Page:History of the French in India.djvu/417

 CONTEST ON THE KAVAR1 RENEWED. 391 Srirangam. In this, however, after operations which C *^ P ' lasted twenty hours, he was foiled.* He accordingly withdrew his troops, who had suffered but slightly, and 1753. moved to the Fakir's Tope, the old position of Virana, four miles south of the town. Despairing then of driving the French out of Srirangam, he set to work to supply the city with provisions. Owing, however, to the numbers of the Maratha horse and the intrigues of the enemy with his allies, he found this a work of greater difficulty than he had anticipated. Nevertheless, as its accomplishment was of primary importance, he devoted to it all his energies, though it compelled him rigorously to avoid hostilities for the five weeks follow- ing his repulse from Srirangam. This time had been well employed by Dupleix. No sooner had he ascertained the small number of troops left behind by Lawrence at Tiruvadi — a number liable to be diminished by the necessity of providing supplies for that garrison and for Fort St. David — than he sent in- structions to Maissin to spare no efforts to storm it. Maissin, in consequence, attacked the place first on May 3, and, failing, renewed the assault some days later. He was, however, once more repulsed, but when the English, not content with repelling the attack, sallied forth to the number of 60, accompanied by 300 sipahis, into the plain, they were surrounded by the Maratha horse, and cut to pieces to a man. From this success resulted the capitulation of Tiruvadi with all its remaining garrison, the capture of Chelambram, and a movement on the part of Murtiza Ali, the Nawwab appointed by Dupleix, to recover the strong places of the Karnatik. Accompanied by fifty French soldiers and a considerable native force, this chieftain did in- deed cause considerable alarm to the partisans of Mu- hammad Ali, completely defeating on one occasion less to the skill of M. Astruc than to English service. He admits, how- the want of perception on the part of ever, the ability of Astruc.
 * Mr. Orine attributes this failure Captain Polier, a Swiss officer in the