Page:History of the French in India.djvu/500

 474 CHANDKANAGAR AND THE DAKIIAN. C xf P ' Hugli, — would speedily operate on their rear. Mean- — v— ' while, however, the English ships approached. On the 1757. 20th, they neared the place where the ships had been sunk. This, however, did not stop them. The French artillery officer, Terraneau, to whom we alluded as co- operating in this work, had in consequence of some quarrel with Renault, deserted to the English, and had sold them the secret that the channel had not been entirely closed by the ships, but that there was way for a passage round them.* This information proved to be correct. The task was then easy. On the morning of the 23rd, the " Tiger," having Admiral Pocock on board, sailing up till opposite the ravelin, compelled its evacua- tion ; she then proceeded on and anchored opposite the north-east bastion. Admiral Watson's ship, the "Kent," was not so fortunate. Assailed by a tremendous fire from the south-east bastion when about to anchor oppo- site the ravelin, her captain was killed, and the ship, drifting down, anchored, stern foremost, below the bastion. One consequence was that the "Salisbury" was unable to come up, and could exercise but a slight influence on the attack. The French, by this time, had abandoned all their outside batteries and were concentrated within the fort. Here they were under the orders of de Vigne. But with a limited garrison, many of them civilians, exposed for the first time to fire, the Governor could make no effective opposition. He was handicapped, more- over, by having to defend the land face against Olive. It very soon became apparent that resistance was hopeless. After defending the place with great that this Terraneau sent a portion of at Chandra nagar. The same story the price of his treason to France, for is also related oy the translator of the the use of his father, who was poor Seir Mutakherin, who adds that, in and old. It reached the old man despair at the style of his father's safely, but as soon as he learned the leiter, Terraneau hanged himself at means by which it had been acquired, his own door with his own handker- he refused to touch or to make uae ohief.
 * It may not be generally known of it. This information is on record