Chap. XI. J FURTHER SUCCESSES OF COOTE. 629
retreat in tolerable order. On passing the foi-t he was joined by the party ad, koo. left in charge of the batteries, and ha.stened off in the direction of Chittapet. Tiie whole loss of the French, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, was coni- [)uted at GOO Europeans. The killed and wounded of the British amounted only to 190.
Lallv, continuing his retreat, committed the seiious blunder of quitting ^°^^
•^ ® 1 o captures
(.'hittapet without reinforcing it ; and Coote, on whom no advantage was ever chittai.et. thrown away, determined to capture it. In tlie meantime Captain Wood, who, commanded at Coverypauk, was ordered to advance with his garrison and invest the fort of Arcot ; and 1 000 of the black iiorse were sent south to ravage the country between Alumparva and Pondicherry, in retaliation for the previous devastations committed by the French and their Mahratta allies in the districts of the English Company. Both expeditions were successful. The black horse in particular, though they had proved wortldess on the field of battle, were excellent marauders, and returned with 8000 head of cattle, after having burned eighty-four villages. In giving such details one naturally thinks of the fearful amoimt of misery which must have been endured by the native peasantry, while thus involuntarily made parties to a war in the issue of which they had no interest. Chittapet was invested by a detachment on the 2(jth of January, 1 700, and made only a show of resistance. On the 29th, when the whole army encamped within cannon-shot, a battery of two eigh teen-pounders was com- menced and completed in the course of the night. At five the next morning the fire opened, and proved so efiective that the breach was nearly practicable by eleven. The garrison, consisting of only fifty-six Europeans and 300 sepoj's, had no idea of standing an assault, and surrendered at discretion. The same day Innis Khan, deterred at the com'se of events, quitted the Carnatic with all Ins ^iahrattas.
On the 1st of February Coote arrived before Arcot. Since the celebrated •^'■'^"^■ defence by Clive the works of the fort had been much imj)roved. The ditch, mostly in the solid rock, had been dug to an unifonn de])th of six feet ; a glacis and covered way had been carried entirely round ; and from the middle of the north side of the covered way, a strong ravelin, mounting six guns and commu- nicating with the fort by a gate with a drawbridge, projected. The siege imme- diately commenced, and the fire of three batteries was opened on the 5th. Owing to a want both of artillery and ammunition not much progi-ess was made. The approaches, however, were pushed on, and by the 9th not only had the sap reached very near the glacis, but two breaches had been made to within six feet of the bottom of the rampart. Still much remained to be done ; and the means of defence were still unexhausted, when Coote was greatly but agreeably surprised at receiving a voluntary offer of sin-render. The terms were soon an-anged, and the gi'enadiers of the army were allowed next morning to take possession of the gates. The garrison, consisting of 247 Europeans, and nearly
