Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/319

Book IX. on shore would make a general assault, which the garrison or defences were not deemed in a condition to resist. On which, Major Polier, and Mr. Wynch, the temporary governor, thought it necessary to hold a council of war, in which it was unanimously decided, that they ought to capitulate on the best terms they could make, and articles were prepared; however, the defence was continued through the night, and until ten the next: day, in the solicitous, but disappointed expectation of seeing the English squadron: a flag of truce was then hoisted, Major Polier and one of the company's agents went out, and returned at four in the afternoon, with the articles altered by Mr. Lally, which it was agreed to accept. At six in the evening, a company of French grenadiers were admitted into the fort, and the garrison marched with drums and colours to the foot of the glacis, where they grounded their arms, and surrendered themselves and their ensigns to the French line drawn up to receive them. They were, with all convenient speed, conducted to Pondicherry, where it was stipulated they should remain, until an equal number of French prisoners were delivered there, when the English were to be sent to Madrass, or Devi Cotah, at the option of Mr. Lally. He rejected the proposal, that Fort St. David should not be demolished during the war and, in consequence of instructions from France, immediately ordered all the fortifications to be razed to the ground. The French officers, on contemplating the works, were surprized at the facility of their conquest, not having lost twenty men by the fire of the place, although more by sickness, and strokes of the sun, in the trenches. The French squadron anchored in the road the evening after the surrender, when Mr. D'Aché landed, and having conferred with Mr. Lally, weighed anchor on the 4th, and stood to the southward, in order to cruize off Ceylon. The army before Fort St. David consisted of 2500 Europeans, exclusive of officers, and about the same number of Sepoys. In order to complete this amount, and to leave in Pondicherry a force sufficient to make head against any motions from Madrass, Mr. Lally had drained all the out-posts and garrisons in the Carnatic, to a fourth of