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 ■^8^ HISTORY OF INDIA. (Book III.

AD. 17.^.2. apparently the very refuse of London, and oOO sepoys, as ignorant of service as the recruits. The only hope of success was, that Clive had volunteered U> m- mand them. How the Heading these troops with four twenty-four pounders, Clive set out on tlie

French first ^ ^ '■ J l '

gaiiiedcovc- 10th of September for Covelong. It stands on the sea-shore, about twenty-five miles south of Madi-as, and consisted of a fort inclcsed by a strong wall, flanked with towers and mounted with thirty pieces f)f cannon. It had a garrison of fifty Europeans and 300 sepoys, and was in possession of the French, who hail seized it in 1750, by a very disgraceful stratagem. A ship anchored in the road, making sig-nals of distress. The natives going on board, were told that most of the crew had died of scui'vy, and that the survivors, still suffering from the same disease, and unable to navigate the vessel, must perish if not allowed to go on sliore. They were allowed, and repaid the humanity by making them- selves masters of the place. The Fi'enchmen, thirty in number, landed, only counterfeiting disease, and having concealed arms under their clothes, rose in the dead of the night and overpowered their benefactors.

Olive's diffi- The troops arrived in the evening at a height two miles to the westward.

CllltilGS

before Cove- Half of tlicm remained, and the other half proceeded, duiing the night, in

Ion*".

charge of Lieutenant Cooper, to occupy a garden 600 yards south of the fort. At break of day, a party from the gan'ison, advancing to the garden, fired sud- denly through some crevices of the gate. This alarm, and the fall of Lieutenant Cooper by a shot, so frightened the recruits in the garden, that they immedi- ately took to their heels, and were numing as fast as their legs could cai-ry them, when they were met by Clive, advancing with the other half of the troops, and compelled by him, though not without difficulty, to retui-n. The next day he summoned the governor of the fort, and receiving a very bliLstering answer, began Mdthout loss of time to erect a battery at the distance of 300 yards from the waUs. He at the same time placed a strong guard on an adjoining rock. An unlucky shot having struck it, and kiUed or wounded foiur- teen men with the splinters, all the rest hastened oflf, and for some time could not be persuaded again to expose themselves ; indeed, several hours after, one of the advanced sentries was found hiding at the bottom of a well. Capture of Clivc tried to shame them into courage by constantly exposing himself to

the hottest of the fire, and at last succeeded in giving them some degi'ee of firm- ness. It was liigh time, for a reinforcement was approaching from Chingleput. The very name of Clive, however, seems to have sufficed, for on hearing that he was on the way with half his troops to give battle, it fled with precipitation. The blustering governor was as easily cowed, and, just as the battery was finished and preparing to fii'e, surrendered at discretion. Besides the cannon mounted on the walls, fifty of large calibre were found within the fort. The}- proved to be paii of those captured by Labom-donnais when he took Madras. The day after the surrender a large body of troops were observed at daybreak