I n 1758, BESIEGED
EY L A L L Y .
attended with very different fuccefs. The firft was in 1746,
when the celebrated De la Bourdonnais appeared before the
place. He began his attack on September the 7th, and it was
furrendered to him on the 12th ; the generous enemy gave
the conquered the moft eafy terms ; every private citizen was
permitted to enjoy his own, and nothing but the property of
the Company was taken, and a ranfom agreed on for the prefer-
vation o f the town ; his rival Duplet x , governor o f Pondicherry,
infilled on the total deftruction of Madras, but le Bourdonnais
adhered religioufly to his terms. Thefe were immediately
broken, in the moft infamous manner, by Dupleix ; and our
merchants plundered in a manner that refledted the higheft
difhonour on. the French nation. Soon after a furious ftorm
arofe, and annihilated the French marine in India, and fecured
to us the remainder o f the Engli/h empire in Hindoojlan. The
town was at this time defencelefs, and our fquadron driven by
the winds from the coaft.
In 1758, the attack and the fate o f Madras were very diffèrent.
The violent Lally marched againft the place in December,
when in taking pofleflion o f the Black Town, a moft animated
a ¿lion was fought in the very ftreets. Colonel Draper commanded
the party, and after the lofs o f feveral brave officers
was obliged to make his retreat. At this time Madras was defended
by a brave garrifon, and by men of approved conduit
and valour : Mr. Pigot, the governor, who received his military
inftruition from the General, Colonel Laurence, behaved
with the aitivity and refolution of a veteran. Major Calliaud
and Captain Prejlon kept the field, and diftinguifhed themfelves
by their bravery and prudence. Lally continued before the
place, with unabated vigour, near three months. He raifed the
liege on the 16th o f February 1759, fo precipitately, that he
had not leifure to execute his barbarous refolution, that of laying
the Black Town in afhes, fhould he be neceflitated to make
a retreat.
T he country which bounds the eaft and fouth of Madras is- Chouitrv
rendered by art extremely beautiful. That towards the town P“ 'N'
o f St. Thome is the Choultry Plain, about three miles and a half
in extent, and the fteril fands covered with plantations, intermixed
with villas and other habitations. The fame plain extends
to the weftward ten miles, and all the way occupied by
the retreats of the citizens o f Madras, efpecially near the extremity,
about the greater Mount St. Thomas. Many o f the
houfes are elegant in their architecture, and the apartments
fpacious and magnificent. Here the owners, and their company,
enjoy themfelves in the verandas, or open porticos, in the cool
breeze of the evening. Every houfe is illuminated, and affords
the ftranger an enchanting fpe&acle *.
O n the 18th of July, 1780, the felicity o f this plain was dif- I n r o a d o r
turbed by the barbarous inroad made by Ayder Ali, who, at the Ayder Au"
head o f a hundred thoufand men, poured down on the plains
of the Carnatic like a refiftiefs torrent, which fwept away every
villa, houfe, and village which lay in its courfe in the vicinity
o f Madras. The then governor, and the principal people,
feemed in a ftate o f torpidity, ftupidly incredulous to all the
accounts o f his mope diftant advance. “ I was,” fays Mr.
* Hodges’s Travels, p. 10*