HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



205 



retreated with precipitation before 

 the advancing British force, general 

 Wellcsley ordered colonel Stevenson 

 to proceed to Gardoon, there to sta- 

 tion the whole of tlie nizam's troops, 

 within his highness's territories, 

 and to occupy Avith the British snb- 

 eidiary force, a position on the Bee- 

 mah river, towardsPoonah, and near 

 its coniluence with the Mota Mola ; 

 the objecl^ of which movement v.as, 

 M once to secure future co-opera- 

 tion, and a constant supply of pro- 

 visions. 



Having concluded this arrange- 

 ment, general Wellcsley proceeded 

 more rapidly for Poonah, nndwhcn 

 at the distance of about 60 miles 

 from that capital, received informa- 

 tion that Amrut Rao designed to 

 plunder and destroy the city, on 

 tlie approach of the British troops ; 

 and having also received an earnest 

 request from the peishwa to detach 

 some troops to Poonah for the pro- 

 tection of his family remaining there, 

 the general at once resolved on a 

 forced march, at once to secure the 

 capital from devastation, and the 

 family of his highness from insult or 

 danger. 



In consequence of this re- 



solution, on the night of the 1 9th of 

 April, he advanced, at the head of 

 the cavalry, over a rugged, and, in 

 some places, an almost impassable 

 road, with incredible swiftness, and 

 performed this ever-memorable 

 inarch in thirty-two hours ! The 

 rapidity of this movement caused 

 Amrut Rao to abandon Poonah with 

 precipitation, without effecting his 

 rfesign, if, indeed, he had it in con- 

 templation, and general Wellcsley, 

 was welcomed by the few inhabitants, 

 who remained in the city, as th»-ir 

 deliverer. Those, who had lied to 

 the mountains, during the usurpation 

 ofllolkar, soon jratunied, upon this 

 3 



reverse of fortune, and joined in the 

 general joy, not only for the resto- 

 ration of their rightful sovereign, 

 but for the prospect, which the al- 

 liance with the British govern- 

 ment presented, of future peace and 

 tranquillity. Preparations Avere 

 soon made, for the return of the 

 peishwa, who entered his capital, on 

 the 13ih of May, amid the acclama- 

 tions of his subjects. 



During these transactions at Poo- 

 nah, col, Collins arrived at the camp 

 of Scindiah, at Boorhanpoor, where 

 that chieftain had arrived, Avith a 

 considerable force, for the ostensible 

 purpose, of opposing the ursurpation 

 ofllolkar. The difficulties which this 

 minister found, in forwarding the 

 proposi lions of the governor general, 

 convinced him, of the truth and cer- 

 tainty of the information, he about 

 this time received, of Scindia's se- 

 cret intentions to unite with Hol- 

 kar and the rajah of Berar, for the 

 purpose of subverting the treaty of 

 Bassein, just concluded upon be- 

 tAveen the British government and 

 the peishwa. Colonel Collins, 

 therefore, required an immediate 

 audience of Scindiah, and demanded 

 of him an explicit declaration of 

 his intentions, to which that chief 

 did not hesitate to reply, that it Avas 

 verj' remote from his wishes or in- 

 tentions, to impede the operations 

 of the treaty betAveen the peishAva 

 and the company, and that it Ava5 

 his ardent hope, that he might be 

 admitted to its benefits. So much, 

 however, was this declaration at va- 

 riance Avith actual appearances, that 

 the resident found it necessary tore- 

 quire, as a positive pledge of thesin- 

 cerity of Scindia, that he Avonld, im- 

 mediately, countermarch the army 

 he had moved upon Poonah, because 

 th»» appearance of a force there, 



could 



