FRA 
d’Artois, and the duke of Bourbon, difdaining the eafc 
and luxury of Verfailles, animated the camp of St. Roch 
by their prefence. But they had fcarcely arrived before 
they endured the mortification of beholding the principal 
works of the befiegers deftroyed. A heavy fire of hot 
balls and fliells from the batteries of the garrifon foon 
communicated the deftrudtive flames to the batteries and 
magazines of the Spaniards, and the exertion of many 
months of toil was confumed in a few hours. Yet the 
court of Madrid ftiil perfevered ; and, to preclude the 
garrifon of Gibraltar from the hope of relief, the com¬ 
bined fleets of France and Spain, confiding of forty-four 
(hips of the line, were direfled to block up the harbour. 
This was but the prelude to a new and different mode of 
attack, which had long been meditated, and on which the 
mod fanguine expectations were grounded. Ten (hips of 
different fizes, from fix hundred to fourteen hundred tons 
burthen, were converted into floating batteries. They 
were fecured by every art that ingenuity could devife, 
and provided with every offenfive or defenfive material 
that experience fuggefted, or the wealth of Spain could 
furnifh. Two hundred and twelve brafs guns, each of 
them carrying balls of twenty-fix pounds, menaced from 
their maffy decks immediate deftruCtion ; they were fup- 
ported by a fufficient number of frigates ; and three hun¬ 
dred large boats were alio collected for the conveyance 
of the troops that were ready to avail themfelves of the 
confufion of the garrifon, and the breaches that it was ex¬ 
pected the floating batteries muff foon occafion. But 
Gibraltar was entrufted to the care of general Elliot, 
whofe vigilance, courage, and unfliaken refolution were 
never excelled ; and who with the caution and experience 
of age, preferved the activity and enterprife of youth. 
The fire from the floating batteries was indeed terrible ; 
but they were foon anfwered by the thunder of the gar- 
riron; and the fame engines of definition that had 
proved fatal to the Spanifii preparations on-fhore, now 
blafted their hopes at fea. A fhower of red-hot balls and 
(hells in a few hours involved the floating batteries in 
flames ; the gun-boats of the Englifh prevented the Spa¬ 
niards from approaching to the ailiftance of their coun¬ 
trymen ; to avoid the rapid progrefs of one deftruCtive ele-‘ 
ment, the miferable troops were driven upon one another; 
part periflied by the fire, part were overwhelmed by the 
fea, and part were faved by the exertions of the Britifii 
feamen, who difeovered the fame ardour in relieving their 
enemies, as they had difplayed an hour before in con¬ 
quering them. 
While the war languiflied in America, it was refumed 
with increafe of ardour in the Eaft, and the coafts of Co¬ 
romandel were flained with the blood of the contending 
powers. From the Cape of Good Hope M. Suft'rein had 
proceeded with favourable winds to the ifland of Mauri¬ 
tius; he was there joined by the count d’Orves; and the 
French fleet, increafed by this junction to ten (hips of the 
line, and one of fifty guns, befides feveral large frigates, 
fwept the Coromandel coaff, and entered Madras road, 
in hopes of furprifing the Englifh admiral fir Edward 
Hughes, with only fix (hips of the line. This force he 
considered himfelf capable of eafily overwhelming ; the 
Jof's of the numerous trading (hips and tranlports in the 
road mull have attended the deftrudtion of the fleet ; and 
while fuch an unexpected calamity fpread terror through 
the town of Madras, the French forces, joined by Hyder 
Ali’s numerous army, would have carried on their attacks 
againft it by land, and the victorious fquadron would have 
affailed it by fea. From this flattering illufion, Suft'rein 
was awakened to a difappointment as mortifying as it was 
unexpected; for only a few days before the Englifh fqua¬ 
dron had been joined by areinforcement from Europe; they 
had at the fame time been apprized of the approach of the 
French fquadron ; and Suft'rein now beheld nine (hipsof the 
line, drawn up in order of battle, ready to receive him. 
Under thefe circumftances all views of attack were abun- 
Yol. VII. No.465. 
N C E. 753 
doned, and the French admiral flood .out to fea with the 
intention of landing his army to the fupport of Hyder Ali. 
The Englifh, fufpedting his delign, immediately followed, 
and an aClion enfued the next morning, long and bloody, 
but indecifive. The prefervation of his convoy was the 
chief objedl of the French commander, but in the courfe 
of the engagement he difplayed a degree of intre¬ 
pidity that highly merited the applaule of his adver- 
faries. Night parted the combatants ; and Suft'rein re- 
preffing his ardour, and anxious to fecure the retreat of 
his convoy, flood off to the north-eaft. This important 
objeCt was no fooner attained, than the French admiral 
once more directed his courfe in fearch of the Englifh. 
The latter, during this interval, had been reinforced from 
Europe by two men of war of feventy-four guns each ; 
but this acceflion of ftrength could not damp the courage 
of Suft'rein ; he himfelf led the attack on-board the He- 
ros of feventy-four guns, and continued to engage for a 
confiderable time the Englifh admiral within piftol-fliot. 
The damages fuftained by the Heros induced him to flvift 
his flag into the Hannibal, a French (hip of equal force ; 
and by his fuperior fire he difabled and drove out of the 
line the Monmouth of fixty-four guns. Though every 
effort was made to board that (hip, (he was refeued by 
the approach of other Englifh (hips; and the hoftile 
fleets, after a fierce and bloody conteft, in which they had 
difplayed fimilar gallantry, and fuffered fimilar lofs, fie- 
parated as if by mutual confent ; for feveral days fol¬ 
iowing they kept fight of each other; but their recipro¬ 
cal damages fufpended on both fides all idea of attack ; 
the Englifh retired to Trincomale, and the French pro. 
ceeded to Batacalo, a Dutch port in the ifland of Ceyion. 
The war on the peninfula of India raged not with lefs 
fury than at fea. In the general deftruCtion of the 
French fettlements on the commencement of hoftilities, 
a fmall band of French troops had found (belter in the 
dominions of Hyder Ali ; and ever fince, under the com¬ 
mand of M. Lally, had given (lability to the operations 
of that enterprifing prince. They now, in conjunction 
with Tippoo Saib, the fon of Hyder, attacked a Britifh 
detachment under colonel Braithwaite. This corps con¬ 
fided of two thoufand infantry, with thirteen field pieces, 
and two hundred and fifty cavalry. For two fucceflive 
days they repulfed with undaunted refolution the re¬ 
peated attacks of Hyder's cavalry, though amounting to 
twenty thoufand; but on the third they were broken 
by the charge of four hundred French, who advanced 
with bayonets fixed, and were led on by M. Lally him¬ 
felf. The humanity of that officer was not lefs confpi- 
cuous than his courage ; he not only iffued orders for 
putting a (lop to the carnage, but haftened perfonally, 
and with apparent hazard, to chaftife and reftrain the 
cruel fury of the black cavalry, five of whom periflied 
by his own hand in the generous exertion. He alfo pre¬ 
vailed on Tippoo to leave the prifoners to his care, and 
endeavoured to foothe their misfortunes by every mark 
of kindnefs and refpeCt ; nor ought it to efcape the know- 
ledge of mankind, that during the whole courfe of the 
war, the French and Englifh mutually vied with each 
other in a£ts of generous compaflion, as well as in daring 
valour. — For more particulars of the war in India, fee 
the articles England, and Hindoostan. 
In the firft engagement with the Englifli fleet, the ar¬ 
dour of M. Suft'rein had been reftrained by a prudent at¬ 
tention to his convoy. He foon after landed at Porto 
Novo the land forces and artillery that had been entrufted 
to his care : thefe were joined by a body of native 
troops from Hyder Ali; and the combined army imme¬ 
diately marched to the fiege of Cuddalore. The feeble 
garrifon was not long able to relift their arms; and 
M. Duchemin, the French commander, having fecured 
this port for the reception of fuccours, which France be¬ 
fore was deftitute of, now proceeded to more diftant con- 
quefts. He accordingly invefted Permacoil to the north- 
9 F . ward; 
1 
