I!
Chap. XL] PREPARATIONS FOR THE SIEGE OF MADRAS. 605
out to receive it in person. After making his entry in a triumphal form, under a.d. i768. the discharge of all the cannon, he endeavoured to magnify the event by causing it to be proclaimed, with much ostentation, in Pondicherry and all the other French garrisons. While thus ffratifyinfj his vanity he overlooked a captui'e inMiortancc
^ o J a J 1 ofChingle
which would have been of much more consequence. The fort of Chingieput, i»it. situated thirty-six miles south-west of Madras, was justly regarded as the key of the country on which that city depended for supplies of provisions and other necessaries. The possession of it would therefore have contributed greatly to the success of the meditated siege. Strange to say, both French and Briti.sli had neglected it, the latter fm'nishing it only with a handful of troops, which might easily have been overpowered ; wliile the foimer, who might have carried it by escalade, by open day, made no attempt to secure it. At length, when Lally awoke to a sense of its importance, he found that the presidency had anticipated him, and added greatly to the strength of the garrison. The cap- ture, however, still seeming po.ssible, he resolved to march against it with his whole force, and made application to the government of Pondicherry to fui-nish him with the funds necessary to put it in motion. The old answer was returned. The treasury was empty, and all the money which could be immediately sent amounted only to 10,000 rupees (£1000). The roving expeditions in the Car- natic had not paid their own expenses, the power of borrowing was exhausted, and Lally saw no alternative but to abandon his design, place his troops in can- tonments, and return to Pondicherry, where, as usual, he vented his indignation in sarcasms against its officials.
The siege of Madras being now regarded as a ceitainty, the presidency con- Pieparations
for tlie siege
tinned to increase their means of defence. They recalled Captain Calliaud with of Madra.s
all the Europeans in garrison at Trichinopoly ; and when Admmil Pococke, who
was anchored in the road, foimd it necessary on the approach of the northern
monsoon to sail for Bombay, obtained from him 100 men, forming the marines of
the squadron. They had previously received a reinforcement by the Company's
ship Pitt, of fifty guns, which had left England with six others under convoy of I
two ships of the line, intended to join the admiral's squadron. On board these ' '
ships was a regiment of the king's troops, but of these the Pitt brought only 1 00 '
men, with their commanders, Colonel Draper and Major Brereton. Admiral
Pococke had sailed on the 11th October with the full sanction of the presidency,
who felt confident that no movement of importance would be made by the enemy
till the rains should cease, and that they would at all events be able to make
good the defence till the expected reinforcement of troops should arrive, or the
change of monsoon should enable the squadi'on to return. Only a week after
its departure, an unexpected arnval of treasure from the Mauritius, and of
100,000 rupees brought by M. Moracin, who had been left in charge of Bassy's
detachment, inspired Lally with new hopes. Accordingly, as the arrival of the
rainy season was unusually delayed, he put his troops in motion. Chingieput
