historical chronicle, xi : 



instead of doing any thing effec- 

 tual, they began firing all the 

 guns of the fort, in every di- 

 rection, to drown their fears. 

 There were near fifteen hun- 

 dred killed that night, and a- 

 bout fifty every night of the 

 siege. 



Lord Cornwallis was ex- 

 ceedingly anxious all the time j 

 he knew, if we failed, that we 

 must have decamped, and left 

 every thing on the ground, as 

 most of the cattle were dead, 

 and the remainder so debilita- 

 ted as to be nearly useiefs. 



I have given you this hasty 

 detail as the newspaper in In- 

 dia seldom contains any but the 

 most riatteriiig accounts. The 

 particulars since Bangalore you 

 will find correct enough in the 

 courier. Our situation at Se- 

 ringapatam was also critical j 

 and, if the IMahrattais had not 

 very unexpectedly joined us 

 with great supplies, the army 

 would have been very much di- 

 strefscd, we could always how- 

 ever have got back to Ean- 

 galore. Tippoo now is at the 

 lowest ebb j-- do revenues, and 

 little territory not over-run by 

 the Mahrattas, and his troops 

 now obligi.J to desert him from 

 waiit. lie is said to be an im- 

 petuous, self - conceited man, 

 very mistrustful of all around 

 him, and seldom inclined to 



that there was a deep ditch in 

 front, that would have probably 

 batiled our attempts to get in. 

 On learning that there was no 

 ditch at the gate-ways, the guns 

 were turned against them, and 

 very great destruction done in a 

 fliort time. It became however 

 npc^fsary to take it or abandon 

 it immediately ; there was not 

 above one day's ammunition re- 

 maining, and Tippoo had cut 

 emb^azures through the bank 

 of a tank, that v % ild have 

 flanked our batteries, and obli- 

 ged us to storm them next 

 morning, though protected by 

 the guns of the foit, which kept 

 up a t-emenduous, though ill di- 

 rected fire. The enemy had 

 expected a storm for two nights 

 before, and had been on the 

 watch ; but being fatigued, 

 they were surprised on the 

 third. There were only tWo 

 pofsible ways to get in, both 

 of wl'.ich might have been ea- 

 sily defended, the tops of the 

 t^o retaining walls of the 

 square inclosure that communi- 

 cated with the rampzrts, upon 

 which we got up by the slope 

 occasioned by the destruction 

 of the walls. 



The storming party, when 

 they ascended tlie gate-way, 

 contrary to what was intended, 

 gave a huzza, which convinced 

 the garrison that they were 



near at hand, though they were I take advice j cruel to a degree 

 by no means in pofseHiion of ,' against his enemies, or those 

 the place, 'i'he garrison was vrho oppose his will, bat a mild 

 immciiatcly panic struck, and, ' mahter to the bulk, i, c. the 



