POLICY OF MARQUIS CORNWALLIS. 83 



with little resistance, and Tippoo soon saw the whole coun- 

 try lying defenceless before him. He immediately laid siege 

 to Cranganor, near which, on the neighbouring island of 

 Vipeen, the English had a small force stationed to assist 

 the rajah. These were reinforced by three battalions under 

 Colonel Hartley, who, on finding that he could not under- 

 take offensive operations, withdrew the native garrison from 

 the place, and took up a defensive position, in which the 

 enemy did not attempt to molest him. The Mysorean com- 

 mander now overran a great part of the conquered territory, 

 committing his usual devastations, and carrying great num- 

 bers of the inhabitants into captivity. Many, however, 

 retired to their southern fastnesses, where they could with 

 difficulty be pursued; and the season becoming unfavourable, 

 Tippoo, who was also alarmed by the movements of the Eng- 

 lish, returned to Seringapatam, after having levelled to the 

 ground the wall which had proved so unexpectedly formidable. 



The Marquis Cornwallis had arrived in 1786 as governor- 

 general, with a view to effect a complete reform in the sys- 

 tem of Indian policy. To avoid by every possible means 

 war with the native powers was one of his leading instruc- 

 tions. He began, accordingly, by proclaiming, in a manner 

 that has been censured as too full and undisguised, the de- 

 termination to engage in no hostilities not strictly defen- 

 sive. Yet his views very early underwent a change ; and 

 he began to consider it necessary, or at least highly expe- 

 dient, to engage in an extended warfare with the view of 

 humbling completely the power of Mysore. It seems dif- 

 ficult to discover any good ground for altering his determi- 

 nation so entirely. Tippoo had no doubt shown himself 

 very formidable ; yet there was no reason to apprehend, 

 while the whole of Central India was united by the alli- 

 ance between thenizam and the Mahrattas, that the balance 

 of power would be actually endangered ; on the contrary, 

 it was likely to be in greater peril from the downfall of one 

 of these parties and the immoderate aggrandizement of the 

 others. The new governor-general in adopting this policy 

 was greatly influenced, we suspect, by the restless and vio- 

 lent disposition of the sultan, and by an abhorrence of the 

 cruel persecutions which he continued to inflict upon the 

 inhabitants of the coast of Malabar. 



The views of the marquis were soon developed by a 



