28 EASTERN 11 I N D O O S T A N. 



trefles. Mr. Or77ie, in his fecond volume, p. 503, gives a plan 

 of the great pagoda of Chilambaram, as it was defigned to be 



Fortified. fortified by the French in the moft regular manner, which was 



adiually begun, and this beautiful pile moft horridly deformed, 

 by projccling redoubts, much changed from the beautiful 

 reprefentation given by Mr. Sonner\it, in vol. i. tab. 61 ; all the 

 pagodas on this coaft are faid by Mr. Orme to have been built 

 on the fame plan. Whether the EngliJJj treat thefe facred places 

 with lefs refpedt than other Chriftian nations, I do not know; 

 but when they occupied that of Acheveram^ five miles fouth- 

 weft of the neighboring Dcvicotta, the poffeffion had nearly 



Pagoda of proved fatal to the whole detachment. This pagoda had been, 



in the war of 1749, furrendered to a detachment of our troops 

 by the Brahmins on the firft fummons. The Tanjorine army, 

 which happened to be in the neighborhood, infpired with 

 horror at the pollution, made a defperate attack on the place 

 with five thoufand men : neither their obedience to their 

 prince, or their notions of military honor, would have in- 

 fpired them with like courage. After attempting to burn the 

 gates, and to fcale the wall with ladders during the whole night, 

 they were repulfed with the lofs of three hundred men by the 

 little garrifon of one hundred E?tg/iJJj. Our people knew they 

 fought for their lives; had the pagoda been taken, every man 

 would have been put to the fword, for the profanation of the 

 facred place *. 



FortSt.David. Fort St. David ftands a little farther north. The fite, and 



* Ormej i. J17. 



a fmall 



