with which they blocked up the place, were covered by a fortified camp at a moderate distance.

Such was the ftate of things at Tellichery, when, in the very beginning of the year, Major Abingdon having arrived there from Bombay, with a confiderable reinforcement of troops, he immediately concerted measures for relieving the town from the diftreffes which it endured through its present ftraitened fituation, by a vigorous attempt to diflodge the enemy, and open the communications with the country. Having originally encamped with his own troops without the town, he was the better enabled to discover the fituation of the enemy, and could the more immediately commence his operations; while his lying quiet for fome days. together with a vain opinion of their own ftrength, concurred in rendering them totally unapprehenfive of his defign.

Having drawn fuch part of the garrifon as could be fpared, without notice, into his camp, he concerted his measures fo well, that he had furprized, attacked, and carried their feveral forts, before day, on the morning of the 8th of January 1782; and purfued his fuccefs with fuch celerity and vigour, that not giving them a moment to recover from their confufion, he ftormed the enemy's fortified camp as foon as it was light, and completely routed and difperfed their main force. Sad dos Cawn, who commanded for Hyder, with his family, and a party of his best or moft attached troops, retired into an exceedingly ftrong fortified houfe, and of a moft fingular conftruction; it be

:

ing fcooped into the fide of a hill, and the walls formed of the living rock. Here they made an obstinate defence; but their faftneffes were at length forced with confiderable flaughter and an inner recefs, which was of fuch ftrength and contrivance as to be bomb proof, was not fufficient to save Saddos Cawn (who was forely wounded) and his family, from being made prifoners. This man was reprefented in the European gazettes as being brother-in-law to Hyder Ally, an error founded on a fifter of his being in that prince's feraglio; a fort of connexion which is not at all confidered as conftituting any fuch degree of affinity.

Several hundreds of the enemy were killed, and fourteen or fif teen hundred taken prifoners, in this brifk action; which befides afforded a very confiderable spoil, confifting in a numerous artillery, with a large quantity of military ftores, and a number of elephants, which were found in the feveral forts and redoubts. By this fuccefs, the communications with the country were not only opened, but the coaft for feveral miles on either hand of Tellicherry, was entirely cleared of the enemy. Few things could have been more vexatious to Hyder than this ftroke. For his poffeffions on the Malabar coaft, being partly acquired by conqueft and partly by fraud, the Nairs, who are the native princes and nobility, and who had fuffered molt feverely in the ineffectual ftruggle for the prefervation of their ancient rights and liberties, which had, from the earlieft times, till then, been unviolated, were ftill exceedingly difaffected [D] 3

to

THE

HE blow which Hyder received on the Malabar coaft, was foon returned with heavy intereft on the banks of the Coleroon. Indeed retaliation was generally to be apprehended as the confequence of fuccefs, in the conflicts with that dangerous enemy.

Colonel Braithwaite had for fome confiderable time commanded a detached body of forces, which was called the fouthern army, and appears to have been deftined to the protection of Tanjour and the adjoining provinces. It likewife appears that Sir Eyre Coote had early in the year been training every nerve to advance the army from Madras to the fouthward, in order to be at hand to reprefs the defigns of Hyder Ally and the French on the fide of Pondicherry; and that he was fo entirely deftitute of the means necessary to that purpose, that it was a work of time, and a matter of the greateft difficulty, to make a movement even to fo fmall a diftance as Chingleput. It is not a little fortunate to the commanders of armies in general, that fuch embarraffing circumftances with respect to the means of warfare are not frequent..

We find by that general's letter to the fecretary of state upon the fubject, that he was at the fame time involved in another difficulty, the nature of which we can by no means clearly compre

hend. Sir Eyre Coote reprefents in that letter, that he was anxioufly expecting the refult of an application which he had made to the governor general and council of Bengal, for reftoring his authority over the fouthern troops, that he might be enabled to direct them to fuch a co-operation, as would tend to facilitate his own. movements, and to distract the defigns of their enemies. What new powers the commander in chief of all the company's forces could have wanted upon this occafion, or how the fouthern command fhould have got beyond his authority, we are incapable of explaining.

Colonel Braithwaite lay with his detachment on the banks of the Coleroon, which forms the nor thern boundary of the Tanjour kingdom. Though his force was not great with respect to number, his troops were excellent, confifting of about 2,000 tried infantry, and a fmall body of 250 cavalry, with 13 field pieces. His fituation in a flat and open country, where no fecurity, through the want of advantageous pofis, could be obtained by retreat, and where fuc. cour was impoffible, evidently would have expofed him to great danger, if a fuperior enemy, abounding in cavalry, had been within reach to profit of it; but this did not appear to be the cafe, for Hyder's army was diftant, and

[D] 4

the

the feveral deep and great rivers in the way, feemed to forbid the fudden and unexpected approach of any fuch confiderable body of the enemy, as might be fufficient to afford real caufe for alarm.

Thefe circumftances of the colonel's fituation did not escape the vigilant attention of Tippoo Saib; whofe active mind, eagerly feeking for adventure, was fill the more ftimulated to this fort of defultory enterprize, from the fuccefs which had attended his attack upon Colonel Baillie. It is to be obferved, that rivers, and even fmall or moderate arms of the fea, are a very ineffective barrier againt Hyder's forces: who has for many years conftituted the paffing of fuch great and dangerous waters, under the most untoward circumfiances and alarming appearances, among the common military exercifes both of his cavalry and infantry. Tippoo Saib was accompanied in this expedition by Monf. Lally, with about 400 French; his native forces being eftimated at 20,000, of whom more than half were cavalry. With this army, and 20 pieces of cannon, he, by feveral forced marches, gained, with great expedition, the banks of the Coleroon; and paffing that river with no lefs celerity than he had hitherto furmounted all other obftacles in his way, fuddenly furrounded Brathwaite's corps, which could not be fuppofed in any degree of preparation for fo unexpected an attack.

This action, in many refpects, refembled that in which Colonel Baillie was engaged, but was of much longer continuance. The attack commenced on the 16th of

February, 1782, and the affair was not decided until the 18th. It has been afferted in a letter, written by an officer who was in the action, that during 26 hours of thofe three days, an unremitting fire of cannon and fmall arms had been fupported on both fides. The fuddennefs of the furprize, nor the imminence of the danger, produced none of their ufual effects, whether with refpect to the collection and compofure, or to the undaunted courage, which were difplayed and fupported through the whole affair, by the British commander and his officers; the former of whom, though feverely wounded and bleeding faft, could not be prevailed upon to withdraw from the action even for a moment. As he was attacked on all fides, and obliged to present a front to every attack, he threw his detachment into a hollow fquare, with his 13 field pieces interfperfed in its faces, and his fmall body of cavalry drawn up in the centre.

Tippoo Saib's defign, (and in which he thought he could not fail of fucceeding) was by a violent cannonade on all fides to break or diforder the fquare in fome of its faces, and then rushing on impetuously with his cavalry, inftantly to complete the deftruction of the whole, But the. noife and violence of his cannonade, with the diftant fire of his mufquetry, were totally incapable of making the fmalleft impreffion on the order of the British fepoys, who, with a firmness that cannot be too much admired, were proof to a fire, and to fuch an aspect of inevitable deftruction, as might have put the conftancy and difci

pline of the beft Furopean troops to the teft. Finding this failure in the first part of his defign, and not placing the lofs of men in any competition with the attainment of his object, he thought to fupply the defect by the number and courage of his cavalry, who he expected could not fail of break ing in at fome point or other of the attack, and of then foon-cutting or trampling down the whole party. He accordingly made reiterated attempts to lead on his cavalry to the charge; but though they advanced with the greatest impetuofity and fury, they were conftantly received with fuch inceffant thowers of grape and mufquet thot, and fuch havock made amongst them in the approach, that they were as conftantly broken on the way, and obliged to fly in the utmoft diforder; whilst at the very inftant of their breaking, the party of cavalry fallied full gallop from the centre of the fquare, and purfuing them furiously with heavy and unrefifted execution to a proper diftance, again returned to their former station.

Such was the nature of the repeated attacks which they fuftained, and fuch the hard and de fperate fervice, which this handful of brave men underwent through fo long a courfe of time. But in this courfe their numbers were continually thinned, while the brave furvivors, worn down with wounds and fatigue, were ftill more fubdued by the evident fruitleffuefs of their exertions. At length, on the third day, Monf. Lally feeing the total failure of the cavalry, and that fo far from fulfilling Tippoo Saib's fanguine hopes of riding over at once and

trampling upon the British infantry, no poflible means could bring them to the refolution of ever making one charge up to the lines, he propofed a new difpofition and more effectual mode of attack.

M. Lally marched himself at the head of his 400 Europeans, with fixed bayonets, to the attack of that fide of the fquare, which was the most expofed or feemed the weakeft; he being accompanied and fupported by feveral battalions of the enemy's beft infantry, and flanked by cavalry. Whilft he was advancing to this attack, the whole fire of their artillery was poured in upon the other three faces, which were at the fame time menaced and harraffed by great bodies of cavalry, who were ready to ruth in upon them, at the inftant that they ventured upon any change in their pofition; fo that the attacked front could not receive the fmalleft fupport whatever from the others. The poor wearied fepoys in that front, were little able to withstand the vigorous bayonet attack of such a body of Europeans coming fresh into action, confident, as they were, of fuccefs, and fupported by fuch a weight of native troops. They were foon 'broken, and the cavalry inftantly ruthing in; a dreadful carnage enfued.

This moment of horror and deftruction afforded an opportunity to M. Lally of displaying the nobleft humanity, and of tranfmitting his name with favour and honour to pofterity. He not only iffued immediate orders for putting a ftop to the carnage, which were readily obeyed by the ins

fantry,