Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/239

Book VIII way, although slowly waiting for her comrade, which soon joined her, when both, under such a cloud of sail as amazed the enemy, stood before them; but were nevertheless so pressed by two of their prime sailers, which kept without, that they were obliged to sail through the road of Pondicherry itself; where a ship of force riding, which, instead of cutting her cable, and beginning an engagement, suffered the cruizers to pass, whilst she was weighing anchor at the capstone to pursue them. As soon as they were beyond Pondicherry, the enemy, afraid of falling to leeward of their port, ceased the chase, and anchored in the road. The cruizers then hailed, and agreed, that the Revenge should proceed immediately with the intelligence to Bengal, and the Triton to Madrass, where she anchored early the next morning. The council was immediately summoned, and their determination were soon taken. All the scribes in the settlement were not adequate to the orders and advices which it became immediately necessary to issue. The main body of the army at Conjeveram was ordered to come into Madrass, the detachment with Polier recalled from Tripetti: Calliaud with the Europeans to return from Madura, whether taken or not, to Tritchinopoly; if taken, to bring away likewise Mahomed Issoof, with 1000 Sepoys. Instructions were sent to the English garrisons in Carangoly, Chinglapet, and Arcot; and intelligence of the danger to every other fort in the country subject to, or in the interests of, the Nabob: advices to the presidency of Bengal, and the squadron there; to Bombay and all the factories on the Malabar coast. A vessel was dispatched to cruize off Ceylon, with intelligence for the ships daily expected from England. Another was sent to anchor off Cobelong, 20 miles to the south of Madrass, in order to make signals on the first appearance of the French squadron now at Pondicherry.

The Council at Fort St. David, not observing, or not discerning, the motions of the cruizers, fancied the ships they saw arriving, were the men of war expected from England, with some of the company's ships under their convoy, and in this persuasion sent one,