254 
sequent to this explosion there was 
a mutiny at Nundydroog ; and, in 
one day, 450 Mahometan Sepoys 
were disarmed and turned out of 
the fort, on the ground of an 
intended massacre. It appears 
also from the information of the 
commanding officerat'T richinopoly, 
that a spirit of. disaffection mani-, 
fested 
riod at 
to gain ground in 
tion. 
As the sous of the Jate Tippoo 
Sultan and other Mahometans of 
high rank, who had _ been attach- 
ed to the fortunes of that prince, re- 
sided in the palace of Vellore when 
the mutiny broke out, they. were 
suspected of being concerned in it ; 
and ifit be true, that soon after the 
firing commenced, the standard of 
Tippoo was hoisted on the palace ; 
and that some of the native officers, 
engaged in the mutiny, confessed, 
after the affair was over, that had 
they succeeded in getting possession 
of the fort, they expected to have 
been assisted from the Mysore coun- 
try, their share in it is manifest, 
But the demonstrations of a similar 
spirit, which broke out in other 
parts of the peninsula about the 
same time,or soon after the massacre 
of Vel ae shew plainly, that there 
were predisposing causes of a more 
general nature for this alarming 
commotion. Oneof these is said to 
have been an attempt of the military 
men at Madras, to change the shape 
of the Sepoy turban into something 
resembling the helmet of Kuropean 
light infantry, and to prevent the na- 
tive troops from wearing, on their 
forcheads, the marks characteristic 
of their various casts. But the 
itself about the same pe- 
Bangalore, and seemed 
every direc. 
* Proclaination of the Madras governmest, Dec. 3rd, 1806. 
ANNUAL REGISTER; 1806. 
cause, to which the government of 
Madras appears to have been dispos- 
ed chiefly to attribute this alarming 
spirit of disaffection among the 
native troops, was a report in- 
dustriously spread, and credulously 
believed among, them, that it was 
“* the wish of the British government 
to convert them by forcible means 
to Christianity.”* That such a 
wicked and absurd project was ne- 
ver entertained by our Indian. go- 
vernment, we trust it is unnecessary 
to assure our readers. So far from 
imposing our religion by force upon 
our Indian subjects; our govern. 
ment has, in general, wisely abstain- 
ed from giving any countenance or 
support to those fanatical associa. 
tions, which from this,or other coun- 
tries of Europe, have essayed, with - 
small success, to introduce their re- 
ligious opinions into India, It must 
be confessed, however, that of late 
the restless spirit of fanaticism has 
insinuated itself into eur Indian. 
councils, and though it has not yet 
ventured to solicit more than indul- 
gence and assistance in spreading 
its flames over India, such is the 
jealousy of the natives both Mussul- 
men and Gentoos,*and the subject 
of religion, that it requires little spi- 
rit of. prophecy to foresce, that 
unless checked in time, it will lead 
to the subversion of our Indian em- 
pire, and the massacre of our coun- 
trymen dispersed over that distant 
land. But the attention of the 
public has been drawn to this sub- 
ject, and we trust, that the massa- 
ere of Vellore, as it was the first, 
will be the last fruit of this med- 
dling and mistaken piety. 
When intelligence of the death 
of marquis Cornwallis reached 
England, 
