at Trichinopoli. A reconnaissance in force then convinced Lawrence that the island was too strong to be attempted. Indeed, it was as much as he could do, to use his own language[1], 'by a very brisk fire of artillery, to keep our flanks clear from the cavalry that surrounded us, and at every movement we made were ready to charge. Nor were the enemy's cannon silent.' The consequence was that after a very fatiguing day Lawrence was forced to retreat at night across the river, having lost two officers killed and three wounded, but he states, 'very few men in proportion.' At this period Colonel Lawrence's health failed him, and he withdrew within the fort. His situation there was a difficult one, for he was dependent upon native allies for supplies, and, since the capture of Chilambaram by the French, the road from the coast was in the hands of the enemy. By this time too, Dupleix, by incredible exertions, had so increased the force under Astruc that it slightly out-numbered, in Europeans, the number of which Lawrence could dispose.
Noting all these things, Astruc, who was then very daring, obeying the instructions transmitted from Pondichery, crossed the Káveri, and took possession of a commanding position known as the 'Five Rocks.' This position, if held, must compel the surrender of the fortress, as it commanded the country, known as
- ↑ Vide Cambridge's War in India, containing Colonel Lawrence's Narrative of the War on the Coast of Coromandel, from the beginning of the troubles to the year 1754, page 59.
