Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/106

98 fire of the enemy's ships and batteries. But it has been discovered that the south-east wind generally blows with least strength about sun-rise; and it also happens, on four or five days at intervals in the course of a month, that early in the morning this wind ceases in the northern part of the island for an hour or two, when a breeze rises, although faintly, from the north-west: during which a ship stationed at the entrance of the channel, to avail herself of this breeze, may enter the harbour and ply her cannon under sail. The fleet left the island the 27th of June, when the Dutch ships, now joined by one of their comrades which had parted company during the passage, quitted the English, and sailed away for Batavia; and Mr. Boscawen steered for the coast of Coromandel, by the nearest passage, between the islands and shoals that lie to the north of Mauritius; he arrived on the 29th of July at Fort St. David, where he found the squadron under Admiral Griffin, who resigned the command to him, and a few days after proceeded with a sixty-gun ship and two frigates to Trinconomaly, from whence in the month of January he set sail with them to England.

The junction of the two squadrons formed the greatest marine force belonging to any one European nation that had ever been seen together in the East Indies; for it consisted of more than 30 ships, none of which were of less than 500 tons burden, and 13 of them men of war of the line. Every person attached to the English cause, who beheld this formidable force, was elated with joy, from expectation of its success; and no one doubted that the loss of Madrass would be revenged by the capture of Pondicherry. Preparations had been made at Fort St. David to enable Mr. Boscawen to proceed to action without delay; and on the 8th of August the army began to march.

Twelve independent companies of 100 men each, 800 marines belonging to the ships, with 80 artillery-men, composed the regular troops in the king's service: the company's troops consisted of a battalion of 750 men, of which 300 were Topasses, together with 70 artillery-men: the Dutch at Negapatam sent a reinforcement of 120 Europeans: and there were on board the ships, ready to be landed, 1,000 seamen, who had been taught the manual exercise at sea: in all 3,720 Europeans, and 300 Topasses, to which were joined about