CORRESPONDENCE WITH TII'POO. 1 1 1 



■rogue confidence in destiny, in the aid of the French, and 

 in alliances which he hoped to form with the northern pow- 

 ers of India. At length, on the 18th December, probably 

 after receiving the despatch of the 10th, though he did hot 

 acknowledge it, he wrote a long explanatory letter. He 

 represented the French affair as only the casual arrival of a 

 party of strangers in search of employment, which he had 

 granted to a few ; and he expressed extreme surprise that 

 there should be .any idea of the interruption of mutual 

 amity. Referring to the proposed mission of Major Dove- 

 ton, he observed that " the treaties and engagements en- 

 tered inio were so firmly established and confirmed as ever 

 to remain fixed and durable, and be an example to the rulers 

 of the age. I cannot imagine that means more effectual 

 than these can be adopted for promoting the security of 

 6tates, or the welfare and advantage of all pairties." It 

 seems impossible to consider Lord Wellesley's interpreta- 

 tion as strvined when he considered this letter as implying 

 an absolute rejection of the mission of Major Dovtton, and 

 a determination against any concession beyond those made 

 by former treaties. 



In reply to the above, his lordship, having arrived at 

 Madras, wrote on the 9th January, 1799, a long communi- 

 cation, fully explaining all his grounds of complaint. He 

 gave a narrative of the transactions at the Isle of France, 

 enclosing a copy of Malartic's proclamation, and finally in- 

 ferred, that " his highness' ambassadors had concluded an 

 offensive alliance with the French against the company and 

 its allies ; that they had demanded military succours and 

 levied troops with a view to its prosecution ; that his high- 

 ness had sanctioned the conduct of his ambassadors, and 

 had received into his army the troops which they had levied ; 

 that having made military preparations of his own, he was 

 evidently ready, had the succours obtained been sufficient, 

 to have commenced an unprovoked attack on the companv 's 

 possessions, and had broken the treaties of peace and 

 friendship subsisting between him and the allies." Deeply 

 regretting that the offered mission of Major Doveton had 

 not been accepted, he still urged it as a means of concilia- 

 tion, but earnestly requested that not above-one day should 

 elapse previous to its acceptance. On the 16th he wrote 

 another letter, enclosing one to the sultan from the grand 



