HISTORY OF EUROPE. ^ 



207 



two officers exercising the chief au- 

 thority on the part of the pcishvva, 

 in Bundelcund, requiring them, as a 

 matter of duty, to be prepared for 

 a co-operation with the armies of 

 the Mahratta erjpire, in hostile 

 measures against the company's 

 possessions ; and that Dhurrum 

 Rao, an officer commanding a con, 

 siderable body of horse, and sta- 

 tioned on the right bank of the 

 Jumna, near the British frontiers, 

 had received orders of a similar ten- 

 dency, from the same quarter. The 

 positive disavowal of these proceed- 

 ings, by Scindiah, ati'orded only ano, 

 ther proof of the insincerity of that 

 chief, as they were authenticated, 

 by subsequent events, beyond the 

 possibility of a doubt : it was also 

 ascertained, through a variety of 

 channels, that Scindiah had endea- 

 voured to excite the Robilla chief- 

 tain, Gholaum Khan, to disturb the 

 tranquillity of the British posses, 

 fcions, by raising commotions in the 

 jaghire of Rampore, and earnestly 

 inviting him to proceed, with his 

 followers, to general Perron's army, 

 and assuripg him of the most ample 

 support, both from that force and 

 his own power. To this efleft the 

 Robilla was also prtssed, with soli- 

 citude, by general Perron. Letters 

 of the same tenor were also address- 

 ed to Bnmboo Khan, w^io occupied 

 a territory near Saharumpore, insti- 

 gating that chieftain also to co-ope- 

 rate with the forces of general Per- 

 son, against the company. Indeed, 

 the complete state of preparation, 

 \n which that portion of Sciudiah's 

 army was actually placed, is the 

 strongest corroboration of the orders 

 received by general Perron, from 

 Scindiah, and of the determination of 

 tlje latter to employ every raeaus of 



aggression within his power against 

 the British government. 



These various fatts, reciprocally 

 confirming every point of the ad- 

 duced evidence of Scindiah's hostile 

 designs, and the intelligence daily 

 received, of the adtual formation of 

 a confederacy between that chief- 

 tain, the Bhoonsla, and Holkar, the 

 object of which was the subversion 

 of the treaty of Bassien, presented a 

 crisis which determined the gover, 

 nor-general to unite the control of 

 all political affairs in the Deccan, 

 connected with the negociationa 

 then depending with the confede- 

 rated chieftains, and the movement 

 of the army, under a distinct local 

 authority, subject, however, to the 

 governor-general in council ; but, 

 possessing full powers, to conclude 

 upon the spot, whatever arrange- 

 ments might become necessary, un- 

 der the final settlement of peace, or 

 the active prosecution of the war. 

 This great trust was reposed in ma- 

 jor-general Welleslcy, on the 26th 

 of June, 1803. Nor could a better 

 choice have been made. His esta^ 

 blished influence with the Mahratta 

 chiefs ; his intimate knowledge of 

 the British interests in that empire, 

 and the military talents which hft 

 was known to possess, and of which 

 he had given splendid and repeated 

 proofs, all justified the confidence 

 which was placed in him : and sub- 

 sequent events have proved, that, 

 in the performance of these impor- 

 tant duties, while he raised the cha- 

 racter of the British name, and esta- 

 blished his own reputation, he 

 evinced the profound sagacity of the 

 statesman, and the personal gallan., 

 try of the hero. 



On the 18th of July, general WeU 

 Icsley, acting ugdur his newly re.4 



ceivcd 



