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Marattas could not but be greatly Fortune, as ufual, bedipirited by this defeat, which friended boldnefs when May 3d. fo effectually tended to destroy rightly directed. The Marattas all confidence in a fuperiority of were routed, and driven out of number. their camp before they could well recollect their fituation; and their own cannon turned upon the fugitives, before they had an idea of their being hoftile. No rout could be more complete, or victory, fo far as it went, more decifive. The Maratta commander, with a great number of his men, were left dead on the ground. The camp, with every thing it contained, were in the hands of the victors.

Captain Campbell, on his return loon after from a distant foraging expedition, with two battalions of fepoys, four field-pieces, and a large convoy of provifions, was either waylaid or overtaken by Sindia, at the head, it is faid, of twenty thousand men. It will not at all affect Campbell's reputation, nor lessen our opinion, any more than the real gallantry of his troops, to fuppofe that they had a fair choice of ground well fuited to their condition, and calculated for defence. However that was, he formed his detachment and placed his artillery to fuch advantage, that he repulfed Sindia with the lofs of five or fix hundred of his men, and brought his convoy off unimpaired and in triumph. It was oblerved in this action, that the fire of the flank companies was peculiarly deftructive to the enemy: a circumstance which, in a great measure, must have depended upon fome peculiarity of fituation.

In the fame prevalent spirit of the time, Lieutenant Walth being detached with a regiment of cavalry and a battalion of fepoys, to furprize a camp of fix thousand Marattas, he found on his march, that if he waited for the infantry, ⚫ the defign must be entirely fruftrated, as it would be open day before he could reach the enemy's camp. Thus circumstanced, he, with that decifive turn of mind which is the true fign of military genius, at once determined to put all to iffue

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The campaign was clofed by a fimilar action under the conduct of Major Forbes, who, with two battalions of fepoys, furprized and routed a body of 7000 Marattas. The approach of the rainy feafon obliged the hoftile armies to go into winter quarters. thing could redound more to the honour of the commander in chief, of the officers in general, and of the troops, nor ferve to impress a ftronger idea of the decided fuperiority of the British arms, than the events of this fhort campaign.

Some brilliant fervice was likewife performed on the side of Bengal. Major Popham having, in confequence of the late treaty, gone to the relief of the Ranna of Ghod, with a very difproportioned force in point of number, not only drove the Marattas out of that country, but purfuing them into their own, made fuch an acceflion of territory as, if it could have been retained, would prove of confiderable value.

They, however, ftill retained the impregnable fortrefs of Gua[C] 4 lier,

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but that he had himself no right to the lands of which he was fuppofed to have made à ceffion.

Some farther ule was now, however, intended to be made of this chief, with respect to the propofed Conqueft, or divifion of the Guzefat; but whether this related to the military affiftance he might give, to the appearance of right that might be derived from his claims, or to both, does not perfectly appear. However that might be, Fucty Sing was fo little difpofed to accept of the advantageours conditions held out to him by the propofed treaty of alliance, that the first military movement made by General Goddard was the paffing of the Tappee, on the fecond day of the year 1780, in order that his approach might ftimulate that prince to a fpeedy determination.

The reduction of the fortrefs and territory of Dubhoy, appertaining to the Paifhwa, was the oftenfible motive of this move ment, which otherwife muft have been confidered as directly hoftile to Fatty Sing himfelf, as it was the highway to his capital of Brodera, where he immediately refided. Dubhoy, with its district, were reduced without much difficulty: but neither the fuccefs nor vicinity of the army, nor the acknowledged talents of General Goddard in negociation, were fuffi cient to induce Fatty Sing to accede with a good grace to the propofed alliance. His difficulties were, however, at length furmounted, and by the end of the month the treaty was figned, for the allotted divifion of the Guzerat between the parties, and the perpetual exclufion of the Poonah government.

The army being reinforced by Futty Sing's cavalry, General Goddard marched to Feb. 15th, Befiege the city of Ah- 1780. medabad, the capital of the Guzerat. This place, of fo much importance, was taken by form, in only five days after the appearance of the army before it. The reduction of the capital was immediately followed by that of the rest of the province; and Futty Sing being placed in the government at Ahmedabad by the general, then proceeded to pafs grants to his creators, of thofe districts which they yet chofe to keep in their own hands. He likewife granted the privilege to the Company of establishing a factory at Ahmedabad: a favour, from whatever caufe, which there was no great difpofition at present to receive at his hands.

The policy intended to be ob ferved with refpect to this prince, feemed to be of the fame nature with that which had of late been in the ufual courfe of practice with others. The general, whó was by no means unfucceísful in grafting upon the character of the foldier that of the politician, recommended delay in the final fettlement of the province, until all the great objects of the war fhould be fecured, left any difputed claims fhould excite jealouty or apprehenfion in Futty Sing; for whofe fervices at prefent they had much occafion. The prefidency of Bombay were more explicit: they complained to the governorgeneral and council of the diftribution of the province, the Company's portion, in their opinion, being by no means adequate to her rights or pretenfions; they

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therefore advised, from their own knowledge of Futty Sing's charafter, that the board would not give a hafty or definitive ratification to the treaty, without at leaft a guarded referve, for a new and equitable fettlement to be hereafter provided.

Before the immediate fettlement of the province had well taken place, Sindia and Holkar arrived with an army, and feemed to be directing their courfe towards Surat. General Goddard, by feveral forced marches, prevented their defign; and having reached their encampment on the 8th of March, intended to attack them in the night. He was most unexpectedly diverted from this defign, by a letter which he received from Mr. Farmer, one of the gentlemen who was left an hoftage at Worgaum, and was now in the enemy's camp, informing him of the friendly profeffions made by both thofe chiefs, and of their with to be on amicable terms with the English.

fame time wifhing to receive proposals from the general for an accommodation, on fuch terms as might be conducive to the views and interefts of both parties, Goddard declined fending thefe propofals; but defired to be made acquainted with the fentiments of Sindia, who was the best judge, in what manner, a new fettlement of the government of Poonah might be effected with most ease and advantage,

After fome inexplicit letters of friendly profeffion, Sindia at length commiffioned his vackeel to open and explain his propofitions, which, it is faid, were evidently calculated to get Ragobah and his fon into his own poffeffion, and thereby to aggrandize himself in the ftate without any regard to the interefts of the English. Thefe were immediately rejected, and the vacked difmiffed with an af furance, that the English would put no reftraint upon Ragobah, nor rifque the fafety of his fon; and, before they put the power of the state into his master's hands, they would expect fome conditions in their own favour, though they were entirely difpofed to a fair accommodation.

Upon the whole, the conduct of Sindia in this tranfaction, feems, in the prefent ftate of information, very inexplicable. The giving

Thefe favourable difpofitions feemed confirmed on the following day, by the arrival of Mr. Farmer and Captain Stewart, the two hoftages, in the camp, who had been freely enlarged by Madajee Sindia, and difcharged from all obligations on account of the treaty of Worgaum. They were accompanied by a vackeel, or con- up of the hoftages, if it had been fidential meffenger, from that com- followed by no interested propo mander, who affured General God- fals, must have been confidered as dard, that Sindia's enmity to Nana an act of generofity. But it is Furnese, the Maratta regent, was fearcely credible that Sindia could equal to that of the English, and have expected Ragobah and his defiring an explanation of their fon to be given up in the manner defigns with respect to the Paishwa he propofed, and without his holdand himself, confidered diftinctly ing out any conditions adequate from that minifter; and at the to fuch a conceffion, accompanied

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early apprized the governor-gene- attacks against Oude, Allahabad, ral, that the Nabob Nizam, and other provinces in that quar"and others alfo, who were all ter. The grand outline of war"alarmed at the encroachments fare was laid in the following "of the English in the Deccan, manner:-Hyder and the Nizam 46 were waiting a favourable op- were to attack the Carnatic and "portunity to repel them." the Northern Circars; the Marattas were to direct their force on the fide of Surat and Guzerat; and Moodajee Boofla was to invade Bengal with the greatest army he could raife.

The Marattas found themselves pretty early in the year reduced to the following alternative, either to accommodate matters in the best manner they could with the Englifh, and to take a full vengeance It is not certain how far the of Hyder Ally for all their loffes, latter was a willing, or even a or, if that was found imprac- free agent in this confederacy. He ticable, to make peace with Hy- has fince pleaded compulfion. He der, and to join their forces with faid, that his army being difbandhis against the former. Hyder ed, he was threatened with immehimself opened this ground early diate invafion, both by the Nizam to them, by an offer of paying a and the Marattas; fo that he had Jarge fum of money to them as no other means of faving his an indemnification, a confiderable country from ruin than by an aptribute for the conquered coun- parent compliance. It would altries, and his whole force to aflist most seem, indeed, that it was fo them against the common enemy. understood by the Company. Cer They were, however, fo ftrongly tain it is, that the part he took inclined to the first part of the in the war fhewed no marks either alternative, that no anfwer was of zeal or vigour. He was, in the returned to Hyder's propofitions; first inftance, unaccountably flow while the efcape of Ragobah, in the outfet of his army; and with various other circumstances, the time was fo oddly chofen, that continually threw new difficul- it did not arrive near the borties in the way of an accommodation with the English.

The Nizam at length decided the conduct of all the parties; peace was fuddenly concluded between the Marattas and Hyder, and the grand league of confederation against the English formed. The principal parties were, the Nizam, Marattas, Hyder Ally, and Moodajee Boofla; while Nud

Cawn, and other chiefs on the western fide of India, were invited to accede to the confederacy, and to make the confufion and danger general, by directing their

ders of Bengal until the rainy feafon was just fetting in, which, however difpofed for action, must have rendered it for feveral months of neceflity inactive. And fo far was any hoftility afterwards from taking place between the parties, that the fuppofed invader would have been in danger of ftarving, if it had not been for the kind fupply of provifions with which he was furnished from Bengal, and by which the kindnefs fhewn to General Goddard's army on the Nerbudda was returned.

After much correfpondence be

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tween Surat and Poonah, and fome defenfive, between the Company peremptory meffages from the and the Ranna of Gohud, or former, charging paft delay, and Ghod, a petty prince, whofe infifting upon immediate and de- mountainous territories lie cifive answers to the specified propofitions made by General Goddard, the negociations were at length abruptly broken off in the month of November, by a declaration from the Maratta agent, in the name of his mafter, that he would not accede to any propofals made, or conclude a peace with the English, unlets the delivery of Ragonaut Row, and the reftoration of Salfette to the Maratta government, were laid down as preliminaries.

the Maratta fide of the Jumna, and the greater part of which were then poffeffed by some of their troops.

The preparations for war, already in forwardness, were now everywhere quickened on the fide of the Company. Bombay, which had ftipulated with Goddard for the fhare it was to poffefs of the new conquefts, fupplied him with its whole force, excepting what was merely neceffary for the garrifon defence of their own ifland; but that prefidency totally declined being in any degree refponfible, either for the intended meafures or their confequences; and at the fame time declared their utter inability to contribute in the smallest degree to the expences of the war. The government of Madras, who confidered this war as fraught with every degree of danger and ruin to all the fettlements, were notwithstanding obliged to fend a very valuable and effective part of that force which they were foon to experience the want of, to the aid of the Surat army. On the other fide, the governorgeneral and fupreme council concluded an alliance, offenfive and

The want of money, operating along with their ufual internal di vifions, rendered the preparations on the fide of the Marattas exceedingly flow, and their military operations languid and ineffective; whilft the great pecuniary refources which were yet in the hands of the Company's fervants, could not fail to give great energy and effect to their enterprize.

The Maratta family of Guiacawar, held fome confiderable poffeffions under the Paifhwa, on the western borders of the Guzerat, and pointing from thence towards the Indus, the boundary of Hindoftan on that fide. In the first Bombay war, difputes then prevailing in that family with respect to the fucceffion, the pretenfions of Futty Sing Guiacawar were favoured by the English, in oppofition to thofe of the other claimants. Such fort of fervices are feldom fuppofed to proceed from difinterested motives. The tranf actions are by no means clear; but ceffions of lands to a confiderable value in the Guzerat, were by fome means obtained from Futty Sing; and the claim, to fome of them at leaft, was afterwards fupported in the Poorunder treaty, and became the principal article in reference to future enquiry which was then left undecided. Futty Sing afterwards declared, that his fignature was not only extorted by force, [C] a

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