sindia's GREAT rOM'KR. 147 



aid ill him the general cause of the Mahratta confederation. 

 He was extricated by the savage violence of Gholaum 

 Kawdir himself, who, having obtained possession of Delhi, 

 and of the emperor's person, treated him, his family, and 

 adherents with the most wanton barbarity. With his own 

 hand he used the point of a dagger to put out that prince's 

 eyes ; and committed other cruelties which rendered him 

 the object of general horror and disgust. At length his 

 own associate, Ismael Beg (who had succeeded to Moham- 

 med), went over to Sindia, who also at length obtained a 

 reinforcement from Poonah. He was thus enabled to enter 

 Delhi, and pursue Kawdir, who was taken and put to 

 death. In this way the Mahratta chief regained almost 

 the. entire plenitude of his dominion. He sought to 

 strengthen his military power by various means not re- 

 sorted to by any of his predecessors. He enlisted into his 

 army the various warlike races in the north of India, — the 

 valiant Rajpoot horsemen, the Goseins, a religious sect, 

 whose tenets did not prevent them from taking arms, and 

 even Mohammedan soldiers who had been thrown out of 

 the Mogul service. But the force on which he chiefly re- 

 lied was a corps of regular infantry, organized and disci- 

 plined in the European manner, by a French adventurer 

 named De Boignc. This body, at first consisting only of 

 two battalions, had been rapidly augmented, till it amounted 

 to three brigades, eachcomprisinsr 5600 infantry, 500 cavalry, 

 and forty pieces of cannon. He had, besides, a separate 

 train of artillery, and was supported by a body of irregular 

 infantry. A considerable territory was assigned for the 

 support of this corps, — which included officers of ail nations, 

 among whom was a considerable proportion of English. 



Having thus rendered himself the most powerful among 

 the Mahratta princes, Sindia's next object was to acquire a 

 preponderance at the court of Poonah. He proceeded 

 thither with the professed purpose of investing the peishwa 

 with the dignity of Vakeel-i-Mootluq, or supreme deputy, 

 which he had caused the Mogul to confer, — a most unwel- 

 come visit, which Nana Furnavese sought in vain to de- 

 cline. Sindia arrived, and was received with every mark 

 of outward respect. The peishwa, amid great pomp, was 

 invested with this new title, which was considered an addi- 

 tion to the splendour even of his rank ; while the gallant 



