"حياة ومراسلات اللواء السير جون مالكوم، قائد فرسان وسام الطُهر، المبعوث السابق إلى بلاد فارس وحاكم بومباي؛ من رسائل ومذكرات غير منشورة. في مجلّدين. المجلد II." [‎٢‎٩‎٢] (٦٥٤/٣٠٩)

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loss. " They are such bad marksmen in this fort," wrote
Malcolm on the following day to his wife, " that there
is no chance of a skull of such conformation as mine
being cracked. I have no opinion either of the garrison
or the commander, and we have means enough to blow
them and their work off the face of the earth." He was
busy then establishing his batteries for an attack on the
lower fort. " I have had no sleep for twenty-four hours,"
he wrote on that day to Mr. John Adam; "to-nightI
trust we shall finish an eight-gun battery and two for
twelve howitzers and mortars. These belong to the west,
or my side the fort."
On the evening of that day the besieged made a sally
on the works which we were erecting in the town, but the
batteries were sufficiently completed on the 20th to open
with some effect on the lower fort. The enemy, how
ever, poured down again into the streets of the town,
and killed one of our field-officers before they were
repulsed. Still the play of our batteries was not inter
rupted ; it was continued throughout the night, and on
the next day a breach was practicable. Upon this the
enemy retired to the upper fort; but a calamitous ex
plosion in one of our batteries, which destroyed nearly a
whole • company of Sepoys, emboldened the garrison to
return to the lower works, which they continued to
occupy for some time.
There was then a lull in our operations. General
Doveton was waiting for the heavy battering-guns from
Saugur; and although we could still annoy the enemy by
our fire, we could do little to advance the progress of the
siege. " I have the charge of the attack on the western
face of this fortress," wrote Malcolm to Lord Hastings
on the 25 th of March. "We are going on slowly till
General Doveton is ready to commence on the north-east