council, with refpect to the difpofal of their forces. All these terms were fufficiently favourable; but they were clogged with the difgraceful condition, that Mr. Farmer and another gentleman fhould remain as hoftages until the treaty was ratified at Bombay; and the island of Salfette, with the other conquered countries, reftored. The treaty being returned perfected to the Maratta camp, the articles, written in the English, Perfian, and Maratta languages, the whole confirmed by the Company's feal, and figned as we before abferved, the late enemy feut an immediate fupply of provifions to the Bombay army; through the want of which (our account says) they were reduced to the laft ftate of diftrefs. A body of Maratta horse conducted them back to the fea-fhore, and faw them on board the boats which reconveyed them to Bombay, CHA P. II. Situation and conduct of Moodajee Boola, the Rajah of Berar. General Goddard paffes the Nerbudda with the army, who are liberally fupplied with provifions and neceffaries in the dominions of Berar. Negociation with the Rajah, who refufes to accede to the conditions held out by the propofed treaty. General Goddard fets out on his march for Poonah; receives contradictory inftructions on the way, from the committee appointed to fuperintend the Bombay army; is met, by a minifter from the court of Poonah, who defires his return with the army to Bengal, in pursuance of the treaty of Worgaum: Goddard refuses to comply, and directs his courfe to Surat. Prefidency of Bombay difavow the treaty of Worgaum, and thereby expofe the hoflages to great apparent danger. New Schemes adopted for a revolution in the Maratta Government. Supreme council confirm the conduct of Bombay in difavoring the convention of Worgaum; but empower Goddard to negociate a treaty upon other terms with the Marattas. Great preparations at the fame time made for war, and a renewal of the negociation with Moodajee Boola determined. Strong complaints made by the court of Poonah, of the faithless conduct of the Company. Ragobah efcapes from the cuftody of the Marattas, and flies for refuge to Goddard's camp, which increases the difficulties of the negociation with the former. Various caufes which led to the confederacy of [B] 4 the the great princes of India for the extermination of the English. Marattas break off the negociation with Goddard, and conclude a peace and alliance with Hyder Ally. Treaty of alliance concluded by the fupreme council with the Ranna of Ghod. Gen. Goddard concludes a treaty with Futty Sing; takes Ahmedabad, the capital of the Guzerat, by form, and reduces the whole province. Sindia and Holkar arrive with a Maratta army. Sindia reftores the gentlemen who were given as hoftages at Worgaum. Propofals by Sindia for an accommodation rejected. General Goddard attacks and defeats the Maratta army. Capt. Campbell repulfes Sindia, and preferves bis convoy. Licut. Walsh furprizes and defeats a large body of Marattas. Another large body defeated by Major Forbes. Major Popham's fucceffes on the fide of Bengal; drives the Marattas out of the country of Ghod; and Jurprifes the fortress of Gualier, which had always been deemed impregnable. State of affairs in the Carnatic. Treaty with Bazalet Jung for the Guntoor Circar, with other transactions, which led to great jealoufy, dislike, and ill-will, on the fide of the Nizam of the Deccan, and of Hyder Ally. S we have seen the unfortunate iffue of the Bombay expedition in favour of Ragoba, it will now be neceffary to take fome notice of the refult of that greater and more comprehenfive part of the fyftem, which had been formed for the overthrow of the prefent Maratta government, and the establishment, in a great meafure, of a new arrangement of power and policy in India. Moo dajee Boofla, the Berar Rajah, from whatever motives it might arife, feems to have been very favourably difpofed to the British interefts; at least, it is evident that he was willing to enter into any conditions of mutual convenience and good neighbourhood which could tend to ftrengthen and render permanent a friendly connection. The Rajah's dominions were too remote, and too fecurely locked in from all maritime enterprize, to render him in any great degree apprehenfive of the Company's power; and the fame caufes, with others, prevented alracft all commerce between his fubjects and theirs. He, however, poffeffed a claim, which, if he had been difpofed to enforce it, muft have afforded continual room for angry difcuffion; this was the demand on Bengal of the chout, or annual Maratta tribute, which had been long paid by that kingdom, and to which, if at all allowable, he feemed entitled; but this claim had lain fo long dormant, as to be now fcarcely thought of; and could only be revived by fome unexpected and extraordinary change of circumftances. As the conduct and difpofition of princes are usually attributed to political motives, this attachment of the Rajah to the company must be fought for in other caufes than we have yet feen. It is faid, that he formerly had in contemplation fome defign of enforcing his claim to the throne of the Ram Rajah, in the profecution of which, the fupport, or even the countenance of the Company, would have been an object of no fmall confideration and import. The friendly inter courfe courfe thus commenced, might well have been continued and improved, although, from the apparent impracticability of the defign, and the Rajah's fubfequent connections with the court of Poonah, the idea from which it originated had been long laid afide. The Berar Rajah might alfo, in a general political view, have confidered the Company as highly useful, in contributing to fupport fome tolerable balance of power between the native princes of India; and, as in a late particular inftance, he had himself been overmatched, worsted, and loft a confiderable portion of territory in his war with the Nizam of the Deccan, he perhaps hoped that their friendfhip and alliance would be a means of preventing future injury or lofs. But it was long and late before the Berar Rajah was admitted into the mystery of the new fyftem of policy which was in contemplation at Calcutta, and in which he was intended to hold fo great and confpicuous a part. Repeated hints had indeed been thrown out, both to his refident at Calcutta and in letters to his prime minifter, that a treaty of the first importance, and fraught with the greatest mutual advantages, was in view, and would foon be difclofed to him. This intelligence being entirely fuited to his own wishes, could not but afford the greatest fatisfaction; and he accordingly expreffed no fmall regret at the death of Mr. Elliot the minifter, who, we have feen, had been appointed to negociate and conclude the bufinefs at his court. In the mean time, he ufed the moft friendly and unremitting en deavours to prevent or to compromife the differences between the court of Poonah and Calcutta. His central fituation, his intimate connections with one, his friendly correfpondence with the other, and his good wishes to both, rendered him the natural mediator between the parties; and it is but juftice to fay, that he was indefatigable in his endeavours to difcharge the duties of that office. He was equally induftrious at Poonah and at Calcutta in explaining the meafures, conduct, and views of the oppofite fide, and in reftraining or curing the jealoufies arifing on both. As the apprehenfion of a French alliance was the great object of complaint and alarm held out at Calcutta, his representations at the court of Poonah were so effectual, as to procure the abrupt difmiffion of the Chevalier de St. Lubin: and this fatisfaction, as the Maratta minifters affert, was given in fo clear and complete a manner, that he was fent away without hearing or receiving his propofals. On the other hand, he was no lefs urgent, though lefs fuccessful, at Calcutta, in remonstrating on the impropriety, evil confequences, and ultimate danger of Leflie's expedition. He strongly stated, that exclufive of the effects which it muft unavoidably produce at Poonah, it was a measure of such a nature, as could not fail to disgust and alarm all the princes of India. It was not only without example, but it was contrary to all treaties, and a direct violation of all the rights of fovereignty. Every prince through whofe territories the army paffed, muft refent, fo far as he was able, fuch a flagrant outrage. outrage. He ftated the number have facrificed the detachment, lefs difficulties of every kind which they were to encounter, the unknown countries they were to explore, the difficulty of procuring provifion in the midst of hoftility, with the impracticable roads and the dangerous paffes and defiles through which they must attempt their way. The inattention paid to the Rajah's counfel and opinion, did not produce any remiffion of his kindnefs and good offices. Two of his principal officers had long been in waiting on the banks of the Nerbudda, with ample fupplies of provifions and neceffaries, as well for its future fupport as for the immediate relief of the Bombay army on its arrival. His zeal went fo far, as to lead him to disclose the preparations making by the court of Poonah for cutting off the detachment, even to the number of the troops and the names of the leaders, which were in different quarters affembling, and appointed for that purpofe. When the army had arrived in the dominions of Berar, that prince, after fpecifically pointing out the dangers to which they would be expofed and the enemies they had to encounter, then regretted, with much apparent tenfibility, that he did not however think they could at that time return, without difgrace to the Company's arms and councils; and thence concluded, that it was better they fhould at all hazards proceed. But, at the fame time, ftill attentive to the preservation of the troops, he pointed out the nearest line of march for them to Guzerat, as the means of evading the impending dangers. It was evidently in his power to without rifque or difficulty, to the views of the Nizam and the court of Poonah; and no conditions or advantages could by them have been thought too great for fuch a fervice. Yet, although he was himself equally difgufted and alarmed at the defigns and objects of the new league, which were then unveiled to him, his fidelity continued unfhaken; and inftead of detaining the detachment under apparent circumftances of the greatest danger, he advanced money, upon bills from Calcutta, to enable them to profecute the march, when it could not otherwise have been remitted in any time equal to the exigency. This conduct does not belie the affertion, which was thrown out upon a fubfequent occafion, by one of the Berar Rajah's minifters: "That the family of "Boofla had never yet departed a "hair's breadth from their public or private faith." But with thefe good difpofitions and qualities, in other respects the Berar Rajah was exceedingly ill calculated for the high part which was allotted to him in the new sys tem of policy. It perhaps requires little lefs greatnefs of mind to comprehend and adopt than to conceive and frame vaft and daring defigns. Moodajee Boofla was old and timid; and had no more difpofition to break in upon the tranquillity of his neighbours, than to hazard his own fecurity. Inftead of being fafcinated by the glorious views of victory, conqueft, and empire, he was ftruck with horror at the means by which they were to be attained. He feems to have been biaffed by ideas which cannot but appear ftrange and extraordinary in a Maratta; and his long ng letters upon the fubject, may be confidered as little lefs than lectares upon political morality. Colonel Goddard, who departed from the Bundelchund country on the 12th of October, 1778, was, during a march of about feven weeks to the Nerbudda, almoft continually harraffed, his fupplies cut off, and his progrefs interrupted, by a body of Maratta horfe, under Ballagee Pundit. It however appears, that the army in this courfe paffed through defiles, buried in the woods and mountains, of fuch length, difficulty, and danger, that a handful of men might have ftopped the progrefs of an army, and a moderate well conducted force have fhut it up entirely. Fortunately, the advantages to be derived from fuch circumftances of fituation, were not within the compass of the enemy's skill. their good difpofition to the protection of his capital against any poffible confequences of the propofed alliance. The refult of the negociation was, that the court of Berar abfolutely refufed concluding any alliance, or entering into condítions which tended to hoftility, either with the Paifhwa or the Soubah of the Deccan. They reprefented the breach of friendship, violation of faith, treachery, and pofitive perjury, which, on their fide, would attend the former; and they confidered as not a great deal lefs heinous, the unjuftifiable violation of a treaty of peace folemnly ratified with the Nizam. They likewife totally condemned the fcheme with refpect to its policy, as being rafh, immature, haftily formed, highly dangerous, and as impracticable as it was juft. un The army arrived on the nor- Moodajee Boofla himself enterthern banks of the Nerbudda, fa- ed into much reafoning upon the tigued, exhaufted, their carriages fubject, both in writing and otherbroken, their draught-cattle worn wife. It feemed as if he wished to down, and in want of all manner föften the refuíal, by stating the imof fupplies, on the laft of Novem- practicability of the defign; fhewber; and paffed over to Huffinabad, ing the total incompetency of his in the Berar dominions, on the fol- own forces joined with the Englowing day, where all their wants lifh, to oppofe the powerful and were amply fupplied. Colonel numerous enemies which it was Goddard, with the army, continued intended to provoke; and the at Huffinabad until near the mid- inevitable ruin to himself and his dle of the following January; he country, which must neceffarily immediately fending an agent to attend his engaging in the meaNaigpore, the Rajah's capital, in fure. He feems everywhere to order to negociate the propofed treat the fcheme as a matter haftily alliance. Notwithstanding the taken up and adopted, without friendship fhewn by Moodajee deliberation, judgment, or a due Boofla, he was by no means dif- attention to means or confepofed to admit of their advancing, quences. under any pretence, into the interior parts of his dominions; and he thewed no fmall jealoufy at fome intimations that were given, of It was in this ftate of things that the Berar Rajah received intelligence of the landing of the Bombay army on the continent, |