Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/74

66 establishments in India, excepting Goa and Batavia. There were 250,000 inhabitants in the company's territory, of which the greatest part were natives of India of various casts and religions: amongst these were three or four thousand of those Indian christians who call themselves Portuguese, and pretend to be descended from that nation. The English in the colony did not exceed the number of 300 men: and 200 of these were the soldiers of the garrison; but none of them excepting two or three of their officers, had ever seen any other service than that of the parade: the rest of the English inhabitants, solely employed in the occupations of commerce, were still more unfit for military services. At the same time the defence of the place depended on this small number of English subjects; for it was known that the rest of the inhabitants, regarding themselves as neutrals, would take flight on the first approach of danger. On the 18th of August the French squadron appeared and cannonaded the town, but without doing any damage. They attempted to take a ship belonging to the English company out of the road; but she moved into shoal-water, so near the batteries of the fort, that the French did not venture to attack her with armed boats; and it was evident, from the unskilfulness of their operations during this cruise, that Mr. De la Bourdonnais did not command them in person: he was at this time in Pondicherry, confined to his bed by sickness. The protection of the English settlements on the coast of Coromandel was the principal object for which the squadron had been sent into India; and their appearance before Madrass was at this time thought so necessary to its defence, that the inhabitants were in hourly expectation of seeing them, although they had received no intelligence of them since they were last seen, six weeks before, by Mr. De la Bourdonnais. The consternation of the town was therefore little less than despair, when it was reported that they had appeared on the 23d of August 30 miles to the northward of Madrass, in sight of the Dutch settlement of Palliacatte, from whence they had again put out to sea, and disappeared. They proceeded to Bengal; for the 60 gun ship was so leaky, that it was feared the shock of firing her