204 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



Scindia earnestly courted the friend- 

 ship and good ofTices of the British 

 government; and the peishwa had 

 actually repaired to the island of 

 Basscin, iu the company's domini- 

 ons, where the treaty of that name 

 between his highness and the Bri- 

 tish government was executed on 

 the last day of the year 1802, and 

 on the eighteenth of the March 

 following, its counterpart was deli- 

 vered to the peishwa, ratifted by the 

 governor-general in council, and re- 

 ceived by the former with demon- 

 strations of the highest satisfaction. 

 Agreeably to the stipulation of 

 the treaty of Bassein, the main prin- 

 ciple of which was, that of perpe- 

 tual alliance both defensive and of- 

 fensive, a plan for the restoration 

 of the peishwa was adopted, and 

 immediately carried into edect. Or- 

 ders were dispatched to general 

 Stuart, commanding at llurryhur, di- 

 recting him to di'larli from the main 

 body a considerable force, for the 

 purpose of advancing into the Mah- 

 ratta dominions. The command of 

 this detachment was confided by lord 

 Clive, to major-general Wellesicy, 

 whose extensive local knowledge 

 and personal inOuence among the 

 Mahratta chieftains, (acquired by his 

 command in the l\iysore, and victo- 

 ries over Doondiah, ) were peculiarly 

 calculated io ensure success to the 

 intended operations. In conformi- 

 ty to these instructions, a force, 

 amounting, in the whole, to 9,707 

 cavalry and infantry, Avith a due 

 proportion of artillery (and to which 

 was added 2,500 of the i-ajah of 

 Mysore's horse), marched from 

 Hnrryhurontheyth ofMarch, 180J, 

 crossed the Tumbudra river on the 

 12th, and thus entered the Mahrat- 

 ta territories : at the same time, the 

 whole of the British subsidiary force 



at Hydrabad, amounting to about 

 8,300 men, was ordered to advance 

 to Poraindah, a station on the wes- 

 tern frontier of the nizam's domini- 

 ons, 116 miles distant fromPoonah. 

 This force was strengthened by 

 6,000 of the nizam's disciplined in- 

 fantry, and about 9,000 of his ca- 

 valry, the whole commanded by 

 lieutenant-colonel Stevenson, an of- 

 ficer of the greatest reputation for 

 talent, intrepidity, and spirit. 



Scarcely had general Wellesley's 

 detachment entered the Mahratta 

 states, before the propriety of the 

 choice made, in sele6ting him for 

 this peculiar service, became appa- 

 rent. In his difiicult campaigns 

 against Doondiah, he made the high 

 charai'iter of the British nation, and 

 his own, familiar to the petty chief- 

 tains and inhabitants of the districts 

 he had passed through, and, incon- 

 sequence, M as received by them uith 

 the most evident marks of confidence 

 and respech Many of the former 

 accompanied him to Poonah ; whila 

 the admirable tcm])er, and concili- 

 ating manners, which he evinced iu 

 gaining the good will of the pea- 

 santry on his route, and the skilful 

 arrangements made by him for the 

 supply and movement of the troops, 

 as well as for the prevention of pi un- 

 der and excess, enabled the British 

 army to perform a most tedious and 

 dillicult march, at an inauspicious 

 season of th« year, with compara- 

 tive ease and celerity. 



On the 15th of April, the force 

 under colonel Stevenson having ap- 

 l)roached to within a short distance 

 of general Wellcsley, at a position 

 within eight miles of the Neera ri- 

 ver, the latter detached the Scotch 

 brigade to join the subsidiary force; 

 and as it was now knovvn that IIol- 

 kar had left Foonahj and that he 



retreated 



