Page:Final French Struggles in India and on the Indian Seas.djvu/75

Rh IV.

We have seen that Sir Edward Hughes, after delaying for nearly a fortnight before Negapatam, at last took his fleet to Madras to refit. He arrived there on the 20th July, and there he was joined by the Sceptre and San Carlos.

The damages which many of his ships had sustained were considerable, and he was forced to make extraordinary exertions to repair them. It had occurred to him that the French commander might take advantage of the state of his vessels, and the gain of a fortnight's time, to make an attempt upon Trincomali. To guard as much as possible against such an attempt, he despatched the Monmouth and the Sceptre with supplies of men and ammunition to that place. Thinking this sufficient, his anxiety on the subject ceased. It was soon roused, however, to a greater extent than ever.

I have mentioned that the French frigate Bellona fought an indecisive action with the Coventry off Batacola; but I did not then state that the combating vessels had approached sufficiently near to that place to enable the