Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/95

Book I. crossing the river Pannar, and found them drawn up about 600 yards on the other side of it: they cannonaded one another during the greatest part of the day; and in the evening, part of the French army crossed the river, out of the reach of cannon-shot, to the west-ward: the horse were detached to reconnoitre them, and returned with the loss of two men killed by the fire of the French Caffres; upon which all the troops retreated to the fort. Of the English 12 men, and of the French, 22 were killed during the cannonade. Before morning the whole French army had passed the river, and taken possession of the garden. A few hours afterwards a number of ships were descried in the offing, approaching the road: these were the English squadron from Bengal. The French no sooner perceived them than they recrossed the river, and marched back with great precipitation towards Pondicherry.

The squadron had been reinforced in Bengal by the arrival of two ships, one of 60 guns and the other of 40, sent from England with admiral Griffin. The presidency of Bengal sent in the squadron a company of 100 Europeans, who were landed as soon as the ships anchored; and Mr. Griffin likewise went on shore with 150 marines and 500 sailors: but these were only intended to be a temporary augmentation of the garrison. The ships were soon after stationed in sight of Pondicherry, where their appearance made Mr. Dupleix recall the French army into the town. In the month of June, a reinforcement of 100 Europeans, 200 Topasses, and 100 Sepoys, arrived from Bombay, and 400 Sepoys from the English settlement of Tellicherry: 150 soldiers came likewise in the company's ships in the course of the year from Europe. In September, the squadron sailed to Madrass, and their boats set fire to and destroyed, in the road, the Neptune of 50 guns, one of the ships of Mr. De la Bourdonnais's squadron, which had remained on the coast ever since his departure. Notwithstanding the approach of the stormy monsoon in October, Mr. Griffin determined to continue with the squadron in sight of Fort St. David; the monsoon began and continued without any violent hurricane; but the weather was notwithstanding so stormy that only two of the ships, one of which was the admiral, were able to keep