Page:History of the French in India.djvu/517

 LAW MARCHES TO RELIEVE HIM. 491 Rant successes in the field, to confine himself to the c ^f p ' defence of the garden. — ^— Meanwhile, intelligence of some of these events had 1756. reached de Leyrit at Pondichery and Moracin at Machhli- patan. The action of both of these officers was prompt and energetic De Leyrit at once detached 320 Euro- peans, 400 sipahis, and six field -pieces in the ship " Favourite " to MachhKpatan. But before they could arrive Moracin had collected the scattered garrisons of the Sirkars, amounting in all to 160 Europeans and 700 sipahis, placing them under the orders of M. Law, and had directed him to force his way to Haidarabad, there to effect a junction with Bussy. This was the same Law* whom we met, six years earlier, combating against Clive and Lawrence before TrichinapalK, and forced, through his own bad general- ship and incapacity, to yield himself and his force prisoners of war. Exchanged in due course by the English. Law was at once placed under arrest for his conduct pending orders from France ; but he was ulti- mately released, though with the intention of not employing him again in important military commands. On the arrival of Godeheu, he had been sent into the Dakhan to act under the orders of Bussy, who, on his own departure for Savanur with the Subadar, had sent him to Moracin. It thus strangely happened that the measures which had been taken to prevent his being employed in command, were the actual cause of his being placed at the head of so important an expedition as the relief of Bussy. Law set out from MachhKpatan at the head of his 160 Europeans, 700 sipahis, and five guns, on July 16, and reached Bezwada, a town on the north bank of the Krishna, on the 20 th. The excessive rains and the inundations of the Krishna fortunately detained him eveuts here recorded are of a date rendered at Gay a.— Vide p. 461.
 * The reader will observe that the prior to that on which Law sur-