RAGOBA. 1^7 



gers to which he was exposed at home, hastily concluded a 

 peace, and having endeavoured, by extensive concessions, 

 to conciliate the nizam, hastened baek towards Poonah. 

 The ministers sent against him Trimbuck Mama, the most 

 warlike of their body, who confidently expected to raise his 

 military fame still higher by the defeat of the peishwa. He 

 was fatally disappointed. That ruler, though with an in- 

 ferior army, charged in person at the head of a select corps 

 of ten thousand men, and in twenty minutes completely 

 routed the army of Trimbuck, who fell mortally wounded 

 into the hands of his adversary. Had the conqueror pro- 

 ceeded direct upon Poonah, where, on the arrival of the 

 tidings, the utmost confusion and consternation prevailed, 

 he might probably have resumed, almost without opposition, 

 the power and dignity of peishwa. But, on the contrary, 

 he marcted northward towards the Nerbudda, in hopes of 

 being joined by Holkar and Sindia, who had encamped in 

 that quarter. By this step he lost a favourable opportunity '; 

 the government of Poonah recovered from its panic, and 

 collected a force of 50,000 men, while by intrigues and 

 high offers they had induced the nizam to break treaty with 

 their enemy, and to co-operate in their designs. To crown 

 their good fortune Gunga Bye produced a son, declared, 

 indeed, by the opposite party to be supposititious, but now 

 believed to have been the genuine offspring of Narrain Rao. 

 At the age of forty days, the infant was formally inaugur- 

 ated in the office of peishwa. 



Ragoba's own army were so disgusted with the course he 

 had followed, that they deserted in great numbers, and, after 

 passing the Nerbudda, he found himself at the head of 

 only 7000 cavalry. At Indore, notwithstanding, he met 

 Sindia and Holkar, from whom he received a cordial recep- 

 tion and liberal promises, and was empowered to recruit his 

 thinned ranks from their territory. He then advanced to 

 the banks of the Tuptee, with the view of completing the 

 negotiation into which he had entered with the English 

 government at Bombay. 



It was at that juncture a favourite object with the company 

 to secure their possession of that settlement, by adding to it 

 the port of Bassein, with Salsette and several smaller islands 

 in its vicinity. Permission had been given to maintain an 

 /envoy at the court of Poonah, who was instructed to watch 



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