Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/329

Book IX. some of the Colleries were killed, and all who were taken prisoners Mr. Lally ordered to be linked to draw the guns, which did not deter the others from repeating their attacks, wherever booty appeared, or even from insulting the camp itself every night with their rockets. On the 24th, the army came in sight of Monacjee's, drawn up in good order behind a water-course, from which the Tanjorines were soon driven by the fire of the French artillery, and retreated towards the city, but still continued without the walls.

The French army arrived within six miles of the city on the 18th in the morning, when a message was received from the king, desiring a conference with persons authorized to treat; on which Mr. Lally halted the army, and sent in a Captain, Maudave, and a Jesuit, St. Estevan. They insisted on the first demand of 5,600,000 rupees, with the interest; the king offered 300,000: the deputies returned, and were sent back again with the demand of one million in money, 600 bullocks for the carriage of the artillery and stores, and, 10,000 pounds weight of gun-powder; but this article the deputies wisely agreed to suppress, as exposing the distress of the army: the king seemed inclined to add something to his first offer of money, but said, that the supply or sale of beeves to those of a different religion was contrary to his own; the deputies returned again to the camp, and the next morning to the city, with positive orders to insist on the gun-powder, which when they proposed to Monacjee in a conference before they were to visit the king, he exclaimed with indignation, that all negotiation was at an end, and that he should not introduce to his master men who were only sent to insult him. The deputies returned without delay to the camp, which immediately moved, and in the evening took possession of the pettah, or suburbs, which at this time extended along the eastern side of the city; the artillery, of which only two were battering cannon, and the cohorns and howitzes, for the army had brought no mortars, fired during the night at the pagodas and other edifices which arose above the walls; and this was all the annoyance they could use at present, since the two pieces of battering cannon could not be exposed against the superior fire of the town, without more to cover them; a detachment