Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/112

104 them from executing this intention: remaining therefore in the same stations, they began early in the morning to cannonade the town again, from whence they were fired upon with more vivacity than the day before; but at noon the wind changing, the ships moved farther from the shore, and the firing ceased on both sides. Only two persons were killed on board the fleet, the one a common sailor, the other captain Adams, commander of the Harwich, a 50 gun ship. The French gave out that the fire from the ships had, in the two days, done no other execution than that of killing a poor old Malabar woman in the street. The fire from the batteries continued three days longer, during which that from the town increased, and dismounted nine pieces of cannon. Very little impression had been made on the defences, sickness prevailed in the camp, the weather likewise had changed, and the rainy monsoon was begun three weeks earlier than it usually sets in: a council of war was therefore summoned on the 30th of September, who, apprehensive that the rains, which at, or soon after, their first setting in generally overflow the whole country, might render the removal of the cannon and heavy stores impracticable, and fearing likewise that the ships might be driven off the coast by hard gales of wind, unanimously determined to raise the siege without delay.

Five days were employed in shipping the cannon and heavy stores, destroying the batteries, and reimbarking the sailors; and on the 6th of October the troops began to march to Fort St. David; but halted at Ariancopang, and blew up the fort; the rains had already rendered the roads very difficult to be passed. On a review of the army, it was found, that during the siege there had perished in action and by sickness 757 soldiers, 43 artillery-men, and 265 seamen; in all 1,065 Europeans: very few of the Sepoys were killed, for they had been only employed to guard the skirts of the camp, and had always ran away on the approach of danger. The French garrison consisted of 1,800 Europeans, and 3,000 Sepoys, of which they lost 200 Europeans, and about 50 Sepoys. Several causes concurred to frustrate this attempt against Pondicherry; of which the late arrival of the armament on the coast, and the early setting in of the rains, were the principal. There was no absolute