THE HOPELESS CONDITION OF LALLY 143

The English ships of war had now arrived, and sev- eral sharp though indecisive encounters with the French squadron had so damaged the French ships and dis- couraged their admiral, that in September, 1758, D'Ache withdrew, like Labourdonnais before him, to the Isle of France. Neither entreaties nor protests, nor the fury of Lally, could induce him to remain. We have seen that Lally, who saw and said plainly that the French could take no firm hold of the country until the English were beaten out of it, had summoned Bussy to join him from Haidarabad; but with Bussy 's depar- ture vanished all the French ascendency at the Nizam's court, where it was immediately supplanted by English influence and was never again restored. Bussy had now arrived, and strove by arguments of every sort, includ- ing something like bribery, to persuade Lally to permit him to return, with no better result than a rancorous quarrel, in which Bussy lost patience, became estranged, and made no effort whatever to avert the discomfiture of the unlucky general. Surrounded by obstacles, almost destitute of means, abhorred by the civil functionaries, and distrusted by the army, Lally marched desperately upon Madras, hoping to reduce it before the English fleet, which had withdrawn during the stormy season, should return to the coast. But the place had been strengthened and well victualled, while Lally was in great straits for men and money, with no hope of reinforcements: his troops were discouraged, and at Pondicherri he was much more hated than helped. A letter from a high Pondicherri