of the East India Company." The first sepoys seen in India were a body of 200 natives, mingled with a few Portuguese soldiers, in 1594, under the Moguls. The French had raised a body of them before we began the practice, and it would appear that our first sepoys were trained in 1746, during La Bourdonnais' siege of Madras. Some British officers were then attached to certain irregular native infantry, whom they began to drill and discipline. The system was first introduced into the Madras army by Lieutenant Haliburton, a Scotsman, who, like Clive, had quitted the civil for the military service, but was shot, in 1748, by a "The aborigines of the Carnatic," says General Briggs, "were the sepoys of Clive and Coote. A few companies of the same stock joined the former great captain from Bombay, and fought the battle of Plassey in Bengal, which laid the foundation of our Indian empire. They have since distinguished themselves in the corps of pioneers and engineers, not only in India but in Ava, Afghanistan, and the celebrated siege of Jelalabad. An unjust prejudice against them has grown up in the armies of Madras and Bombay, produced by the feeling of contempt for them existing among the Hindoo and Mohammedan sepoys. They have no prejudices themselves, are always ready to serve abroad, and embark on board ship, and I believe no instance of mutiny has occurred among them. It is to be regretted that separate regiments of this race are not more generally enlisted." Among the earliest and most brilliant service of the Madras sepoys was the defence of Arcot. At first they appear to have been either Mohammedans or high-class Brahmins, and soon became remarkable for the reverence of their military oath, their attachment to their officers, and their entire devotion to the British flag-by their good conduct in cantonments, and their bravery in battle; but all this was long before the dark days of the Mutiny. We have said that, before the death of Haliburton, sepoys were first disciplined at Fort St. George, in 1748. At that period they were chiefly under the command of native officers; and one of their soubahdars, or captains-Mohammed Esofseems to have been a heroic soldier, whose name frequently appears in the pages of Orme. The first regular regiment of Bengal native infantry (styled Gillis-ka-Pultan), in scarlet with white facings, was not raised till 1757. And so it was that, British pluck apart, by turning the Indians against themselves, we have been able, as a writer has it, to conquer "a most singular people, who were well fed and well clad, who had a written language and composed metaphysical treatises when the forefathers of the race that now bears sway over 2,000,000 of them were still wandering in the woods of Britain and Germany, all of them savages, and some perhaps cannibals!" During the progress of the war in the Carnatic, the talent possessed by M. Dupleix for intrigue and diplomacy won him many successes, for he had emissaries everywhere, and the native princes, omrahs, and zemindars were as subtle as they were false. In his intrigues he had an able assistant in Madame Dupleix, who had been born in India, and knew alike the languages and the character of the Indians moreover, she was inspired by greater ambition than the governor himself. To such intriguing it was, that the Mysorean ruler broke with us and joined him, and that his pernicious example was followed by Morari Rao, the Mahratta, and the Moslem governor of Vellore. On being joined by these faithless allies of ours, the French once more blocked up Trichinopoly, into which, on the 6th of May, 1753, Major Lawrence threw himself, with the resolution of resisting, even as the absent Clive would have done. As soon as the major became certain of the defection of the Mahrattas-a people trained to war from their earliest years, and taught to regard learning as better adapted to Brahmins than warriors-he ordered an attack upon that portion of their troops that was yet within his reach. Under cover of night, the attack was led by Captain Dalton, who hurled out of the city, at the same time, a number of Mysoreans who were still pretending to be allies, but were mistrusted. Shortly after, the Mahrattas made a furious attack upon one of our advanced posts, and cut to pieces seventy British and 300 sepoys. Neither they nor the Mysoreans had any idea of attempting to reduce the fort by storm, though they hoped to do so by famine. To this end, they blocked up every avenue, and kept patrols of horse scouring the country to intercept supplies of every kind, and cut off the noses and ears of all whom they found infringing their orders. In Trichinopoly the maga zines had been entrusted to the care of a brother of Mohammed Ali; but when Captain Dalton inspected the stores, he found that this man had sold the contents, and there remained only fifteen days' provisions for those in the place. On the 7th May-the very day after Major Lawrence threw himself into Trichinopoly, a detachment of 200 French, and 500 sepoys, with four field-pieces, sent by Dupleix, arrived at Seringham, and joined the whole Mysoreans, while the entire force that Lawrence could muster amounted to only 500 British, 2,000 sepoys, and 3,000 of the nabob's horse. With the infantry only-as the horsemen, like the Swiss of old, refused to march because their pay was in arrear-he crossed over to the island, and was immediately assailed by the troops of Mysore in heavy strength. He drove back their infantry, but their cavalry, headed by the fiery Mahrattas, fought valiantly, yet were driven in. The brunt of the conflict then fell on the French infantry and artillery, who held their ground, and kept up a cannonade till evening, when Major Lawrence deemed it prudent once more to cross the Cauvery. The resistance of that day had convinced him that M. Astruc would prove a more formidable opponent than the former holder of Seringham, the Scoto-Frenchman, James Francis Law (of Lauriston, near Edinburgh), nephew of the Comptroller of France, who was created Count de Tancarville for his many great services in India. So Lawrence found that, instead of attempting to dislodge Astruc from the pagoda and isle, it would be wiser to endeavour to replenish the magazines in the city with provisions, a difficult task, that kept him otherwise inactive for five weeks. Meanwhile Dupleix, fully aware of the importance of the post, poured reinforcements into Seringham, until the whole force there amounted to 450 French, 1,500 1753] MAJOR LAWRENCE'S DESPATCH. 39 sepoys, 3,500 Mahrattas, 8,000 Mysorean horse, joined me with a detachment of above 200 and 16,000 Mysorean infantry; and, to oppose all Europeans. This addition made me resolve to these, Lawrence could oppose but 500 British, attack the enemy, as the monsoon approached, and 2,000 sepoys, of whom 700 were constantly and their situation was such, that they cut off our employed in escorting provisions. provisions, which must have ended in the loss of When provisions for fifty days had been pro- Trichinopoly. Accordingly, on the 19th (September) cured, the major determined to march into the I made a motion in the night, towards the left of Tanjore country, with the double purpose of the enemy's camp; for they had possession of two meeting a reinforcement he expected from the pre- large rocks, about a mile distant from each other, sidency, and of inducing the king to furnish him and I found it necessary to gain one of them. with a cavalry force of which he stood much in need, for escort, patrol, and other duties, but the troops of Tanjore were clamorous for pay, and declared the nabob should not quit the city till they were satisfied. This the king failed to achieve, "and the singular spectacle was seen of 200 Europeans, with fixed bayonets, escorting the nabob, in whose cause the Company had already expended much blood and treasure, because his own troops, so far from escorting him, were bent on committing outrage on his person." A few days after his departure, they threatened to join the enemy, so, glad to be rid of them on any terms, Captain Dalton let them march off at noonday without firing a shot at them. The whole country around Trichinopoly was now in possession of the foe; the city alone remained to be contested for, and arrangements were made accordingly. As starvation threatened the inhabitants, they quitted their homes, and in less than a month 400,000 of them disappeared, and there remained behind only a garrison, which, including soldiers, and every description of artificer, did not exceed 2,000 men. The burden of defence lay upon 200 Europeans, and 600 sepoys, stationed at long intervals upon the walls. The former held the gates, and were day and night under arms, but their spirit, if it ever flagged, rose when the approach of Major Lawrence became certain. "The whole day of the 20th was spent in cannonading; and, the better to conceal our design, I had ordered out an eighteen-pounder from the fort, that they might think we had no other means than that of disturbing them in their camp with our shot. This lulled them into security; but at four o'clock in the morning of the 21st, our Europeans being disposed in three lines, with the seapoys (sic) on our flanks, and the horse in our rear, we attacked the rock on the left, called the Golden Rock, and gained it without any loss, the enemy retiring after a faint resistance, and leaving behind them two pieces of cannon. "This earnest of success encouraged our men greatly, and determined me to push on to the main body; so, that no time might be lost, we advanced towards the Sugar-loaf Rock just as day began to break. The enemy were drawn up close to the rock, and had fortified themselves with breastworks, so it was necessary to gain their Black Camp, that we might fall upon them in the rear. This was effected with little trouble, and our soldiers marched through a constant fire from nine pieces of cannon, attacked a line of men which greatly outnumbered themselves, and in ten or twelve minutes drove the enemy out of their lines. They, however, rallied and made some faint resistance, afterwards supported by the Morattas, who rode up very desperately; but as these could not sustain a galling fire which fell upon them from all quarters, they at length ran away, and left us complete masters of the field of battle, their whole camp, baggage, ammunition, and ten pieces of cannon. On being reinforced from Fort St. David, and accompanied by 3,000 Tanjore horse and 2,000 matchlockmen, under the command of Monajee, on the 7th of August, he arrived at a place called Dallaway's Choultry (ie., Caravanserai) on the south bank of the Cauvery, five miles eastward of "The remains of their army retreated; some Trichinopoly. The swampy plain that intervened towards Altoora and Seringham, some towards was so flooded by recent rains, that it was necessary Tandamou's country, and some towards Tanjour. to strike southwards. The convoy consisted of The Polligars and seapoys bring in prisoners every 4,000 bullocks, supposed to be laden with pro- minute. The action lasted two hours. We took visions, though most of them were in reality appro- eight officers, 100 soldiers, besides the killed, about priated by the nabob and his officers, "selfishly sixty more. The Morattas saved the rest, and for the transport of baggage and trumpery." prevented a pursuit, as they were vastly superior to Monage, our Tanjour friend." "Since my letter of the 14th instant," reported the major to the directors, in a despatch dated at the camp near Trichinopoly, "Captain Ridge We had many men killed and wounded. Among the latter were six officers, including Lawrence, |