Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/408

400 abandoned it, and took refuge with the neighbouring Polygars of Nattam; Moodemiah and Nabi Cawn Catteck, retired from Tinivelly to the Polygar of Nellitangaville, better known by the name of Pulitaver. All the three only waited for the departure of the English troops, to dispute the dominion with Maphuze Cawn, when left to himself.

Amongst other alienations, Moodemiah had sold to the king of Travancore, a range of districts extending thirty miles from Calacad to Cape Comorin; and lying at the foot of the mountains which separate Travancore from Tinivelly. The fort of Calacad with several others of less defence were sold with the districts. The kingdom of Travancore is the most southern division of the Malabar coast, ending on that side, as Tinivelly on the eastern, at Cape Comorin. It was formerly of small extent, and paid tribute to Madura; but the present king, through a variety of successes, some of which had been gained against the Dutch, had added to his dominion, all the country as far as the boundaries of Cochin; so that it now extended 120 miles along the sea, and inland as far as the mountains leave any thing worth conquering. With the assistance of a French officer, named Launoy, the king had disciplined, in the method of European infantry, a body of 10,000 Naires: the people of this denomination, are by birth the military tribe of the Malabar coast, and assert in their own country even prouder pre-eminences than the Rajpoots, who in other parts of India are likewise born with the same distinction. Besides these Naires, the king maintained 20,000 other foot, of various arms; but had very few horse, because little advantage can be derived from their service in his country, which is every where either covered with hills, or intersected by rivers. The districts which the king had purchased of Moodemiah, were maintained by about 2000 of his irregular foot, who having no enemies to oppose, were sufficient for the common guards and military attendance, which in Indostan always support the authority of the government in the collection of the revenues. But these troops on the arrival of the army with colonel Heron at Tinivelly, were so terrified by the reports of their exploits, and especially by the sanguinary example in their neighbourhood, at the sacking of Nellicotah, that they abandoned not only their districts, but the fort