Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/93

Book I. had been conquered by the Great Mogul. The Moors had hitherto been careful to prevent Europeans from informing themselves of the state of the country, and the Europeans, solely employed in commerce, were so little solicitous of acquiring such information, that at this time they knew as little of Arcot as of Delhi. But Mr. Dupleix, while he was persuading the Nabob that the English affairs were without resource, was himself apprehensive of the return of their squadron, and did not think the ships arrived from Achin a force sufficient to encounter it; therefore, as soon as he found that there was a probability of withdrawing the Moors from the assistance of the English, he ordered the ships to quit the coasts of Coromandel. They left Pondicherry the 8th of February, and sailed to Goa, the capital of the Portuguese settlements in India. A few days after, Maphuze Khan came to Pondicherry, where he was received with pomp and much respect. Mr. Dupleix paid him 50,000 rupees in money, and made him a present of European trinkets to the value of 100,000 rupees more: a peace was concluded between the French and the Nabob, who recalled his army from Fort St. David. The English at Fort St. David had not hitherto received any supplies either from Europe or the colonies in India.

A ship from England belonging to the company appeared in sight of Madrass in the month of November, and ignorant of the loss of the place, approached the road. The governor Paradis, immediately hoisted English colours in the town, and sent some soldiers on board of the ship which was taken when Madrass surrendered. This ship likewise hoisted English colours. The ship from the sea, deceived by these appearances, cast anchor near the prize, which immediately attacked her, but in so unskilful a manner, that Paradis apprehending the prize herself would be taken, began to fire from the batteries of the town upon the English ship, which, discovering by these hostilities that Madrass was in possession of the French, weighed her anchor, and went out of the road without having received any damage. In January another ship from England came to an anchor before Madrass: the French immediately sent, by a fishing-float, a letter written, in English, pretending that the town was invested by the