and fecured the baggage, the troops advanced with their ufual alacrity upon the enemy. These made but a faint refiftance; they gave way on all fides, retreated with precipitation, and were purfued with confiderable execution until dark. 'The vigour of Hyder's exertions was no longer feconded by that of his troops. Such was the furprifing change which the admirable conduct and military abilities of Sir Eyre Coote, feconded by fome excellent officers, and fupported by the unparalleled efforts of a fmall but glorious army, had, in a fhort time, produced in the affairs of the Carnatic; and fuch the events of one of the moft arduous campaigns of which we have any knowledge. coafts of Sumatra, into their hands. The Dutch fettlement, in the town, port, and fortrefs of Negapatam, in the Tanjore country, could not, even in time of peace, but be confidered as fome eyefore to the Company; but, in the prefent ftate of things, its being in the poffeffion of an enemy was full of danger. The confequences of fuch a fortress and port being open for the reception of the French fleet and army, and of its becoming a great naval and military maga zine for Hyder's conftant fupply as well as theirs, were indeed easily understood; but the immediately dangerous ftate of af fairs, and urgent demands for every pollible exertion in the CarDuring these transactions, an natic, feemed to render the apaccount of the war with Holland plication of a timely preventive having arrived in India during remedy a matter of the greateit the month of Auguft, it fortuned difficulty. foon after that five India fhips from China arrived, in their way home, at Fort Marlborough, on the coaft of Sumatra. The arrival of these hips excited the gentlemen of that factory to an enterprize against the Dutch fettlements on that inland. Mr. Botham, one of the council, was appointed to conduct this expedition, and Captain Clements, commodore of the five fhips; the fort could only fpare Captain Mandeville, with an hundred men for the fervice. The addrefs and good conduct of thefe gentlemen fo effectually fupplied the want of force, that the governor of Padang, being artfully impofed upon with refpect to their ftrength, was terrified into a furrender not only of that place, but of all the other Dutch fettlements on the western The fuccefs of Sir Eyre Coote's arms having happily leffened the difficulties on that fide, this new evil and danger became an object of the first confideration; it was, however, fome time before the defign against Negapatam could be carried into effect; but during that interval, Sir Edward Hughes had, from his first knowledge of the rupture with Holland, clofely blocked up the place by fea. Major General Sir Hector Monro was appointed to conduct this enterprize in concert with the admiral; and the troops already ftationed in the Tanjore country, were the only land force affigned to this fervice. The difficulties which they had to encounter, required all the abilities and exertion of both commanders. The fortifi fortifications had already been fame day, under the fuperintend confiderably ftrengthened by new works; the garrifon reinforced by a large detachment of Hyder's troops; and, what was ftill a matter of more ferious confideration, the feafon was far advanced for military operations, the fhift of the monfoon being at hand. But the great importance of the object warranted risk, and reduced the difficulties to nothing, in the minds of the affailants. ence of Captain Ball of the Superbe, landed without the smallest lofs or damage. The garriton amounted to about 8,000 men of all forts, and far exceeded the befiegers in point of number. It was composed of above 500 Europeans, 700 Malays, 4,500 fepoys, and 2,300 of Hyder's troops; of the latter 1,000 were cavalry. The whole force of the beliegers, including feamen and marines, did not much exceed 4,000 men capable of etfective fervice. The fick were pretty numerous; and the troops fuffered great incommodities from bad weather and the dampnefs of the fituation; most of the wounded died; and feveral of the feamen and marines were carried off fuddenly by violent cramps and fpafins, occafioned by wet and fatigue. On the night of the 29th of October, the ftrong lines, flanked by redoubts, which the enemy had thrown up to cover and defend the approaches to the town, were attacked and carried by ftorm. In this very brifk action, the feamen and marines left but little to be done by the land-forces falling Oct. 21, The troops being arrived at Nagore, a place 1781. on the fea-coaft, near Negapatam, Sir Hector Monro was immediately landed to take the command; and, at the fame time, all the marines of the fquadron, amounting with their officers to 443, were likewife landed, and joined the Company's troops. On the following day, a detachment of 827 feamen, with their proper officers, and com. manded by three naval captains, were landed, under orders from the admiral, to co-operate with the general to the utmost in every meafure for the attack of the place. The great difficulty lay in landing the artillery (which were fupplied by the fquadron) through a great and dangerous on with their ufual intrepidity, furf. This difficulty was fur- nothing could withstand the viomounted, though with incredible lence of their attack for a molabour, fatigue, and no fmall ment. It was remarkable that danger, by the courage and acti- Hyder's cavalry were fo terrified vity of the feamen. Catamarans, at the fury which they experienced or rafts, were made with wonder- in this rough encounter, that they ful expedition; and with the aid ran entirely away into the open of the boats, fixteen eighteen- country, and never after joined the pounders, two twelve pounders, garrifon. with two heavy mortars and fix lighter, together with their carriages, hot, fhells, powder, and all neceffary artillery stores, were on the On the 3d of November the general opened ground against the north face of the fort; and the approaches were carried on with unuiual unufual rapidity to which the alacrity of the feamen and marines contributed greatly. On the 7th a battery of 10 eighteenpounders being ready to open within 300 paces of the walls, the admiral and general fent a joint letter of fummons to the Dutch governor; which he answered with great refpect, but no leis firmness. The garrifon made two defperate fallies with almost their whole force, but were beat back into the town with much lofs in both. A battery being opened with great ef. fect on the face of a bastion which was intended to be breached, the enemy demanded a parley; and commiffioners were fent Nov. 12th. out to fettle the terms of capitulation with the admiral and general. By thefe, the town and citadel, and every thing they contained belonging to the government or Company, were furrendered; private property was fecured, and the inhabitants to be protected in their houfes and eftates, upon taking the oath of allegiance; the garrifon were al lowed military honours, and then became prifoners of war; and the governor, council, and civil officers, were retained on parole. Hyder's infantry, with moft of the other fepoys, abandoned their arms, and had made their efcape out of the town, during the truce, on the night preceding the turrender. The whole lofs of the beliegers, Europeans and natives, in killed, wounded, and miffing, during a fervice of fo much action and difficulty, amounted to no more than 133 men. A numerous artillery, with large quantities of fhot, fhells, military and artillery ftores, were found in the place. The taking of Negapatam produced the immediate happy ef fect of Hyder's troops evacuating all the forts and ftrong pofts which they held in the Tanjore country and its borders. It likewife operated fo flrongly upon the Poligars of the Marawa and Ti nivelly countries, who renouncing their forced obedience to the Nabob of Arcot, had early joined Hyder, that they endeavoured to make their peace with the former upon the best terms which they could obtain. The monfoon now fet in with its utmost fury, and nothing could exceed the dreadful boisteroufness of weather which the fleet endured, from the furrender of the place near to the end of the following month. This violence was fò contant, that it was with the greatest difficulty, and no fmall danger, that the admiral, in the courfe of about three weeks, was able to recal to their refpective fhips, thofe feamen and marines who had affifted with fo much honour and effect in the fiege, and to tranfmit to Madras only a part of the military prifoners. The weather becoming moderate towards the clofe of the year, Sir Edward Hughes proceeded to carry into execution the defign which he had formed against the Dutch fettlement of Trincomale, in the island of Ceylon. That island, celebrated from the earliest ages for its produce of the cinna mon-tree, has been long fhut up from the rest of the world, through the avidity of the Dutch to en grofs and retain the whole com merce and diftribution of that pre cious fpice entirely to themfelves. For this purpofe they feized and fortified fortified the fea-coafts, and having driven the King of Candy and his fubjects into the interior parts of the island, where he is allowed to retain fuch a degree of authoity as is neceffary to their own purpofes, they are effectually fecluded from all communication with the reft of mankind. The ifland, with respect to commercial fituation, as well as to products, is capable of being one of the moft valuable in the world. Trincomale lies on the north-east quarter of the ifland; its harbour is reckoned the best and finest in India; and is compofed of feveral bays, where the moft numerous fleets might anchor in the greatest fecurity; but its being fo clofely fhut up from the winds, may, in that climate, be well fuppofed to render it unhealthy. Sir Edward Hughes was fupplied by the general on this expedition, with a detachment of about 500 volunteer fepoys, and an officer with 30 artillery-men, in order to garrifon the place in cafe of fuccefs. The fleet being arrived in Trincomale bay, the marines, with two fix-pounders, a detachment of artillery Jan. 5th, and two companies of 1782. fepoys, to act as pio neers, were landed at about three miles distance from the fort. These were immediately followed by the battalion of feamen, confifting of the fame number of men and officers as had ferved at the attack of Negapatam; the fepoys clofed the debarkation, and the whole party was commanded by Captain Gell of the Monarca, who was well affifted by Captain Montague, of the Sea Horfe, and Captain Reynolds, of the Com buftion fire-fhip. The feamen and marines, with the guns and pioneers, immediately formed, and pushed forward, though it was nearly dark, to Trincomale fort; and the company of marine grenadiers, with the guns, coming up to the gateway, without any attention to regular forms, moit refolutely forced their way through, and in an inftant became mafters of the place. The garrifon confifted only of three officers and forty foldiers; but the fort was of confequence to their further operations, as it commanded the only place where provifions and ftores could be landed from the fhips. Intelligence was received from the prifoners, that the enemy's remaining force was collected in Fort Oftenburgh, fituated on a high hill that commanded the harbour, and holding an open communication with their fhips, which lay under its protection. The next day was employed in landing the neceffary ftores, provifions, and baggage for the troops, at Trincomale fort. On the following day, the commanding officers, with Major Geils, the engineer, were employed in reconnoitring, and in difcovering the beft road for their approach to the heights; and every thing being fettled in that refpect, the troops marched early on the morning of the 8th towards a high hill which commanded the Oftenburgh fort, and on the top of which the enemy had a poít defended by an officer's guard. The hill was attacked in the night; and the poft, which was within 200 yards of the fort, carried and main tained by a detachment of feamen and marines, to In these circumstances of advantage and fuperiority, the admiral, very early in the morning, tranfmitted, through Captain Gell, a letter of fummons Mr. Homed, the governor, ftating his total inability of making any effectual refiitance, and urging him in the strongest manner to prevent, by a timely capitulation, the fatal confequences of carrying things to the utmost extremity, when the great fuperiority of difcipline as well as of force, together with the known and tried courage which he had to oppofe, would render every exertion of defence ridiculous. The governor, however, after ftating the truft repofed in him, and the ties of fidelity by which he was bound, declared his refolution of defending, at all events, the place to the last. on the danger he was running, Major Geils, the engineer, who Sir Edward Hughes was fil! was undoubtedly appointed to be exceedingly unwilling to proceed the bearer of the letters of fumto extremities. Independently of mons, for the benefit of the obthe effect produced by national fervations which he might make, attachment, and by a fenfe of informed the admiral, that he the long friendship and alliance was ftrongly of opinion that the which had fubfifted between both countries, he was befides perfonally and intimately acquainted with Mr. Homad, and the principals of thofe along with him; for the goodness of the harbour having rendered Trincomale a place of common rendezvous, it is probable that there was fcarcely an officer in the fleet who had not, in the happier season of peace, experienced, in a greater or lefs degree, fome portion of their friendship, hofpitality, or kindness. He accordingly wrote a fecond letter to the Dutch governor, expoftulating with him in The neceffary difpofitions be kinder and more familiar terms ing made, the ftorming party, lower fort, at least, might be carried by affault; fome of the higher works he had his doubts about; but of the former, he fpoke with confidence, and_the others mutt fall of courfe. This affurance coming from an officer of fuch experience and diftinguished ability, afforded the highest fatisfaction to Sir Edward Hughes, who was well aware of the labour, difficulty, and delay, which the dragging of heavy cannon up the heights, and the formal opera tions of a fiege, would neceffarily occafion. confift |