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Rh dismemberment of Travancore; but, to save appearances, he made repeated attempts to attain his purpose through the instrumentality of others.

Alarmed by the intelligence of the hostile views of Tippoo, the Rajah of Travancore applied to the Government of Madras for assistance; and Sir Archibald Campbell, who had succeeded Lord Macartney as the head of that Presidency, promptly granted it. He, at the same time, addressed a representation to Tippoo Sultan, warning him that any act of aggression upon Travancore would be regarded by the English Government as a violation of the treaty of 1784, and equivalent to a declaration of war against that Government.

To this Tippoo responded by professing a desire to maintain relations of amity with the English state. His acts, however, did not correspond with his professions; for, a few months afterwards, he commenced his march, with a force of thirty-five thousand men, to attack the weak barrier of the Travancore lines.

The extent of such a fortification necessarily rendered it inefficient; and accordingly, on the 29th of December, 1789, while a numerous body, by a feigned attack on the principal gate, occupied the attention of the inhabitants, the Sultan himself, with upwards of fourteen thousand men, the flower of his troops, had effected his entrance at an unguarded point on the right flank. He then pushed along the interior of the rampart, to reach the nearest gate, and open it to his soldiers. For some time his progress was almost unresisted; the garrison retreated from one tower to another; though, as reinforcements arrived, they began to make a more vigorous stand.

The garrison maintained their defence particularly in a large square building that served the joint purpose of a magazine and barrack; and here Tippoo, seeing his first division considerably diminished by successive contests, ordered it to be strengthened by a fresh corps. This operation being ill-understood, was imperfectly executed; and as the troops were advancing in some disorder,