ordered immediate preparations to attack Pondicherry, the principal
seaport of the French. The army arrived before the place on the 8th
of August, and on the same day Commodore Sir Edward Vernon anchored
in the roads to blockade by sea. A French squadron, under Captain
Tronjoly, soon after appearing in the offing, Vernon gave chase, and
on the 10th an action ensued. The forces engaged were about equal, the
French, if anything, slightly superior; a 60-gun ship and four smaller
vessels being on each side. As the French then went into Pondicherry,
the immediate advantage may be conceded to them; but, Vernon returning
on the 20th, Tronjoly soon after quitted the roads, and returned to
the Ile de France.[136] From that day the British squadron blockaded
closely, and on the 17th of October Pondicherry capitulated.

On the 7th of March, 1779, Rear-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes sailed
for the East Indies with a small squadron. The French also sent out
occasional ships; but in 1779 and 1780 these went no further than the
Ile de France, their naval station in the Indian Ocean. Hughes's force
remained unopposed during those years. The period was critical, for
the British were at war with Hyder Ali, Sultan of Mysore, and with the
Mahrattas; and all depended upon command of the sea. In January, 1781,
when Hughes was wintering at Bombay, the French squadron under Comte
d'Orves appeared off the Coromandel coast, but, despite Hyder Ali's
entreaties, it refused to cooeperate with him. The different spirit of
the two commanders may be illustrated from contemporary documents.

"We have advices from Fort St. George of a French squadron
which appeared off that place on January 25, 26, and 27,
consisting of 1 seventy-four, 4 sixty-fours, and 2 fifties.
They proceeded south without making any attempt on five
Indiamen then in the roads, with a number of vessels laden
with grain and provisions; the destroying of which might have
been easily accomplished, and would have been severely felt."

"On December 8th, off Mangalore,"[137] writes Hughes, "I
saw two ships, a large snow, three ketches, and many smaller
vessels at anchor in the road with Hyder's flag flying; and,
standing close, found them vessels of force and all armed for
war. I anchored as close as possible, sent in all armed boats,
under cover of three smaller ships of war, which anchored in
four fathoms water, close to the enemy's s