Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/531

Book XI the presidency, marched back to Conjeveram; but left 400 Europeans of the Company's troops in Covrepauk, which secured the revenues of the country between these two stations.

Mr. Pococke, waiting for the arrival of the French squadron, had continued with his own to windward of Pondicherry, mostly at Negapatam, where they were plentifully supplied with cattle by Captain Joseph Smith at Tritchinopoly, who caused them to be driven to the sea-coast, out of the observation of the king of Tanjore. In the end of June, a Danish vessel arriving at Tranquebar, reported, that 12 sail of French ships were in the bay of Trincanomaly in Ceylon; on which, the whole squadron weighed on the 30th, and on the 3d of July came off the mouth of that harbour; where they neither saw, nor gained any tidings of, the French ships. Mr. Pococke then cruized off the Fryar's Hood, the N. E. headland of the island, which all vessels coming to the coast of Coromandel at this season endeavour to make, and, in this station, met five of the expected ships from England, with the first division of Coote's regiment, with which he returned, and anchored on the 30th at Negapatam; keeping them in company until the provisions and stores they had brought for the use of his squadron were taken out. The presidency received advices of their arrival on the 5th of August, and notwithstanding the various wants of men at this time for defence and attack on shore, requested Mr. Pococke to detain the troops, to serve with him in the expected engagement with the French squadron. Several advices had lately been received, that the Dutch government of Batavia, their captial in the East-Indies, were preparing an armament, which was to sail to the bay of Bengal; and on the 8th six ships arrived at Negapatam, having left another in the bay of Trincanomaly. They had on board 500 European soldiers, and 1500 disciplined Malays, with abundance of military stores. Various reports and conjectures were formed of the destination of this force. The Dutch themselves gave out, that it was chiefly intended to reinforce their garrisons on the coast; and their unavowed emissaries reported, that the whole were to act as auxiliaries to the English against the French on the Coast of Coromandel. Mr. Pococke knew