of Dupleix may be imagined, when, instead of De la Touche and his men, information reached him that the ship which was conveying them to India, the Prince, had been destroyed by fire with all on board.
This was indeed a blow sufficient to daunt the boldest. During the second half of 1752 Dupleix had improvised resources to make head against the preponderance which the surrender of Law had given to his enemies. He had done this confident that the succeeding year would witness the transference of the preponderance to himself. In that hope he had laboured to detach from the English the most powerful of their native allies, had made soldiers of the crews of the merchant vessels, had drawn largely upon his own private financial resources; and, but for the precipitancy of De Kerjean, would have almost neutralised the effects of the surrender of Srirangam. When the 700 troops under De la Touche should join the 360 still at Pondichery, he would be able to range against the enemy upwards of 1000 men, commanded by a man from whom he was justified in expecting great results. And now, by an accident which he could neither have foreseen nor prevented, he was deprived of these succours which would have given him that superiority. He was to meet the new year with but 360 European troops, whilst the English could put 700 into the field. He was to meet it still without a general, whilst the English had Stringer Lawrence. He was to meet it knowing that he was
