20^ 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



in the ]\Ialiratta empire, without 

 the hazard of involving it in any 

 contest whatever. 



The war which had for a consi- 

 derable period desolated the Mah- 

 ratta states, originated in the ra- 

 pacity and thirst of acquisition in 

 Scindiah. On the death of Tuckogee 

 Holkar, in 1797, a dispute arose 

 between his sons, with respect to 

 the succession, in which Scindiah 

 interfered, and actually, in a sud- 

 den and unexpefted attack on the 

 younger, IMulhar Rao, slew him 

 and many of his adherents. But 

 the present chieftain Jeswunt Rao 

 Holkar, an illegitimate son of 

 Tuckogee, having escaped, and 

 being possessed of considerable abi- 

 lities and resource, levied forces 

 in the name and behalf of the infant 

 son of Mulhar Rao, (then in the 

 custody of Scindiah,) and carried on, 

 with various success, a severe con- 

 test with Scindiah until the middle of 

 the year 1802, when he sudden- 

 ly determined upon the measure 

 of marching to Poonah. The 

 weakness of the pcisliwa's govern- 

 ment, and the entire annihilation 

 of his authority by Scindiah, had 

 left the former no means of oppos- 

 ing Holkar ; and that chief na- 

 turally and wisely concluded that 

 the most severe blow he could strike 

 against the power of his antagonist, 

 was to destroy his ascc-.'.dency at the 

 court of Poonah, and to convert 

 the authority of the peishwa's name 

 to his own projecrts of aggrandize- 

 ment. With these views, he pro- 

 ceeded with a large force to that 

 city, whence Scindiah had been com- 

 pelled to depart, nearly a j'ear and 

 a half before, to defend his domi- 

 nions in Malwa ; and who was at 

 Ougeia, when Holkar comnienced 



his march towards the metropolis of 

 the peishwa. 



During this period, the discus- 

 sions between the British govern- 

 ment and that of the peishwa went 

 on but slowly. Although Scindia 

 was absent in northern llindostan, 

 his opinions and views still continu- 

 ed to govern at Poonah, and the 

 peishwa declined the proffered pro- 

 tection and alliance of the company 

 until Holkar actually reached the 

 vicinity of the capital. 



Scindiah in the mean time detached 

 a force, under the command of one 

 of his generals, named Suddashee 

 Bhow, which efle6led a jun6tion 

 with the army of the peishwa, and 

 both united, gave battle on the 25th 

 day of October, 1804, to the force 

 of Holkar, which terminated in the 

 total defeat of the former, with 

 considerable loss. After the actiort 

 the peishwa retired with a small 

 body of cavalry, to a fortress in 

 the vicinity of Poonah, whence he 

 prosecuted his farther retreat to 

 Mhar, a fort in the province of 

 Koukan. On the day on which the 

 action took place, the peishwa sent 

 his minister to the British resident 

 at his court, with a written instru- 

 ment, containing the terms of a 

 subsidiary treaty, which he earnest- 

 ly requested might be immediately 

 executed, and the minister at the 

 same time assured the resident, that 

 a general defensive alliance should 

 be concluded, at the first practicable 

 moment, between his highness and 

 the company, on the principle of 

 that existing with the nizam. The 

 terms of that now demanded, were 

 the establishment of a force of six 

 battalions of sepoys, for the service 

 of the peishwa, with the usual com- 

 plement of artillery, and conveying 



a 



