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the intoxication of power to seduce you into a BOOK breach of faith, and the giving support to each illustrious house, in proportion to its respective meritsthese are the sure means of exalting your greatness and prosperity to the highest pitch. The ALMIGHTY disposes of kingdoms, and places whomso ever he pleases on the seats of power and rule; but makes their stability to depend on their peaceable, just, and friendly conduct to others. My conduct is framed on these principles-I have not yet recovered the shock of Mr. Elliot's death: had he survived, such strokes of policy would have been employed, that the suspicions of the Poonah ministers, from apprehensions of support being given to Ra gonaut Row, which have caused them great uneasiness, would have been entirely removed."

Notwithstanding the failure of this negotiation, Mr. Hastings was not to be deterred from the prosecution of his project. In proportion as difficulties presented themselves, his perseverance and pertinacity seemed to increase.

Colonel Leslie, who commanded the army now on its march to Bombay, dying October 1778, was succeeded by colonel Goddard. This able officer, after surmounting great and various obstacles, reached the southern banks of the Narbudda, within the territory of Berar, January 1779; and immediately detached lieutenant Wetherstone to the court of

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BOOK Naigpore, again to urge the rajah's accession to the proposed plan of operation. But the lieutenant, in his letters to colonel Goddard, declares "that the government of Berar were determined not to take any active part whatever with the Company's armies; that they had a thousand arguments to oppose to those he urged in favor of the plan for assuming the dignity of Ram-rajah of Setterah, particularly the faith pledged, and the alliance of friendship they had sworn to, with the present peishwa; that the asserting their pretensions to the sovereignty would meet with numberless oppositions ; and that success could not be obtained without shedding much blood, and at the expence of violating the sacred engagements before entered into with them."

Mr. Wetherstone further says, "that it seemed now to be the first wish of the court of Berar to set aside our connexion with Ragonaut Row, the supporting of whom they asserted to be highly impolitical, and that in the end it would be fully proved so ; that this chief, Ragonaut Row, was held in univer sal abhorrence; and that the prejudices against him in the Decan would not easily, if ever, be removed. And the rajah earnestly offered his mediation to make up all the existing differences."

About this period, likewise, letters were received by the governor-general from Siccaram Pundit,

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prime-minister of the Poonah government, contain- BOOK ing heavy complaints of the conduct of the English since the conclusion of the treaty of Poorunder. "The government of Bombay from that period has, in every instance (he asserts), excited troubles and commotions, in violation of the ties of friendship; and notwithstanding the express stipulation to expel Ragonaut Row from the dominions of the Company, they have performed nothing thereof. Out of regard to the friendship and alliance of the Com pany, I call God to witness that the envoy of France was dismissed without negotiating with him. It is mutually incumbent upon us to observe the terms of the treaty."

And again, in a subsequent dispatch, the same minister says, "Notwithstanding the conclusion of the treaty, the Bombay government kept Ragonaut Row with them. It even appears to a conviction, that they persuaded Ragoba, i. e. Ragonaut Row, to the measures he has pursued. How then does the supreme authority of the council of Calcutta from the king of England appear, since the chiefs of the different settlements do not regard engagements made by you as binding on them? And you, sir, paying no regard to your own acts, take your measures on the representations of the government of Bombay. This is indeed astonishing to the highest degree! It is the dictate of sound policy, that you withdraw your troops to your own territory.

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BOOK This will be a convincing proof of the sincerity of XIX. your friendship, and will spread the fame of your good faith throughout the universe. From the commencement of the government of the family of the peishwa, they have entered into treaties with many of the chiefs of the East and West, and have never before experienced such a want of faith from any one."

In the mean time, pending these negotiations and the march of the Bengal army, the presidency of Bombay, possessed with high ideas of their own strength, confident of success, and jealous lest, by the arrival of the expected reinforcements, they should be obliged to divide the honor and profit of the expedition into the Mahratta country with those of whose assistance they had no need, having made all the previous military preparations, and formally declared the treaty of Poorunder void, put their troops in motion November 1778.

The event of this expedition cannot be better related than in the words of Row Ghee, resident at the court of Poonah from the nabob of Arcot: "The English surdars," says this intelligent observer, in a letter to the nabob, “with an army consisting of 700 Europeans, eight battalions of sepoys, and 40 pieces of cannon, marched, as I have already wrote to your highness, from Bombay to the passes. Siccaram Pundit and Nana Furnese joined their forces, and satisfied the discontented

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chiefs, Scindia and Holkar, by giving them money, BOOK jaghires, and other presents. All the chiefs having met to consult, agreed unanimously not to receive Ragonaut Row, since he came with an army of English, who were of a different nation from them, and whose conduct in Sujah Dowla's country, the Rohilla country, Bengal, and the Carnatic, they were well acquainted with. Otherwise, in the end they would be obliged to forsake their religion, and become the SLAVES of EUROPEANS.' Upon this they exchanged oaths, and a great army was sent to occupy the ghaut or pass of Tullicanoon. Mr. Martyn, the Bombay resident at Poonah, had encouraged the English to believe that, as soon as their army should arrive at the ghaut, Holkar would join them with all his forces. The English, trusting to this, waited there with impatience for a whole month, but no one appeared to join their standard. They then marched forward, although much harassed by the Mahrattas, who at length completely cut off their supplies of provisions.

"The English then determined upon retreating back to the ghaut; but Siccaram, gaining intelligence of their march, detached a large body of troops to intercept them. An obstinate engagement ensued on the 18th of January, 1779, in which the English, being surrounded and overpowered, lost 200 Europeans and 1200 sepoys.