172
lllSTOIiY OF'^ INDIA.
[Book HI.
AD, 1751. then the most powerful of the neighbouring states. Its sfjvereign was at this time an infant, and the whole power was concentrated in the hands of his uncle, the dalaway or regent, who listened to Mahomed Ali the more readily from the deep hatred which he bore to Chunda Sahib. At the same time, while gratifying his hatred, he did not forget liis interest, and sold the promise of his assistance at a very extravagant rate. He was not long, however, in beginning to fulfil it. In the beginning of October, 1751, a party of horsemen arrived from Seringapatam, the capital of Mysore. Their number was only seventy, but they brought with them what was of more consequence, in the .shape of a subsidy of 500, OOO rupees (£50,000). An auxiliary This was oiily a foretastc of the aid about to be furnished by the dalaway,
force from <» • i i i r» -t tit t i /'i
Mysore. for in the latter end of November he began to assemble an army at Caro(jr, about forty-five miles W. N.W. of Trichinopoly ; and, not contented with his own troops, hired a body of GOOO Mahrattas, under the command of Moraii Row. We have already seen 1000 of these mercenaries, under Basin Row, co-operating with Clive in Arcot. A pai-ty of 500 sent to Trichinopoly distin- guished themselves as soon as they arrived by their activity ; and both by the boldness of their charges, and their cunning devices in laying ambuscades, cut off a considerable number of the enemy. Unduly elated by tliis success, they were eager for a general engagement, and on finding the English indisposed to
risk it, told them, "they were not the same kind of men they had seen fighting so gallantly at Arcot."
Mahomed Ali s prospects now began to brighten, for after some frivolous delays, the Mysore army, consisting of 12,000 horse, of whom 4000 were Mahrattas, led by Morari Row, and 8000 foot, ariived at Trichinopoly. The numbers appear much more formidable on paper than they were in reality, for at this time the Mysorean troops were cowardly and undisciplined. Independently, how- ever, of their actual value, they had indirectly a powerful influence in inducing other neighbom'ing states to join the same side; and hence the King of Tanjore, who had hitherto professed neutrality, no sooner learned the arrival of the Mysorean army than he declared in favour of Mahomed Ali, and sent him an auxiliary force, consisting of 3000 horse and 2000 foot, under the command of his general Monacjee. The Polygar Tondeman, whose country is Tanjore and Madiu-a, also espoused the same side, and sent a considerable reinforcement. The army
Polygar ' — From Sir S. R. Meyrick's
Ancient Armour.
' "The Polygars derived their name from inhabit- ing the pollams or woods in the soutliern parts of Hindoostan, and appear to have taken their rise from
municipal regulations relative to the destruction of tigers and other ferocious beasts."— Meyrick's Illus- trations of Ancient Arms and Armour.
