184] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



hands. I liave not been abk to 

 trace the course of t!ie Peishwa's 

 flight, nor can I follow him till 

 I have disposed of the Rajah's 

 family in Poonali ; and as he lias 

 made earnest entreaties for an 

 early intei'view with you, I beg 

 you, if possible, to meet me on 

 my route there, that I may the 

 sooner proceed in quest of the 

 enemy. 



A despatch was received at 

 the India-board, dated August 

 26, from the Governor in Council 

 at Bombay to the Secret Com- 

 mittee, dated April 11, in which 

 there are many recent docu- 

 ments. The greater part of 

 these are of little consequence 

 in the present state of events, 

 but some of them will be found 

 of importance. 



A Letter from Lieut. General 

 Hislop to the Governor General 

 and Cfommander in Chief, dated 

 February 28, will probably be 

 thought a curious exemplification 

 ofthelav/s of war in this country. 



" Having descended, says the 

 Lieut. General, the Sindvvah 

 Ghaut without molestation, on 

 my march I received an intima- 

 tion that the Killedar of Talnier 

 had determined upon resisting 

 the occupation of his fort by the 

 British troops ; and this, on my 

 arrival before the place, I found 

 to be correct, as he had already 

 commenced a fire from a few 

 guns, and a number of the match- 

 locks from the walls upon our 

 advanced parties. On this I di- 

 rected a reconnoissance to be 

 made by the quai ter-master-ge- 

 neral, Lieut. -Colonel Blacker, 

 and the officers of engineers, with 

 a company of light infantry, the 

 ileep ravines round the place pre- 



venting its accessibUity on tl>e 

 service by the cavalry picquets. 

 I sent at the same time a letter to 

 the Killedar, warning him of the 

 consequences which would ensue 

 from his rebellion if persisted in ; 

 to which I received no answer, 

 but I afterwards learned that it 

 had been delivered to him. 



The reconnoissance being com- 

 pleted, I directed the ten six- 

 pounders (including the horse 

 artillery guns), and two five and 

 a half inch howitzers, with some 

 12 pound rockets, to be brought 

 into position, so as to knock off, 

 in as great a degree as such 

 limited means would admit of, the 

 defences of the gateway. These 

 opened with admirable effect 

 about 11 o'clock from the heights 

 on which the Pettah is situated, 

 from about 100 to 300 yards dis- 

 tant from the walls, the enemy 

 keeping up an occasional fire 

 from his guns, and a sharp one 

 from his match-locks, by which 

 several casualties occurred. A 

 second reconnoissance having 

 been made by Lieut. Blacker, 

 who advanced to the outer gate 

 for the purpose, I determined 

 upon storming it, in the hope 

 that at all events a lodgment 

 might be made within : two 6 

 pounders were accordingly 

 brought, under cover, close to the 

 gateway, and the flank companies 

 of his '.uajesty's Royal Scots and 

 Madras European regiments, 

 under Major Gordon, of the 

 former corps, supported by the 

 rifle battalion, the 3rd light infan- 

 try, and the picquets, under 

 Major Knowles, were brought 

 from camp for this purpose. 



Meantime the Killedar, alarm- 

 ed at these preparations, and at 



the 



