88 CONQUEST OF MYSORE. 



main army, which had already marched to meet him, but 

 by a wrong road ; and the two divisions, in short, found 

 much difficulty, and suffered many hardships, before they 

 could rejoin each other. 



The English, in the course of these untoward events, 

 had lost above 400 in killed and wounded ; their plans for 

 the campaign had been deranged ; the stores and magazines 

 formed on the proposed line of march lay open to Tippoo, 

 and were therefore to be removed with all speed. Yet 

 General Medows again resumed offensive operations, and 

 had nearly come in contact with the army of the sultan ; 

 but this chief, by a series of manoeuvres, eluded both him 

 and Colonel Maxwell, then stationed in Baramahl, and by 

 a rapid march descended into the Coromandel territory. 

 After menacing Triehinopoly, he turned northwards, and 

 swept the Carnatic with nearly as little opposition as was 

 experienced by his father during his first triumphant cam- 

 paign. At Thiagar, indeed, he was repulsed by his old 

 friend Captain Flint, whom he had learned to 'know at 

 Wandewasb ; but scarcely any other place made even a 

 show of resistance. He began by burning and destroying 

 every thing in his way; but soon considered that it would 

 be more profitable to levy contributions, and thereby to re- 

 plenish his somewhat exhausted treasury. On approach- 

 ing Pondicherrv, he endeavoured to open a negotiation with 

 the French, which was rendered fruitless by the pacific dis- 

 position of Louis the Sixteenth. 



General Medows in the field displayed courage and tal- 

 ent ; but he had not shown himself equal to the intricate 

 operations of an Indian campaign. Lord Cornwall]*, there- 

 fore, determined to resume his original design of directing 

 in person the course of the war ; and having arrived at Mod" 

 rason the 29th of January, took the command. He brought 

 considerable reinforcements ; and having ordered Medows 

 Jo join him, resolved without hesitation to carry hostilities 

 into the heart of Tippoo's dominions. In weighing the ad- 

 vantages of the two lines of operation, the north and the 

 south, by which he could penetrate into the interior of My- 

 sore, he preferred the former. Probably the failure of the 

 late campaign a good deal influenced his choice; he con- 

 sidered also the distance to which his military movements 

 would in the other case be withdrawn from their point of 



