Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/509

 Chap. VI. ] I'LIVE IN COMMAND OF A DIVISION. 47")

The Englisli Eiist India Company, while naturally encoiiraged and elated by ad. 1752. the favoiu-able tiu'n which affairs had taken, were suffering severely in their mercantile interest by the length and expensiveness of the war ; and it there- fore seemed justifiable, even at some risk of failure, to adopt any plan which CHveincom-

niand of a

l^romised to bring it with the least delay to a successful termination. Such a aiviBim. plan Wits suggested by Olive, and adopted by Major Lawrence. It was to form the army into two divisions; and while retaining the one south of the Cauvery, to send the other to the north of the Coleroon. Hazardous it certainly was, for the defeat of one division almost necessarily involved the destruction of both. A difti(ulty remained. To whom was the command of the northern divisi(m to be intrusted? Major Lawrence was anxious to appoint Clive, but several of the officers as his seniors had a prior claim. The Mahrattas and Mysoreans removed the difficulty, by declaring that they would not allow any of their troops to accompany the expedition unless Clive had the command of it. He was accordingly appointed, and after arranging to choose a central position between the Coleroon and the straits of Ootatoor, so as to be always within a forced mcU"ch of Trichinopoly, set out on the 6th of April, 1752, with 400 Euro- peans, 700 sepoys, 3000 Mahrattas commanded by Innis Khan, 1000 Tanjorine horse, two battering cannon, and six field-pieces. Having reached the north bank of the Coleroon by crossing the island of Seringham three miles east of the pagoda of Jumbakistna, he marched north seven miles and took possession of the village of Samiaveram, with its two pagodas, one on each side of the highroad leading to Ootatoor.

Dupleix, alarmed at the critical position into which thuiula Sahib's army had been brought by M. Laws injudicious retreat into the island of Seringham, sent M. d'Auteuil to supersede him. He was accompanied by 120 Europeans, 500 sepoys, with four field-pieces, and a large convoy of provisions and stores. Olive, on learning his arrival at Ootatoor, and intention to avoid Samiaveram, Affair of sa- by making a large circuit to the west, set out with tiie greater part of his force to intercept him. M. d'Auteuil, informed of this movement, hastened back to Ootatoor, and Clive retraced his steps to Samiaveram. M. Law, who knew of Olive's departure and not of his return, sent a party of eighty Europeans and 700 sepoys to attack Samiaveram, and make an easy piize of the few troops who had been left in it. They arrived in the vicinity at midnight, and were informed by a spy of the return of the force sent against M. d'Auteuil. The commanding officer refused to believe it, and pushed forward with his men. On being challenged by the advanced guard of the English sepoys, an Irishman, who was in command of a body of deserters, stepped out and told them that Major La^vrence had sent him with a reinforcement. The sepoys, hearing some of the other deserters speaking English, were so fully satisfied, that they never thought of asking the counter- word, and even sent one of their number to con- duct them to head-quarter.s. Thus guided, they passed without interruption

miavernm.