153 



of Mangulore are not now accepted, less merciful will be the por- 

 tion of those, who, from famine and disease, must in a short time 

 inevitably fall into the hands of the sultaun. 



" Every means in my power shall be exerted to defend the 

 place, while a grain of rice remains for subsistence; but I trust 

 the British arms will not be so shamefully tarnished as to admit 

 this fortress, unsupported, to fall into the enemy's hands. Of my 

 few officers, death has deprived me of one, desertion of another; 

 my garrison is reduced to sixty effective men: to preserve them I 

 have been reduced to the necessity of withdrawing the guards 

 from the outworks, the enemy having nearly succeeded in seducing 

 the whole; for although every man taken in the act of desertion, 

 has been put to death, still so great is the dread of the horrid dis- 

 order, which sweeps away all before it, and so little the hope of 

 relief, that the executions have not had the intended effect. The 

 quantity of provisions remaining in the fort is very small; and 

 with regret I add, that great part of the rice, the only food of the 

 sepoys, is much damaged. 



" The enemy have received a strong reinforcement, and the 

 buxey informs me they are to be increased by ten additional bat- 

 talions: on their arrival we are told more hostile measures will be 

 adopted, to bring us to a proper sense of our condition ; for which 

 purpose the sultaun has sent another officer to command the 

 Onore army. Much of this information was intended to intimi- 

 date the garrison; and I am sorry to add it has had the desired 

 effect on most of the sepoys. 



" I hear hostilities are commenced in the Sadurhagur quarter; 

 and from various causes I have great reason to be apprehensive 



VOL. iv. x 



