Page:On the Coromandel Coast.djvu/199

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THE OLD GARRISON
187

ciently to preach to the soldiers with fluency, he never succeeded in emancipating himself from the German idiom when he wrote.

'Died and was buried William Power, son of a European, and formerly in our Charity (school). He used to get fits, and so was found dead the following day in the Ditch (moat), and buried by the Charity and School master. He has been afishing.'

Pohle died at the age of seventy-three (1818) and was buried at Trichinopoly in the fort churchyard. He laboured for forty-one years in the town and garrison, and there is no record of his having taken furlough or paid a visit to his native land. Although the Eev. Charles Ball was appointed chaplain to Trichinopoly in Pohle's lifetime (1798) he did not displace Pohle at the fort. Ball ministered to the troops at Warriore and in the new cantonment, where a church was afterwards built, and Pohle remained in charge of the small garrison that still continued to be quartered in the fort. He was the second chaplain of Trichinopoly.

The names of a number of officers commanding the different companies to which the men belonged 'are mentioned in the old Mission books, also the regiments. The 19th and 25th Dragoons, the 1st European Regiment, the 2nd Europeans, the 2nd Battalion European Artillery, the 2nd Battalion Coast Artillery, the 2nd Cavalry, the 4th European Infantry, the 78th, 102nd, 101st, 72nd, 52nd, 36th, 71st, 74th, 19th, 12th British Regiments, the 20th Battalion of Sepoys, the 19th, 7th, 13th, 23rd, 5th, 25th, 31st, 1st, and 16th Native Infantry formed part of the garrison in succession.

The old church in the fort was built through the exertions of Schwartz (1765-6). He was a man of great strength of character, possessing a strong personal charm which was felt by all who came into contact with him.