Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/505

 Chap. VI.] SIEGE OF TRICHINOPOLY. 471

CHAPTER VI.

Continuation of the siege of Trichinopoly — Anival of Major Lawrence with a reinforcement — Mahomed All's tortuous proceedings — Discontent of his allies — Attempts of the French to recover their lost ground — Clive sails for England — Successes of Major Lawrence — New intrigues of Dupleix.

^SSp^.^^S!vs^ ^^-^^ Clive was gaining his successes in Arcot, Chunda a.d. ivsi. I, 'W ! 1^ !^||; I^ahib continued to beleaguer Trichinopoly. The chief bur- SBpy : '' l^j^r^ ' i' .^^W^^ '^ train of battering artillery from their settlement of Carrical, !^?!^*?^y?^'^^ erected their principal battery at the distance of 1 200 yards fiuni the iiorLli-ea-st angle of the fortress. Their head-quai"ters were fixed at sieg« »f
 * a : A, V ^f|' den of the siege fell upon the French, who, having obtained

^ . Trichino-

some distance eastwiird, near the south bank of the Cauvery ; and in order to iK.iy con save the trouble of connecting them by trenches, they converted the battery into a regular redoubt by inclosing the flanks and rear with a parapet and a ditch. The battery was mounted with three eighteen-pounders and three mortai-s ; and on a rock, afterwards known as the French Rock, situated nearly due south of the battery and about 2000 yards from the south-east angle of the fortress, two eighteen-pounders were placed. Two gims were also posted on the north bank of the Cauvery, within the island of Seringham, opposite to the northern gate. These arrangements indicated a great lack of engineering skill and enter[)rise, as ■ both of the two gun-batteries were far too distant to make any impression on the walls. Accordingly, after they had continued for several days wasting their ammunition to no purpose, the troops under Captain Gingen not only got rid of their former fears, but ran to the opposite extreme, and blamed him for not alh)wing them to be foolhardy. All his caution, though it had formerly been excessive, was now necessary to prevent them from exposing themselves to disaster.

To meet the enemy's attack the defenders raised up a glacis, leaving nothing Nature

A ■. • ^^ the de-

but the parapet of the wall visible, ojiposite to the principal battery, flung up fences.

an entrenchment opposite to the French Rock, and mounted two guns close to

the south bank of the Cauvery, to answer those on the opposite side in the

island of Senngham. A constant firing was now kept up on both sides without

any result. The time wasted, however, began to tell severely against Mahomed

Ali, whose resources were much more limited than those of the besiegers.

Besides maintaining his own troops he was expected to subsidize the Company's

k troops. This he feared would soon become impossible, and the consequence might be that these troops would withdraw and leave him to his fate. Very naturally, therefore, he looked about for new allies, and found one in My.sore,