to war, muft expofe that government in particular, and the Company's affairs and poffeffions in general, at a time when Hyder Ally and the French were only waiting for the proper opportunity to wreak all their vengeance upon the English.

The fupreme council, however, confirmed the conduct of Bombay, in difavowing the treaty or convention of Worgaum. But fome pacific difpofition, notwithstanding, now appeared; and Colonel Goddard was endued with full powers for entering into a negociation with the Marattas; and for a renewal or confirmation, or both, of the Poorunder treaty; but with a strict article against the admiffion in any manner of the French, or the entering into any connection whatever with that nation; and an inviolable determination declared, not to give up any of the new conquefts or acceffions. It had been previously laid down, as a general pofition not to be departed from in the council, that the Marattas ought to be fully fatisfied with the poffeffion of Ragonaut Row; and that they had no right to claim or to expect any farther conceflion in confequence of the late convention.

But with thefe pacific appearances, if fuch they may be confidered, it was at the fame time determined to renew the negociation with Moodajee Boofla, and to urge that prince by every motive to accede to the propofed treaty. Every poffible preparation for a renewal or carrying on of war was likewife made; and the first brigade, which had for fome time been waiting on the banks of the Jumna for that event, was now fupplied

with artillery, ammunition, and all other neceflaries, in order to be enabled to enter the Maratta countries, and proceed to action at the fhorteft notice. Other divifions of troops in the most advanced or fuitable ftations, were alfo ordered to be in conftant readinefs for motion or service.

Under the various circumstances we have feen, exclufive of a far greater number relative to the fame fubject which cannot come within our obfervation, it can excite no furprize that the following paffages of complaint or reprehenfion fhould, along with many others, appear in fome of the letters which had been written in the name of the Paifhwa to the governor-general, even before the late Bombay expedition; namely, "When the government of Bom"bay, in former times, put on "the mafk of friendship for the

แ

66

66

purposes of deceit, and aided "the enemy of this government, regarding you, Sir, as fuperior to all the other chiefs, I made peace and friendship with you; "and thefe are the fruits pro"duced by this friendship." "You write, that the maintaining of friendship and strict

66

other, without confulting him beforehand; and thereby to caufe trouble and diftrefs to the "people. To what rule of friendfhip can be attributed the fta"tioning garrifons, and the raifing "of money in the country of "the other party? What has "happened is then agreeable to English faith."-He concludes with the following declaration: "From the commencement of the "authority of the family of the "Paifhwa, they have entered into "treaties with many of the chiefs, "both of the Eaft and of the "Weft, and have never before "experienced fuch a want of faith "from any one; nor ever, to the prefent time, deviated from their "engagements, nor been wanting "in the duties of friendship and "alliance. The blame refts with "you.'

was

was

Colonel Goddard, * who about this time advanced to the rank of brigadier-general, highly careffed at Bombay, appointed to a deliberative feat in their councils, and feems to have entered very fpeedily into the fpirit of that prefidency, to which his military fituation and habits no doubt contributed. Before he entered upon the duties of his new office as plenipotentiary, he communicated to Calcutta an account of the diftracted ftate of the Maratta affairs, the diffentions by which the court of Poonah was torn to pieces, and pointed.out the great advantages that might be derived from that fituation. He did not extend his views fo far for the present as to a total revolution in the Poonah government, but thewed the weak Itate of the Maratta frontier on the quarter where be commanded, and pointed out

the ease with which valuable conquefts might be made, particularly on the Guzerat fide, during this feafon of weakness and inteftine disorder.

In the mean time, he notified to the court of Poonah the powers and inftructions he had received for accommodating matters; but before an answer could be returned, the old torch of difcord fuddenly and unexpectedly blazed up again between the parties, Ragonaut Row having made his efcape from the cuftody of Madajee Sindia, and flying in the beginning of June, for refuge and protec tion to General Goddard's camp near Surat. It appears that Bombay, fmarting under a sense of the cenfure arifing from the late miffortune, did not choose to hazard the charge of embroiling matters farther, by receiving Ragonaut at a time when a fcheme of accommodation had been adopted and was propofed to the Marattas. Thus, however unwilling to lofe him, they were in the prefent delicate circumstances glad to fhift the reíponsibility to Goddard: while Ragonaut himself could not conceal how much he would have preferred a renewal of the connection with them to a dependence on the fupreme council.

It was only a little before Ragonaut's efcape that the Paithwa and Madajee Sindia had written to the prefidency of Bombay, informing them of their immediate preparation and intention of marching against Hyder Ally, hoping fufficiently to avenge all the in juries they had received from him; and at the fame time expreffing the moft earneft defire of amicably fettling all differences with the British government.

The

The protection afforded to Ragonaut by General Goddard was approved of at Calcutta, and the former was affured of its continuance; but his political fituation with refpect to the Company was totally altered. All ideas of adopting his projects of revolution, and of fupport in his ambitious defigns were at an end; and he was now confidered only as an inftrument that might be rendered in fome degree ufeful, whether in renewing the war, or in fettling the terms of peace. It was, however, determined, that whenever the latter event took place, a fuitable provifion fhould be made for him by the Marattas, and to be paid to him at whatever place he fhould choofe to refide. So widely were things now changed from what he had experienced at Bombay, that the allowance of 50,000 rupees a month (fomething about 60001. fterling) allotted for his fupport by General Goddard, was highly difapproved of by the fupreme council: and that commander was ordered to reduce it within very narrow limits. Rago'naut's character was marked by the inftructions given with refpect to his being protected, which was limited to his not forfeiting the right to it by any act of infidelity, and his not making any attempt to defeat the effects of the negociation with the Ma

rattas.

The unexpected arrival of Ragobah in the British camp, and the protection neceffarily afforded to him as a fugitive, was early announced at the court of Poonah. That government, however, agreed to fend agents to the camp, in order to open the negociations with General Goddard. This,

however, was flowly done; and fome fymptoms began to appear, which feemed to indicate that the defire of accommodation on that fide was by no means growing ftronger. The agents did not ar rive in the camp until the middle of Auguft; and fo much time was loft through the fending of meffengers to Poonah upon every difficulty that arofe, together with the very flow return of anfwers from thence, that the negociation was fpun out, without any point being conclufively fettled.

In the mean time, all the hopes of an alliance with Moodajce Boofla were now as totally fruftrated as they had been in the first inftance. General profeffions of friendship and good-will were all that could be obtained from that prince,-excepting indeed advice, of which he was by no means fparing. This conftantly tended to a fpeedy accommodation with the court of Poonah; the wifdom and even neceffity of which he took no small pains to explain. He was uncommonly earnest upon this fubject; offering to be himself both the mediator and guarantee; and engaging effectually to fettle the differences, and to cure all the jealoufies on both fides,-The refufal of his mediation was not likely to increase his attachment.

In the mean time the foundations were laying down of that dangerous league, which was to combine all the princes of any confideration and power in India, in a general confederation for the downfal of the Company, and the final extermination of the English. It required a long feries of meafures and events, tending to irritation, jealoufy, and alarm, and to

infufe an idea, not of partial, but of general danger, to unite fuch diordant interefts and hoftile difpofitions in any fcheme of reciprocal benefit and mutual action. Of these too many instances were unhappily afforded. Some we have feen; others did not come within the line of our arrangement. Hiring out the Company's troops for the extermination of the Rohilla nation; the motives which caused the elevation of Sujah Dowla to great additions of wealth, power, and dominion; together with the ftripping of the Mogul of the stipend which had been allotted to him by themfelves as a tribute for the king dom of Bengal, although the fanction of his name and authority, which they obtained by it, Was of infinitely greater value to them in the government of the country: thefe, with other charges of a fimilar nature, were held out, in the public confultations of the native chiefs, to fhew the dangers to be apprehended from a people whom they reprefented as being fo perfidious and rapacious, that they trampled upon all laws, human and divine, which food in the way of their ambition or interest.

The repeated and continued breach of faith with the Marattas, could not but renew every fenfe of past or more diftant grievance, and increase the general odium and alarm, even with those who had no intereft in, or who were even perhaps adverse to that people. It was natural to others to conclude, that they might themselves experience a fimilar treatment. The extraordinary march of the army across India, excited a general alarm with re VOL. XXV.

fpect to the ambitious defigns of the Company, as the utter expul fion of the French did with `regard to the dangerous extent of its power. It would have required no fall degree of prudence, moderation, and caution, to have obviated the effects of that event, independent of all other caufes of jealoufy and alarm

His

It feems fcarcely credible that both the fidelity and the fecrecy of the court of Berar fhould have been fo fingularly eminent, as that the Nizam, Soubah of the Deccan, fhould have received no manner of intelligence, either at or after the time that he was himself one of the facrifices propofed in the treaty with Moodajee Boofla. Yet, fingular as it is, neither in enumerating the causes which induced him to become the founder of the league against the English, nor upon any other occafion, did the Nizam ever throw out a hint of this nature. oftenfible causes were, befides his fhare in the general apprehenfion, the close friendship, connection, and alliance between him and the Poonah government; the mortal animofity he bore to Ragonaut Row, whom he defcribed as 66 an "invincible villain, and utterly "incapable of faith;" the fenfe of injury and injuftice, in which he fo ftrongly regarded the conduct of the Bombay government, as to attribute the lofs of their army to the immediate interpofition of Providence, in condemning the unjust to fall into their own fhares s together with the immediate perfonal injuries which he charged to the government of Madras, It appears that Moodajee Boolla had [C]

early

turn.

However it was, General Goddard found, or fuppofed reafon for queftioning Sindia's fincerity in every respect. He fufpected that mere delay was not his object in holding out thefe inconclufive terms of accommodation, as he difcovered that he was at the time holding a fecret correfpondence with Govind Row, a refractory and difaffected brother of Futty Sing's; and had not only promifed him affiftance in the fupport of whatever his views were, but had actually received him in his camp. This, with fome other inftances of duplicity, rendered the general exceedingly alert in endeavouring to bring Sindia to action; but he found him fo watchfully upon his guard, that furprize was impracticable; and fo cautious, that he would not voluntarily hazard a battle.

Even this negociation with Govind Row (which produced no manner of effect, and feemed capable of little) by no means affords a fatisfactory explanation with refpect to what we have ob. ferved of Sindia's conduct. General Goddard, after various manœuvres and forced marches to bring the enemy to action, and till convinced of the neceffity of

rapid incurfions by driving them to a guarded distance, as well as to wear away the memory and effects of the late mifadventure at Worgaum, at length, leaving his tents ftanding, and all incumbrances behind, he advanced with fuch rapidity, with the cavalry, grenadiers, artillery, and the most alert parts of his army, that the Maratta caution could no longer prevail, and they were compelled to stand an engagement.

April 3d, 1780.

Goddard, having paffed their principal guards with great dexterity, fell in without hefitation upon their camp. The artillery did excellent fervice, and made great havock among their numerous and crouded cavalry; at the fame time that he conducted the different attacks with fuch boldness, rapidity, and judgment, that in about an hour they were thrown into diforder, and foon after obliged to retreat, and, with very confiderable lofs, totally to abandon their ground. The fuperiority of difcipline and a wellferved artillery, to courage and numbers, has feldom been better exemplified.

Aftrong fenfe of the late difgrace, and an eager defire to retrieve the honour, and to establish the fuperiority of the British arms, fremed at this time to operate very generally, and with great force, upon the British officers; and even the fepoys, though fighting against their countrymen, icemed fully fenfible of that pride of diftinction which the French diftinguifh by the term of l'efprit de corps. On the other hand, the

Marattas