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 THE ASPECTS OF THE WAR. 407 It will readily be conceded, we think, that having c ^ p - regard to the number of European troops he despatched, _ to the scene of action, and the largely preponderating 1753. force and superior excellence of his native allies, Dupleix had good reason to hope for a decided success before TrichinapalH. He, at least, had strained the resources of Pondichery to assure himself of such a result, and it was not for him to anticipate that a fatality would continue to be inseparable from the operations of the French leaders before that place. He was not a man to be easily discouraged. He had replied to the first and second battles of the Golden Rock by pouring in fresh reinforcements, and urging his generals to renewed exertions. When even the news reached him of the third and most fatal defeat on that fatal ground he did not despair. That information, on the contrary, only nerved him to make another vigorous effort, conducted with more subtlety, more daring, than any of the others. His plan was, whilst still continuing to negotiate with Saunders, to send secretly to Srirangam the last reinforcements he had received from Europe, with instructions to their commander to use them at once to attempt the storm of Trichinapallf, whilst Lawrence was resting, with the main body of his forces, at Koiladi, fifteen miles distant. In pursuance of this determination, 300 Europeans and 1,200 sipahis were despatched from Pondichery early in November under the command of M. de Mainville.* They arrived at Srirangam on the 21st. The better to conceal his intentions Mainville endeavoured, and very successfully, to keep his arrival secret from the English garrison and from Lawrence. He did not even endeavour to intercept the supplies of the garrison, but employed his whole time in preparing for the meditated enterprise. At length, on December that M. Maissin commanded on this the command made over to Maissin. occasion ; but the records show that
 * All the English writers state only after the arrival of Godeheu was