Soon after this event, Colonel Burgford (intended for Brathwaite,) with four thousand regular infantry, seven guns, and some regular cavalry, left Naug Put­tun, having made his own arrangements for the security of the fort; and, seeing the plain clear of Hydur’s prowling lions, he marched to Karical and Tulingawari. But the Prince, the destroyer of his enemies, having been commissioned with his invin­cible troops to the conquest of that country, like an arrow parting swiftly from the bow to the butt, arrived there; and encamped in the neighbourhood of those towns. There being at this time a report prevalent, that a fleet of French ships had arrived, the Colonel beforementioned came to Tanjore; and with a design to cover Kuddalore, in case the French should land there, marched on to the vicinity of Puna Nelore, (which lies to the eastward of the dis­trict of Gomkurn, and is situated on the bank of the river Kauverum,)* and encamped in a cocoa nut grove there. He had, however, no sooner arrived there, than spies carried the intelligence to the Prince, and that lion of the field of battle imme­diately marched, following his footsteps; and over­taking him, at night, posted his artillery round the cocoa nut grove, and remained on the alert. In the morning, when the Colonel’s drums beat the générale for the march, the Prince ordered his artillery to open their fire; and the men, in obey­ing, fired with such precision, that, before the Colonel’s troops had time to fall in, half their num­ber were killed, or wounded, by the fall of the cocoa nut trees, cut down and broken by the shot. To be concise,— after the Colonel’s troops were formed, they, with their guns, came out to the plain, and, for an hour, or two, displayed much bravery; but, as there were a hundred difficulties and dangers opposed on all sides to their passage, the Colonel repented of his movement; and was plunged into the sea of anxiety and indecision, and, taking possession of an old temple, or pagoda, which was on the plain, he made that his quarters and halted there. A gentleman of the name of Sampson,* however, a cavalry officer charged the Nawaub’s Kushoon, (a brigade of Infantry,) in flank, and cut his way through them, and took the road to Tanjore. The brave horse of the Paigah,* however, followed him, and took and brought back several of his men, with their horses, and arms; Syud Ghuffar, Soubadár, was taken on that very day.— But to return, the Prince by the constant fire of his artillery knocked down the walls of the old temple, and devoted the whole of those who sought refuge in it to the sword;* not leaving one alive. Then, taking possession of their baggage and stores, he marched by Lal Peenth to Kuddalore, and had scarcely encamped in front of the fort, when a number of French ships arrived, and anchored in the roads.

The chief officer of the French now despatched a summons to the English Commandant of the fort, to surrender; and the Commandant, not being of opinion he could resist, returned to the French general a detailed statement of the stores, &c. in the fort, and, taking his receipt, evacuated the fort, and proceeded by sea in boats to Sudrung Puttun, (called by the English Sadras), a fort garrisoned by the Dutch, where they disembarked. At that time, also, two hundred men, with two guns and stores, had arrived from Choongul Peenth at that fort to besiege it; and both these detachments, therefore, formed a junction. After some negociation, the Commandant, who had no intention to fight, joined them, and they destroyed the fort, and returned to Choongul Peenth.

The French Commander-in-Chief, with his army, consisting of four or five thousand troops, all Euro­peans, now disembarked at Kuddalore, and the Prince, after the lapse of two days, visited him, and having renewed and strengthened the founda­tions of worldly friendship, said, “It is now neces­sary that you with your gallant army,* without fear or delay, should turn to our aid, and help us to destroy and root out our enemies, and, when that is done, each of us will then return to his own country.”— The French general, however, pleaded the discomfort and length of the sea voyage, and the want of preparation in his military equipments, as reasons for a short delay.— The Nawaub, also, hearing of the arrival of the French at Kuddalore, according to agreement, their meeting with the Prince, and his endeavour to excite them to do away with the seditious and rebellious people, (the English,) marched towards Beelpoor, when the Prince met him there, and detailed to him the delay required by the French, and other matters. The Nawaub, therefore, sent them some bullocks, to draw their guns, and some other articles of necessity, and then returned towards Arkat. In the course of the march, however, the scouts and spies from the outposts which surrounded the English army, came in, and reported that General Coote, with a very large force, exceedingly well equipped, was again march­ing towards Rai Vellore, under cover of the forest of Naglapoor, and the confines of the territory of Bomraj the Poligar. The Nawaub, therefore, instantly put the whole of his army in motion, for that quarter. Syud Humeed, Shaikh Oonsur, and Monsieur Lalli, with their divisions of troops, were sent to defend Arkat; while Kureem Sáhib, with four thousand horse, and two thousand foot, was despatched towards Madras, that he might shut up the road against all reinforcements and convoys proceeding to join the English army. The Nawaub himself then marched on, and, leaving the Prince in the plain near Arnee, encamped near Dhoby Gurh. During this time, the General, tra­versing by forced marches, high and difficult moun­tains and arid plains, arrived from the environs of Kulkeri at Rai Vellore, and halted there.

It is not to be omitted here, that, after the battle of Sool Nuggur, the brave Commandant, (Muham­mad Alí), notwithstanding that worthy servant had committed no fault deserving punishment, was nevertheless, accused of having wilfully neglected his duty in opportunities of defeating the English. He was displaced, therefore, from his Risala, and remained in the suite of the Nawaub, with only one horse for his own riding. About this time a number of Bunjaras,* belonging to the victorious army, hav­ing with them about four or five thousand bullocks, laden with grain, were proceeding by the road of Arnee to Arkat. The English General hearing of this, despatched a body of troops across the Ghaut of Kunumbari, to follow and way lay the Bunjaras. The officer commanding this force made a forced night march, and took the whole of the bullocks and grain; the unfortunate Bunjaras being dispersed at the first volley. As soon as the Prince heard of this, he followed the captors of the grain, with a select body of horse, and recovered two or three thousand of the bullocks, by making desultory attacks on them; and, after this, having posted matchlock men, and archers, to shut up the road of the Ghauts against future incursions, he, according to the Nawaub’s orders, encamped in the neighbourhood of Chunbargurh. Still, however, he made excursions* every day in the direction of Kylas, and Vellore,* and sought all opportu­nities to defeat and destroy his enemies. It hap­pened one day, while he was thus on the watch, that, from the vicinity of Wanumbari and Amboor Gurh, supplies of provisions were advancing to the Prince’s army by the road of Pulligundah and Balinjpoor;* and the General, becoming acquainted with the advance of this convoy, detached four hundred musketeers to intercept it. When, however, this detachment had advanced two or three fursungs, tracing the route of the supplies, they had arrived safely in camp. The outlying picquets hearing of the detachment, and inform­ing the Prince of its approach, he, like a hungry lion, sprang after them, and by his courage and by casting the terror of his sword and bow over them, took them all prisoners; and, having cut off the hands and noses of the greater part, he dismissed them.