Their loss,
however, was over a thousand, while that of the French was not more
than a third of that number.
"During that year there was little fighting down here. A Bombay force,
however, under the command of General Matthews, captured Bednore; but
Tippoo hastened against him with a great force, besieged Bednore, and
forced it to surrender, after a desperate defence. Tippoo violated the
terms of capitulation, and made the defenders prisoners. Bangalore was
next besieged by him, but resisted for nearly nine months, and only
surrendered in January, 1784.
"Tippoo had, by this time, lost the services of his French
auxiliaries, as England and France had made peace at home.
Negotiations between Tippoo and the English went on till March, when a
treaty was signed. By its provisions, Tippoo should have handed back
all his prisoners. He murdered large numbers of them, but 1000 British
soldiers, and 1600 Sepoys obtained their liberty. No one knows how
many were retained of the number, calculated at 200,000, of natives
carried off from the countries overrun by Hyder's troops. Only 2000
were released.
"More British would doubtless have been freed, had it not been for the
scandalous cowardice of the three men sent up, as British
commissioners, to Tippoo.
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