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 promoted colonel in the company's service, to rank, however, junior to colonels in the king's service. On the 27th of this month he was at the capture of Perumakal, and on 6 June encamped with the army near Cuddalore, occupied by the French under De Bussy. In reconnoitring the place Ross had a narrow escape, his horse-keeper and one of his escort being killed. On the 13th Ross took part in the victorious attack on the French fortified position about a mile outside Cuddalore. Stuart, who in a general order complimented the force on the attack, especially expressed his indebtedness to Ross. On the capture of the position it was fortified by Ross, and the siege of Cuddalore was commenced. In June 1783 the French fleet under Suffren arrived to co-operate in the defence of Cuddalore. On the 18th Suffren landed a strong detachment, and on the 25th the garrison made an attack upon the British entrenchments, which was effectually repulsed. Stuart in a general order conveyed his thanks to Ross, ‘to whose abilities he was so much indebted.’ News that preliminaries of peace had been agreed upon caused a cessation of hostilities, and Ross returned to Madras.

In January 1784 a proposal of Ross to establish a corps of guides for the Carnatic, to collect accurate information about the country, its roads, &c., was approved. For the next five years Ross was occupied with the ordinary peace duties of his appointment. At the end of December 1789 Tipú attacked Travancore, and Ross, in the early part of 1790, made the necessary engineer preparations for a campaign, which was carried out under Major-general Sir William Medows [q. v.] in the Coimbatore district. On 13 Nov. Ross visited Chepauk to quiet the nabob's troops there, who had become unruly. His mission was successful, and met with the approval of the council.

In the spring of 1791 Lord Cornwallis took command of the army, and besieged and took Bangalore from Tipú on 20 March. Before the end of the month Ross joined the army which pursued Tipú to Arákere, nine miles east of Seringapatam. On 15 May a victorious action was fought, in which Ross took part, and the army advanced to Canambaddi. But neither the Bombay army nor the Maráthá army having effected a junction with Cornwallis, he was unable to proceed for want both of provisions and of transport for his heavy guns. He therefore buried or destroyed the latter, and relinquished his plan of campaign. The allies appeared shortly after, and the armies having crossed the Káveri on 19 June, Ross was sent with the 22nd battalion of coast sepoys to summon Húliyardrúg, which capitulated the following day. Its defences were destroyed under Ross's direction. On the 28th and 29th Ross reconnoitred Savandrúg, but it was considered too strong to warrant the delay which would be necessary to take it. Bangalore was reached on 9 July. When Usúr was seized on the 15th, and with it the command of the Palikód pass, Ross repaired its defences. After the capture of Ráyakottai and the hill forts on the way, Ross returned to Madras to make the necessary engineer arrangements for the prosecution of the campaign, rejoining the army at the end of November. On 29 Nov. he reconnoitred the formidable fortress of Savandrúg. The siege was commenced under his direction, and on 17 Dec. fire was opened, and a practicable breach made by the 21st, when it was captured by assault. On 24 Dec. Uttaradrúg, another strong place, after it had been reconnoitred by Ross, was carried by assault.

In February 1792 the allied armies appeared before Seringapatam, and Ross, with the quartermaster-general, reconnoitred the fortified position of Tipú's camp on the north of the place. On the night of 6 Feb. an attack in three columns was made. The fighting lasted till daybreak on the 7th. Ross remained with Cornwallis in the centre of the attack, and then joined the column of Colonel Stuart, which had established itself on the island of Seringapatam, where he made his engineer park, and the place was invested. By Ross's advice the siege-works were directed against the north side, and ground was broken on the 19th, after the arrival of the Bombay army and the native allies. On the 24th Tipú asked for terms, hostilities ceased, and a treaty of peace was signed on 19 March.

Early in 1793 Ross went to England for the benefit of his health. He was made local brevet colonel in India, for service in the field, on 1 March 1794. In September 1795 Ross was back in India, and brought to notice the inadequacy of the engineer corps, with the result that in January 1796 that corps was reorganised on a larger scale. He was promoted brevet colonel in the army on 1 June 1796, and major-general on 1 Jan. 1797. He remained at Madras during the campaigns of 1798 and 1799, sending forward supplies to the engineers, and generally superintending the operations of that arm. On 28 July 1799 he forwarded to the council a survey of the position of the army before Seringapatam in the previous May, with the plan of attack and section through the breach, and a report from Lieutenant-colonel