Page:History of the French in India.djvu/548

 522 THE LAST STRUGGLE FOR EMPIRE C xn ? ' d 0116 ^ his enterprise, to have re-embarked even for —^-^ Europe, than to adopt a line of action so repugnant to 1758. the feelings and the ideas of the class without whose hearty co-operation nothing of permanent importance could be achieved ; but whilst we blame him for that, let us not forget the wilful neglect of the Pondichery authorities, his own ignorance of Indian customs, the grounds he had for disbelieving all the assertions of the Franco-Indians. He was doubtless culpable, but they were ten thousand times more so. Some sort of a system having been established by these unwise means, and by others, more legitimate, to which the employment of these compelled de Leyrit and his colleagues to have recourse, Lally returned to Gudalur, and on May 16 opened fire on Fort St. David. This fort is situated at the southern angle of an island nearly three quarters of a mile long and about half the breadth. On two sides of that angle it was guarded by the backwater connecting the Gaddilam and Paravanar rivers. On the base it was protected by four small masonry forts, nearly a quarter of a mile from the covered way, each supporting the other. It was neces- sary to take these before trenches could be opened. The garrison of the fort consisted of 619 Europeans,* of whom 83 were pensioners, and of about 1,600 sipahis and lascars. The fortifications, especially those of the two exterior forts, had been repaired and greatly strengthened during the eight months that had inter- vened between the arrival of de Soupire and the invest- ment. The troops under the command of Lally con- sisted of 1,600 Europeans and 600 natives of all arms. The four forts already alluded to were the first objects of Lally's attack. These were stormed — notwithstand- ing that the guns and mortars sent him from Pondichery, and on which he depended for success, unaccountably failed him — sword in hand, on the night of the 17th.
 * Of these 250 were sailors.— Orme,