Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 5.djvu/519

A.D.1790.] But a fresh war had broken out with us in India. Tippoo Sahib had resumed hostilities. He conceived the idea of obtaining the aid of an army from France, and of this driving us, according to his vow, entirely out of India. He opened communications with M. du Fresne, the governor of Pondicherry, which England had very imprudently restored to France at the peace after the American war. M. Leger, the civil administrator in England, brought Tippoo's proposals to Paris; but France was still less in a condition to send six thousand men to India than to aid the patriots of the Netherlands.

As for Louis, he replied to the proposal, that the matter too keenly reminded him of the endeavour to destroy the power of England in America, in which advantage had been taken of his youth, and which he should never cease to regret. He had learned too deeply the severe retribution which the propagation of republicanism had brought upon him.

But, without waiting for the arrival of the hoped-for French troops, Tippoo had broken into the territories of the British ally, the rajah of Travancore, and, by the end of 1789, had nearly overrun them. Lieutenant-colonel Floyd, suddenly attacked by Tippoo by an overwhelming force, had been compelled to retire before him, with severe losses amongst his sepoys. But general Medows advanced with an army from Trichinopoly of fifteen thousand, and following nearly the route so splendidly opened up by colonel Fullarton, took several fortresses. Tippoo retreated to his capital, Scringapatam; but there he again threatened Madras; and general Medows was compelled to make a hasty countermarch, to prevent that catastrophe. In the meantime, general Abercrombie landed at Telicherry with seven thousand five hundred men from the presidency of Bombay; took from the Mysoreans all the places which they had gained on the Malabar coast; restored the nairs and other petty Hindoo rajahs, who, in turn, helped him to expel the forces of Tippoo from the territories of the rajah of Travancore, who was completely re-established. This was the result of the war up to the end of the year 1790; but Tippoo still menaced fresh aggressions. The new British parliament met on the 26th of November, and ministers were seen to have a powerful majority. The king announced, in his speech from the throne, that hostilities had broken out in India with Tippoo; that a peace had been effected betwixt Austria and Turkey, and another betwixt Russia and Sweden, and he mentioned the endeavours then progressing for restoring amity betwixt the emperor of Austria