyre Coote.