2CS 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



ceiTwl powers, imrnediafely directed 

 the British resident •withScindiah, to 

 ftate to that chiel", and to the rajah 

 of Berar, the anxiety with which 

 <he British government desired the 

 jireserration of tlie relations of 

 peace and amity with those powers ; 

 and demanding, as the only pledge it 

 ironld accept of equally amicable 

 dispositions on their part, the 

 immediate separation and return 

 of their armies, from the nizam's 

 frontier to their respe(^tiTe capitals ; 

 in -which case, general Wellesley 

 would also withdraw his forces to 

 their usual stations : should this 

 proposition, however, be refused, 

 that then the resident should quit 

 the camp cf Scindiah without delay. 



After much evasion, ou the 3 1st 

 of July, the united chieftains pro- 

 posed to retire froni the position 

 which they occupied, at the same 

 time that general ^^'ellcslcy should 

 commence his march to the usual 

 stations of the British army ; to this 

 proposition, however, they added 

 the condition, that on the same day 

 OB which general Welicsley's troops 

 should arrive at Bombay, JIadras, 

 and Seringapatam, the united ar- 

 mies of Scindia and Bhoonsla would 

 encamp at Boorhanpoor, a city in 

 the territory of the former ! To 

 expose the absurdity and injdmissa- 

 Mlity of this condition, (which, at 

 least, affords no bad specimen of 

 the subtilty and wiles which belong 

 to Indian uogociation,) it will only 

 be necessary to state, that while 

 Boorhanpoor is but fifty miles 

 Irora the frontier of the nizam, 

 Bombay is situated 32t, Seringa- 

 patam 541, and Madras 1049 miles 

 from Ahmednnggnr, nearly theposi. 

 tion of general VVellesley's army 

 on the above date. 



This unreasonable proposition 



being decidedly and instantly re. 

 je^ed by the resident, a second was 

 then made, namely, •' that the day 

 should be appointed for the march 

 of the respective armies of the con- 

 federated chieftains from their en- 

 campment to their usual stations, 

 and that the resident should pledge 

 the faith of the British gOTcrnment 

 for the retreat of general VVellesley's 

 troops on the same day." As this 

 proposition was, obviou.sly, incon- 

 sistent with thcinstruftions rcceired 

 from general Wellesley, colonel 

 Collins, (the resident) was also 

 compelled to rejc6l it ; and it was 

 again modified into a third, which 

 agreed, that " those chieftains 

 would separate their armies, and 

 commence their returns to their I'e- 

 spedive territories in Berar and 

 Hindostan, on the same day that 

 the British force was withdrawn 

 from the station it then occupied." 

 As the rajah of Berar and Scindia 

 both declared, that unless general 

 Wellesley acceded to this last pro- 

 position, they could not retire, 

 consistently with a due regard to the 

 honour of their respective gorern- 

 ments, colonel Collins consented to 

 refer it to general Wellesley, pro- 

 vided letters to that effect were 

 transmitted to the resident, to be 

 forwarded to the commander in 

 chief before the noon of the next 

 day. It seemed, however, to be 

 very remote from the intentions of 

 the confederates to execute any such 

 agreement, for, on the 1st day of 

 August, they transmitted letters to 

 the resident, addressed to general 

 AV'ellesIey, proposing, not to sepa- 

 rate their armies, and to commence 

 their return to Berar and Hindostan 

 on the day on which the British 

 force should be withdrawn ; but, 

 '"• to continue the union of their 



armies. 



