r of the Tanjore territory, and the
guns and heavy baggage were to go by sea.

"But, unfortunately, we had a tremendous gale just after they sailed.
The admiral's flagship, the Namur, of seventy-four guns; the Pembroke,
of sixty; and the hospital ship, Apollo, were totally lost; and the
rest of the fleet scattered in all directions. Cope entered the
Tanjore territory, but found the whole population attached to the new
rajah. It was useless for him, therefore, to march upon Tanjore, which
is a really strong town, so he marched down to Devikota, where he
hoped to find some of the fleet. Not a ship, however, was to be seen,
and as without guns Cope could do nothing, he returned here, as we had
just taken possession again.

"Then he went to Fort Saint David, and there was a great discussion
among the bigwigs. It was clear, from what Cope said, that our man had
not a friend in his own country. Still, as he pointed out, Devikota
was a most important place for us. Neither Madras nor Fort Saint David
has a harbour; and Devikota, therefore, where the largest ships could
run up the river and anchor, would be of immense utility to us.

"As this was really the reason for which we had gone into the affair,
it was decided to repeat the attempt. By this time Major Lawrence, who
commands the whole of the Company's forces in India, and who had been
taken a prisoner in one of the French sorties at the siege of
Pondicherry, had been released. So he was put at the head of the
expedition; and the whole of the Company's English troops, eight
hundred in all, including the artillery; and fifteen hundred Sepoys,
started on board ship for Devikota. I must tell you that Lawrence is a
first-rate fellow, the only really good officer we have out here, and
the affair couldn't have been in the hands of a better man.

"The ships arrived safely at the mouth of the Kolrun, and the troops
were landed on the bank of the river opposite the town, where Lawrence
intended to erect his batteries; as, in the first place, the shore
behind the town was swampy, and in the second the Rajah of Tanjore,
who had got news of our coming, had his army encamped there to support
the place. Lawrence got his guns in position and fired away, across
the river, at the earthen wall of the town. In three days he had a
breach. The enemy didn't return our fire, but occupied themselves in
throwing up an entrenchment across the side of the fort.

"We made a raft and crossed the r