MlSTOilY OF EUROPE. 



J 97 



return oF that illustrious diaraCter 

 to England. 



Previously to entering into an 

 examination of the causes and ob- 

 jects of the military o;)erations 

 against Jeswunt Rao Holkar, it 

 may be useful briefly to state, that 

 that chieftain was an ilitgiiimafe 

 son of the late Tuckojee holkar, 

 and a lawless adventurer, who had 

 usurped the rights of his brother 

 Cashee Rao Holkar, the eldest le- 

 gitimate son and acknowledged 

 heir of his fatht r, and having en- 

 <ircly renounced all allegiance to 

 the authority of the peishwah, (the 

 undoubted represeiilative of the 

 constitutional head of the Mahrat- 

 tah empire) had, for many years, 

 Contributed, in a most material de- 

 gree, by his rebellious and preda- 

 tory conduct, to the distracted con." 

 dition of the aflFairs of the Mahrat- 

 tah empire. 



In reviewing the conduct of the 

 British government, as eonnected 

 with the military operations against 

 Jeswunt Rao Holkar, we shall di- 

 vide our statements and observai 

 tions under the two following heads ; 

 namely, — 



First, the justice and policy of 

 the operations in question, as axi- 

 iing out of the hostile indications 

 exliibited by Jeswunt Rao Holkar 

 towards the British powor, and 

 some of the Indian powers, its al- 

 lies. 



Secondly, the moderation and 

 Forbearance of the British govern- 

 hient towards Holkar, as nsanifestcd 

 in the mildness of the terms pro- 

 posed to that cflieftain, as well as 

 in the repeated remonstrances and 

 protracted negociatiotis. which, for 

 m length of time, preceded any hos- 

 tile measure on the part of the Bri- 

 'iuh ^overnmvat. 



First, with respect to the hostile 

 indicatioi}s, exhibited by Jeswunt 

 Rao Holkar, we apprehend that no 

 ditference of opinion can possibly 

 prevail, on that subject, among 

 persons who shall be acquainted, 

 with the following facts, which are 

 contained in public documents^ 

 printed at Calcutta, un'ier the au- 

 thority of the government. 



It was ?vell known to the British 

 government, that, previouslj' to the 

 late war betw.en thecompany and 

 the confederate Mahrattah chiefs, 

 Dowlut Rao Scindiah and the rajatv 

 of Berar, Scindiah had made im- 

 portant concessions to Jeswunt Rao 

 Holkar, under an implied engage- 

 ment to " combine his troops with 

 those of the confederate chief* 

 tains in hostility against the Bri- 

 tish government;" while it was 

 equaii} notorious that the exactions 

 of H.ijkar from the city of Aurun- 

 gabad (belon5ing to the old and 

 faithful ally of the British power ia 

 India, the nizam) were of such a 

 nature as woirid have completely 

 justified the British government ia 

 demanding and enforcing a com- 

 pensation in favour of his highness, 

 the nizam, whose territory the com- 

 pany was bound, by treaty, to de- 

 fend against all enemies. 



Subsequently to the conclusion ot 

 peace between the British power 

 and the confederated Mahrattah 

 chieftains, Holkar dispatched a va- 

 keel, or envoy, to the court of 

 Dowlut Rao Scindiah, the principal 

 object of whose mission was to en* 

 gage Scindiah to " unite with Jes- 

 wunt Rao Holkar, io an attack 

 upon the British possessions." — » 

 This last was communicated offici- 

 ally to the British resident at iha 

 court of Dowlut Rao, by thepriflci* 

 pal minister of that clik-ftain. 

 O 3 Notwi,ihstandiDg 



