Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 49.djvu/278

 the ‘Histories’ and upon alleged solecisms in the former, but mainly on forced interpretations of somewhat mysterious episodes in the life of Poggio. In a digressional note Ross elaborately defends the Rowleian authorship of the Chatterton poems. Ross, who wrote also much in popular magazines, died at his house in Holborn on 27 May 1887.

[Times, 1 June 1887; Athenæum, 4 June; Men of the Time, 11th ed.; Ross's Works; Allibone's Dict. Engl. Lit. Suppl. ii. 1298; Brit. Mus. Cat.] 

ROSS, PATRICK (1740?–1804), major-general, chief engineer, Madras, was born about 1740. He was commissioned as ensign in the 4th king's own foot, and on 19 May 1758 he was made, by royal warrant, practitioner-engineer and ensign in the corps of engineers. In the autumn he accompanied the expedition under General Hobson and Captain Hughes, R.N., against the French, to the West Indies, arriving at Barbados in January 1759. He took part in the attack upon the French island of Martinique and the capture of Guadaloupe, where he remained, his own regiment, the king's own, being on service in that island. He was promoted sub-engineer and lieutenant on 17 March 1759, and lieutenant in the 4th foot on 27 Oct. 1760. He was invalided home in 1762. He became engineer-extraordinary and captain-lieutenant on 8 June 1763, and on 12 Oct. of that year ceased to be connected with the 4th foot on reduction of the establishment of that regiment. In 1765 he made detailed reports on the West Indian islands of Grenada, St. Vincent, and Dominica. He was employed at home until 1770.

On 23 March of this year the court of directors of the East India Company having decided to reorganise the engineer establishment in India upon an entirely military basis, and having fixed an establishment at Madras, Ross was selected for the appointment of chief engineer with rank as lieutenant-colonel. On 15 Sept. 1770 he arrived at Madras, where he was stationed, and, became a member of the governor's council or board. He soon saw the necessity for an arsenal, and sent in a report, with an estimate of thirty-seven thousand rupees.

On 16 Sept. 1771 an army was assembled at Trichinopoli under Colonel Joseph Smith to act against Tanjore. Ross accompanied it as chief engineer. Vallam was besieged and a breach made, but when an assault was made at daybreak on 21 Sept. the place was found to have been evacuated. On the 23rd the army encamped before Tanjore; ground was broken on the 29th, and fire opened on 2 Oct. On 7 Oct. Ross was wounded in the cheek by a musket-ball, but by the 20th was again able to direct the siege operations, which were carried out with great skill. Breaching batteries were constructed on the 20th on the crest of the glacis, and mining was commenced the same day. On the 28th news arrived from the nabob that the rájá had accepted terms, and hostilities ceased.

Towards the end of November Ross went to Vallam to report on the works necessary to put the fort in a proper state of defence. In March 1772 a force was again assembled at Trichinopoli, under Smith, with Ross as chief engineer. Ramnad was besieged in May, and captured in June.

The intestine commotion of the Maráthá state in 1773 induced Muhammad Ali to undertake operations against the rájá of Tanjore, and the British joined him. In July Smith assembled a force at Trichinopoli for the reduction of Tanjore. Ross was again in command of the engineers, and directed the siege. He reconnoitred the place on 6 Aug., broke ground on the 20th, and opened fire on the 26th. On 17 Sept. a practicable breach was reported, the assault was made, and the place captured. Smith, in his despatch, expressed his high sense of the service of Ross, and wrote that the siege-works were the best ever seen in the country. Ross was at the taking of Nagar on 21 Oct., and made a survey of the place. Tanjore was restored to the rájá by order of the court of directors in March 1775.

In 1775 Ross sent in a report, plans, and estimate for the new artillery station at St. Thomas's Mount, and in April 1776 he destroyed the fortification of Vallam by mining. Having for some years carried out the reconstruction of the defences of Fort George, Madras, Ross reported in March 1778 the satisfactory progress which had been made, and went to England on leave of absence.

At the beginning of 1781 Ross accompanied the abortive expedition, under Commodore Johnstone, R.N., against the Dutch settlements at the Cape of Good Hope. He was then sent with part of the expedition to reinforce Sir Edward Hughes [q. v.] in the East Indies, and arrived in Madras in May 1782.

On 27 Dec. Ross was ordered to proceed with the army, under Major-general Stuart, against Tipú, sultan of Maisur, ‘with such a number of engineers as he might think necessary.’ The army marched from Vallont on 25 Jan. 1783. On 9 Feb. Wandiwash was reached; Ross demolished its defences by mining by the 15th, and Karangúli was destroyed by the 19th. In April Ross was