Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/671

 Chap. XL] OPERATIONS AGAINST PONDIUIIERRY. 637

the town. With this view a night attack was resolved, and would have com- ad. ireo pletely succeeded but for a blunder similar to that to which Lally had owed his failure. The rear of one of the leading divisions becoming separated by mis- management from the van, caused so much delay that daylight began to ap})ear, and enabled the defenders of one of the redoubts to open a murderous fire. The very first shot from a twenty-fom* pomider, double loaded with langi-age, killed eleven men and wounded twenty-six. Among the latter was Colonel Monson himself, struck with a piece of iron which broke both the bones of his leg. Notwithstanding this disaster two of the redoubts were carried.

&

Colonel Monson's wound might have been followed by fatal results to the C'>ote

. 1 ■» • rtstmiies the

i)esiegers. The officer next in command was a Major Rolert Gordon, who had commauii. more than once absented himself from his post in the hoir of danger, and was in other respects incompetent. Fortunately Coote had not yet sailed for Bengal, and readily consented, at the request both of Monson and the presidency, to resume the command, and finish the work which he had so well begun. He arrived only in time. Gordon, as obstinate as ignorant, had risked the recapture of the redoubts, by refusing to take the advice of a Miser officer than himself General discontent also, produced by a deficient supply of provisions and sick- ness, had begun to prevail. Under Coote's skill and vigorous command the gathering clouds disappeared. Of the two remaining redoubts in the bound hedge one was volmitarily abandoned by the enemy without a struggle, and the other forced, though not without some loss to the assailants. In consequence of these successes the whole of the bound hedge was in possession of the be- siegers, who were thus enabled to convert one of the main defences of the town into a new means of annoyance.

October had now arrived, and active operations were necessarily postponed in Ponaioiierry

^ . ^11 blocka.led.

the prospect of the approaching monsoon. This temporary cessation of hostilities, liowever, afibrded no real relief to Pondicherry Its worst eneni}' was within. Provisions had begun to fail, and unless new supplies could be obtained, famine must soon compel a sun-ender. To diminish the consumption, Lally proposed the immediate expulsion of the black inhabitants, but the general coimcil which be assembled to consider the subject did not see the necessity of the case so strongly as he did, and broke up without a decision. Many of the Eiu'opean families, liowever, obtained Coote's permission to pass without interruption to the Danish or Dutch settlements on the cocost.

The attempts made by Lally to obtain provisions general!}- failed. As a last Laii.v «eek»

. the aid of

resoui'ce he entered into a negotiation with the Mahrattas, who had again made theMnh their appearance, in the hope of turning the course of events to their own profit, (lingee, which had once belonged to them, was the great object on which their liearts were set, and Balajee Rao must have been strongly tempted when he Wiis offered 500,000 rupees in hand the moment he should appear with his anny. and the cession of Gingee as soon as the siege of Pondicherry' should be raised.