Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/433

Book X. and bombardment, which consisted of seven guns and six large mortars from Lally's, and seven guns, with a howitz, from the Lorrain battery, with the two mortars in this quarter, which, however, fired but seldom. Although the Lorrain battery fired only from seven embrasures, it had been augmented to ten, of which the additional four were in a return, or extending from an angle to the left of the other six, and bore upon Pigot's, the next bastion on the west front to the left of the royal. The enemy's fire, both of shot and shells, was directed more against the buildings than against the works. The fort returned on Lally's battery 11 guns, from the old north-east bastion, the north ravelin, and the royal bastion. Against the Lorrain battery, likewise, eleven guns, four from the royal bastion, two from the north-west curtain near Pigot's bastion, and three from the centre ravelin called St. George's on the west: but more guns bore upon the batteries, if it had been necessary to use them.

The enemy's mortars continued through the night, and were rejoined in the morning by the cannon of the preceding day, and two more, from a battery intended for four, which was raised on the esplanade, adjoining to the west-side of the burying-ground, about 100 yards to the west of Lally's battery, and almost in the perpendicular of the N. w. or saliant angle of the royal bastion, from which it was distant 450 yards. The two guns, now opened in the burying ground, bore upon the west face of the north ravelin and on the west flank of the old N. E. bastion. The enemy's cannon still continuing to point high, did little damage to the works, but the buildings, much damaged before, suffered greatly by the fall of their shells. At the twilight of the next day, the 8th of the month, the three massoolas which had been sent with the English women to Sadrass, landed at the fort. The French being in possession of Sadrass, had seized these boats, laden them with 50 barrels of gunpowder, and several other military stores, and sent them with the same boatmen guarded by a French soldier in each, to their own army in the black town. At four in the morning when opposite to the fort, each of the soldiers had fallen fast asleep, on which the boatmen concerted in their own language with