fides, at least, by the fea; and the interval, or neck, as it is called, (though rather too open to the continent to be properly confidered as an ifthmus) is compofed of very unequal and difficult ground; being incumbered with rocky hills, and interrupted by a large tank or pond. To the fouth, it is covered by a very thick and deep wood; than which nothing can be deemed a better natural defence in India; for as the hardness of the timber trees renders the cutting of them in a great measure impracticable, fo the innumerable bamboos which fill up the interftices, are proof to fire through their extreme fucculence. The French accordingly, relying upon that fecurity, were fatisfied to fortify those parts of the neck which lay open to the country; and these they covered with ftrong lines and redoubts well mounted with artillery.

General Stuart, upon the retreat of that prince from the Carnatic, had detached a confiderable divifion of the army, under the Colonels Lang and Fullarton, to carry the war into his own dominions, by invading them on the fouthern quarter. Though thefe officers had great fuccefs, took Dindigul and other confiderable places, and that it could not but be highly embarraffing and diftreffing to the enemy to be fo formidably attacked in this diftant part, while his hands were fully occupied on the Malabar coaft; yet this detraction from the main ftrength, was afterwards fo fenfibly felt in the profecution of the principal object, that as the difficulties and fervices on the fide of Cuddalore multiplied, while the army, through the lofs of men and the greatness of the duty and fatigue, became lefs equal to their fupport, the general found it at length neceffary to recal Colonel Fullarton, al

though he had then nearly, if not entirely, fubdued the whole Coimbatour country; and feemed in a train of extending his defigns ftill farther.

The month of May was spent in providing and fhipping provifions, ftores, and most of the bulky articles neceffary for the fervice, on board thofe veffels which were to attend the army in the courfe of the expedition. As we have feen no plan, nor particular defcription of Cuddalore, we can only form our ideas of the state of that place, and of the nature of the approaches and defences, from the circumftances which occur in the fiege. It feems to be furrounded on two

It was then with

aftonishment that they June 7th. beheld General Stuart marching round through the open ground in the face of the works, and encamping on the fouth fide under the cover of that wood, which they regarded as their own fecurity, and as impenetrable, at leaft to the paffage of artillery, and the regular approaches of an army. But though his operations were, by this manœuvre, out of view, they foon perceived that he was fuccefsfully directing them to obviate the difficulties of the wood; and upon this difcovery, they immediately applied themfelves with extraordinary labour and induftry, to fupply the failure of that defence, by continuing

the

the chain of works quite acrofs the neck.

The British general obferving the wonderful facility, with which new and mighty works were rifing faft into view, and feeing that the approaches would foon be covered in fuch a manner, as to render the body of the place unaffailable, thought it were better, notwithstanding the great force of the enemy, to endeavour by a bold attack to prevent their completion, than to wait the tedious refult of regular approaches for their future fubverfion.

Relying upon the goodnefs of his troops, he accordingly took his measures for this purpose. The greater part of the first line, under the conduct of General Bruce, were deftined to the attack; who took their ground filently on the preceding evening, about half a mile in front of the camp. They were compofed of the precious remains, as the general repeatedly calls them, of the 73d, and of the 78th and 101ft royal regiments; of, detachments from the 15th and 16th Hanoverians, amounting to 600 men, under the conduct of Colonel Wangenheim, and Major Varrenius; of a handful of the Madras Europeans, amounting only to about 80; and of fome battalions both of Bengal and Madras fepoys. The European grenadiers, amounting with their officers to 360, formed a distinct corps, under Lieutenant Colonel Cathcart. The whole number of the Europeans was about 1600.

The attack was fuccefsfully commenced early in the morning on' the left, by Lieutenant Colonel Kelly, who having carried

the enemy's works and batteries on the Bandipollum hills, continued to direct their own fire against them from thence, with great effect, through the courfe of the day. Colonel Cathcart with the grenadiers, fupported by Colonel Stuart with the remains of the 73d, under Captain Lamont, and two battalions of fepoys, attempted, under cover of the guns just taken by Kelly, to turn the enemy's right, and particularly to take a strong redoubt, by which they were extremely galled in the advance; but the ground was fo difficult, and the fire fo heavy, that Colonel Stuart found it neceffary to cover the troops in the best manner he could, until he could communicate their fituation to the general; with a view that a diverfion might be made, by attacks being directed from other quarters to that point at the fame inftant.

The referve accordingly, under Colonel Gordon, confifting of the 101ft, of the Hanoverians, and of five companies of fepoys, were ordered up to fupport Stuart's corps, while General Bruce made a movement from the right, in the direction of the redoubt. As this was the grand point of attack and defence, on which the fortune of the day entirely depended, and where the utmost exertions of valour were displayed on both fides, the troops being fo admirably matched in point of goodness, that fome advantage of ground or chance, feemed almoft neceffary to afford a fuperiority to either over the other, we fhall be the more particular in our account of this exceedingly hard fought and bloody action.

As

As the fire of the artillery had not been able during the morning to produce any effect upon the enemies works, an attempt to carry them by ftorm became the laft refort. As foon then as the advancing troops were able to clofe upon the enemy with their muf. quetry, the firing of the artillery ceafed, and the guns were laid under cover. The referve, with Stuart's corps and the grenadiers, endured in their approach, the heaviest fire of mufquetry, round and grape fhot, from the enemy, that, the general fays, he had ever beheld. They notwithstand. ing advanced in the most admirable order to the works, where they forced their way into the entrenchments, and mingled in clofe and mortal combat with the enemy. But the French troops received them moft valiantly, fuftaining this fierce attack with wonderful firmness; and their ftrength and fpirits being continually renewed by fupplies of fresh men, after a long and bloody conteft, in which a number of gallant officers fell on both fides, the affailants were repulfed; and the enemy, unable to reftrain their ardour, fallied out of their works and pushed the referve, till defperately fighting, down the declivity, towards the level ground. This fuccefs, and the change of pofition it occafioned, produced an effect, unthought of by the enemy in the eagerness of their purfuit; for the grenadiers, with the other troops of Stuart's divifion, had in the mean time turned the works, and gained poffeffion of that ftrong poft which had been the object of fo much bloody contention; and not contented with this fervice, hav

ing effectually fecured the redoubts and works there, they pushed on incontinently to another ftrong poft called Brickmyre's, confiderably nearer the town, which they likewife carried, with its artillery, and were fome time in poffeffion of; but the great force of the enemy being there at hand, they poured in fuch a num. ber of fresh troops upon them, that they were obliged to abandon Brickmyre's. In the mean time, the referve having rallied, repulfed and purfued the enemy; who now perceiving the lofs of their pofts, were obliged to take a circuitous courfe to gain the fortress ; upon which a fpirited attempt was made by General Bruce to cut off their retreat; but fome of the works enfiladed a hollow way thro' which the troops were paffing, and poured fuch inceffant fhowers of grape fhot upon them, that the defign, after fome lofs, was of neceffity relinquished.

As the works on the Bandipollum Hills, and thofe now taken, commanded or enfiladed the whole extent of the Neck, and laid the way open for carrying on the approaches with effect directly to the fortrefs, the general thought it fitting to fpare the effufion of blood, and to give fome refpite to the troops after fo fevere a fervice. But fuch was their ardour, that notwithstanding the heavy lofs they had already fuflained, they wanted to push on directly in the prefent heat, to the attack of the remaining works towards the town, though they were fenfible of the heavy fire both of fmall arms and artillery, to which, without cover, they would be expofed in the approach. The general, however, restrained

reftrained their eagerness, and relying upon his knowledge of the temper of the enemy, judged rightly, that when they had leifure to cool, and time for reflection, they would not retain the remaining outworks, at the hazard of another encounter. His opinion was foon verified, for on the very next morning, they abandoned all their polts without the fortress.

This brilliant and important fuccefs cannot be supposed, from the nature of the action, to have been cheaply purchafed; the lofs of men, in killed, wounded and miffing, including the native troops, amounting to 962. The royal forces fuffered extremely, ten of their officers being killed, thirty wounded, and between four and five hundred of the private men included in the different lifts. This was faid to be the greatest lofs of Europeans, particularly of officers, in proportion to the whole number, that had been yet known in any action in India. Undoubt edly, there never had been one better fought on both fides than the prefent. The Hanoverians, the grenadiers, and the remains of the 73d, gained diftinguished honour on this day; but it was a glory by no means flightly acquired, for their refpective lofs was fevere indeed. Of the firft, four officers fell upon the fpot, and twelve were wounded; and of their private men, 62 were killed, and 144 wounded; being more than a third of their whole number in the field. Their brave Major Varrenius fell, as he was gallantly leading up his men to The attack of the entrenchments, under that terrible fire which we

have before mentioned. Captain Lindfay, who commanded the grenadiers of the 73d, was mortally wounded; and refufing to admit the gallant mark of affection eagerly propofed by his men, of ftaying behind to protect, or to perish along with him, he was taken prifoner. The grenadiers under Colonel Cathcart, as well as their commander, excited ge neral admiration; but their lofs in killed and wounded, including 12 officers, was little fhort of half their number.

Nor was the lofs of the French, making allowance for their cover, and the ftrength of their works, at all difproportioned to that of the English; 42 of their officers, and above 600 of their best troops, being that day killed or wounded.

On the day after this action, the French fleet arrived from Trincomale at the Danish fettlement of Tranquebar; from whence a correfpondence taking place between M. de Suffrein and the Marquis de Buffy, the latter found himself yet fo ftrong, that he detached 1200 of his troops to reinforce the fhips, in the expected encounter with Sir Edward Hughes. We have before obferved the great reduction of ftrength that took place in the British fleet, through the extraordinary fickness of the feamen. They were, notwithstanding, at this time cruizing before Cuddalore, to cut off all fupplies from the Marquis de Buffy; an object, however, to which the fituation of the place, with the nature of the coaft and winds, and fome other circumstances, were by no means favourable. Upon the appearance of the enemy, two or three days were spent in mancu.

vres on both fides, the British admiral ufing his utmost efforts to gain the wind, while the enemy were more fuccefsful in their exertions to preferve that advantage.

The enemy at length, on the fourth day, fhewing a difpofition to engage, the wind ftill entirely in their favour, the admiral immediately formed the line of battle a-head, and brought to to receive them. It was a little June 20th. paft four o'clock, in the afternoon, when the van fhip of the enemy's line, having fired a fingle gun to try her distance, and although scarcely within point blank-shot reach, the whole fleet began inftantly to fire; which they continued for about 20 minutes, before a fingle fhot was returned by the British line. The diftance being then confiderably leffened, though ftill far too great for the kind of engagement wifhed by the English, a heavy cannonade took place, which was continued on both fides, without intermiffion, until feven o'clock. At that hour the enemy hauled off, having preferved a guarded diftance through the whole course of the engage

ment.

The enemy were out of fight in the morning. On the 22d Sir Edward Hughes difcovered them at anchor in the Road of Pondi. cherry; where he braved them during the day, and anchored in the evening within their fight. But the want of water was now fo extreme, and the number of the fick, now increased by the wounded, fo great, that the admiral was under an abfolute neceflity of proceeding to Madras, in order to

land the one, and to procure a fupply of the other.

The lofs of men on the English fide in this action, amounted to 99 killed, and to 431 wounded; a few brave officers were included in both lifts; but the captains were for this time Scotfree. It feems not a little furprizing, as we cannot fuppofe that M. de Suffrein could be ignorant of the fickly weakened condition of the English fleet, that he did not venture to come to close action, and endeavour to render the engagement decifive. It is, however, to be obferved, that the English had, for the first time, a fuperiority of fhips and guns in this action; their line of battle confifting of feventeen fhips, and that of the French only fifteen. But this apparent fuperiority, it might be thought, wouid have been much more than counterballanced by the weaknefs of the crews, when the hips came to be fingly hard pref. fed in a close fight. It may at the fame time be obferved, with refpect to the other fide, that it indicated no fmall confidence in their own inherent virtue, that, as upon all former occafions, fo, even in their prefent reduced ftate, they ufed every endeavour to bring their enemy to the clofeft poffible action.

This was the fifth and laft battle between Sir Edward Hughes and M. de Suffrein; and this concluded the fevere courfe of naval warfare between the two nations in India. A war in which infinite valour was displayed on both fides; but in the course of which, feveral appearances of national rancour and animofity which occurred