Page:History of the French in India.djvu/197

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HIS SHIPS DISPERSED BY A HURRICANE.

175

CHAP. IV. 1746

place by the time proposed, and entered into reasons chap which showed how dangerous it would be to French interests to accede to the other conditions proposed.^[1]

But before this letter reached La Bourdonnais, an unforeseen event had cut the more than Gordian knot which neither party could agree to untie. In his letter of October 11 addressed to Dupleix, La Bourdonnais had remarked — " What we have most against us, is the monsoon ; I can stay here very well till the 20 th, per- haps even to the 25th, if the weather continues favour- able." On the following day he wrote — u Already the northerly wind has set in, then follows, as you know, the decided necessity of quitting the place. ... I am writing to-day to each captain, giving them such orders, that in case the new moon and bad weather should compel them to put to sea, they may regain the coast afterwards." The next day, the 13th, was a lovely day, one of the finest of the season. During the night, however, there came on one of those hurricanes which periodically cause ruin and devastation along the Koro- mandel coast. The French vessels, with the exception of three— the " St. Louis," the " Lys," and the " B,e- nommee " — wdiich had been sent to Pondichery with a portion of the spoils of Madras, were in the roadstead loading. In addition to their crews, they had on board

↑ We extract the most salient passages from this letter of the Superior Council, dated Pondichery, October 14, 1746 : " M. Dupleix has communicated to us your letter of the 12th, with some articles which we have examined very attentively. Many reasons prevent us from being able to accede to them. The time to which you limit the evacuation of the place is not sufficient to enable us to make a division of the artillery, rigging, and the supplies, and to take them away. All that we can promise you, is to work as promptly as is for possible. .... "With respect to the hostages, letters of exchange, and bills, we are very willing to engage to receive them, on the understanding, that this acceptance on our part does not pass for an acquiescence in the articles which relate to them . . . . The roadstead of Madras cannot be open to the English during the division of the prize property; the English squadron has only to come there with five or six ships from Europe, as well as from India, and to disembark their crews gradually. It would thus be very easy, as you will see. for the English to take possession of Madras, at least to concentrate there a force of 2,000 Europeans. It this reason that we have inserted a paragraph that the roadstead of Madras must not be open to the English."

[1] We extract the most salient passages from this letter of the Superior Council, dated Pondichery, October 14, 1746 : " M. Dupleix has communicated to us your letter of the 12th, with some articles which we have examined very attentively. Many reasons prevent us from being able to accede to them. The time to which you limit the evacuation of the place is not sufficient to enable us to make a division of the artillery, rigging, and the supplies, and to take them away. All that we can promise you, is to work as promptly as is for possible. .... "With respect to the hostages, letters of exchange, and bills, we are very willing to engage to receive them, on the understanding, that this acceptance on our part does not pass for an acquiescence in the articles which relate to them . . . . The roadstead of Madras cannot be open to the English during the division of the prize property; the English squadron has only to come there with five or six ships from Europe, as well as from India, and to disembark their crews gradually. It would thus be very easy, as you will see. for the English to take possession of Madras, at least to concentrate there a force of 2,000 Europeans. It this reason that we have inserted a paragraph that the roadstead of Madras must not be open to the English."

[1]