Page:History of the French in India.djvu/113

 RAGIIUjf THREATENS rONDICIIERY. 91 Marathas appointed Murari Rao as Governor of the chap. fortress, with 14,000 men to support him. t 111 Whilst engaged in the siege of Trichinapalli, Raghuji 1741. Bhonsla had not ceased to lavish his threats upon M. Dumas. His demands even increased. They now em- braced the immediate payment of 6,000,000 rupees, a regular annual tribute, and the delivery to him of the wife and son of Chanda Sahib, with their elephants, horses, and jewels. To these demands M. Dumas con- tinued to oppose a steady refusal. He took, however, the precaution of despatching a special messenger to the Isles of France and Bourbon, requesting the early trans- mission of as many men as could be spared thence to reinforce his garrison. The Maratha, however, was bent upon intimidating him. In this view, whilst still himself before Trichinapalli, he despatched a force of about 16,000 men to beat up the coast. These marched upon Portonovo, a town about thirty-two miles south of Pondichery, and then used as a depot by the Dutch, French, and English. This they plundered, though little to the detriment of the French, who had taken the precaution to move the greater part of their pro- perty within Pondichery. They next moved upon Gudalur, an English settlement twelve miles from Pondichery, and pillaged it. Marching then to within five miles of the French settlement, and halting there, they sent in threatening letters to M. Dumas, whilst they detached small parties to ravage the country and to collect plunder. At the same time, in pursuance of advices received from the Bhonsla, they organised an expedition on the western coast to attack the French settlement of Mahe. M. Dumas was not appalled by these letters, nor by the still more threatening visit of one of the chief officers of the Maratha army, sent to inform him that the fate of Trichinapalli was reserved for Pondichery. On the contrary, he received this officer with the utmost polite-