placed under their charge. The Mysore army entered the country by way of Siddhéshvara. The Coorgs disputed every inch of ground, and defended every pass, but were unable to beat off the strong force of the invaders. The Captains of Tippu took up several strong positions in the heart of the country, seized all they could, grain, cattle, men, women and children, and burnt every house they had pillaged. The Rajah of Kóte sent a force of Nairs to the assistance of the Musulmans. Being well acquainted with the localities of the Coorg Hills, these treacherous neighbours showed the Mysoreans the way to the retreats of the Coorgs. At Padinálkanádu a serious combat took place between the Coorgs and their Maleyálam enemies. The latter being worsted, they set fire to the temple of Pádinàlkanadu and fled. But now the Coorgs, driven to despair, rose to a man, and harassed the Mysore troops so much, that Gulàm Ali was forced, to unite his army, and confine himself to the more open parts of the country, whence he carried fire and sword into the villages which he could attack with safety.

By this time the flame of the insurrection against Musulman domination had spread into the Maleyálam, and the discontented hastened to join the Coorgs in their mountains. Tippu ordered Gulám Ali to quell the commotion in the Maleyàlam. The Mysore army descended by the pass of Kodantura. A Coorg force attacked them on the march and inflicted severe loss upon them. With difficulty Gulám Ali reached Payávúr. The temple was burnt to the ground, and the whole district given up to rapine. On the approach of the Musulmans, the elder brother of the Rajah of Pàle, fled from Paichi, his residence, to Anantashayana, and placed himself and his family under the protection of the Rajah of Travancore, an ally of the English. It became evident, that the Maleyálam insurrection was

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not to be put down in a hurry. Tippu sent four more Captains, Mohammad Rajá, Bakshi, Ajam Ali Khan, Bakshi, Pájal Khan, and a Frenchman, Monsieur Jean Castorez, with a considerable force to the assistance of Gulam Ali. This re-inforcement took the Heggalaghatt-route. Vírarája, at the head of a body of his men, took post at the pass. On the part of the Mysoreans, Pájal Khan commanded the advanced guard, Jean Castorez the rear guard. A sharp contest ensued. Pájal Khan fled, Jean Castorez cut his way through the Coorgs, but with the loss of all his baggage: great spoil fell into the hands of the Coorgs that day. The enemy left 800 men on the field dead, 400 were wounded. Three Captains had their heads cut off. The whole force, including the advanced guard under Pájal Khan might have been destroyed, had not the Coorgs preferred plundering to fighting. The booty was carried to Heggala. The prisoners were sent back to Mysore by way of Bálele. The Rajah took all the stores of war, the rest was divided among the Coorgs. Bálele was garrisoned by a small force under Kádamari Mallappa Náyaka. When the prisoners, arriving from Heggala, brought the news of the victory achieved by the Coorgs, Mallappa Náyaka abandoned his post and fled with his men to Periapatna. Tippu was alarmed, and apprehended the loss of Coorg. He despatched Burán-u-din,* his brother-in-law, with a considerable army and a large supply of provisions and ammunition into Coorg, and ordered him to strengthen the four forts of Kushálanagara (Fraserpett), Mercara, Bhagamandala and Beppunàdu. Burán-u-din reached Kushàlanagara and provisioned it, on his way to Mercara, however, he was attacked and repulsed by Víraràja, and escaped thither with the loss of

* Called "Booreham-u deen " in the Despatches of the Duke of Wellington I., 30, and Burkar-00-deen in Thornton's British Empire in India II. 411.

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one half of his military stores. He returned to Seringapatam without having seen Bhagamandala or Beppunádu. On his return, Tippu concerted another campaign with him. The Sultan himself was to move against Travancore with one half of his available forces. án-u-din was to invade Coorg with the other half, chastise the rebels, and join Tippu in the Maleyalam. The Rajah of Cherkal, hearing that Tippu had evil designs upon the Maleyàlam Rajahs, fled to Tellicherry, but was intercepted on his way upon information given by some Máplis, and destroyed himself. His body was dragged round the camp and hung upon a tree. The rest of the Rajahs and other people of property and influence took to flight, and found an asylum at Anantashayana, the capital of Kirítaràmaràja. Tippu demanded the surrender of the refugees. The Rajah refused compliance, and Tippu declared war. He had arrived before Bengátangádi by way of Gajjalhatti. Now he proceeded to Coimbatoor and prepared for a campaign after the Monsoon. The Rajah implored the protection of Lord Cornwallis, the Governor General of India, and of the Governors of Madras and Bombay. He received the most friendly assurances, and war-like preparations were made simultaneously by the three governments.

When Vírarája heard of the intended expedition of Buràn-u-din against Coorg, he resolved on reducing the four strongholds of the Musulmans, before they receiv ed succour. He collected 1,500 men and went to Nanjarajapattana. Having halted there four days, he proceeded with his little army towards Kushálanagara, to try his strength. At five o'clock in the evening he arrived in the vicinity of the new Fort. As soon as the garrison espied the first companies of the Coorgs, two hundred men sallied forth to drive them back. The Coorgs were repulsed. The Rajah, when he met

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the fugitives, thrashed them well, and pushed forward against the Musulmans, who retired into the Fort of Kushalanagara. The Coorgs followed upon their heels, and in a short time routed the garrison, consisting of 700 men. Three hundred were cut down on the bank of the Kávéri, and two hundred more near Bettadapura. The Killadar's head was laid at the feet of the Rajah. Kushálanagara was sacked. The ammunition was taken by the Rajah, the rest of the booty divided among the Coorgs, and the Fort burned. Vìraràja retired to his palace at Nalkanàdu. This affair took place in June 1789 (Kaliyuga 4891, Saumya.) In August the Rajah attacked the Fort of Beppunàdu. The garrison capitu→ lated and obtained free passage through Coorg. The stores of ammunition were seized by the Rajah, every thing else was taken by the Coorgs. After the Fort had been emptied, it was burned to the ground. The loss of the Beppunàdu Fort quickened the activity of Buràn-u-din. He moved towards Coorg with a large force, which, according to the orders of Tippu, was divided into three columns. The remaining Forts were to be strengthened, the Coorgs to be chastised. By dint of extraordinary exertion he succeeded in throwing supplies into the Fort at Bhagamandala, but was repeatedly beaten on the march. At last the force returned to Seringapatam, whence it proceeded to join Tippu by way of Gajjalhatti. In the following month of January Víraràja intercepted another force, despatched by Tippu to the assistance of the garrisons in Coorg.

While Viraraja was thus engaged in fighting the Musulmans, the Rajah of Kóte despatched from Tirnalli, in the Wynaad, a force of Nairs and Mullukurumbas against Kurchi, where part of the family of Víraràja continued to live. Their house was surrounded at night. Two of Víraràja's wives, some of his concubines, his elder brother's son and twenty other members of

the family were murdered. All the property found, silver, gold, jewels, whatever the Rajah had secured from the rapacity of the Musulmans, was carried off. The building was then set on fire, and the band of robbers decamped. Tenkamutta, the leader of the treacherous banditti, appropriated the most valuable jewels to himself; the remainder he delivered to the Kóte Rajah. When Vírarája returned from his successful expedition against the Musulmans to Kurchi, he beheld what his eye ought never to have seen. Upon the ruins of his house he called upon God, the righteous ruler of the world, to avenge the treachery of the faithless Kóte Arasu. He retired to the Nálkanàdu palace. After six weeks he collected himself and set out to invest the Fort at Bhagamandala. He planted his guns on the hill of Mumbáratu and pointed them with his own hand against the Fort, which was well defended. After a siege of five days the place fell. Three copper tiles in the roof of the temple at Bhàgamandala had been destroyed by the Rajah's cannon balls; they were replaced by four tiles made of silver. After the reduction of Bhagamandala the Rajah ordered Hombàlenayaka to descend by the Menasinaghatt and to take possession of Amara Súlya and Puttúr. Hombàlenayaka was quite successful. He took all the country to a short distance from Mangalore, and sent back part of his troops to the Rajah. Mandyappana Appayanna and Nágarahalli Puttagauda received the following orders from Vìraràja: "I have settled the whole of Coorg and subdued the Tulu country. Madikéri (Mercara) is our own residence. There, Ali Beg still remains with a Musulman force. You must cut off Madikéri

from all communication with Mysore and attack the enemy's territory." They executed the Rajah's command. The Arkalgúdu and Konanúru districts were pillaged. The farmers of these parts, however, pur