Page 213 - INDIANNAVYV1

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN XA\"i'. 181
di'oog, at the mouth of the river of Merjee, (also called Merjan and
Tudree) proceeded against the fort of that name, which soon
fell to his arms.
Thence the combined expedition sailed for Onore, a ver}'
strong fort situated near the entrance of a salt water river,
between Merjee and Hog Island, x4.ll the troops that could be
spared from the defence of other ports on this extensive coast,
w^ere ordered to meet the General at that point, to assist in his
intended operations, but, before their arrival, the place was cap-
tured. On the 1st of January, 1788, the British batteries, and
the guns from the ships, opened on Onore, and, on the 6th, the
breach being reported practicable, the fort was stormed. Several
of the enemy fell in the first fury of the assault, and the rest,
to the number of two thousand, laid down their arms and were
set at liberty. Leaving Captain Torriano, the commanding
officer of Artillery, in charge of the fort, the Commander-in-
Chief embarked on the 15th of January, to join the arm}^ which,
in conjunction with the squadron, on the following day captm-ed
Cundapoor, a place of considerable importance on the Canara
coast. Thence proceeding inland, the General, in obedience to
orders received from the Bombay Government, ascended the
Ilussain Ghurry Ghaut, and captured Bednore, the rich capital
of this part of the Mysore dependencies, which surrendered
through the treachery of the Governor. Most of the minor forts
now capitulated, but Ananpore, Mangolore, and some others,
still remained in possession of the enemy. The former was
taken by storm on the 14th of February, when, it is said, the
garrison were put to the sword, but Mangalore held out until
the 9th of ]\Iarch, when it also capitulated. During the siege
the Boujbay squadron did good service, and it is recorded of ^Ir.
Hayes, then only fifteen years of age, that he commanded the
launch of the ' Bombay,' and in the most gallant manner cut out
from under the batteries two of the enemy's armed vessels.
After this the tide of success ebbed, and the British Army
met with considerable reverses. Bednore was recaptured,
Merjee and other forts were retaken, and, on the 28rd of ^lay,
Mangolore* was invested by a powerful army under Ti})])oo
* Ou the 23rd of January, the important city of Mangalore, to wliich Tippoo had
laid siege since the prcceduig May, with an army estimated at nearly ninety
thousand men, was surrendered to liim by Colonel Cam|)bell, who, having nobly
defended the place with only seven hundred Europeans, and two tliousand eight
hundred and fifty natives, marched to Tellicherry with the honours of war.
Before the conclusion of peace between the French and English, which, by the
withdrawal of the troops of tlie former, was one of the chief reasons that induced
Tippoo to accede to a cessation of hostilities, ilieir respective ileets, untlertlie two
great i-ivals, De Suiircin and iluglies, fought an action on the 2Uth of June, oil'
Cuddalore, in which the French Admiral escaped delcat only by his able tactics.
Hughes retired to Madras, leaving to its fate the British army besieging Cudda-
lore, which must have encountered defeat owing to the superiority of the combined
forces of Bussy and De Suii'rein, had not intelligence been received ot the conclu-
siou of peace. When we regard the cunslancy ths))la_)cd by Sir Edward Hughes