HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
545 
come to carry away with us men to be enlisted for the service of the sirkar, (in 
other words, recruits), nor were such the orders we received from the Presence. 
Five or six days after, General Malartic informed us, that he had appointed some 
men for the service of the sirkar, whom he was about to send accordingly, and 
desired us to give it under our hands, that we would represent to the Presence, 
and procure their entertainment at the rate of pay, which he should fix. We 
informed him, that we could not venture to make any such representation 
to the Presence. General Malartic replied, “ Were I to write to the Presence, 
* c would it not be agreed to?” We answered, that if he chose to write, it would 
be at your highness’s option to agree to it or not, After this, we took leave. 
Being returned home, we wrote and sent a letter to General Malartic, by Monsieur 
de Bay, to this purport: " It is very well known to you, Sir, that the object of 
« our coming hither was, to carry with us the succour of a large and effective 
<s body of troops. Persons of your nation, represented to the Presence, that a 
6< considerable body of troops was actually ready at the Mauritius, for the assistance 
“ of the sirkar; and that as soon as ambassadors should be sent to the sirdars of 
f£ the Mauritius, on the part of the Khoodadaud sirkar, an efficient body of men 
tS should be sent back with them, whereby the common enemy would be chastised. 
“ Had his highness been pleased to give us orders for raising French recruits, 
* s his highness would not have sent us without settling their rate of pay and estab¬ 
lishment, agreeably to the custom of the sirkar. From a regard to the ancient 
“ union and established friendship subsisting between the two states, you deem it 
** improper to send away the ambassadors of the Khoodadaud Sirkar empty handed, 
“ and therefore propose to send a few men, whom you yourself have engaged for 
" the service of the sirkar; but the object of the sirkar will not be answered by 
i( so small a number: neither are we instructed to carry with us recruits from 
«* the Mauritius, nor indeed can this be done without money. Men of your 
« nation come to us every day (meaning for the purpose of being engaged), and 
“ require to be furnished with money; but supposing they waved their demand for 
“ money here, and voluntarily repaired to the Presence with us, under your orders, 
* £ their pay must be fixed by the Presence; it would therefore be preferable to 
depute two vakeels of your own with us, to negociate the matter. As soon as 
“ such vakeels shall have arrived at the Presence, and his highness shall have stated 
Sc to them the rate of pay and establishment, as allowed to Lally’s force in the 
4 A 
