17. Fighting continued for a time following the Treaty of Paris
In the spring of 1783, as part of the Anglo-Mysore War, the British decided to capture by siege or assault the town and port of Cuddalore, which had been taken by the forces of Hyder Ali earlier in the war. Troops marched from Madras to Cuddalore, where they were to be supported by the British fleet under Sir Edward Hughes, the same fleet which had been defeated at Trincomalee and other actions. The French fleet from Trincomalee, under Bailli de Suffren, the same officer who had led it in the earlier actions, arrived near Cuddalore in mid-June. The fleets maneuvered in variable winds before engaging on June 20, fighting an action of over three hours which inflicted casualties on both sides but little significant damage to the ships.
The battle was one of several which pitted the two commanders against each other, and neither had achieved a clear tactical victory against the other, although the French fleet disrupted several British operations in the Indian Ocean, including the siege of Cuddalore. The British forces began preparations to end the siege and withdraw to Madras. On June 29, 1783, a British vessel arrived at Cuddalore bearing news of the Treaty of Paris and the end of hostilities between France, Spain, the United States, and Great Britain. The war against the Dutch officially didn’t end with the Treaty of Paris, since the Dutch Republic had not allied itself with France and Spain (or the United States). It ended by separate treaty in 1784, though a provisional treaty was included in the Peace of Paris.