HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
operations against the lines. After 
a siege of a few weeks, a breach was 
effected, and Tippoo instantly led 
on his troops to the storm. Having 
entered the fortification, he met 
with little resistance:—the troops 
of the Rajah fled in every direction, 
and were slaughtered by thousands. 
The whole extent of the lines was 
evacuated; and Tippoo became 
master of the key of the king- 
dom of Travancore. He then 
proceeded to the attack of Cran- 
ganore; which he took after a 
vigorous siege. Jacottah, Pa- 
roor, and Curiapilly successively 
surrendered to his arms; and not a 
fort in the northern part of his do- 
minions remained in the possession 
of the unfortunate Rajah. He was 
obliged to remain an inactive spec- 
tator of the devastations of Tippoo, 
who now laid waste the whole coun- 
try with fire and sword. - But the 
triumphs of Tippoo were but of 
short duration. The war which he 
thus successfully began, was to ter- 
minate in his defeat and disgrace, in 
the loss of his dominions, and near- 
ly in the extinction of his power. 
War against Mysore was now 
publicly declared by the supreme 
government of Bengal. Whether 
we were justified in this step, and 
who was the aggressor, it is not easy 
to determine. On one side, it may 
be said, that by the treaty of Man- 
galore we guaranteed the possessions 
of the Rajah of Travancore, and 
that we were bound in justice and 
honour to defend him when attack- 
ed. It may be said that the ambi- 
tious views of Tippoo were so 
boundless and so avowed, that we 
were justified on the strong plea of 
political necessity, in taking mea- 
sures for their frustration. It may 
be said that Tippoo had no right to 
the ports of Cranganore and Jacot- 
bed 
[199 
tah; that if he had been allowed to 
seize these, he would soon have 
invaded the Carnatic; and that he 
was evidently the aggressor, in 
breaking through the existing trea- 
tices. On the other hand, it was 
contended that as the forts lay with- 
in the Rajahship of Cochin, which 
is tributary to Tippoo, by the im- 
memorial custom of Hindostan he 
was their feudal superior, and had 
a right to object to their sale. That, 
at any rate, the English had no 
right to interfere, as they only en- 
gaged to protect the dominions 
which the Rajah held in 1784; and 
that, as in their treaties with the 
Mahrattas and the Nizam, there 
was no mention of Travancore,— 
their only object in entering into 
the war, was, to enrich themselves 
by the spoils of the vanquished. 
The justice and necessity of the 
war might be problematical; but 
no doubt was entertained with re- 
gard to its policy: and accordingly 
the English prepared in all their 
settlements to prosecute it with the 
utmost vigour. Bengal, from its 
great distance from the scene of 
action, could dolittle more than fur- 
nish supplies of money and military 
stores. An army of 15,000 men 
was formed in the Carnatic, and 
near half that number in the presi- 
dency of Bombay. The command 
of the first was entrusted to Major 
General Meadows; that of the last, 
to Major General Abercrombie ; 
both officers of distinguished merit. 
A plan was laid down for the cam- 
paign. It was resolved that the 
Bombay army should act against 
Tippoo’s possessions, west of the 
Ghauts; that the safety of the Car- 
natic should be entrusted to a small 
body of troops under Colonel Kelly; 
and that the grand army should 
march towards Coimbatore, gain 
[O] 4 possession 
