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 THE FRENCH INVEST TRICIIINAP^LU. 289 track, halting within a few miles of the position he had chap. taken up in the hilly country round Utatur, about , twenty miles north of Trichinapalli. Here during a 1751. halt of three days, several skirmishes ensued, in one of which the English fell into an ambuscade and suffered severely. On the third day, Chanda Sahib attacked the English position, and although, owing to the non- arrival at the scene of action, at the time agreed upon, of the French contingent, he was repulsed, yet his attack made so serious an impression upon the English, that they retreated the same night to the banks of the Kolrun. They crossed this river, followed by Chanda Sahib and the French, on the 25th, and took possession of Srirangam, an island formed by the division into two branches of the Kolrun and Kavari rivers, but not deeming themselves even here secure, they abandoned this also and the pagoda upon it — a very strong position in which, supported by the troops in the city, they might have defended themselves against five times their number — and took refuge on July 28 under the walls of Trich- inapalli. The French and their allies meanwhile pushed on, and crossing the Kolrun took possession of Sriraugam. First completing the conquest of this island by the capture of the mud fort of Koiladi, at its eastern extremity, they crossed the Kavari, and encamped on the plain to the east of the town, near a position now known as the French Rock. From this they com- menced a sort of bombardment of the place. Trichinapalli* is situated on a plain which once was crowded with rich villages and plantations of trees. The town is in form of an oblong square, the longest sides of which are east and west. On the north runs the river Kavari, less than half a mile from the fort. The town at the time of which we are writing was U
 * This description is taken from Colonel Lawrence's account of the war.