But to return:— The English army under the command of General Stuart, by forced marches, arrived by the route of Pondicheri, and Bagore, and encamped on the river Koorth, on the western side of the fort of Kuddalore.

The French at this time kept five hundred men with twelve guns, equipped after the manner of the English, in readiness as an advanced picket,* and the Hyduri Risalas agreeably to the orders of the Khán, were posted on the right of the French and strengthened their position there by raising batteries for their support. After a period of three days the English General, during the night, took possession of a hill in front of these bodies of French and Mysorians, posted guns on it, and made all ready to open his fire, when very early next morning, the commander of a ship which had arrived from Madras, fired three shots at the fort, and the men in the batteries left them to see the ship* and what she was about to do;— at this period the fire of the guns from the hill suddenly opened one after another. The English regiments, (European), marched to attack those of the French, and the battalions of Sipahees also marched to attack Hydur’s Risalas, and had arrived very near;— In this situation of affairs the French being formed, retired towards the fort leaving their guns; and the Mysore Risalas, not having time to with­draw their guns, and not waiting until they received orders from their commanding officer, turned their faces towards the sea and took to flight.

A certain Bahadúr Khán Risaldár and Bubur Alí Beg, however, with the greatest gallantry and presence of mind, retired facing the enemy, taking with them the guns of their own Risalas, and brought them to the ditch or glacis of the fort, and there halted.

The English troops, therefore, took the batteries and remained conquerors. In these circumstances the commander-in-chief of the French troops assembled fifteen hundred Frenchmen, without artillery, and placed them under the command of Monsieur Dupleix and Colonel Ambeau, (perhaps Rochambeau) to repel the English:— As soon, therefore, as the French troops received their orders, they in excellent order, their arms carried and their line well formed, marched, and stepping out boldly entered the field of battle.

The English European troops, who amounted in all to three or four thousand men, with their ranks closed, by a sharp cannonade killed a great many of the French, but the French officers with­out flinching, advanced close to their enemies and poured into their ranks a most destructive fire, and for one Pher, or more than two hours, the battle raged unremittingly, for as soon as the brave fellows had done what they could with their fire, they rushed on and engaged hand to hand, and shoulder to shoulder with their bayonets. On both sides, there­fore, such a furious struggle ensued, that at seeing it, the hearts of the clouds of heaven became water, and from the concussion of the fierce charges of these iron men the earth shook to its centre.

Time, that tyrant, hard hearted as he is, at see­ing the killed in this hard fought battle, shed showers of tears, and Behrám (Mars), the blood drinker, from fear at the blood shed by these valorous men, fled to the fifth blue fortress of the skies, (the fifth heaven). For two hours, therefore, during this mortal strife, those present in the battle, saw and heard nothing but the smoke and thunder of the guns and musketry; but at length the English European troops lost all power to keep their ground, and they, therefore, retreated.

At this conjuncture, the Karnatic battalions, (the Madras native regiments)* formed up quickly from the right and left, and covered the backs of the European soldiers* with their own bodies, and gained the day, for they most gallantly drove the French before them. The French troops, therefore, of whom only five or six hundred remained, retreated and gained the fort. At this time one thousand Frenchmen, who in daring pride and intrepidity carried their heads to the skies, formed and advanced from the fort to repel their adversaries, when at this critical moment, the English troops retired to their ground of encamp­ment, and the battle was left for the decision of the next day.

The French troops halted and bivouacked at about the distance of an arrow shot from the fort. After two or three days, during which the English were marking out or raising batteries, and the French were occupied in endeavours to frustrate their plans, a treaty of peace which had been made between the French and English govern­ments in Europe, arrived;— the two armies, the French and English, now, therefore, became one, and all enmity and contention ceased. The offi­cers of both armies met and ate, and drank wine with each other at the same table. At the same time, therefore, by the mediation of the French and with the consent of Muhammad Alí Khán, Suráj ud Dowla, a treaty of peace and friendship was established between the Sultán and the English.