Round Shot, 24 Pounders 6882 Round Shot, 8 Pounders 23' 23 1434 386. ვან 886 1100 4 Ditto Grape Shot, 24 Ditto 703 Grape Shot, 8 Ditto 12 Ditto Cartridges for Infantry 202 Sheet Lead in 11 Rolls, weighing lbs. 4 Ditto 4 Ditto 5,000 5,420 60 - 200 1,200 100 150 1,000 125 (Signed) DUMAS, Principal Store-Keeper. Certified as a true Return, September 29, 1793. DENEUX, Commanding the Artillery. Europa, Mole of Cape St Nicholas, Oct. 27, 1793. "In additon to my letter of the 26th ult. you will be pleafed to inform their Lordships, that the Flying-Fith fchooner, which I fent to Colonel Whitelocke, at Jeremie, with a requifition for a fmall force for the prefent, returned on the 28th ult. with the grenadier company of the 13th regiment; and his Majesty's fhips Penelope and Iphigenia arrived on the 11th and 12th inftant from Jamaica, with five companies of the 49th regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Danfey, whom Governor Williamfon has appointed commandant of this diftrict. On the arrival of thefe fhips, I was informed of the fuccefs of the frigates, which I had ordered to make a diverfion at Flamand's Bay, near St. Louis; and have enclosed an account of the captures they made, though their merchant ships, to a confiderable amount, had efcap ed to Aux Caves, upon their receiving intelligence of British troops being landed at Jeremie. "You will alfo acquaint their Lordships, that I feized, upon my arrival here, a large fchooner in the fervice of the Republic, commanded by Monf. Anquetin, formerly a lieutenant of the Jupiter; and, as he is a very fine veffel, mounting ten fix and four pounders, I have taken her into his Majesty's service.' "The fchooner was at that time called the National Convention; but formerly the Marie Antoinette, which last name I have thought proper to continue, and have given the command of her to Lieutenant Perkin, an officer of zeal, vigilance, and activity." From the London Gazette, February 8. Whitehall, Feb. 5. A letter of which the following is a copy, was this day received from the most noble the Marquis Cornwallis, K. G. by the Right Honourable Henry Dundas, his Majefty's principal Secretary of State for the Home Department. "SIR, DUPLICATE *. Fort St. George, Sept 16, 1793. "Advice of the war with France arrived at Fort St. George on the 2d, and at Fort William on the 11th of June, from Mr. Baldwin, his Majesty's Conful at Alexandria; and this gentleman was fo anxious to promote the public fervice, and so desirous to enable the Company's governments to derive every poffible advantage from his communication, that he declared himself refponfible in his public character for the truth of the information, and affured them that they might act upon it'with confidence; adding, that all the British and Dutch veffels in the ports of France had been feized. "Upon the receipt of this intelligence, all the finall factories belonging to the French on the Continent of India, as well as their fhips in our ports, were taken poffeffion of; and the government of Fort St. George proceeded immediately to make preparations for the attack of the important fortrefs of Pondicherry, which place was in full as good a flate of defence, as when it was attacked at the breaking out of the last war. "It was reported at Pondicherry, that confiderable reinforcements were expected from the ifle of France, under the convoy of the Sybille, of forty guns, and three fmall frigates; and we were in fome doubt whether Admiral Cornwallis, who blocked up the place by fea with the Minerva frigate and three Indiamen, * The original fent by the Scorpion with Capt. Braithwaite is not yet arrived. would would have been able to prevent the fuccours from being landed; but the Sybille, which was the only fhip of the enemy's that appeared during the fiege, went off immediately upon being chafed by Admiral Cornwallis, and has not fince been heard of on this coaft. "I was very defirous of giving my perfonal affiftance in carrying on the laft piece of fervice that was likely to occur during my ftay in India, and embarked on board a fmall French veffel, that had been feized and armed in Bengal, as foon as I could avail myfelf of the convoy of the Woodcote Indiaman, which had been taking in new malls at Calcutta, and without which I did not think could with prudence hazard the voyage, at leaft while I held the office of Governor General. The Triton Indiaman, which Admiral Cornwallis and Sir Charles Oakeley fent, at my request, on account of the difficulty and uncertainty in equipping the Woodcote, arrived a few days before we failed, and returned with us. "By the great and meritorious exertions of the government of Fort St. George, in transporting the ordnance, ftores, &c. for fo confiderable an undertaking, and thofe of Colonel Braithwaite, and of the troops under his command, in carrying on the attack, our batteries were opened against the place focner than I expected; and the mutinous and daftardly conduct of the garrison obliged the governor to furrender the forts feveral days before my arrival, and before the arrival of five companies of Bengal artillery, and twelve companies of lafcars, which I had embarked on board of the Woodcoote and three other veffels, which were likewife employed in bringing rice, on government's account, to this prefidency. "I fhall beg leave to refer you, for the particulars of the operations against Pondicherry, to the inclosed letter, and the accompanying papers which I have received from Colonel Braithwaite, and to his Aid-de-Camp, Captain Braithwaite, of the 72 regiment, who will have the honour of delivering to you my dif patches; and who likewife carries to England the colours that were taken from the enemy. "I have the honour to be, &c. "Right Hon. HENRY DUNDAS, &c. "CORNWALLIS." To the Moft Noble Marquis Cornwallis, K. G. Lieutenant-General of his Majefty's Forces, Commander in Chief in India, &c. "MY LORD, "As foon as Colonel Floyd, under whofe command the forces noft contiguous were affembled at Wallyabad, was in force fufficient, I ordered him to march forward and encamp X 2 withi within a few miles of Pondicherry; and as I knew all the ground well, from having ferved as fecond in command at the lait fiege, and from having commanded myfelf in Pondicherry fome months, I directed him, as his force in reafed, to occupy the Pagoda of Villenore, lying fouthwest of the Fort, and the village of Arian Coupang to the fouthward, which would prevent the garriton from drawing fupplies from those parts of the country from which they had been in the habit of drawing them chiefly, and to diftrefs them as much as he could in that way, but to give cowl, or protection, to the villages in the French districts that applied for it, and fhewed any difpofition to affift the army; I alfo informed Colonel Floyd of the ground I intended to take with the army, which, having become an entire foreft, I directed him to clear, and forwarded a fupply of tools to him for that purpose. "In the mean time the admiral in the Minerva frigate, reinforced by three Indiamen, blockaded the port moft effectually, and took a veffel from the islands, on board of which were some fhot and fhells, and gave chafe to the Sybille frigate, which, however, efcaped, and never appeared more; the intention of this frigate, as we learned from Tranquebar, was to land fome farther fupplies, and an officer of artillery with about 150 men, and the preventing this was a fervice of great importance. "By means of the poft at Arian Coupang, which is near the mouth of the river, and fome boats furnished by Mr. Kentworthy, the refident at Cuddalore, the means of a direct and fpeedy communication with the admiral was established. "While these things were doing our preparations in the Ordnance department went brifkly on, and government took most active measures to fecure fufficient fupplies, by making large purchafes of rice on the Company's account, and by calling on his Highnefs the Nabob and the Rajah of. Tanjore, both of whon, it is but justice to fay, fhewed much zeal to forward the fervice, by triking off all customary duties, and holding out every encouragement to their refpective countries to furnish fupplies to the army; and as ro tax or impofition of any kind was allowed of in camp, the army was abundantly fupplied. "Having feen every thing fo complets ly brought forward, I joined, and took the immediate command of the army on the 28th of July. The grand park of artillery from the Mount was but little behind me, great part of the ftores had arrived in camp, and large depots of them well advanced on the road, and arriving daily. "I immediately rode over the ground on which I intended to encamp, and had every reafon to be fatisfied with the progress that had been made in clearing it, as it was nearly fufficiently cleared to admit of our encampment. On the 30th the grand grand park of artillery, under the conduct of Lieutenant Colo nel Giels, halted a few miles in my rear; and on the 31st, I moved forward with the whole, and took up my ground on the Red Hills. "I then prepared a letter of fummons, to the Governor, CoJonel Profper de Chermont, which communicated to the admiral, propofing that he fhould alfo fummon the place. The admiral did me the honour to approve my fummons, and returned it to me, accompanied by one from himtelf, both of which I fent in with a flag. "I immediately reconnoitred the fouth face of the fort, which I found greatly improved and much extended fince I faw it before, and that by this extenfion of it, very little ground was left to attack it, on account of the contiguity of a branch of the river and fome falt works, and that the ground was very low, and liable to be flooded if any heavy rain fet in; and in this opinion the Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Colonel Maule, concurred; I however determined upon a poft at a house and garden on the bank of the river, about 1200 yards from the fort, which I refolved immediately to occupy, and in fome measure for if, and brought forward to it Major Petrie's corps confifting of the Hank companies of his Majefty's 71ft and 74th, regiments, which had been tationed at Arian Coupang, where I ftationed a fall party, now fully fufficient for all our purpofes. I caufed Gabions and Fafcines to be brought down to the new post, fo that thev could be fen from the fort, to deceive them into an idea that I meant to attack that fide; and it had the effect, for they brought more guns to that face, and kept up a continued fire, not but they fill fired in every direction where they faw any body, expending feveral fhot even at individuals. I eftablifhed piquets, detached guards and patroles of horfe, which kept up an uninterrupted communication between thefe pofts and the main piquet in front of the army, which was well advanced towards the Villenore gate of the fort, under the cover of a village and large garden houfe. On the next day I reconnoitred the north face of the fort, which was not fo ftrong as when I had feen it before, the works here being much lower, though other wife of the fainé conftruction as those we had deftroyed after the last siege, and I found the ground contiguous molt favourable for an attack, a very light foil, and fo high as convinced me it must be perfectly dry, even in a monfoon; and I caufed two of the engineer corps to embark on a country boat, and reconnoitre the fea face, and particularly the ftockade and defences behind the N. E. angle bastion; and every thing concurring to determine me, I approved, with very little alteration, a plan of attack of the north face, calculated to work round the N. E. angle into the foit fuggefted by the chief engineer. I established |