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faveur me with a copy of it, to be fent from hence. I am fenfible of the liberty I take in making this request; but I am fenfible, whether you comply with it or not, you will pity the diftrefs that fuggefts it; your humanity will drop a tear on the fault, and efface it. I will pray that heaven may grant you may never want the comfort it is in your power to bestow on

ASGILL.

Copy of a Letter from Comte Vergennes to General Washington, dated Verfailles the 29th of July, 1782.

SIR,

IT is not in quality of a king, the friend and ally of the United States, though with the knowledge and confent of his majefty, that I now have the honour to write to your excellency. It is as a man of fenfibility, and a tender father who feels all the force of paternal love, that I take the liberty to addrefs to your excellency my earneft folicitations in favour of a mother and family in tears. Her fituation feems the more worthy of notice, on our part, as it is to the humanity of a nation, at war with her own, that fhe has recourfe, for what fhe ought to receive from the impartial juftice of her own generals.

I have the honour to inclofe your excellency a copy of a letter which -Mrs. Afgill has juft wrote to me. I am not known to her, nor was I acquainted that her fon was the unhappy victim, deftined by lot to expiate the odious crime that a former denial of juftice obliges you to revenge. Your excellency

will not read this letter without being extremely affected; it had that effect upon the king and upon the queen, to whom I communicated it. The goodness of their majesties hearts induce them to defire that the inquietudes of an unfortunate mother may be calmed, and her tenderness reaffured. I feel, Sir, that there are cafes where humanity itself exacts the moft extreme rigour; perhaps the one now in queftion may be of the number; but allowing reprizals to be juft, it is not lefs horrid to thofe who are the victims; and the character of your excellency is too well known for me not to be perfuaded that you defire nothing more than to be able to avoid the difagreeable neceffity.

There is one confideration, Sir, which, though it is not decifive, may have an influence upon your refolution. Capt. Afgill is doubtlefs your prifoner, but he is among thofe whom the arms of the king contributed to put into your hands at York-Town. Although this circumftance does not operate as a fafeguard, it however juftifies the intereft I permit myfelf to take in this affair. If it is in your power, Sir, to confider and have regard to it, you will do what is very agreeable to their majefties; the danger of young Afgill, the tears, the defpair of his mother, affect them fenfibly, and they will fee with pleasure the hope of confolation fhine out for these unfortunate people.

In feeking to deliver Mr. Afgill from the fate which threatens him, I am far from engaging you to feek another victim; the pardon, to be perfectly fatisfactory, must be entire. I do not imagine

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try. The perfonal animofities that arofe from civil diffenfions, have been fo heightened by the blood that has been fhed in the conteft, that the parties can never be reconciled.

That the officers of his majefty's provincial forces have facrificed not only their property, but many of them very lucrative profeffions, and all their expectations from their rank and connections in civil fociety.

That numbers of them entered very young into the king's fervice, and have grown up in the army; and having no other profeffion, and no family expectations, or homes to go to, their friends being all involved in the common ruin, they look forward to the day of their being disbanded with extreme folicitude.

That many of them have wives, who, born to the fairest expectations, and tenderly brought up, have been unaccustomed to want; and children about them, for whofe education and future happinefs they feel the moft anxious

concern.

That many who have ferved his majefty in his provincial troops, in fubordinate capacities, during this war, have been refpectable yeomen; of good connections, and poffeffed of confiderable property, which from principles of loyalty, and a fenfe of duty, they quitted, and in the course of this contest have shewn a degree of patience, fortitude, and bravery, almoft without example.

That there are still remaining in the provincial line a great number of men,who from wounds,

and from diforders contracted in fervice, are rendered totally unable to provide for their future fubfiftence; they therefore look up to that government, in whofe fervice they have fuffered, with all the anxiety of men who have no other hope left; many of them have helpless families who have feen better days.

That the widows and orphans of the provincial officers and foldiers, who have lost their lives in the king's fervice, are many of them reduced to extreme poverty and diftrefs, and have no profpect of relief but from the juftice and humanity of the British government.

Thefe, Sir, are the difficulties and the apprehenfions under which his majesty's provincial troops now labour; and to your excellency they look up for affiftance.

Relying on the gracious promife of their fovereign to fupport and protect them, and placing the fulleft confidence in your excellency's benevolent interpofition, and favourable representation of their faithful fervices, they are induced to afk

That grants of lands may be made to them in fome of his majefty's American provinces, and that they may be affifted in making fettlements, in order that they and their children may enjoy the benefits of the British government.

That fome permanent provifion may be made for fuch of the non-commiffioned officers, and private foldiers, as have been dif abled, from wounds, and from diforders contracted in his ma jefty's fervice, and for the widows [R] 4

and

greater relief to you than it is to, Sir, your most obedient and humble fervant,

(Signed) G. WASHINGTON."

When Capt. Afgill arrived at New-York the Swallow packet having failed without him, he followed her in a boat, but did not overtake her till he had got upwards of four leagues to fea. The confequence was, that he came over without fervant or baggage.

Whitehall, April 12. Extracts of Letters from Lieutenant General Sir Eyre Coote, K. B. dated Madras, the 31st of Auguft and 25th of September 1782, received at the Office of his Majefy's principal Secretary of State for the home Department, on the 7th of April, 1783.

HILST I was ftraining every nerve in advancing the army to the neighbourhood of Chingleput, to counteract the views of Hyder and the French, I anxiously looked to the refult of my reference to the governor general and to the arrival of their orders in confequence, as a period which would undoubtedly reftore to me that authority over the fouthern troops which would enable me to direct them to fuch a cooperation as might tend equally to facilitate my own movements, and distract the defigns of our enemies; but most unfortunately on the 18th of February, long before any anfwer could come from Bengal, Colonel Braithwaite was attacked by Hyder Ally's fon, Tippo Saib, and Monf. Lally, near the banks of Colle

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His

roon, and totally defeated. whole detachment, confifting of about 2000 infantry, 250 cavalry, 18 officers, and a field train of 13 pieces, were either captured or deftroyed.

The French being free from any apprehenfions of a check from our fouthern forces, and covered by the army of Hyder Ally to the northward, which fecured them from all fudden attack by my army, proceeded in perfect fecurity againft Cuddalore, which being incapable of holding out for any length of time, was, on the 6th of April, furrendered to the French forces under Monf. Duchemin, on terms of capitulation, which I have the honour to inclofe.

To his Excellency Sir Eyre Coote,

K. B. Lieutenant General and
Commander in Chief in India.

SIR,

IT gives me much concern to inform you, that this garrifon furrendered to the French arms on the 4th inftant in the morning. A copy of the capitulation I have now the honour of forwarding.

I flatter myself your excellency will excufe me for not fending it fooner, as I have been prevented by a multiplicity of bufinefs, owing to conftant applications from the gentlemen in charge of the French officers, relative to the delivering over the ftores, &c. of this garrifon.

I have the honour to be,

With the greatest respect, Your excellency's very obedient

and moft humble fervant, (Signed) JAMES HUGHES, Cuddalore, April 6, 1782.

SIR,

SIR,

THE French general, being defirous of having as little bloodfhed as poffible, has fent me to inform you, that the nabob's troops having joined his army, if you do not immediately furrender, it will be out of his power to prevent the plundering of the fort, being promifed to the European and black troops if they attack it. In confequence of which he propofes articles of capitulation, fuch as, from our fituation, you have reafon to expect: wishing to convince the English, that it is only in war we look on you as enemies, and being fent for this purpose by Monf. Duchemin, general of the French army, I fign these his firft propofals, according to the power he has invefted me with. (Signed)

LE VTE DE HOUDETOT. N. B. The above is a tranflation of a copy from the original.

Articles of Capitulation drawn up between his Excellency Monf. Pierre Duchemin, Marshal of the Camps and Army of the King of France, and Commandant of the Troops of his Majefty in India, on the one Side, and Capt. James Hughes, Commandant of the Garrifon of Cuddalore, on the other."

The gates shall be delivered up to-morrow, the 4th of April, 1782, between the hours of eight and nine in the morning.

Agreed.

The English flag fhall be kept flying till that time on the ramparts, and all hoftilities fhall be fufpended; Captain Hughes giving his word, that nothing fhall go out of the place, either by land or fea, and all that does go

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English, whether within or without it, fhall be fecured to them.

Agreed.

The whole is thoroughly understood and agreed to, upon the ftricteft honour.

April 3, 1782. Signed for the French general, Le Vicomte de Houdetot,

(Signed) DUCHEMIN.
(Signed) JAMES HUGHES,
Captain Commandant

of Cuddalore. N. B. The above is a tranflation of a copy from the original articles of capitulation.

JAMES HUGHES, Captain Commandant.

On the 12th, I received intelligence of the enemy having commenced the fiege of Permacoli. And I find that garrifon capitulated on the 17th.

I had no doubt of the enemy's forming defigns upon Vandiwash; indeed my intelligence gave me reafon to believe, that the French and Hyder would march immediately to attack it; I therefore moved the army towards it with all poffible difpatch, in full perfuafion that our enemies would have met me there, and tried a decifive action; but I arrived there without receiving the fmalleft oppofition; apprehending, however, left the enemy might be in doubt about my defire of bringing them to action, and convinced that they would not feek for me in the neighbourhood of Vandiwash, where I could receive them to fo great advantage, I determined to advance towards them. I accordingly made two marches in the direct road to the ground, on which we had obferved them,

from the hill of Vandiwash, to be encamped; but on my approach they fell back, and both by my intelligence, and by what I could difcover from the heights in the neighbourhood of our camp, they took up their station. on the Red Hills. This was a pofition in itself fo ftrong, and could, by an army of fuch magnitude as Hyder's, fupported by an European force far exceeding the numbers in my army, be occupied to fo great advantage, that I judged it expedient to lay my intelligence and fentiments before the two next officers in command, Major General Stuart and Colonel Lang, that I might have the benefit of their opinions on a matter of fuch momentous importance, and on the iffue of which depended the whole of the British interefts in India.

Upon a reference to the council of war, which was held on this occafion, the idea I fuggefted of drawing the enemy from their ftrong poft, by moving in a direction which would effectually check Hyder's fupplies, and alarm him for the fafety of his grand magazine of Arnee, was unanimoufly approved.

In conformity to that plan, we accordingly marched on the 30th, and, on the firft of June, encamped at the diftance of about five miles from Arnee. That day I received intelligence that Hyder, on hearing of the route we had taken, marched immediately, and that the advance of his army had arrived the preceding evening at Deffoor, diftant from us about twenty-five miles, and in the high road toward us. I was thereby fatisfied, that the effect I had in

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