HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



213 



strong position south of the river 

 Taptee, between Songhur and Su- 

 rat, with the design, as opportunity 

 should occur, of annoying the ene- 

 my in that quarter. 



On the eastern side of Hindostan, 

 lieutenant colonel Campbell, of the 

 7-lth regiment, was entrusted with 

 the command of a sele<!?tion of vete- 

 ran troops from the armies of Ben- 

 gal and Madras, consisting of 5216 

 men, which was destined for the 

 conquest of the province of C)it- 

 tack, part of the territories of the 

 rajah of Berar ; and, for that pur- 

 pose, was assembled at Ganjam, in 

 the northern crrcars. If this acqui- 

 sition were made, the only maritime 

 territory of the Mahratta states on 

 that side of the peninsula, would be 

 secured from all intercourse with 

 the French ; a strong barrier added 

 to the Bengal frontier ; and the in- 

 tercourse of that government and 

 Madras secured from interruption. 



The main body of the Bengal ar- 

 my was asseml)led under the com- 

 mander in chief of the British forces 

 in India (general Lake) at Cawn- 

 pore, in tlie north-western frontier 

 of the province ofOude, amounting, 

 it its various details, to 10,500 men. 

 In support of this force, 3,500 

 troops were assembled at Allahabad, 

 and for the purpose of invading the 

 distri(5t of Bundelcund ; about 2,000 

 men were also colIe6ted at Mirza- 

 pore, to cover the city of Benares, 

 and to guard the passes in that quar- 

 ter; and various measures of de- 

 fence, w hich our limits will not al- 

 low us to particularise, were adopt- 

 ed to protect the whole frontier of 

 the Britiijh dominions in Bengal and 

 Bahar, from Mirzaporc to Midna- 

 pore. 



The operations of general Lake 

 embraced a most important branch 

 of the war ; na.mely, first, the de- 

 stru6tion of he power of general 

 Perron, estiibl shed on the banks of 

 the Jumna ; secondly, the extentioii 

 of the British frontier to that river, 

 Avith the possession of Agra, Delhi, 

 and a suflicient chain of ports upon 

 the right bank of the Jumna, for 

 the security of its navigation ; 

 thirdly, the "protection of the person 

 of the emperor Shah Aulum ; 

 fourthly, the establishment of an 

 alliance with the petty princes, be- 

 yond the right bank of the Jumna> 

 from Jeynagur to Bundilcund ; and, 

 lastly, the annexion of that pi'o- 

 vince to the dominions of the com- 

 pany, in order the more effectual- 

 ly to cover the rich city and pro- 

 vince of Benares from the power of 

 the Berar rajah, and the other 

 Mahratta chiefs in that quarter. 



In the mean while, the govern- 

 ment of Bombay were ordered to 

 seize on those ports in the Guzerat, 

 which belonged to Scindiah, the ope- 

 ration of which would exclude the 

 confederated chieftains from the 

 ■whole coast af the western side of 

 the peninsula. 



Such was the masterly disposition 

 of the British strength in its eastern 

 empire, and such the comprehen. 

 sive system of hostilities by which 

 the marquis Wellesloy prepared to 

 support the just rights of his coun- 

 try, and finally establish its perma- 

 nent power and influence in India*. 



It may here also be proper to mcn-- 

 tion, that on the 6th of August, the 

 very day on which general Welles- 

 ley was apprised of colonel Collinsv 

 having left the camp of Scindiah, the 

 breatlied his last, and was 



nizam 



P 3 peaceably 



* In summing np the difFerrnt details we have given, it will be found, thaL the 

 fihulc I'orce cui'jloycd ag;iiuit Scindiah, and the rnjah of Berar, in the btguiniM'j. of 



Aujiust. 



