Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/392

384 in April 1752, had remained in the possession of another partizan in the interest of Chundasaheb's family, who regarding his government as a transitory possession, and intent upon nothing but amassing wealth, had neglected to repair the fortifications, and kept only a slender garrison, very insufficient to defend a place of such extent: he, therefore, now retired with his garrison to Coilgoody, a strong pagoda, situated about eight miles to the east, and the army entered Madura without the least opposition. Here they received a deputation from the Polygar Morawar, whose country adjoins to the western districts of Madura and Tinivelly. The Polygar apologized for his conduct during the war in siding with Chundasaheb and the Mysoreans, desired to be pardoned for that offence, and intreated to be received into alliance with the English, under whose protection he promised to remain faithful to the Nabob. As a proof of the sincerity of his intentions, he offered to give the company two settlements on the sea-coast of his country, opposite to Ceylon, which, as he justly observed, would greatly facilitate their future communications with Tinivelly, for they had at present no other way of approaching that city but by a tedious and difficult march of several hundred miles; whereas reinforcements might come by sea from Madrass of Fort St. David in four or five days to the settlements he intended to give, from which the march to Tinivelly was no more than fifty miles. These offers colonel Heron deemed so advantageous, that without consulting the presidency, he entered into an alliance with the Polygar, and as a mark of the English friendship, gave his deputies three English flags, with permission to hoist them in their country, wheresoever they should think proper. After this business was concluded, and the necessary regulations made to establish the Nabob's authority in the city, colonel Heron determined to attack the fugitive governor in Coilgoody. The greatest part of the Sepoys were sent forward in the evening, under the command of Mahomed Issoof, with orders to invest the pagoda closely until the battalion came up; but by some mistake they halted at the distance of two miles from the place, and the governor receiving by his spies intelligence of colonel Heron's intentions, fled in the night, leaving however the greatest part of his troops to defend it. The next day the