Achin a force fufficient to encounter it; therefore, as foon as he found that there was a probability of withdrawing the Moors from the affiftance of the English, he ordered the ships to quit the coaft of Coromandel. They left Pondicherry the 8th of February, and failed to Goa, the capital of the Portuguese settlements in India. A few days after, Maphuze Khan came to Pondicherry, where he was received with pomp and much refpe&t. Mr. Dupleix paid him go,000 rupees in money, and made him a prefent of European trinkets to the value of 100,000 rupees more: a peace was concluded between the French and the nabob, who recalled his army from Fort St. David. The English at Fort St. David had not hitherto received any fupplies either from Europe or the colonies in India. A fhip from England belonging to the company appeared in fight of Madrafs in the month of November, and ignorant of the lofs of the place, approached the road. The governor Paradis, immediately hoift ed English colours in the town, and fent fome foldiers on board of the fhip which was taken when Madrafs furrendered. This hip likewise hoifted English colours. The ship from the fea, deceived by thefe appearances, caft anchor near the prize, which immediately attacked her, but in fo unskilful a manner, that Paradis apprehending the prize herself would be taken, began to fire from the batteries of the town upon the English fhip, which, difcovering by these hoftilities that Madrafs was in poffeffion of the French, weighed her anchor, and went out of the road without having received any damage. In January another fhip, from England came to an anchor before Madrafs : the French immediately fent, by a fishing float, a letter written in English, pretending that the town was invested by the Moors, and that they fhould immediately fend boats to bring on fhore the treasure and the foldiers. The captain, deceived by this letter, as well as by the flag which was flying in the town, entertained no fufpicion, and permitted the boats to come to the fhips withoul examination. A number of foldiers were concealed in them, who in the fame inftant boarded the thip from different quarters. The greatest part of the fhip's company were enfeebled by the fcurvy, and those who were capable of making refiftance were fo much furprised, that they were eafily overpowered. This was a rich prize, having on board befides merchandizes 60,000 pounds fterling in bulliIn the interval another of the company's fhips anchored in the road of fort St. David's, where the governor immedi on. ately fent off a letter to the captain, acquainting him with the lofs of Madrafs, of the great fuperiority of the French force on the coaft of Coromandel, and of the distresses to which he fort was reduc. ed by the want both of men and money. The fhip was, as ufual, contigned to the governor and council of Madrafs; and the diftreffes of Fort St. David, instead of inducing the captain to affitt them, only fuggefted to him the risk to which his own fortune might be exposed, by landing the company's treafure, contrary to the letter of his instructions, in a settlement threaten. ed with fuch imminent danger : he there. fore refused to comply with the requek of the governor, and fet fail for Bengal without landing the foldiers, or any part of the cargo. These finifter accidents ferv ed to confirm Mr. Dupleix's affertions, even in the opinion of the English them. felves, that their fituation was growing defperate, when at laft, on the 19th of February, the fhip which had escaped out of the road of Madrafs in November, came from Ceylon, and landed 60,000l. in filver, together with 20 recruits for the garr:fon: the money was a very important fupply; for the treasury of fort St. David was almost exhausted when the ship arrived. The French army appeared in fight of fort St. David in the morning of the ad of March: it confifted of the fame troops which had been routed by the Moors at the garden: but Mr. Dupleix had now prevailed on the officers to receive Mr. Paradis for their commander. The Eng. lifh garrison marched out, with three field pieces, and a troop of horse compofed chiefly of volunteers, to prevent the French from croffing the river Panna, and found them drawn up about 600 yards on the other fide of it: they cannonaded one another during the greateft part of the day; and in the evening part of the French army croffed the river, out of the reach of cannon fhot, to the weftward: the horse were detached to reconnoitre them, and returned with the loss of two men killed by the fire of the French Caffres; upon which all the troops retreated to the fort. Of the English 22 men, and of the French 22, were killed during the cannonade. Before morning the whole French army had paffed the river, and taken poffeffion of the garden. A few hours afterwards a number of flips were defcryed in the offing, approaching the road; thefe were the English fquadron from Bengal. The French no fooner perceived them than they recroffed the river, and marched back with great precipitation towards Pondicherry. The The fquadron had been reinforced in Bengal by the arrival of two fhips, one of 60 guns and the other of 40, fent from England with admiral Griffin. The prefidency of Bengal sent in the squadron a company of 100 Europeans, who were landed as foon as the ships anchored; and Mr. Griffin likewise went on fhore with $50 marines and 500 failors; but these were only intended to be a temporary augmentation of the garrifon. The fhips were foon after stationed in sight of Pondicherry, where their appearance made Mr. Dupleix recall the French army into the town. In the month of June, a reinforcement of 100 Europeans, 200 Topaffes, and 100 Sepoys, arrived from Bombay, and 400 Sepoys from the English fettlement of Tellicherry: 150 foldiers came likewife in the company's fhips in the courfe of the year from Europe. In September the fquadron failed to Madrafs, and their boats fet fire to and deftroyed, in the road, the Neptune of 50 guns, one of the thips of of Mr. de la Bourdonnais's fquadron, which had remained on the coaft ever fince his departure. Notwithstanding the approach of the ftormy monfoon in October, Mr. Griffin determined to continue with the fquadron in fight of Fort St. David: the monfoon began and continued without any violent hurricane; but the weather was notwithftanding fo flormy that only two of the fhips, one of which was the admiral, were able to keep their ftations. The reft made fail to the bay of Trincanomaly in Cey lon; to which place Mr. Griffin with the other fhip likewife went in December to take in wood and water, and returned to Fort St. David in the beginning of the year 1748 with all the fquadron, excepting the Medway. This fhip, which had been the first caufe of the English difgraces and misfortunes in India, was in fo bad a condition, that the was foon after condemned as unfit for fervice; fhe had been hove down at Calcutta in Bengal, but her leaks had not been thoroughly repaired. In the month of January 1748, major Laurence arrived from England at Fort St. David, with a commiffion to command all the Eaft India company's forces in India. At this time intelligence was receiv. ed that Mr. Dupleix was preparing, to make another attempt against Cuddalore; upon which the major ordered all the troops at Fort St. David to form a camp between the garden and the river Panna, Here they continued fome time, when it was difcovered that the commander of the Tellicherry Sepoys, a Moor, had formed a design to defert with all his men to the French, in the firft engagement that should happen. This difcovery led to others. It was found that an Indian, who, before Madrass was loft, had acted as interpreter and agent to the English governor of that place, carried on a correfpondence with the wife of Mr. Dupleix in the Malabar language, which she understood. When the governor was removed by the French to Pondicherry, this man accompanied him; and Mrs. Dupleix by civilities and promises, engaged him to give her intelligence of the tranfactions of the English at Fort St. David, which he had for fome time done with great punctuality. The facts were proved; and the traitor, with another Indian his accomplice, was hanged. The commander of the Tellicherry Sepoys, with ten other officers belonging to that body, were banished to the inland of St. Helena, where feveral of them affifted one another in putting an end to their lives, rather than remain in flavery in a place, of which the fituation excluded them from all hopes of being able to make their escape to their native country. The four French ships which failed from Pondicherry in February, 1747, left Goa and the coaft of Malabar in October, and failed to the island of Mauritius. They were here joined by three others, one of 50 and two of 40 guns, fent from France. The two 40 gun fhips had been in India, and had taken an English East India ship in fight of the island of Bombay. This prize would have been very confiderable, had not the vigilance of the governor of the island faved the filver that was on board, by fending from the shore two fishing boats, which brought away the treafure, whilft the fhip was defending itfelt against the enemy. On the 9th of June at night the English 20 gun fhip returned from a cruize, and brought intelligence to Fort St. David, that he had discovered feven large thips and two smaller vessels to the south. These were the French fquadron which failed from Mauritius in the latter end of April. The English fquadron, lately reinforced by three fhips from England, was now compofed of three fhips of 60 guns, three of go, three of 40, and one of 20 guns. These were at anchor in the road; but the rudders of two of the forty gun thips were unhung, and Mr. Griffin and feveral of the officers were on fhore, where many of the men were likewife in the hofpital. During the fouthern monfoon the wind blows conftantly from the fouth-weft in all parts of the bay of Bengal, except at the distance of ten or fifteen leagues from the the land; and here it generally changes in twenty four hours, blowing a part of this time from the fea at fouth caft, and during the reft from the land at fouth welt: the end wind generally rifes about midnight, and lifts till noon, but it is not al ways confined to this interval; for fome days it continues until the evening, and at other times, when very ftrong, blows for three or four days without interruption. The fea wind very feldom continues more than twelve hours, and is generally preceded by a fhort interval of calm. During the fouthern monfoon the currents, as well near the land as out at fea, drive ftrong. ly to the north. A thip during the fea wind cannot pain way to the fouth; for the fea is then rough, and the wind feldom inclines to the eaft of the fouth-east point : but as the land wind often veers to the weft point, and always renders the fea fniooth within fight of the coaft, flips bound to the fouth make fome progress during this wind, and either drop anchor to maintain their ground if they are near fhore when the land-wind fails, or if they are at fome diftance they continue under fail, ard with the fea wind come near the fore where they are ready to avail themselves again of the land wind as foon as it fets in. By thefe operations a veffel that fails well fometimes gets ten or fifteen miles to the fouth in a day; but it is not uncommon to fee others employed a month in getting only one hundred miles to the fouthward. the morning they fhortened fail, in expectation every minute of feeing the enemy again to the fouth; but before the evening they fell to leeward of Pondicherry, when Mr. Griffin, finding his expectations deceived, made fail to Madrafs, where he arrived the next evening, and found no French fhips in the road. The French fquadron was commanded by M. Bouvet, governor of the ille of Bourbon, an able and experienced mari. ner He had been apprized, at the French fettlement of Karrical, of the fuperior force of the English: his operations, when in fight of Fort St. David, were defigned to make the Englith believe that he intended to engage them the next morning: but as foon as the night fet in he changed his courfe, and crouding all the fail his ships could carry, went away to Madrafs, where he arrived the next morning the 11th of June, and immediately landed 400 foldiers, with 200.000 pounds in filver, which had been sent from France to the island of Mauritius for the fervice of Pondicherry. Having thus effected the defign of his voyage, he put out to fea on his return to Mauritius before the English fquadron appeared in fight of Madrafs. Mr. Dupleix perceiving that the English fquadron had failed to Madras, from whence they could not return to Fort St. David in fome days, determined to avail himfelf of their abfence, and make ano ther attack upon Cuddalore. Eight hundred Europeans, with one thoufind Sepoys, marched from Pondicherry, and making a circuit inland, arrived on the 17th of June in the morning within three miles of Cuddalore, at the hills of Bandapolam. Here they halted during the day, and intended at night to attack Cuddalore by furprise. On the 10th of June at an hour and a balf after noon the French fhips were difcerned in the fouth-eft. The fea-wind was fet in, and they were failing directly before it toward Fort St. David. The pofition of the English fquadron, at anchor near the land to leeward, rendered it impoffible for them to get nearer the enemy during the fea wind; for had they weighed anchor immediately, the nearest courfe they could have made would have been to the north-east out to sea, and this would very foon have carried them to leeward of Pondicherry. Mr. Griffin therefore determined not to weigh anchor till night, when the land wind thould fet in: in the interval the men on shore were or dered to join their hips. At four in the afternoon the French fquadron, being within three leagues of the road, altered their courfe, and plied to the fouth-weft. At midnight the French advanced with This operation made the English believe fealing ladders, which they no fooner bethat they kept to windward with intenti- gan to apply to the walls than they receiv on to gain Pondicherry at all events.-ed the fire of all the musketry from the About midnight the English put to fea ramparts, together with that of four or with the land wind, endeavouring to keep five pieces of cannon loaded with grapelatitude of Fort St. David; and in hot. This unexpected refiftance ruck Major Lawrence receiving intelligence of this defign, ordered the garrifon to march, and the cannon to be removed to Fort St. David, intending by this operation to make the French believe, that he did not think the place tenable. As foon as night came on, the garrifon, augmented to the number of 400 Europeans, together with the cannon, were fent back to Cuddalore, with the precautions neceffary to prevent the enemy from receiving intelligence of their return. The tratagem fucceeded. the the whole body, officers as well as foldiers, with a panic. Moft of the men flung away their arms without firing a fhot; but the precipitation of their flight prevented the English fire from doing much execution amongst them: nor did their fears quit them when arrived at the place of their encampment; for expecting to be followed, they marched on without halting until they came to the bounds of Pondicherry. It was now fome time that Mr. Dupleix had, with great activity, been employed in making difpofitions to reft an armament bound to the Eaft Indies under the command of admiral Bofcawen, of whose deftination the French at Pondicherry, as well as the English at Fort St. David, had received intelligence. This armament confifted of one fhip of 74 guns, one of 64, two of 60, two of 50, one of 20, a floop of 14 guns, a bomb-fhip with her tender, and an hofpital hip. Thefe belonged to the navy of England; and ele ven of the Eat India company's fhips were likewife employed to tranfport the military ftores, and the regular troops, which amounted to 1400 men. This fleet left England in November, and the greateft part arrived at the Cape of Good Hope the latter end of March, but five fhips not until April 15. They were join. ed at the Cape by fix fhips belonging to the Dutch East India company, on board of which were four hundred foldiers.The troops having been landed to refresh, were all reimbarked before the 26th of April, when it was intended to fail; but contrary winds and weather detained the feet until the 8th of May, when they left the Cape, bound to the fland of Mauritius, which Mr. Bofcawen was ordered to attack in his way to the coaft of Coro mandel. The Portuguese, in their firft navigati. ons to India, difcovered three islands, lying to the eastward of Madagafcar, between the 19th and 20th degree of latitude. The most western of thefe, from the name of the person who discovered it, they called Mafcarenhas; but the French, when they took poffeffion of it in 1675, gave it the name of Bourbon, which now prevails. The caftern island the Portuguefe called Diego Reys, which name it retains to this day; and that between Bourbon and Diego Reys they called Cerne, probably from a fuppofition that it was the Cerne of the ancients. The Dutch, when they made this a ftation of refreshment for their fhips coming from India, called it Mauritius: the French, when they took poffeffion of it the beginning of the prefent century, named it the Ile of France; but this appellation has prevailed only amongst themfelves, the other Europeans ftill calling it Mauri tius. The Portuguese found in these islands neither men nor any four footed animais, excepting land-tortoifes, but great flocks of paroquets, doves, and sea fowls; and the fea abounds with fish of various kinds, and with great numbers of turtle. The island of Bourbon is 60 miles in length from north to fouth, and 45 in breadth from eaft to weft. It has no port; and the only part where boats can land is in the road of St. Paul to the north west. It has no plains, the whole being either hills of cify afcent, or steep mountains feparated by narrow vallies. Thefe mountains continue rifing one above another from the fea coast to the middle of the ifland; fo that in whatever view it is feen at a diftance, it appears one convex farface riting out of the fea. The French took poffeffion of it in the year 1665, and finding the foil rich, cultivated it with great affiduity: it now produces wheat, and most of the garden vegetables of Europe, as well as thofe of India, with many fruits peculiar to both climates: the mango, China orange, and peach, grow in great plenty and in great perfection.But the principal object of their agriculture, and what has rendered the island of importance in their commerce, is the cultivation of the coffee tree, of which they brought the plants from Beit-ul Fakih, in Arabia; and these have thriven fo well, that the island now produces 2000 tons of coffee every year. The cultivation of this tree, as well as most other fervices of toil, are performed by Caffre flaves, brought from Africa and Madagascar. The French have a breed of horses, which, though fmall, are esteemed for their hardinefs; and they have reared beeves, goats, theep and hogs, in fufficient quantities to fupply the inhabitants, although not in fuch plenty as to furnith provision for their fhipping; but this neglect feems to have arisen from the facility and cheapness wherewith thefe and other provifions may be procured from the western fide of Madagascar, where they have fettlements. Several families from France established themselves here foon after the French took poffeffion of it, and from them are defcended the prefent inhabitants, who are now multiplied to the number of 4000, of which one thousand men are capable of bearing arms: thefe have not degenerated from their ancestors, but on the contrary are a race fo remarkable for ftature and proportion, as well as for health and frength, that they equal, if not exceed in thefe qualities qualities, the most athletic of the Euro- her fituation; to which the made answers pean nations. They are the only colony with more fenfe than is ufual in persons of her rank; he defired her not to be afraid, for he would take care of her, and gave immediate orders for her safety and reception into his houfe, of which he gave her Rife of the Empress Catherine, Confort of the whole charge, with authority over all Peter the Great. HE was born at Rughen, a small vil his fervants, by whom he was very much beloved from her manner of using them; the general afterwards often said, his hous Slage in Livonia, of very poor parents, was never fo well managed as when the who were only boors, or vaffals; her fa- The was with him. Prince Menzikoff, who was his patron, Memoirs of Mrs. Catherine Macaulay, now HIS celebrated lady is the daughter TH of John Sawbridge, of Olantigh, in Kent, Eiq; and the fifter of the prefent Mr. Sawbridge, one of the aldermen and reprefentatives in parliament for the city of London. The carlier part of Mrs. Macaulay's life (for by this time the is still best known) was marked by no other peculiarity than a ftudioufnefs of difpofition, and an appli cation to reading the beft hiftorical writers, both ancient and modern. But it was not till after her marriage with Dr. Macaulay, a phyfician and manmidwife, but who feems to have been lefs eminent |