Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/312

304 Major Lawrence now ordered De Cattans to be hanged in sight of the enemy's advanced guards: he died with great resolution, but shewed much concern that he had endeavoured to betray captain Dalton, who had received him with so much hospitality and kindness. As the English had condescended to employ this delinquent against his own countrymen, after he was detected, his life ought to have been spared.

The enemy still remaining at Weycondah, major Lawrence made a motion towards them on the 23d, upon which they decamped in a hurry, and leaving part of their baggage, with a gun and some ammunition behind, made a disorderly retreat to Mootachellinoor, a strong post on the bank of the Caveri, which secured their communication with Seringham: the next day major Lawrence took possession of the ground they had abandoned with an intention to send forward some artillery near enough to cannonade them; but this design was unexpectedly frustrated, for the next day a reinforcement, equal to the whole of the English force, appeared on the bank of the Coleroon. It consisted of 3000 Morattoes, a great number of Peons, and some Topasses under the command of Morari-row, together with 400 Europeans, and 2000 Sepoys, with six guns.

Most of these Europeans arrived in the end of June from the island of Mauritius, where they had been disciplined; and Mr. Dupleix committed a great error in not sending them immediately, together with Morari-row's troops, to Tritchinopoly; more especially as the signal defeat of the French and Mysoreans at the golden rock might have convinced him that they would hardly be able to prevent the English, when reinforced by the troops of Tanjore, from making their way good to the city with the convoy: but his vanity on this occasion confounded his good sense; for treating the battle of the golden rock as a trifling skirmish, and attributing the ill success of it to some pretended accidents common to the fortune of war, he seemed to disdain sending any farther assistance to an army which he confidently asserted could not fail to overpower their enemies in a very few days; he therefore detained this force to make conquests in the Carnatic; but the wilful disposition of Morari-row frustrated in a great measure this design: for regarding no injunctions excepting those of the Mysorean. who was afraid to give