Nelli-Cotah

a fort situated about forty miles to the south of Tinivelly, in the East Indies. This fort has been rendered memorable by the manner in which it was carried by the English in 1755, and the barbarity with which a garrison was treated which had not killed a man and had called for quarter, and yet men, women, and children were ma acred. The detachment consisted of 100 Europe ans, and 300 sepoys, with two field pieces. These troops (to quote Mr. Orme’s words in his History of the Carnatic, page 386, book V.) set out at midnight and performed the march in 18 hours: the polygar, startled at the suddenne of their approach, sent out a deputy, who pretended he came to capitulate, and promised that his master would pay the money demanded of him in a few days; but suspicions being entertained of his veracity, it was determined to detain him as a pledge for the execution of what he had promised, and he was accordingly delivered over to the charge of a guard. The troops were so much fatigued by the exce ive march they had just made, that even the advanced centinels could not keep awake; and the deputy perceiving all the soldiers who were appointed to guard him, fast asleep, made his escape out of the camp, and returned to the fort; from whence the polygar had sent him only to gain time, in order to make the nece ary preparations for his defence. This being discovered early in the morning, it was determined to storm the place, of which the defences were nothing more than a mud wall with round towers. The troops had not brought any scaling ladders, but the outside of the wall was sloping, and had many clefts worn in it by the rain, so that the a ault, although hazardous, was neverthele practicable. It was made both by the Europe ans and the sepoys with undaunted courage, in several parties at the same time; each of which gained the parapet without being once repulsed, when the garrison retired to the buildings of the fort, where they called out for quarter; but the soldiers, put all they met to the sword, not excepting the women and children; suffering only six persons, out of four hundred, to escape alive: shameful to relate, the troops and officers who bore the greatest part in this shocking barbarity, were the bravest of English men, having most of them served under colonel Lawrence, on the plains of Tritchinopoly: but those who contemplate human nature will find many reasons, supported by examples, to di ent from the common opinion, that cruelty is incompatible with courage.