South India’s history: When French and English trading companies fought for control of Cuddalore

The fundamental weakness of the French was the lack of a naval force to oppose the English naval dominance in Indian waters. [French Governor Joseph] Dupleix summed up the ground situation categorically in a rare letter that squeezed through the English blockade. After lobbing a few verbal grenades at La Bourdonnais, he concluded: “Up to now, the enemy’s policy has been to destroy our commerce completely and to safeguard their posts. They have been thoroughly successful in the first design and … they are still masters of the sea and are careful not to let us communicate by water … if the Company intends to carry on commerce, it can only do so by keeping a permanent fleet in the Indies and there is no use sending ships to take cargoes which we are unable to amass …”

Dupleix also knew that he had to neuter this advantage by decisively beating the English on land. Though the news of the destruction of the French relief fleet at Finisterre had trickled in, buoyed by the food situation in Pondicherry, Dupleix wanted to cash in on Griffin’s temporary absence on the coast. Hence, the French rang in 1748 with yet another sortie towards Fort...

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