a lofs how to account for fo fudden a difafter. • The commander, with a great number of officers and men, were left dead upon the fpot; and the camp, with all it contained, fell into the hands of the English.

Soon after Major Forbes, with only two battalions of fepoys, furprised and put to flight a body of feven thousand Marrattos. The feafon, however, approached when both armies were obliged to repair to winter quarters, that they might avoid the pernicious effects of the rainy months. In every action with the enemy, and in fpight of every advantage which numbers could beftow, our troops were uniformly victorious and triumphant, Indeed, nothing could reflect greater credit on the general, the officers, and even the privates at large, nor establish a more operative conviction of our fuperior prowefs in the field, than the conftant fuccefs which attended all our exertions during this campaign.

Nor were the atchievements of the Company's troops lefs fplendid and material on the frontiers of the Bengal provinces. Early precautions had been taken to guard against any incurfion of the enemy on this fide of the country. Ghod, as had been forefeen, in confequence of its recent connection with us, was inftantly attacked by a powerful body of Marrattos. But Major Popham, with only a handful of men, foon cleared the country of thefe marauders; drove them before him through a confiderable part of their own, and

com

commanded fuch an acceflion of territory, as might have proved of importance, but that it could not be retained. The celebrated fortrefs of Gualier stood in the midst of this petty ftate. It was ftill in the poffeffion of the Marrattos, and probably as great an eye-fore to the natives as Gibraltar, under the command of a British garrifon, is to the Spaniards. The anxiety of Mr. Haftings for the reduction of this place was no fecret to the major, whofe own folicitude for dif tinction, in the line of his profeffion, powerfully excited the enterprize. The fortifications, which were of great ftrength, inclofed the fummit of a prodigious high hill, encircled by rocks, and equally barricaded on every fide by the most tremendous precipices. The ground which lay within the works was fo extenfive and fo fertile as to be equal to the fubfiftence of any number of men which the defence of the garrifon might require. The major, perhaps, formed any hopes of fuccefs which he might entertain, against a poft which the princes of Indoftan had always pronounced impregnable, on that confidence and fecurity which are natural to fuch a fituation. Some natives, from motives which do not appear, had discovered a fecret paffage, by which they fcrambled up the rocks, and entered with fafety in the night. The major, informed of this important circumftance, had the track minutely examined; and conceiving, from the report, a bare poffibility of fuccefs, he boldly determined to rifk all the

confequences of a failure. The attempt was attended with fuch imminent hazard and difficulty, as rendered the fuccefs which followed uncommonly brilliant. The confternation and furprise, occafioned by a capture thus rapid and unexpected, had an immediate and powerful operation on the enemy. They inftantly retreated from the whole circumjacent country; and it is faid the alarm even reached Sindia in his capital, Ougein, whither he had just retired from the Guzurat.

Sufpending our attention to the Company's affairs in the northern and upper parts of India for the prefent, it may not be improper in this place. to give fome account of the tranfactions, which, at the fame time, agitated the powers and threatened our interefts on the coaft of Coromandel,

CHAP.

CHAPTER X.

French War-Pondicherry taken-Affair of the Guntoor Circar and Pefhcufh-Hyder Ally invades the Carnatic-The Confequences of that Event-The Prefidency and the Nabob equally unprepared-State of the Army-Sir Hector Monro takes the FieldBaillie's Situation-His Difafter-Sir Eyre Coote's Arrival-He beats the Enemy in four pitched Battles -The War with the Dutch-Expedition against their Settlements in Sumatra-The Fall of Negapatam on the Coromandel Coaft, and of Trincomale in the Island of Ceylon.

AUTHENTIC intelligence of our late war with France was communicated to the governorgeneral of Bengal fo early as July 1778; and his thorough conviction of this great and interesting fact produced an immediate and fenfible influence on all the measures of the fupreme council. The deftination of Count d'Eftaing's fleet, which was then unknown, was not unnaturally supposed to be fome of our capital ports on the Indian fhore. Report, which for the most part magnifies where it does not fabricate, gave weight to the conjecture. The Chevalier St. Lubin was ftill at the Durbar, and obferved to be frequent in close conference with the Peishwa. The fteps which the govern

ment of Calcutta took to repel the impending danger were, to bring their differences with the Marratto ftates to a speedy decifion; to take inftant poffeffion of all the French fettlements in Bengal, and make a complete capture of all their fhips in the river; and to recommend the fiege of Pondicherry to the prefidency of Fort St. George, as a meafure which ought to be adopted without delay. The papers found on Mr. Chevalier, the governor of Chandernagore, who was apprehended making his escape at Cuttack, confirmed the news of hoftilities having commenced between France and England in Europe; and confequently justified thefe preparatory arrangements for the fame conflict in that part of the world.

war.

The English had commenced hoftilities against the French factories and fettlements at Chandernagore, at Yaman, at Carical, at Mafulipatam, and other places, the moment they were authorized to confider them as enemies with whom they were at Immediate depradations were at the fame time made on their trading veffels, both in the Ganges and on the coafts of Coromandel. It was not, however, till the beginning of August that the prefidency of Madras were prepared for undertaking the reduction of Pondicherry. Sir Edward Vernon commanded the fmall British naval force at that time in the Indian feas. The fquadron, with which he failed againft Pondicherry, confifted only of two frigates, a loop of war, and the Valentine East-Indiaman, He foon encountered,