wife the confequences to the fquadron would have been fatal. Having foon parted their cables, they put out to fea, most of their boats being afhore, and many loft in the effort to recover their fhips; the long boats, however, were able to withstand the fury of the tempeft, and without an exception fucceeded in the endeavour. Nothing could be more deplorable than the scene of diftrefs and horror, which foon prefented itself at Madras. The hore for feveral miles was covered with wrecks, and with the bodies of the dead and dying; while the roaring of the furf, and the howling of the tempeft, intermixed with the piercing cries of thofe who were yet ftruggling with fate, were infupportable to the fenfes of the terrified hearers or beholders on fhore. Several English trading fhips, of which number was the Earl of Hertford Indiaman, were either funk at their anchors, or dafhed to pieces on the fhore. About a hundred of the coafting veffels of the country, met with the fame fate. Such trading fhips and tranfports, as had not been fo fuddenly overwhelmed, as to prevent their being able to cut, and to put out to fea, generally efcaped; and it feems almoft unaccountable, that a few had braved and rode out the form. This hurricane was ftill more grievous to humanity in its confequences than in its immediate effect, by fcrewing up to its highest pitch a calamity, which had long prevailed in a certain degree, and the most deplorable to which mankind is liable. The defolation of the country having 3 prevented the cultivation of rice, The famine at Madras accordingly, became within a few days calamitous in the extreme. Mo. ney could procure no relief, where the wanted commodity did not exist. The roads, outlets, and even the streets, were ftrowed with the dead and the dying. It was estimated, that at least 200 of the natives perifhed every day. All other people had a refource in animal food; but the conftancy and fortitude with which the unhappy Hindoos endured the lingering torments and the into lerable lérable pångs of hunger, and the more than philofophic calmness and mildness, with which, with out a complaint or a murmur; they fubmitted filently to their fate, rather than to preferve life at the expence of thofe laws which they held to be facred, was not lefs aftonishing than deplorable. Surely fuch virtue, however miftaken in its principle or direction, cannot fail of the reward due to its intrinfic worth! As foon as the news of this calamity reached Bengal, the governor general and council ordered every veffel in the river of Calcutta to be immediately loaded with provifions, and difpatched with the utmost expedition to Madras; and fo laudable was the diligence used on the occafion, that a great fleet of victuallers arrived, and a moft ample fupply of rice was furnished, fooner than the most fanguine expectation could even have hoped. The humanity and benevolence of individuals was likewife nobly exerted at Madras during the fad intervening term, by procuring large fupplies of rice from every place within reach for the relief of the famifhed multitude. But notwithstanding all these efforts, about 10,000 of the natives were fuppofed to have perished through this calamity. Sir Edward Hughes experienced a continued courfe of extraordinarily bad weather in his paffage to Bombay; and we may judge in fome degree how boifterous it was, when for near a month fcarcely any two fhips of the fquadron had been able to fpeak together. The Superbe was accordingly difmafted, and fuffered much more in every refpect than any other of the fhips; fo that the admiral was obliged to quit her, and fhift his flag to the Sultan. In order to expedite the repair of the fquadron, and knowIng that only four fhips of the line could be laid down at once in the docks at Bombay, he left the Hero, the Monmouth, and the Sceptre, (being probably thofe which had fuffered leaft damage) to be refitted at the antient Por tugueze capital of Goa; once the great and famed emporium of the Europeans in the east. The exceeding tediousness of the voyage, together with the neceffity the fhips were under of keeping their lower ports clofely fhut through the whole way, occafioned the crews of thofe which kept on for Bombay, to grow fickly in an extreme degree; and they were at length fo fcattered by the unceafing continuance of the bad weather, that their feparate arrival at that place, extended from the 13th to the 21st of December. The recovery of the fick at Bombay was fo fudden, as almoft to exceed all belief. Sir Richard Bickerton arrived at Madras from Bombay, with five fhips of the line, and his convoy, towards the end of October, having neither met nor heard of the admiral; and what was much lefs to be expected, having good weather all the way, and being totally ignorant of the hurricane until his arrival. He had brought with him under convoy, three regiments of infantry of 1,000 men each, of which one was Hanoverian, befides Sir John Burgoyne's regiment of light horfe, amounting to about 340, [F] 2 and and a thousand recruits, which had been raised for the company's service in Ireland. Notwithstanding the unusual length of time which they spent in the voyage, both the feamen and troops were uncommonly healthy, and the fhips of war in excellent condition. Sir R. Bickerton returned to Bombay to join the admiral; and it requires fome knowledge of the theory of the winds in the Indian feas not to be furprized, that he arrived at that place fome weeks before him, and met with the most favourable weather through the whole way. The French now experienced the vaft advantages which they derived from the poffeffion of Trincomale, as the English did, the full extent of thofe evil confequences which refulted from its tofs. The former, instead of being expofed to the rigours of the monfoon, before they had yet well recovered the effects of the late action, and being befides obliged to abandon the fcene of action, and to return to the African islands, as well for fafety as equipment, were now fully at eafe, and in the greateft fecurity, thoroughly refitting their fhips at that place. By being thus immediately upon the fpot, they became the uncontrouled mafters of the Indian feas as foon as the feafon for action began to open, and were thereby enabled, at a moft critical period, to interrupt with great effect, and much mifchief to the English, the trade and intercourfe between Bengal and Madras. In the intermediate time, they proceeded to Achen, on the coaft of Sumatra, probably to procure fome articles of fupply, which the island of Cey lon was not competent to furnish. As they were in expectation of being joined, as foon as the feafon admitted, by the Marquis dé Buffy, with the laft divifion of his troops from the Mauritius, which were estimated at about 5,000 men, and as he was to be accompanied by a ftrong reinforcement of fresh fhips of war, which were newly arrived from France, and were to bring a vast fupply of all manner of naval and military ftores and provifion, together with the moft formidable train of artillery that had ever been fent to India at any one time, they entertained no doubt, but that the tide of war, both by fea and by land, would, in the enfuing feafon, be turned entirely in their favour. But during this ftate of hope and defign on their fide, the governments of Bengal and Bombay, being now freed from the Mahratta war, were directing their views to the making of fo powerful a diverfion on the Malabar fide, as would compel Hyder entirely to abandon the Carnatic, and return to the defence of his own dominions; which he might in a little time, perhaps, find a tafk more than equal to his powers. In that cafe, all the defigns of France would be entirely fruftrated; as he was totally incapable of maintaining a war fingly, for any length of time, against the English in the Carnatic; nor could fhe ever fupport fuch an European force there as would be equivalent to the purpofe, if they were freed from their contests with the native pow crs. In the mean time, until matters were ripe for greater exertions, and encouraged perhaps by the fuccefs of Major Abington, the prefidency of Bombay, had, -towards the clofe of the European fummer, difpatched Col. Humberstone, with a confiderable detachment both of the king's and the company's forces, to the coaft of Malabar. This officer foon took or gained poffeffion of the antient and royal capital of Calicut, which lies upon the coaft, between 30 and 40 miles to the fouthward of Tellicherry; and proceeding farther in the fame direction, took the confiderable city of Panian, or Paniany, ly ing about the fame diftance beyond Calicut; all the intermediate places along the coaft, undoubtedly falling into his hands. Encouraged by thefe fucceffes, and perceiving no enemy able to oppofe him, the colonel ventured to quit the fea coaft, and to direct his operations inland. This happened early in the month of September, 1782; and as none of the places fpecified on his route appear in the maps, we can only fuppofe that he bent his courfe towards the borders of the Coimbatour country. However that was, it is evident that he encountered great difficulties on his way, and that feveral weeks elapfed, without his being able to penetrate to any confiderable diftance, In that courfe he took a number of fmall forts, which there much abound, in order to guard the narrow paffes and deep defiles of thofe almoft impracticable mountainous regions, which every where environ that iron-bound and nar row country which stretches along the coaft of Malabar.. Having at length taken and garrifoned a fort called Mungarry Cottah, which lay in fo ftrong a pofition as to afford a fecure retreat, the colonel advanced to the fiege or attack of a town called Palacatcherry; and which feems to have been of more strength or confideration than any he had yet met. He arrived before this place on the 19th of October; but it foon appeared, that he had been miferably deceived and mifled by his intelligence; for on the very next day, he found the enemy fo unexpectedly ftrong, and fo clofe upon him, that he was compelled to a fudden and hafty retreat; and though it was only eight miles to Mungarry Cottah, he was purfued and attacked with fuch violence and fury, that befides the men who fell, he loft both his baggage and provifions in that fhort way. Major Hutchinfon, of the 98th regiment, was mortally wounded in this unfortunate affair, The government of Bombay having received 15 lacks of rúpees from Bengal, in order to enable them to carry on the war with vigour on the coaft of Malabar, and being themfelves apprehenfive that Humberstone's fituation at Mungarry Cottah was exceedingly perilous, they ufed the utmoft expedition in difpatching General Mathews, with fuch troops as were immediately at hand, to his relief; for a confiderable part of thofe forces which they had employed in the Mah. ratta war, and which were now deftined to the Malabar fervice, [F] 3 had had not yet returned from the northward, In the intermediate time, Tippoo Saib, being greatly alarmed at the danger in which the Malabar coaft was involved, and extremely irritated at Humberstone's penetrating into the interior country, he determined to fet fuch an example of vengeance, as, at the fame time that it removed the evil and danger, might ferve to damp the enterprize of future invaders on that tender and vulnerable fide. He accordingly, with his ufual addrefs and activity, fuddenly and fecretly collected a confiderable body of troops, conducting his meafures with fuch ability, that his motions, and even his departure from the Carnatic, were fcarcely obferved upon the fpot; and ufing equal precautions to conceal his march, he proceeded with incredible rapidity to cut off the British detachment at Mungarry Cottah. But notwithstanding all his diligence and precautions, Colonel Humberstone had the fortune, by fome means of which we are not informed, to receive intelligence of his arrival, with fome troops, on the northern banks of the Coleroon; and it happened no lefs fortunately, that though the intelligence went no farther, the colonel at once fufpecting his defign, immediately blew up and deftroyed the fortifications. at Mungarry Cottah, and retreated to Ramgarce; where, receiving certain intelligence, that Tippoo Saib was approaching with the utmoft rapidity, he retreated to Paniany, which he Nov. 20th. reached in a march of two days. He had run fome rifque in waiting upon this occafion to deftroy the works at Ramgaree; for he was clofely purfued, and not a little harraffed by the enemy, during the course of the two fubfequent days retreat; but it is probable, that none but their irregular cavalry had been able to come up, for his lofs of men was fo very small as to fhew the purfuers were by no means formidable. Colonel Macleod being just arrived at Paniany from Madras, the command of the forces of courfe devolved to him; nor was this in any degree to be confidered as a mere honorary command; for at the inftant of receiving it he found himself invefted by Tippoo Saib and Monf. Lally, with a very formidable force, confifting of 8,000 regular infantry, including fome hundreds of French and other Europeans, who compofed Lally's corps; of 10,000 cavalry, and above 6,000 poligars. The Britifh troops were ftrongly pofted with refpect to natural advantages; and they fpared no induftry in improving thefe by new works; they were likewife fupported and affifted by the Juno frigate and the Pondicherry armed fhip. The enemy kept up a confiderable but ineffectual cannonade for feveral days, without any farther attempt; and this circumftance, along with fome. mifinformation in refpect to their ftrength, and, poffibly, more than both, a fenfe of the facility with which Indian armies had been heretofore liable to defeat and ruin in the fame manner, induced the British commander to attempt, at the dawn of day, to furprize |