THE TOLICY OF LA BOURDONNA1S. that at the peace, the surrender of this place would form one of the articles of the treaty, the King will restore it, and the Company will have no advantage from it." Against the second plan, the destruction of the place, he argued, that it would be impossible to prevent the English from establishing on the coast some other em- porium equally tit for their purpose, and at a less ex- pense than they would now willingly pay for the ransom of Madras. He then added that his opinion was strongly in favour of that plan, and that there would be no difficulty in carrying it out, as Governor Morse was ready to give bills on England for the amount de- manded, and to make over eight or ten hostages till payment had been made. This letter, with the capitu- lation accompanying, was sent to Pondichery by M. Paradis, then commanding the Pondichery contingent. On the following day, La Bourdonnais wrote a short note to Dupleix, summarising his arguments, and beg- ging that he might be furnished with the idea of the Governor-General as to the manner in which Madras should be treated ;* and on the 25th, he sent a formal reply to a letter he had received from the Superior Council of Pondichery thanking him in the name of the nation for the difficulties, the cares, the labours, the fatigues, he had experienced and overcome — which con- tained this remarkable expression : " I have received the gracious letter you have done me the honour to write me on the subject of the taking of Madras ; after the thanks you have to render on that account to the eminence and prerogative, and to all the appointments ordered by the Company." Further, all the officers and servants of the Crown and clerks of the Company were ordered to re- cognise the said Sieur Dupleix in the said quality of Governor and Pre- sident of the Superior Council, and to obey him, without contravention in any sort or manner on pain of dis- obedience." The orders of October, 1745, were even more categorical in their assertion of the supreme autho- rity of the Governor of Pondichery on Indian soil.
- Dated September 24, 1746. The
actual words were " Faites moi done, Monsieur, un plan suivi de la facon dont vous pensez que je doive traiter cette ville ; " a request which shows very plainly that no positive engage- ments to ransom the town had been entered into on the 21st.
