48 WAR WITH MYSORE. 



territory situated on the loftiest crest of the Ghauts, 6000 

 feet above the level of the sea, where the profuse rains nour- 

 ish magnificent forests and copious harvests. Its seques- 

 tered position hitherto preserved it from invasion, and the 

 sovereigns had applied themselves most diligently to that 

 grandest object in India, the accumulation of treasure. On 

 the approach of the Mysorean army, the timid inhabitants 

 of the capital, after setting fire to the palace, fled into the 

 adjoining woods, leaving a splendid city eight miles in cir- 

 cumference entirely open to plunder. Wilks estimates the 

 booty, we suspect with much exaggeration, at twelve mil- 

 lions sterling ; but Hyder, it is said, always owned that its 

 capture was the main instrument of his future greatness. 



But this successful career soon met with an interruption. 

 Madoo Rao, the principal general among the Mahrattas, 

 entered Mysore with an immense host of irregular cavalry. 

 They covered the face of the country, and so completely cut 

 off all communication, that even the vigilant Hyder was sur- 

 prised by the appearance of their main body, when he ima- 

 gined them to be still at a distance. He was defeated, and 

 after several unsuccessful attempts, during a campaign of 

 some length, to retrieve his affairs, was compelled to pur- 

 chase peace by extensive cessions, and the payment of thirty- 

 two lacks of rupees. That tumultuary horde then retired, 

 and left him at liberty to pursue his farther acquisitions. 

 He directed his arms against Calicut, still ruled by a sove- 

 reign entitled the zamorin, and esteemed the principal ma- 

 ritime city of that coast. Its troops opposed him with the 

 same desultory but harassing warfare by which they had 

 baffled the attack of Albuquerque. The Mysorean ruler, 

 however, forced his way through these obstacles, and ap- 

 proached the capital, when the zamorin, despairing of being 

 able to prolong the resistance, came out with his ministers 

 and endeavoured to negotiate a treaty. He was favoura- 

 bly received, and on his offering payment to the amount of 

 190,000/. sterling, the invader agreed to abstain from far- 

 ther aggression. Bot this did not prevent him from attack- 

 ing and carrying Calicut by surprise ; and, as the money 

 was produced very slowly, he Bought to hasten payment by 

 placing the sovereign and his nobles under close confine- 

 ment, and even by applying torture to the latter. The 

 prjnce, dreading that he would be exposed to a similar in- 



