FRA 
g&lIantA'of his conduct. The regiment of Pondicherry 
were allowed to keep theircolours ; the European part of 
the garrifon were to be tranfported to France; and the 
teapoys, or black troops, were to be dilbanded in the 
country. The victors, at the fame time, fwept away 
the different factories of the French in Bengal, and on the 
coalt of Coromandel; the Englifh flag was erected on the 
walls of Chundernagore, Geman, Carical, and Mafulipa- 
tain ; fo that the fori of Mahie, in the dominions of Hyder 
Alii, and the iilands of Mauritius and Bourbon, were the 
only pofleflions in India that now remained to the French. 
While France was thus (tripped other fettlementsin the 
Ea(t, the attention of her people at home was in a great 
meafure occupied in reftoring the memory of a man to 
whofe mifconduft the lofs of thofe very fettlements in the 
courfe of la(t war had been imputed, and who had 
fallen a vidtim to the public indignation. Count Lally, 
who from the original ftation of an adventurer, had raifed 
himfelf by his valour and enterprifmg genius to the com¬ 
mand of the French forces in India, after the redudtion 
of Pondicherry by general Coote, had returned to France ; 
and was there purfued by the accufations of the governor 
and the fuperior council of Pondicherry. To his vio¬ 
lence, extortion, and oppreflion, they attributed that 
ruin in which they had been involved; and his impe¬ 
tuous temper unhappily furniihed but too much advan¬ 
tage to the enmity of hisaccufers. The parliament was 
authorifedby the late king to proceed againft him ; and 
their report was fatal to that brave but imprudent offi¬ 
cer. He was declared convicted of having betrayed the in- 
terefts of the king and the Eaft-India Company; and of 
having oppreffed, with infatiate rapacity, every defenp- 
tion of perfons that had fought refuge or protection within 
the walls of Pondicherry. He was (tripped of his crofs, 
the honorary reward of his former fervices; and after 
having received fourteen wounds in advancing the glory 
and interefts of France, was condemned to fall by the 
hands of the executioner. Fie heard his fentence with 
the indignation of injured innocence ; and poured forth 
the molt violent imprecations againft the malice of his 
accufers, and the fanguinafy partiality of his judges ; but 
in the laft hour of his life he re fumed, however, his 
wonted firmnefs, afeended the fcaftold with fortitude, and 
received the fatal ftroke without uttering a word. But the 
fentence that terminated his life could only for a time 
obfeure his honour ; and his natural fon, (ince known by 
the title of count Tollendal, role to vindicate the memory 
and juftify the fame of his father. Devoted to this pious 
care, he applied himfelf to the ftudy of the feveral cri¬ 
minal codes of Europe ; he even found accefs to the 
throne; and LouisXV. who had been inexorable to the 
father, fuffered himfelf to be moved by the virtues of the 
fon. He extended to him the royal favour, and honoured 
him with his particular efteem ; on the death of that 
monarch, count Tollendal defifted not from his unwearied 
afliduities ; his conftancy and importunities at length tri¬ 
umphed over the power of his opponents ; the voice of 
juftice was heard ; and the year 1778 crowned his labours 
with fuccefs, by the reftoration of the memory of count 
Lally, and the difgrace of his accufers. The lame year 
that beheld that officer’s innocence legally ellabliftied, was 
rendered remarkable by the death ot one of his ableft and 
mod celebrated champions. It was the lively expreffion 
of Voltaire, “That count Lally was a manon whom every 
one had a right to lay his hand, except the executioner.” 
But it was not permitted Voltaire to witnels that juftifi- 
cation for which he had combated ; and that wonderful 
genius, who has filled fo diftinguifhed a place in therepub- 
licof letters, expired only afew days before the fentence of 
the count was reverfed. 
In the mean time count d’Eftaing reaped the harveft 
which his perfeverance had lown. Admiral Byron 
deemed it expedient to quit his ftation, and convoy to 
a certain latitude the trade of the Britifh Weft India 
iftands; and the French commander was thus left to 
Vol. VII. No. 465. 
N C E; 74J 
turn his arms againft whatever place he (hould think fit. 
St. Vincents, one of the neutral iflands, and which had 
been ceded to England, at the conclufion of the laft war, 
was the firft object of enterprife. The count detached 
againft it the chevallier Rumain, with four hundred men ; 
and though the garrifon exceeded the number of the 
French, and the inhabitants had long been accuftomed to 
war in their domeftic contefts with the Caribbs, yet fo 
great was their panic, that they furre-ndered on the firft 
liimmons. Count d’Eftaing was now joined by de la 
Motte Piquet from Europe, who brought with him a large 
body of troops, and a Fitppiy of naval and military 
(lores and provifions. Strengthened by this reinforce¬ 
ment, he meditated new and more important conquefts. 
With twenty-five (hips of the line, ten frigates, and ten 
thoufand troops, he arrived off the ifiand of Grenada, at 
at that time governed by lord Macartney, but defended 
only by about one hundred and fifty regulars, and three 
hundred armed inhabitants, who occupied a fortified hill 
that commanded the fort, harbour, and capital town of 
St. George. This was defended with great bravery by 
lord Macartney, but overpowered by numbers the garri¬ 
fon fubmitted without any ftipulations whatfoever, and 
abandoned themfelves to the diferetion of the vidtor. 
The conqueft of Grenada was fcarcely completed when a 
fignal from a battery on the ifiand firft apprifed count 
d’Eftaing of the approach of an Englifti fleet ; he imme¬ 
diately ftood out to (ea, and though fuperior in numbers to 
admiral Byron, he deemed it more prudent to fecure his 
prefent acquifition than to hazard it in fearch of frefti lau¬ 
rels. The Englifh attacked with great fpirit, but d’Ef¬ 
taing, fatisfied with his new conqueft, retreated to Gre¬ 
nada. From thence he proceeded to St. Chriftopher’s, 
and defied the Englifh to battle ; but incapable of forcing 
them in their own harbour, lie directed his operations to a 
different quarter, and failed to America to fecond the de- 
figns of the United States. 
No fooner had the count arrived on the coaft of Ame¬ 
rica, than he was informed that general Lincoln, who 
commanded at Charles-town, was inftrudted to aft in con¬ 
cert with him. Some days were naturally loft in adjuft- 
ingthe operations of their united forces ; and it was not till a 
week from hisfirft appearance that heanchored off the bar of 
the Tybee, at themouth oftheriverSavannah. The French 
troops were landedat Beaulieu, about 13 miles from Savan¬ 
nah-town ; the frigates were polled foasto fecure thediffer- 
ent inlets of the river ; and the French, with the American 
light horfe,having driven in theoutpoftsof theenemy,d’Ef- 
taing fummoned general PrCvoft, the Britifh commander, 
to furrender ; but the anfvver of Prevoft announced his 
refolution to defend himfelf to the laft extremity. But 
no obftacles could extinguifh the ardour of d’Eftaing; 
before the dawn of day a heavy cannonade and bombard¬ 
ment ufhered in his attack ; the count himfelf in perfon 
led the flower of both armies, and was accompanied by the 
principal officers of each. But this enterprife was not 
attended with the fuccefs the gallantry of it merited ; the 
allies were encountered with an obftinate refiftance ; they 
were entangled in their approach by fvvampy ground 5 
and though they perfevered in the attack with extraordi¬ 
nary courage, and for fome hours rivalled each other in 
mutual afls of valour, they were at length obliged with 
conliderable lofs, to retire from the field, and yield to the 
advantageous pofition and intrepidity of the Englilh. 
This repulfe entirely broke thedefigns of count d’Eftaing; 
feverely wounded himfelf, lie lamented the fate of feveral 
of his mod gallant officers who had fallen on the field ; 
he abandoned the unpropitious coaft ; and after detach¬ 
ing one fquadron of his fleet to St. Domingo, a fecond 
under La Motte to Martinico, and a third under de Vau- 
dreuil to the Chefapeak, the count himfelf, with the (hips 
lead fit forfervice, haftened back to France. 
Whatever difappointments might have attended the 
arms of F’rance in America, her negotiations in Europe 
afforded her ample compenfation $ the court of Spain, 
9 E aroufed 
