166 LA BOURDONNAIS AND DUPLE1X. chap, the large hall. Here the business of the day was com- menced by General cle Bury handing over to La Bour- 1746. donnais a letter from the Superior Council, stating that he, the general, was authorised to reply to his letter of the 27th ultimo. The chief clerk then read aloud, in the presence of a large concourse of people, who were attracted by the rumours of some extraordinary scene, the several declarations and protests we have enumerated above. Whilst this reading was going on, officers of all grades came crowding into the hall, the great majority of them belonging to the troops who had come with La Bour- donnais from the isles. As soon as the clerk had finished, La Bourdonnais replied. He stated that he would recognise no authority in India as superior to his own ; as the orders which he had received from France con- cluded with a special proviso, leaving him " master of his operations." * M. Despremesnil replied, that the authority just quoted in no way invalidated the powers conferred upon the Governor-General, and, in fact, bore no reference to the subject. La Bourdonnais, however, wa? obstina te, and seeing himself supported by a number of his own adherents, he assumed a haughtier tone, and threatened to cause the buglers to sound the assembly, and get the troops under arms. Immediately a cry was raised in the assembly against taking up arms against one another. Upon this La Bourdonnais assembled in the next room a council of war, composed of the officers who had come with him from the islands, and after a short sitting, communicated the result to the deputies from Pondichery. This was, in effect, that they con-
- Undoubtedly this was the case, may be observed in addition, that the
and this was recognised, by the Coim- fact of his being master of hisopera- cil of Pondichery, when two months tions, while it left him the choice of before they had pressed upo a him the action, did not relieve him of sub- necessity of a decision regarding ordination to the authority of the them. La Bourdonnais had then re- representative of his Sovereign in fu>ed to act, unless tbe Council pre- territories subject to that Sovereign, scribed to nim a positive course. It
