view had taken place, and ordered a proper place to be reconnoitred for posting the baggage, in cafe I fhould either have found it advifeable to go and meet the enemy, or to receive them on the ground I had occupied. In the middle of the night of the 1ft, or rather early in the morning of the 2d, intelligence was brought me, that Hyder had come to Chittiput, difant from us about eleven miles. The army was then under orders of march to proceed nearer Arnee, which, I was encouraged to hope, might prove an eafy acquifition, and which, by the large flock of provifions it contained, added to the extreme fitness of its fituation, opened to us no lefs a profpect than the total, expulfion of the enemy from the Carnatic. In my then pofition, with Hyder's army on the one fide, and an object of fuch magnitude on the other, it became a point of deliberation, which was the moft eligible line of conduct to be adopt ed; to perfevere in my original intention of threatening Arnee (which Hyder had moft undoubtedly come to cover) and thereby bring on an action, or to advance and engage the enemy. I preferred the former, as it promifed the most certain iffue, upon the mind of Hyder, whofe fole view evidently was to fave his grand magazine. It was equal to him whether he accomplished that, by. diverting our attention from it, or by giving us battle. But it is reafonable to imagine, that if he fucceeded on the former grounds, he would hardly, after having futfered four defeats, put any thing to risk on the latter. We accord ingly therefore commenced our

march towards Arnee, contiguous to which the advance of our army had arrived, and we had begun to mark out the ground for our encampment, when a diftant cannonade opened on our rear, and which was the firft annunciation I had of Hyder's having approached fo near us, in force. His coming upon us, thus fuddenly, proceeds from his being able to cover the march of his line of infantry by his large bodies of horse, and which having generally been the companion of our movements, during the whole war, were never to be confidered as any pofitive proof of his army being at hand.

Every difpatch was used in making the neceffary difpofitions for repelling the attack, and coming to action. Our line was then in a low fituation, with high and commanding ground all round, which as the enemy had got poffeffion of, our different mancuvres were performed under every difadvantage, and expofed to a heavy though diftant cannonade. It was not till near mid-day that we had reduced the enemy's various attacks to one fettled point, fo as to advance upon them with effect, and with a profpect of advantage; but fo feon as that was accomplished, we pushed on and they gave way; we purfued them till the evening was far advanced, taking from them in their retreat one gun, five tumbrils, and two carts loaded with ammunition.

I remained at this advanced station to the latt moment the state of my provifions would admit of; and when obliged to fall back for my fuppli's, I endeavoured to do it with all the credit potible, by again feeking for Hyder, who by [2] 4

my

my intelligence, had encamped with his army contiguous to a road by which we might march. He re reated before me with precipitation, although in poffeffion of ground which he could have difputed our approach towards with great advantage. We purfued our march the preceding day, by the fame road on which he had retreated, but found that he had turned off and croffed the country towards Arner. On the 8th of June, when encamped in the neighbourhood of Trivatore, and where we had halted a day to refresh both the troops and cattle, of which they food greatly in need, having fuffered feverely both by fick nefs and fatigue, our grand guard was most unfortunately drawn into an ambufcade compofed of about fix thousand of Hyder's chofen horfe, and to ally cut off, before any fupport could be afforded.

It is with pleafure I acquaint you, that the establishment of peace with the Mahrattas is in the fairest way towards being happily accomplished, as, on the 17th of May laft, articles of a treaty of peace, and perpetual, friendship and alliance, between the English and the Mahrattas, were- agreed to and executed by Manheo Scindia, on the part of the latter, and by Mr. David Anderfon, (de puted by the gov rnor-general and Council) on the part of the former, fubject however to the approval and ratification of their refpective governments, before they fhould become final. In as far as depends upon us, I believe every part has been confirmed; but as yet I have not heard of the conditions having received the feal

and fignature of the Pefhwa, and the atteftations of the dependent members of the Poona ftate.

The only important movement of the army, which happened between the action of the 24 of June until this prefent time, was the re. lief of the garrifon of Villore, which was performed between the 7th and 21 of Auguft: the army having marched in that period, near two hundred miles, and threw into the place provifions fufficient to maintain the garrifon to the firft of March next.

I am concerned to acquaint your lordships with the fall of Trincomale, which by our intelligence was furrender d to the French force under Monfieur Suffren on the 31 ult, by capitulation.My orders were to defend it to the laft. Our fquadron had an action with the French fquadron off the place on the 3d inftant, in which the laft fuff red moft; but our fleet found it neceffary to come to thefe roads, where it arrived the 9th inftant, and is now refitting, and intends proceeding to Bombay the middle of next month. The Minerva ftore fhip, and the Major and Nottingham Indiamen belonging to Sir Richard Bicker. ton's fleet, are arrived; the two latter having on board Lieutenant Colonel Adams, with two companies of his majesty's 101 re. giment, and Colonel Rembold, with two companies of his majesty's electoral troops. They have all of them arrived extremely healthy, and have fuffered very little indeed by

My prefent weak state will not allow of my entering into a par ticular detail of the late march of the army towards Cuddalore, and

nal to bear down on the enemy; each fhip in our line against the hip oppofed to her in the enemy's line. At forty minutes past ten the enemy's line began to fire on ours. At forty-five minutes past ten I made the figual for battle, and at the fame time the fignal for a clofe engagement.

From ten minutes after eleven, till thirty five pat noon, the engagement was general from van to rear in both Ines, and moitly very clofe; the enemy's fhips appeared to have fuffered feverely both in hulls and mafts; the van fhip had bore away out of the line, and the Brilliant, the French admiral's, fecond a-head, had loft his main-malt. At this time the fea breeze fet in at S. S. E. very fresh, and feveral of the fhips in our van and center were taken aback and paid round with their heads to the weftward; while others of our fhips, thofe in the rear in particular, which had fuffered much less in their rigging, paid off and continued on their former tack. Some of the enemy's fhips were alfo paid round by the fea breeze with their heads to the weftward; the admiral's fecond a-head in particular, which I fuppofed to be the Aj x, but proved afterwards to be the Se vere, fell along file the Sultan, and ftruck to her; but, whilst the Sultan was wearing to join me, made what fail he could, fired on and raked the Sultan, wil out fhewing any colours, and then got in amont his own fhips. At fity paft noon, finding the Worcefter, Eagle, and Burford ftill continuing on their former tack, and nearing the body of the ene, my's fquadron very faft, I made

and hauled

the final to wear, down the fignal for the line, purpofing to make the fignal for a general chafe; but the captain of the Monarca having hailed, and informed me that all his ftanding rigging was hot away, and the fhip otherwife to much difabled as to be ungovernable; and the Hero, on the contrary tack, hauling in with the land with the fignal of diftrefs out; and the enemy's fhips having wore and come to on the larboard tack, those leaft difabled forming to the windward to cover their difabled fhips, and endeavouring to cut off the Ea. gle, I made the fignal at twenty minutes paft one, to wear, and ftood to the weftward, the engage. ment ftill continuing partially, wherever our fhips were near the enemy's, and the Eagle hard preffed by two of the enemy's fhips. At half past one I made the fig. nal for the line of battle a-head on the larboard tack, and made the Exeter's fignal to come within hail, and directed her to take her ftation a-ftern of the Sultan. At two P. M. the enemy's fquadron were ftanding in fhore, and collecting their fhips, which I was alfo endeavouring to do, as our fquadron was very much dif perfed, and continued on dif ferent tacks, the fhips being greatly difabled, and in general ungovernable.

At half paft four I hauled down the fignal for the line of battle a-head, and made the fig nal to prepare to anchor; and at half paft five I anchored with the Superb in fix fathom water, between Negapatnam and Nagore; the other hips of the fquadron anchoring as they came in with

the

the land, and the Worcester next day

The enemy having collected their hips into a clofe body, anchor d at fx P. M abour three hagues to heward of our hips; during the remain. er of the day, and all night, our hips were closely employed in fecuring their lower matts, almost all their ftanding rigging bing fht away; fplicing the old and reeving new rig ging, and getting ferviceable fails to Le yards.

On the 7th in the morning the damages fultained by the feveral fhips of the fquadron appeared to me fo great, that I gave up all thoughts of purfuing the enemy; and at n ne A. M. the French fquadron got under fail, and returned to Cuddalore Road, their difabled fhips a head; and those lefs fo, covering their retreat in the rear.

At ten A. M. I fent Capt. James Watt, of his majefty's hip the Sultan, in the Roney brig difarmed, with a flag of truce, and a lerer to Monfieur Suffren, containing a demand of the furrender of the French king's fhip the Ajax Capt. Watt came up with the French fquadron the fame evening, and my letter was for warded to M. Suffren, who returned an evafive anfwer, faying it was the French fhip Severe who had the halliards of his enfign fhot away, as frequently happens in action, by which means it came down, but was never intended to be ftruck.

I am extremely happy to inform their lordships, that in this en agement his majefty's fqua dron under my cominand gained a decided fuperiority over that of

the enemy and had not the wind fhifted, and thrown his majesty's fquadron cut of action, at the very time when fome of the ene my's hips had broken their line. and were running away, and 0thers of them greatly difabled, I have good reason to believe it. would have ended in the capture of feveral of the line of battle fhips. I am happy allo to inform their lordships, that the officers and the men of the fquadron behaved to my fatisfaction, and have great merit for their bravery and steady conduct; the captains Ged of the Monarca, Rainier of the Burford, and Watt of the Sultan, eminently diftinguished themselves by a frict attention to my fignals, and the utmost exe tion of courage and conduct against the enemy.

I am alfo obliged to Col. Fullarton of the 98th regiment, who has been my companion in the Superb, fince I left Madras Road in March last, preferring to ferve with his corps on board to living inactive on fhore. The officers and men of this regiment have behaved with great regularity on board the fhips of the fquadron, and done their duty well on all occafions. Major Grattan, an of ficer late of General Meadow's ftaff, and a captain in the 100th regiment, has alfo ferved with great credit on board the Superb on this occafion, in the abfence of his corps now on the Malabar coaft.

The death of Captain Macllan of the Superb, who was hot through the heart with a grape hot early in the engagement, is univerfally regretted by all that knew him. I had

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rienced