Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/637

Book XII. protract the war ten years. On the 10th Colonel Coote came to Alamparvah, which the army had invested the day before; but the wound he had received at Permacoil was so much exasperated by his late fatigue, that he could not any longer stir without danger, he therefore ordered Colonel Monson to carry on the siege of Alamparvah, but still continued in the camp. The fort of Alamparvah stands on the sea-shore, about 20 miles E. N. E. of Tondivanum, 15 E.of Permacoil, and 24 to the N. of Pondicherry. It formerly belonged to the Nabobs of the province; and was given to Mr. Dupleix by Murzafajing in 1750. It has many wells of good water, which is not to be found in all parts of the coast so near the sea. The fort was of stone, square, of moderate extent, with four round towers at the angles, a parapeted faussebray, and a wet ditch, but without a glacis. A pettah extends along the strand to the north, and fronts within 250 yards of the fort. An eight-inch howitz bombarded; and a ricochet battery of two guns, to enfilade the north front from the west, was begun in the night, and finished before morning; during which, a serjeant of pioneers and a Sepoy were killed. In the ensuing night, another battery of three eighteen-pounders was finished in the pettah, to batter the tower in the west angle of the north face; and the loss during these 24 hours, was Lieutenant Angus, of Coote's regiment, and a grenadier killed. Both batteries opened together at day-light on the 12th, and in three hours dismounted most of the guns, and ruined the whole line of defence; and in the afternoon the Chevalier Viart, who commanded, surrendered at discretion. The garrison, besides himself, a Lieutenant, and a surgeon, were 50 Europeans, and 150 Sepoys. During the attack, three of their Europeans had been killed, and twelve wounded. There were in the-fort 20 pieces of cannon, a howitz, and abundance of ammunition. The season was now advancing, when the French squadron might be expected from the islands. The loss of Alamparvah deprived them of the only station under their command to the northward, and Karical remained the only one they had to the southward of Pondicherry;