Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/425

Book V during the attack, there were two ships, one of them 40 guns, upon the stocks, both of which the captors destroyed. Whilst the fleet were employed in taking on board the plunder, the Morattoes sent detachments to summon several other forts, which surrendered without making any resistance: thus in less than a month, they got possession of all the territories wrested from them by Angria's predecessors, and which they had for seventy years despaired of ever being able to recover. In the beginning of April, the fleet returned to Bombay, where Mr. Watson repaired his squadron, and sailing from thence on the 28th of April, arrived at Madrass on the 12th of May.

The detachment sent from hence with the Nabob to collect the tributes from the northern Polygars, made their progress without being obliged to commit any hostilities. About 50 miles to the northward of Madrass, are the districts of three principal Polygars, named, Bangar Yatcham, Damerla Venkitapah, and Bom-rawze: the first is in possession of Cottapatam, situated on the sea shore, about 65 miles north of Madrass, and his principal town Venkati Gherri is 50 miles inland from the sea, The districts of Damerla Venkitapah extended to the north and west of Bangar Yatcham's but stretch on the western side more to the south: westward of these lye the districts of Bom-rawze, which extend still farther to the south, and approach within thirty miles of the city of Arcot. All the three Polygars consented to acknowledge the Nabob, and compounded their tributes, Bangar Yatcham agreeing to pay 140,000 rupees, Damerla 100,000, and Bom-rawze 80,000. These sums were not equal to the arrers they owed the government; but were accepted, because it would have been imprudent to have vexed them to defection, as the rocks and woods of the countries form an excellent barrier to the more southern parts of the Carnatic: and indeed the Nabob himself was very anxious to draw the army from their districts, in order to employ it against a feudatory of much greater consequence. This was Mortizally, the Phousdar of Velore, whose riches, extensive territory, and the vicinity of his capital to Arcot, rendered him almost as considerable in the province as the Nabob himself: the independance affected by this odious rival preyed upon the Nabob's mind so much, that the presidency, in compliance with his repeated and earnest sollicitations,