the coast, landed a force of three thousand men to assist
Hyder, and informed him that a much larger division was on its way.
Fortunately, this did not arrive, many of the ships being captured by
the English on their way out. In the course of the year there were
several fights, but none of any consequence, and things remained in
the same state until the end of the year, when, on the 7th of
December, Hyder died, and Tippoo was proclaimed his successor.

"Bussy arrived with fresh reinforcements from France in April, and
took the command of Hyder's French contingent, and in June there was a
battle between him and a force commanded by General Stuart, the
successor to Sir Eyre Coote, who had been obliged to resign from ill
health, and who had died in the spring.

"The French position was a very strong one, and was protected by
numerous field works. The battle was the most sanguinary fought during
the war, considering the numbers engaged. The English carried a
portion of the works, and captured fourteen guns, and, as the French
retired during the night, were able to claim a victory. Their loss,
however, was over a thousand, while that of the French was not more
than a third of that number.

"During that year there was little fighting down here. A Bombay force,
however, under the command of General Matthews, captured Bednore; but
Tippoo hastened against him with a great force, besieged Bednore, and
forced it to surrender, after a desperate defence. Tippoo violated the
terms of capitulation, and made the defenders prisoners. Bangalore was
next besieged by him, but resisted for nearly nine months, and only
surrendered in January, 1784.

"Tippoo had, by this time, lost the services of his French
auxiliaries, as England and France had made peace at home.
Negotiations between Tippoo and the English went on till March, when a
treaty was signed. By its provisions, Tippoo should have handed back
all his prisoners. He murdered large numbers of them, but 1000 British
soldiers, and 1600 Sepoys obtained their liberty. No one knows how
many were retained of the number, calculated at 200,000, of natives
carried off from the countries overrun by Hyder's troops. Only 2000
were released.

"More British would doubtless have been freed, had it not been for the
scandalous cowardice of the three men sent up, as British
commissioners, to Tippoo. They were treated with the greatest insult
and contempt by him, and, in fear of their lives, were