200 | 
possession of that country, and from 
thence penetrate into the kingdom 
of Mysore. The Mahratta states, 
and the Nizam of the Deccan, pro- 
mised a cordial co-operation ; and 
engaged with all their forces to 
make a powerful diversion on the 
north. 
Tippoo, daunted by these vigorous 
measures, and alarmed at the storm 
which was gathering in every di- 
rection, made offers of submission ; 
but all his offers were treated with 
disdain. ** The English, equally 
incapable of offering an insult, as of 
submitting to one,” said General 
Meadows to him, in reply, “ have 
always looked upon war as declared 
from the moment that vou attacked 
their ally, the King of Travancore. 
God does not always give the battle 
to the strong, nor the race to the 
swift; but generally success to those 
whose cause is just:—on that we 
depend.”’ The Sultan, about the 
end of May, had left Travancore 
with precipitation, and returned 
to Seringapatam, to take measures ' 
for defeating the designs of this 
powerful confederacy. He collect- 
ed an immense force under his 
own immediate command; he sta- 
tioned his Generals, with consider- 
able armies, on the most exposed 
situations; and dispatched large 
bodies of Looties, or irregular ca- 
valry, all over his frontiers, 
The grand Carnatic army assem- 
bled, and was embodied about the 
beginning of June, in the plains of 
Trichinopoly; and General Mea- 
dows commenced his operations on 
the 15th of the month. He di- 
rected his march towards the Gu- 
jelhatty pass, intending first to at- 
tack all the forts, and to secure the 
country to the south-east of the 
Ghauts, that he might prevent Tip- 
poo from drawing supplies from 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1792. 
this fertile quarter; that he might 
establish a safe communication be- 
twixt the pass and the Coromandel 
coast ; and thus render the invasion 
of Mysore easy and secure. Sahid 
Saheb, one of the Sultan’s ablest 
generals, was stationed in this coun- 
try, in the neighbourhood of Da- 
miocottah; but, his force being 
inconsiderable, he was obliged to 
retire at the approach of the Bri- 
tish army. For several weeks Ge- 
neral Meadows heard of no other 
hostile army, and met with no op- 
position in his progress, except 
from bodies of Looties, who at times 
harassed his march. During this 
time he made himself master of 
Caroor, Daraporam, Coimbatore, 
and several forts of less note, with 
little difficulty or loss, having either 
found them evacuated, or having 
met with a feeble resistance. 
At Coimbatore he determined to 
take up his quarters for some time, 
there to form adepot, and to send 
out detachments from his army to 
reduce the neighbouring forts, Of 
these, by far the strongest and most 
important is Dindigul, which is 
situated to the south-east of Coim- 
batore, about half way betwixt the 
Malabar and Coromandel coasts. 
It was then strongly fortified, de- 
fended by a numerous garrison, 
and commanded by one of the 
ablest and most faithful officers in 
the Mysorean service, A large de- 
tachment was sent against Dindigul, 
headed by Colonel Stuart; but 
as the English were unacquainted 
with its situation and its strength, 
Captain Aram, who was then re- 
turning from Madura to the camp, 
was ordered first to make an at- 
tempt upon it, and to try what 
could be done by surprise, strata-. 
gem, or negociation. Upon re+ 
connoitring the fort, however, he 
found 
