Suffren had contrived to do wonders in this way at Cuddalore, improvising an arsenal or ship-yard, and, to encourage others, working himself in his shirt-sleeves, like a common shipwright." Had the admiral not deemed himself in some way slighted by the general and Lord Macartney, it is supposed that he might have remained in Madras roads to co-operate in the proposed attack on the French lines at Cuddalore; but there was the probability that had he been a day longer in putting to sea the whole fleet might have perished. He sailed on the 15th of October, and had made a good offing before nightfall. By that time, we are told that the sound, so well known in Madras-the roar of the coming monsoon-was heard, and the rising surf began to shake the coast, as there came on one of the most dreadful hurricanes ever known in Indian waters. For miles, next day, the shore was covered with shattered wrecks, and the bodies of the drowned or the dying. Vessels of every kind were sunk at their anchors or dashed to pieces on the shore-among others, the Earl of Hertford (Indiaman). A few cut their cables, put to sea, and, to the astonishment of every one, outrode the tempest. Some of those that perished were laden with rice for the garrison, the town, and the army; thus the food was gone without a possibility of supplying more, and a local famine ensued; and thousands of the natives of the Carnatic who had fled to Madras to escape the cruelty of Hyder Ali, were among the first to suffer. Every road that led to Madras, and the streets of the city itself, were strewed with the emaciated dead and dying; prayers, entreaties, and moans were heard on every side, addressed to the passers who had not a grain of rice to give, and who were soon to perish in their turn; for, before supplies came from Bengal and elsewhere, 10,000 persons perished of sheer hunger. "For months together," says Burke in one of his eloquent speeches, "these creatures of sufferance, whose very excess and luxury in their most plenteous days had fallen short of the allowance of our austerest fasts, silent, patient, resigned, without sedition or disturbance, almost without complaint, perished by a hundred a day in the streets of Madras; every day seventy at least laid their bodies in the streets, or on the glacis of Tanjore, and expired of famine in the granary of India." The multitudes of dead and dying were so great as to raise fears of a new calamity-the plague. The dead bodies were collected daily in carts; and buried in large trenches without the town; and for several weeks not less than from twelve to fifteen hundred a week, says one authority, were thus disposed of. Five days after the departure of Sir Edward Hughes, Sir Richard Bickerton came into the wreckstrewn roads of Madras, with a small squadron from Britain, having some troops on board; but with no provisions to spare, after his long voyage round the Cape, and deeming it to be his duty, when menaced by the still-blowing monsoon on one hand, and the great superiority of Suffren on the other, to join Sir Edward, he put to sea, and bore away for Bombay, about the same time that Sir Eyre Coote, now completely shattered in health, sailed for Calcutta. As the command now devolved upon General Stewart, he sent 400 Europeans to co-operate with the Bombay troops, who, under General Goddard, were about to assail Hyder from the west, 500 men to reinforce Negapatam, and 300 Europeans into the Northern Circars, where the French were expected, but never appeared; for now an unusual inactivity seemed to possess both Suffren and De Bussy. Negapatam, which was weakly garrisoned and open, was not attacked, neither was Madras, then alike stricken with fever and famine; and the small squadron of Sir Richard Bickerton, who had with him only five sail of the line and a frigate, passed and repassed almost within sight of the French fleet. His And now, at this crisis-while, as related, Tippoo was defending Malabar-died Hyder Ali, on the 7th of December, 1782, in what was supposed to be the eightieth year of his age, as the actual date of his birth was never accurately known. disease was a singular one, named by Mohammedans the sertan, or "crab," a swelling behind the neck or upper portion of the back, and supposed in form to resemble the crustacean named. By the Hindoos it is named the raj-poora, or “royal sore -a kind of Indian king's-evil, peculiar to persons of royal rank; and in old Hyder's case, the skill of Bussy's best physicians, like the charms of his own conjurers and magi, failed to cure him. Poornea and Kishen Rao, his two Brahmin ministers, when they found his death impending, agreed to conceal the event, when it took place, till the arrival of Tippoo, as the only means by which they could keep the army together. Accordingly, they placed the body in a large chest filled with fragrant powder, and sent it from the camp at Vellore to Seringapatam, and from there it was secretly deposited in the somewhat obscure tomb of his family at Colar, a little town of Mysore; but Tippoo afterwards had it conveyed to Seringapatam, where it was laid in a superb mausoleum, which, as a work of art, is still endowed and kept up by our Indian Government. Though called the tyrant of Mysore, and in many ways a man without much scruple when he had an end to achieve, and though cruel and barbarous to his European prisoners, Hyder Ali, when judged of by the standard of his age, religion, and country, was not an indifferent sovereign, and as a warrior he ranks high under any test. Neither the troops he led, nor those who opposed him, allowed him to adopt a line of policy to display the qualities of a great general; thus to accomplish his ends he was compelled to adopt means that often seemed insignificant; his warfare being a series of skirmishes, rather than pitched battles, or regular campaigns. In Hyder, it was the skilful adaptation of his instruments to his purposes, neither allowing his confidence in vast numbers, nor the skill with which he could direct them, to lure him from the path he had marked out, that proves him to have been no common man. He knew, appreciated, and feared the prowess of the British troops, and turned his knowledge to the best advantage by assailing them only when and where they were weak. Hence his great success-a success which his great age and death alone prevented attaining a point that might have altered the future history of British India. 237 devotion as was shown by one of them-Lieutenant Lucas one of his captives in the awful dungeons of Seringapatam. We are told that when Sir David Baird was one of these unfortunates, the wounds he had received when Baillie's detachment perished were unhealed, were all but mortifying, and that his health was sinking. When the myar made his appearance one morning, bearing with him fetters weighing nine pounds each, which were destined for these unhappy men who had survived the destruction of their comrades, resistance was futile, and they submitted to their fate. But when it came to Sir David Baird's turn, one of the officers--a noble Englishman named Lucas-sprang forward and urged the cruelty of fettering the limbs that were full of festering wounds. To this the myar replied, that there had been sent as many sets of fetters as there were prisoners, and that all must be put on. "Then," said the gallant Lucas, "put a double pair on me, so that Captain Baird may be spared their use." "Even the myar," says the narrator, "though used to scenes of human misery, was moved by this act of self-devotion, and consented to refer the case to the kedadar, who held the 'Book of Fate.' Fortunately for Sir David Baird, that book was propitious; the irons were (after a time) dispensed with, and thus was this man, then a captive in the dungeons of Seringapatam, spared to become one day a conqueror and its master!" His barbarous treatment of our soldiers who fell into his hands, language can neither sufficiently describe nor reprehend, and from his Oriental nature But in this we are somewhat anticipating the he was totally incapable of appreciating such self-story and the fate of Tippoo Sahib. CHAPTER XLVII. - CAPTURE OF BEDNORE IN CANARA.-SIEGES OF CUDDALORE AND MANGALORE. PEACE WITH FRANCE. "THE Tiger "for such was the appropriate name, when translated, of Hyder's son, Tippoo, now in his thirtieth year reached the camp in which Hyder died on the 2nd of January, 1783, and assumed the reins of government, with an army of 90,000 men, a treasury containing rupees to the amount of three millions sterling, together with jewels and valuables, the accumulated plunder of many provinces, during many years, to an extent that has been said to defy computation. On the evening of his arrival, he held a durbar of all his principal officers seated on a humble carpet, stating that his great grief would not permit him, as yet, to ascend the musnud; but all knew that this was mere affectation, and none who saw him, or knew him, were deceived by it. With his great resources, a French alliance, a passion for war, power and aggrandisement, and more than all, a rooted antipathy to the British, Tippoo treated with scorn the overtures for peace with us, which, had he lived but a few weeks longer, old Hyder would have accepted. After paying his last duties to the remains of his father, Tippoo hastened to join the main body of the army, amply provided with presents and treasure to secure the allegiance of the troops. He was now joined by a French force, mustering 900 Europeans, 250 Kaffirs and Topasses, and 2,000 sepoys, with a brigade of twenty-two guns, and the plan of future operations was at once discussed. The French urged the immediate capture of Madras; but, as the Marquis de Bussy was not yet present, Tippoo reminded the principal officers that before this they had often declared that the French were, by their orders, limited to defensive operations. His own plan, therefore, was to leave a strong column of his army under Seyd Sahib to co-operate with the marquis as soon as he arrived at head-quarters, and be ready to attack us, while he, with the rest of his troops, moved to the westward, where our rapid success had greatly alarmed him. The instant Hyder's death was rumoured, the Government of Madras had urged their new commander-in-chief, General Stewart, to take advantage of the confusion the event was likely to cause in the Mysore camp; but he strongly declined to march, on the plea that he "did not believe in the death of Hyder, and if he were dead, the army would be ready to march at the proper time." General Stewart, like Sir Eyre Coote, was a king's officer, and viewing the Company as a mere trading corporation, though they were his paymasters, he was not disposed to be accountable to them, especially in the matter of handling the royal forces. The position he was inclined to adopt appeared so extravagant that Lord Macartney lodged a minute against it. However, the general did not put the troops in motion until the 15th of January, 1783, thirteen days after Tippoo's arrival in camp, and his peaceable proclamation as Sultan of Mysore. In his position as governor, Lord Macartney undertook to direct the operations of the campaign, as a prelude to which he somewhat unwisely ordered the demolition of some forts, and though contrary to the advice of Coote he had dismantled Nega patam, he now ordered the destruction of Wandiwash and Carangoly. Stewart as to defend his own dominions, for Colonel Here, Lieutenant Hislop, of the Royal Artillery, had the half of a leg torn away by an Indian rocket. Seven forts were thus stormed, each being captured at a rush. After this service the next object of attack was the great fort of Hydernaghur, which towered with a formidable aspect over all, and compelled the leaders to act with extreme caution. It occupied the summit of the loftiest ghaut or precipice, 5,000 feet above the level of the sea, with a dry ditch in front, armed with twenty pieces of cannon, and on the face of the mountain were seven more batteries, placed on terraces above each other, with internal lines of communication. "The outward approaches," says General Stewart, "were obstructed by large trees, cut down and placed transversely, so as to prevent the ascent on any part, except that immediately exposed to the full effect of the guns. These obstructions, formidable if well defended, were, however, of no avail, for the spirit with which the lower defences were attacked and carried struck such terror into the enemy that they evacuated this strong position in But Tippoo was not so much seeking to avoid the course of the night, and, making no further The greater portion of February was wasted in the work of demolition; but in the vicinity of Wandiwash General Stewart, who was now at the head of 14,000 men (3,000 of whom were British), offered battle to Tippoo, who declined it, and crossed the Arnee in some haste, recalling his garrisons from Arcot and other places so quickly, that it seemed evident that he was about to evacuate the whole Carnatic. 1783.] SURRENDER OF MATHEWS. 239 resistance, Bednore was taken possession of on attempting a defence, for which their strength was the 27th of January, 1783.” In it were found 8,000 stand of new arms, and every necessary supply for the immediate use of the troops. We thus got possession of the principal fort of a fertile province, from where Tippoo drew most of the provisions for his army. Many of the other forts of Canara surrendered on being summoned, but Mangalore and Annanpore held out. Against the latter Major Colin Campbell marched with the Highlanders and some other troops, and on the 15th of February he stormed it with great loss to the enemy. In thanking his column for the spirited conduct it displayed, Major Campbell said that "his particular acknowledgments were due to Captain Dalzell and the officers and men of the 42nd Regiment, who headed the storm; but strongly recommends that when the bayonet can be used, not a shot should be fired." Mangalore on the coast surrendered as soon as it had been breached. The operations of our troops in Canara were greatly impeded by quarrels and complaints about the division of prize money. General Mathews refused to divide any with either officers or men, which was most illiberal, as at that time they had received no pay for several months. Colonels Macleod and Mackenzie-Humberstone left the army to lay their complaints against their leader before the Governor of Bombay. He was superseded, and Macleod was ordered back to Bednore with the rank of Brigadier-General. He was accompanied by Humberstone, Major Shaw, and others; but on their voyage down the coast they were attacked by a piratical Mahratta fleet that killed or wounded every man on board their vessel. Major Shaw was slain on the instant; Humberstone, one of the best officers that ever drew a sword on Indian soil, died of his wounds, and Macleod, sinking with three wounds, was taken prisoner into Gheriah. All the other officers perished-Lieutenant William Stewart, of the 100th Regiment, being literally hacked joint from joint. Meanwhile Mathews was acting in a most unwise manner. He had scattered his army all over the country in wretched mud forts, and fixed his headquarters in Bednore without laying in a sufficient stock of ammunition or provisions, and placed the 42nd Highlanders at a distance on the coast. When he fancied himself in a state of security, Tippoo advanced with a great force, secured the Ghauts, cut off all communication between the coast and Bednore-a protracted resistance in which was impossible without supplies. Tippoo advanced to the attack with two columns, and our troops, after most inadequate, retired, after serious loss, into the citadel, where they continued to fight till it was beaten by sheer dint of cannon-shot-to ruins around them. General Mathews then, in accordance with the opinion of a council of war, agreed to surrender on certain terms, to which Tippoo agreed. One of these guaranteed the safe conduct of the garrison to the coast; another provided for the security of private and surrender of public property. Unfortunately, in order to appropriate the money in the treasury, which now by right belonged to Tippoo, the officers of the garrison, then in long arrears of pay, were told to draw for whatever sums they pleased, these to be afterwards accounted for at Bombay; and in this way the treasury was emptied innocently, we must suppose. In the terms of their capitulation the garrison marched out on the 3rd of May, 1783. Tippoo, only too anxious to find a pretext for violating the capitulation, obtained one from the prisoners themselves. On being searched, the missing treasure was found to be divided among them. Thus, instead of being permitted to march to the coast, Tippoo bound them all with chains and ropes, and sent them to his horrible dungeons in Mysore. Mathews was taken in fetters to Seringapatam, and is said to have been murdered by having boiling lead poured down his throat, in presence of his wife, who became insane on beholding the outrage. Two hundred and ten soldiers were spared, to become artizans if they would embrace Mohammedanism. The rest were destroyed in many ways, too shocking to describe. Some were left chained to dead bodies; out of nineteen officers who were taken, seventeen were murdered by order of Tippoo. Some had their throats cut slowly and by degrees; others were pinioned, and had poison poured down their throats while their jaws were held forcibly open; and the tidings of these barbarities excited our troops to such an extent, that they resolved neither to take nor give quarter in battle with the troops of Tippoo "the Tiger." Our whole forces in India at this time mustered only 17,800 men. These were Burgoyne's Light Dragoons, the Bengal Cavalry-700 sabres, and the European infantry, 9,000 strong; two battalions of Highlanders (viz., 2nd Battalion of the 42nd, afterwards the 73rd Foot, and the Rosshire Buffs), the 3rd, 36th, 52nd, 98th, 100th, 101st, and 102nd Regiments, with 436 of the Royal Artillery. The sepoys of the three presidencies made up 30,000 more, exclusive of De Bruygerse's Hanoverian corps of 1,000 strong. Tippoo now, breathing only fury and destruction -all unsated by that treatment of the prisoners, which all along had been the fixed mode both with him and his father-now went through the Ghauts to attack Mangalore, then occupied by the 42nd, and some fragments of Mathews' army. It was considered a most important point, as its harbour was one of the best on the coast of Canara; so the middle of May saw it invested by Tippoo and his French allies. The troops in the outpost were attacked, and reached the main body in Mangalore with the utmost difficulty, and confident now of early triumph, Tippoo sent a flag of truce, imperiously demanding an instant surrender. Colin Campbell dismissed the messenger without an answer, and, much to his astonishment and rage, Tippoo found himself compelled to begin a regular siege, in the details of which he was greatly assisted by the Prior to this, Lutif Ali Bey had taken up a posi- ! experience of Colonel Cossigny. Three separate tion, with a considerable force, within twelve miles of the place; but he was suddenly attacked by Colin Campbell (now a lieutenant-colonel), who, on the 6th of May, routed him in an in credibly short time, with the loss of all his guns, while the now slender Black Watch had only seven privates killed, Captain Stewart, and sixteen privates wounded. By the 20th it was completely invested by Tippoo. Notwithstanding this, Colonel Campbell endeavoured to keep possession of an outpost about a mile from the town, because it commanded the principal avenue to it. At this crisis, Campbell's garrison consisted of only 243 Highlanders of all ranks, with 1,500 native troops fit for duty; and with these he had to attacks, embracing the faces of the fort accessible by land, instead of open breaches, produced only masses of barrierlike ruin, "while at tempts at assault were repeated and repelled so often as to become almost an affair of daily routine." Tippoo counted on easy conquest, but the siege detained him from more important operations, for months passed and yet Campbell defied him in Mangalore; and meanwhile preparations were made elsewhere for the reduction of Cuddalore, where Bussy commanded a garrison of French and African troops from the Isle of France. But old General Stewart, though minus a leg, found himself before the place, at the head of the 101st and 102nd Regiments, the 15th Hanoverians, 250 recruits from Scotland for the Highlanders, and the old 23rd Light Dragoons. Colonel Stewart, of the 78th, commanded that corps and the 73rd, which formed a Highland Brigade. SCALE 200 400 600 PLAN OF THE NORTHERN SUBURBS OF CUDDALORE. oppose, says General Stewart, an overwhelming force, "that consisted of 90,000 men, exclusive of a corps of European infantry under Colonel Cossigny, Monsieur Lally's corps of Europeans and natives, a troop of dismounted French cavalry from the Mauritius, the whole supported by ninety pieces of cannon." And now ensued a siege which lasted from the middle of May, 1784, till the 30th of January of the following year, to relate all the events of which would occupy too much space, but which, for the brilliance and bravery of the defence, is unequalled in the annals of war save by Heiden's defence of Colberg, in Pomerania. yas On the morning of the 13th of June, an attack was made from three points, but, by some mistake, not simultaneously; thus the marquis was enabled to direct his whole strength against each attack in succession. One of the assailing columns, on being repulsed, was pursued by the French for some distance, but Colonels Cathcart and Stewart, with a handful of the Macleod Highlanders, rushed to the front, and possessed themselves of those works, |