would push their insolence.  That day we picked up 40 cannon-balls, and our whole loss was one boatman slightly wounded in the leg.  From 4 o’clock till night the enemy’s fire was continued, but at long intervals.  It began again the next morning.  I suffered this as on the previous day for a couple of hours, at the end of which.  I fired several shots and silenced it.  My firing seemed to trouble the enemy more than I expected it would.  One of my boats was sunk by a cannon-ball, several were pierced through, and my rezai, which used to serve me as a coat, was much damaged.

“The succeeding days passed much in the same manner until the 3rd of February, when, on the same bank and to the north above my fleet, I saw a new entrenchment, which had been thrown up during the preceding night.  Its batteries enfiladed mine along their whole length.  It was necessary either to risk everything by making a sortie in order to destroy it, or to arrange terms.  I determined on the latter, which appeared to me all the more necessary, as I was beginning to be in want of everything, and as I had just received letters which deprived me of all hope of the arrival of our forces in Bengal until April or May.  I therefore informed Sheikh Faiz Ulla that I was ready to enter upon negotiations, and the same day he sent me some of his people, with whom I agreed to leave my entrenchments and go down the river.  I consented to do this without hostages, but, that it might be done in security, I promised them a sum of money for themselves as well as for their general.  This arrangement being agreed to by Sheikh Faiz Ulla, he sent me word that, in order that he might not appear to betray his master, it would be necessary for me next morning to open the fiercest fire possible on his camp; that he would reply; that on both sides it should be with the intention of doing as little hurt as possible; that I should pretend it was to force him to give me a passport, which he would send me in the evening; and that I should then send him the money I had promised.  All these precautions were only to assist his rascality, and they appeared to me all the more surprising, as he had already repeatedly informed me that he had his master’s permission to give me a passport, and to let me go where I pleased.  But of what are these Moors not capable?  Without being blind to the continuance of his perfidy, I flattered myself that it might happen that he would not trouble me on my march when he had received my money.

“However this might be, my cannon fired from 10 in the morning till 3 in the evening.  Our people, perceiving that the enemy were firing in earnest, did not spare them any more than they spared us, and that which was at first, on our side, only a pretence, finally became serious.  At 4 o’clock I received an envoy, who brought me the passport, and to whom I paid the money.  He assured me that I might embark my artillery the next morning, and set out the day after without