'A voyage from England to India, in the year 1754, and an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, in the years 1755, 1756, 1757 ... Also a journey from Persia to England by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron, etc.' [‎129] (166/562)

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tlie fame time goc into thofe houfes which were neareft the fort, and i!f)m 1757*
thence greatly annoyed the enemy with their mufketry *.
The fire now became general on both fides, and was kept up with extra
ordinary fpirit. The flank guns of the S. W. baftion galled the Kent very
much, and the admiral's aid-de-camps being all wounded, Mr. JVatfon
went down himfelf to Lieutenant William Brereton, who commanded the
lower deck battery, and ordered him particularly to direft his fire againO:
thofe guns, and' they were accordingly foon afterwards filenced. At
eight in the morning, feveral of the enemy's fhot ftruck the Kent at the
fame time; one entered near the foremaft, and fet fire to two or three 32
pound cartridges of gunpowder, as the boys held them in their hands ready
to charge the guns. By the explofion, the wad-nets, and other loofe things,
took fire between decks, and the whole fhip was io filled with fmoke, that
the men in their confufion cried out, fhe was on fire in the gunner's flore-
room •, imagining from the fhock they had felt from the balls, that a fhell
had actually fallen into her. This notion ftruck a panic into the greatefl:
part of the crew, and 70 or 80 jumped out of the port-holes into the boats
that were a long fide the fhip. The French prefently faw this confufion on
board the Kent, and refolving to take the advantage, kept up as hot a fire
as poflible upon her during the whole time. Lieutenant Br ere ton however,
with the afliftance of feme other brave men, loon extinguifhed the fire,
and then running to the ports, he begged the feamen to come in again,
upbraiding them for deferting their quarters : but finding this had no
efFe6l upon them, he thought the more certain method of fucceeding
would be to ftrike them with a fenfe of fhame, and therefore loudly ex
claimed, " Are you Britons ? Tou Engli[hmen, and fly from danger ? For jhame,
for ,Jhame !" This reproach had the'defired effect •, to a man they imme
diately returned into the fliip, repaired to their quarters, and renewed a
fpirited fire on the enemy.
In about three hours from the commencement of the attack, the parapets
of the north and fouth baftions were almoft beaten down •, the guns were
moftly difmounted; and we-could plainly fee ftom the main top of the
Keni, that the ruins from the parapet and merlons had entirely blocked up
thole few guns which otherwile might have been fit for fervice. We could
eafily difcern too that there had been a great Daughter among the enemy;
who finding that our fire againft them rather >increafed, hung out the
white flag; Whereupon a ceffation of hoftilities took place, and the ad
miral fent Lieutenant Brereton (the only commilfion officer on board the
Kent that was not killed or wounded) and Captain Coote of the King's
* Our fliips lay fo near to the fort, that the mufket-balls fired from their tops, by flriking
againft the Chunam walls of the Governor's palace, which was in the very center of the tort,
were beaten as flat as a half-crown,
S regiment
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