CAPTURE OF CHITTLEDROOG.

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chiefs who possessed fortresses on the borders, or even within the limits, of his territory. Among the most remarkable of these was Gooty, the castle of Morari Rao, a fierce Mahratta freebooter, who had long acted a conspicuous part on the theatre of India. This stronghold consisted of numerous works, occupying the summit of several rocky hills. After the lower stations had been reduced, the upper made so obstinate a defence that a treaty was agreed on, granting peace on the payment of a large amount of treasure. A young man sent as a hostage, being well entertained in Hyder's camp, was induced to betray the secret cause of submission, namely, that there was only a supply of water for three days in the fort. Hyder took no notice at the moment; but he soon after contrived to find a defect in the articles: he then renewed the siege, and Morari Rao was compelled to surrender at discretion. But the most obstinate resistance was experienced from the Polygar of Chittledroog, who ruled over a warlike and fanatic tribe, called Beder. They had reared in the most elevated part of their citadel a shrine to Cali or Doorga, the Indian goddess of destruction, and they firmly believed that so long as it was duly served the place would never fall. Every Monday morning solemn devotions were performed to the goddess; then a loud blast with the bugle was blown, upon which the garrison rushed forth in a desperate sally, with the object chiefly of procuring human heads to be ranged in pyramidal rows before the dread temple of the destroying deity. Although, contrary to every military rule, they thus gave to the enemy full warning of the period of attack, it was made with such fury, and at such various points, that the goddess was scarcely ever defrauded of her bloody trophies; and when the place fell, two thousand heads were found piled in front of her portal. Hyder was obliged by Mahratta invasion to abandon the siege, which, however, he afterward renewed; but it was only through treason that the governor was obliged to own the mighty spell of Cali broken, and to admit an enemy within the impregnable bulwarks of Chittledroog.

Deep discontent against the English was now rankling in the mind of Hyder. He had, as formerly mentioned, earnestly courted their alliance; for his own purposes doubtless, but on the fair and honourable principle that the par

ties should mutually support each other against the overwhelming power of the Mahrattas. Their conduct, however, in the late war, when they saw his very existence so long endangered without a single effort to relieve him, seems to have thoroughly and finally disgusted him. He gave up every hope of profiting by their alliance, and centred all his prospects of aggrandizement in their destruction. The Mahrattas again, whose councils had undergone a complete change, instead of threatening further invasion, sent proposals to Hyder for an alliance against the British; and a treaty preparatory to that object was accordingly concluded. By a singular fatality, the views of the government at Madras had been altered in the opposite direction, having become sensible of the advantages which might be derived from a union with the chief of Mysore. They even made overtures for a close alliance, with promises of co-operation in case of attack from any foreign enemy. His irritation, however, seems to have been only heightened by having that aid which was denied at his utmost need thus pressed upon him at a moment when he could maintain his own ground. At this crisis the war, consequent upon the American contest, broke out between France and England, and was extended to India. The subjects of Louis, with their usual diplomatic activity, immediately opened a communication with Hyder, whom they found most favourably disposed towards them; and he engaged accordingly in that confederacy to which his house so immutably and so fatally adhered.

As soon as hostilities commenced, the English govern ment formed a comprehensive plan for the reduction of all the French possessions in India without any exception. Pondicherry soon fell; to which no opposition was made by Hyder, who even pretended to congratulate them on their success. When, however, they announced their intention of reducing Mahé, on the Malabar coast, he decidedly objected; urging that the territory around it, having been conquered by him, was now included in his dominions. The British did not consider this argument of sufficient weight to deter them from acting against a French fort. They accordingly sent an expedition, which speedily reduced the place, although Hyder gave all the aid that he could at the moment supply, in order to defend it. It has been sup

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posed that his resentment at this step was one cause of the rooted enmity which he ever after displayed against England; but the real motives of his conduct probably lay deeper, and were connected with a more comprehensive view of his peculiar interests.

The government at Madras, while they adopted a more judicious policy in regard to the chief of Mysore, unfortunately shut their eyes to the possibility of its failure, and could not be convinced that they were in any danger from his hostility. Yet he made no secret of his feelings, and seems even to have amused himself by trying how far he could proceed without rousing them from their security. They sent to him Swartz, the Danish missionary, a highly respectable and amiable man, whom Hyder received kindly; and on his return intrusted him with a letter, recounting a long list of wrongs sustained from the English, adding the ominous words, "I have not yet taken revenge: it is no matter." Mr. Gray was afterward despatched to him, but seemingly very ill provided for an Indian mission, having no presents except a saddle and a gun, both of bad workmanship, which were disdainfully refused. He was lodged, or rather imprisoned, in a miserable shed near the capital, and annoyed with the impertinence of one of the court menials. He obtained only formal audiences; while Mohammed Osmân, a confidential officer, brought to him messages by no means of an encouraging tenor. Hyder asked, "Of what avail were treaties? Of the treaty of 1769 the English had broken every article; his affairs had been reduced to the brink of ruin by their refusal to aid him against the Mahrattas: after such an example, it was unnecessary to enumerate minor grievances." As it was likewise evident that an expedition on a great scale was preparing in Mysore, Mohammed Ali remonstrated with the government in the strongest manner on the impending danger, and the necessity of taking the most vigorous steps to prevent it. But his system of policy was no longer in favour with the council; every thing hostile to Hyder was merely regarded as coming from one who had long misled them on this subject. The government were therefore completely unprepared for the tremendous blow with which they were about to be struck.

Early in June, 1780, after prayers had been offered in VOL. II.-F

the mosques, and the solemn ceremony called jebbum performed by the Hindoos, for the success of the proposed expedition, Hyder quitted Seringapatam, and found mustered at the frontier perhaps the finest army that had ever taken the field in Southern India. It consisted of 28,000 cavalry, 15,000 regular infantry, and 40,000 irregular troops called peons, many of whom, however, were veterans, -in all 83,000, besides 2000 rocket-men, 5000 pioneers, and about 400 Europeans. In the middle of July he marched through the pass of Changama, and began an unresisted career in the Carnatic, which he covered with the most dreadful devastation. A few days after, while the ruling party in the council would scarcely adınit the existence of danger, black columns of smoke, mingled with flame, were seen approaching within a few miles of Madras. Colonel Wilks, however, controverts the general idea that the entire Carnatic was absolutely reduced to ashes. This would have been contrary to Hyder's object in pursuing a plan of conquest; he merely drew round Madras a wide circle of desolation, calculating that a tedious blockade would be necessary to reduce so strong a city.

As soon as the first alarm of the government had subsided, they began to consider the means of resistance, which, with an empty treasury, disunited councils, and the impossibility of placing any confidence in Mohammed Ali, appeared extremely deficient. The first object was to secure different strong places now held by the troops of the nabob, who, it was not doubted, would surrender them on the first serious attack. Several fell; but two were saved by the exertions of very young British officers. Lieutenant Flint, with a corps of 100 men, having proceeded to Wandewash, was refused admittance by the killedar or governor, who had already arranged the terms on which the fortress was to be surrendered. Flint, however, having with four of his men procured access, seized the commandant, and, aided by the better-disposed part of the garrison, made himself-master of the stronghold.

The next object was to unite in one army the different detachments spread over the country; the most numerous and best equipped being under Colonel Baillie, who had advanced considerably into the interior with a view to offensive operations. This corps amounted to 2800, the main body not exceeding 5200. Lord Macleod, who had recently

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arrived in India and held the actual command, strongly, and apparently with reason, recommended that the point of junction should be fixed in front of Madras, not in the heart of a country entirely occupied by the enemy. But Sir Hector Monro, the commander-in-chief, undertook to unite the armies at Conjeveram, fifty miles distant from the capital. Colonel Baillie, in order to reach that place, was obliged to take an inland route, in which he was exposed to the hazard of being attacked by the whole army of the invader. He was detained ten days by the swelling of the river Cortelaur, and after effecting his passage, was attacked by a large detachment under Tippoo, which he repulsed, but not without sustaining some loss. Hyder then, under cover of a feigned movement against Sir Hector's army, interposed his whole force between the two English divisions. They were now only fourteen miles distant, within hearing of each other's cannon, and could they have acted in concert, would have easily defeated the irregular host opposed to them. Baillie wrote, urging Sir Hector to join him; but the commander, conceiving that he would thereby lose Conjeveram with its little supply of provisions and stores, chose rather to send Colonel Fletcher with 1000 troops to support Colonel Baillie,-a most hazardous movement across a country covered by the enemy's detachments. Yet Fletcher, by great skill and activity, and by deceiving his own deceitful guides, succeeded amid every danger in joining the corps that he was ordered to support, which he raised to upwards of 3700 men. Hyder burst into the most furious invectives against his officers for not having prevented this union; and the French, conceiving it preparatory to a combined attack by these two divisions, exhorted the chief by speedy retreat to shun a general action. Hyder had formed a juster estimate of those with whom he was to contend. Colonel Baillie first attempted a night-march, by which a great extent of ground might have been gained, and where, in case of attack, superior discipline would have given him the advantage; but meeting with some obstacles, he determined, contrary to Fletcher's advice, to delay till morning. He departed at dawn, but soon found himself opposed by the entire strength of the Mysore army. The English troops were at first harassed only by flying detachments; but when they came into a narrow and ex