HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
271 
u treaty ill conceived, and worse conducted. The reading of it will surprise you as 
u much as it has revolted the colony. All these considerations persuade me, that 
<c you will be the first to give an example to all good Frenchmen, who are ever 
u disposed to take the side of reason, and manifest obedience to the orders of those 
“ who employ them.” 
As this extraordinary project was really concerted with the deputies of Pondi¬ 
cherry, who were then at Madras, they retired to St. Thomas, the black town, at 
the distance of about a league, to wait the arrival of M. de Bury, M. de Paradis, M. 
Bruyeres, and the other emissaries from Pondicherry, commissioned to execute the 
orders of M. Dupleix. There these gentlemen held their councils, and after they 
had agreed upon the measures they were to pursue, returned to Madras. On the 
2d of October, at eight in the morning, they entered the town with the design of 
gaining the troops over to their party; and as the soldiers were assembled to mount 
guard, they addressed them as follows: “ Friends, it has been proposed by others 
u to give up Madras for paper; we are determined to prevent such a sacrifice, and 
to give you an hundred thousand rupees : will not this content you ?”—The pro¬ 
position so astonished the soldiers that they did not utter a word. This unexpected 
silence caused no small degree of surprise to these gentlemen, who expected that 
such a proposal, so calculated to conciliate the soldiers, would have been received 
with warmth and gratitude. They however made no further attempt, but passed on 
to the State-house. 
When they had entered the hall, they delivered to M. de la Bourdonnais the 
following letter from the Council: “ Our answer to your letter of the 27th, will be 
" delivered to you by M. de Bury, Major-General in India.” 
As soon as M. de la Bourdonnais had read this paper, the Register, who accom¬ 
panied the Deputies opened the scene, by exclaiming aloud in his presence—“ We 
“ are come to announce the orders of the Commandant and the Supreme Council of 
“ Pondicherry.” This opening was not heard without emotion on the part of M. 
de la Bourdonnais, who immediately penetrated the whole of their designs. He 
nevertheless dissembled his resentment, and to prevent any disturbance, which might 
be attended with very disagreeable consequences, in a place filled with English and 
people of other nations, he politely invited the deputies to pass into his apartment, 
as they would there be more at liberty to explain themselves; but M. Paradis replied, 
