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HISTORY OF THE IXDIAX NAVY. 453
essential service, and relieved the garrison considerably." The
enemy's war-boats appeared still in considerable numbers, and,
on the 7th of December, made a final attempt to fire the ships
of war. They were very busy all the morning constructing the
fire-rafts, and, with the strong ebb, brought them down in
such numbers that they stretched "nearly across the river, and
consisted of upwards of twenty-six rafts and eight large boats
all lashed together : but they were afraid to venture very near,
and fired them earlier, so that the squadron sufl'ered no injury."
At noon the British troops assaulted the enemy's lines, and
]\Iaha Binidoola's vaunted soldiery were driven panic-stricken
from their entrenchments with the loss of five thousand men
and two hundred and forty guus.
Sir Archibald Campbell, in his despatch of the 8th of
December, speaks in high praise of the conduct of the officers
and men of the Royal Navy and of the Company's Marine, during
the six days' heavy fighting since the 1st of December. He
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says : "A division of the enemy broke ground in front of Kem-
mendine, and for six successive days tried in vain every efi'ort
that hope of success and dread of failure could call forth to
drive the brave 2Gth and a handfid of Europeans from this post,
while tremendous fire-rafts and crowds of war-boats were every
day employed in the equally vain endeavour to drive the
shipping from their station off the place." Further on he
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says: "The attacks upon Kemmendine continued with un-
abated violence, but the unyi(;lding spirit of ^lajor Yates and his
steady troops, although exhausted with fatigue and want of
rest, baffled every attempt on shore, and Captain llyves, with
H.M.S. ' Sophie,' the Hon. Company's cruiser ' Teignmouth,'
and sonje fiotilla and row-gunboats, nobly maintained the long-
established fame of the British Navy, in defending the passage
of the river against the most furious assaults of the enemy's
war-boats, advancing under cover of the most treuiendous lire-
rafts, which the unwearied exertions of British sailors ct»uld
alone have conquered."
Captain Chads, the senior naval officer, in liis despatch to Sir
Archibald Campbell, of the lOth of December, speaks in the
following ternjs of the conduct of the Company's ofiicers :
" In the attack on the enemy's war-boats, Lieutenant Kellett
speaks in high terms of the gallantry of Lieutenant Clarke,
and ^Ir. Boscawen, of the Hon. Company's cruiser ' Teign-
mouth,' and Mr. Lindcpiist, in charge of the row-boats; tliis
latter young officer 1 have also had reason to be much pleased
with."
The following is a ('ojiy of the proceedings of the Hon.
Company's row-gunboats, from the 2()th of Novendier to the
loth of Decend)er, 1.S24 ; from the former date u|) to the 2\nl
of December this portion of the fiotilla was engaged, under