Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/406

398 southern monsoon, because it is sometimes attended by a hurricane. The Nabob went on board, the admiral's ship, the Kent, of sixty-four guns, and having never before seen the interior structure and arrangement of such a machine, could not suppress his astonishment, when conducted into the lower deck. The presidency of Madrass, seeing no probability of any interruption to his progress from Fort St. David, advised him to continue his march without delay, but accompanied by the same escort. On the nineteenth of August he arrived within a mile of Arcot, and encamped on the plain, resolving by the advice of his dervises to wait for a lucky day to make his entry into the city, which fell out on the twenty-first. In the mean time, colonel Lawrence, Mr. Walsh, and Mr. Palk, deputed to invite him at Madrass, arrived at his camp, and contributed to increase the splendour and reputation of his entry into his capital, from which he had been absent ever since the death of Nazir-jing. On the thirtieth, he came to Madrass, where after several conferences with the presidency he consented to make over to the company some farther assignments on the revenues of the country, in order to reimburse the great expences they had incurred in the war. This important point begin settled, it was determined that he should proceed with a strong detachment to collect the revenues that were due to him from such chiefs as had hitherto withheld them with impunity, more particularly from several polygars in the northern parts of the province. It was agreed that half the monies which might be collected, should be paid to the company; and that a member of the council of Madrass, should accompany the Nabob, in order to see this agreement punctually fulfilled. The previous measures for the expedition were not settled before the monsoon set in, after which it was necessary to wait some days until the first violence of the rains had abated; so that it was the latter end of October, before the detachment took the field. It consisted of 300 Europeans and 1500 Sepoys, and was commanded by major Kilpatrick.

It soon appeared that whatsoever submissions had been made in the provinces of Madura and Tinivelly, during the expedition of colonel Heron, had proceeded intirely from the dread of the English troops, whose intrepidity as well as the efficacy of their arms, for exceeded