Page:History of the French in India.djvu/535

 LALLY APPOINTED TO COMMAND IN INDIA. 509 captured two French merchantmen off Newfoundland, C x^ p * and persistently refused to restore them, it appeared to v—^-l* the French Ministry that war was inevitable, Lally was, 1756. therefore, called upon for his opinion. His advice was characteristic. " There are," he said, " three courses open to you : the first, to fit out a sufficient fleet and army, and taking Charles Edward on board, to make a descent upon England ; the second, to chase the English out of Canada; the third, to drive them out of India; but," he added, "whatever course you adopt, it is pri- marily necessary that you should think and act at the same time." The French Ministry did not at the time accept this advice, but, when, a year later, they saw three-fourths of their merchant navy swept from the seas, they concluded an alliance with Austria, Russia, and Sweden, and on May 17, 1756, the King of France declared war against England. Very soon after the issue of this declaration of war, it was resolved to make a great effort to drive the English from India, and Lally was appointed to the command of the expedition des- tined for this purpose. It had been originally intended that this expedition* should consist of 3.000 men and three ships of war; but before it could set sail, it had become evident to the French Ministry that the English, more ready and more vigorous in action than they were, had appropriated to themselves one of Lally's plans, and were bent upon making a great effort to drive the French out of Canada. Almost at the last moment, therefore, they withdrew from Lally one-third of the force intended to act under him, and deprived him of two of his men-of-war. The order for the diminution of his force would, however, have arrived too late — for the expedition had already under Lally, is based upon the official upon the histories of Orme, Wilks, correspondence attached to the Me- and Broome, and upon the "Seir Mu- moirs of Lally, Bussy, de Leyrit, takherin."
 * The account of French India, and Moracin, upon those memoirs,