o f Ayder AH; is about ninety miles in length, and eighty in
breadth: a country abounding in every kind of production
for the fupport o f armies, and which may be confidered as a
chain o f magazines eftablilhed by Tippoo Sultan for the inva-
iion o f the fouthern provinces *. To reduce this province was
the firft ftep taken previous to the Myforean war; the great
objeas were the fupply of provifions for the enfuing campaign,
and the depriving ‘Tippoo o f his principal reiources. General
Meadows marched from Madras in May 1790, with a fine army,
confifting of fourteen thoufand men, and was foon after joined
by Colonel Maxwell with nine thoufand more. Caroor and Coimbetore,
with its mud fort, were evacuated, and great quantities
o f grain found in each. The Sultan at that time was on the
Malabar coaft: but hearing of the advance of Meadows, in-
ftantly afcended the Gbauts. He polled himfelf to the northward
o f the general, and retook feveral polls filled with provifions
for the grand army. The commanders on each fide rivalled
each other in the judgment o f their manoeuvres. Frequent
attacks were made, but nothing decifive took place. In a
bloody ikirmilh between Tippoo and Colonel Lloyd, the laft was
defeated. Tippoo was too wife to rifque a battle, as the lofs
mult have been fatal. Meadows, by frequent detachments,
thought himfelf too weak to hazard a general engagement:
and befides the retreats of the Sultan were always too rapid.
Tippoo, not thinking it prudent to hazard a battle, made a
fudden march towards the eaft, and made his appearance near
* Ftfllarton’s View, p. n#*
Tritchinopoly
Tritchinopoly on November 28th; his view being to draw our
grand army out of his couniry, in order to defend our own.
His plan fucceeded. Meadows followed, baud pajjibus eequis.
The able Myforean got-feveral marches in advance, ravaged the
country, led his army towards Pondicberri and Wandewajh;
after which he turned again wellward, to make head againlt the
threatened invafion of his country by the Britijb, and their native
allies, and Meadows retired to within a fmall diltance o f
Madras. ' ■ .
L i e u t e n a n t Chalmers was left at Coimbetore, and was i n
1791 attacked by a party fent by the Sultan : they were repulfed
with the lofs of three hundred men. Towards the latter end
o f the fame year, Tippoo, enraged at the repulfe, fent one o f
his bell generals, Cummer ud Deen Cawn, with a itrong force
againlt Chalmers. That gallant officer underwent another
fiege; at length, overpowered with numbers, he was compelled
to yield on the moll honorable terms, but was on frivolous
pretences detained by the faithlefs enemy *.
In tracing the courfe o f the channel o f the Cavery towards
its origin from Lat, 11”, where it begins to bound the eaft fide
o f Coimbetore, it forms a ihort curvature towards the north,
as far as the mouth of the river Noyel, which rifes at the foot
o f the Gbauts near the town of Coimbetore. From the mouth
o f that river to Membady, it defcends through a gap in
the eaftern Ghauts into tho Myfore country, in Lat. 120 10'.
Long. 77" 52, E. and from thence has a north-weftern direction
* Dirom’ s Campaign, p. 51. 63, 64*
to