CAUSES OF THE MAHRATTA WAR. 153 



ful chief of that nation, united in the resolution of vigorously 

 opposing the entrance of a foreign power into the Mahratta 

 territory. 



In entering on the greatest war which Britain ever waged 

 in India, and which was destined completely to establish 

 her supremacy over that region, it is impossible to refrain 

 from some inquiry respecting the necessity and the wisdom 

 of this eventful measure. Mr. Mill, in a very masterly 

 discussion upon this subject, argues, that the war arose out 

 of the treaty of Bassein, which was manifestly the sponta- 

 neous act of the governor-general ; and that the Mahratta 

 chiefs, engrossed by their own contests for power, had no 

 immediate intention or wish to involve themselves in hostility 

 with the British government. The object of each was to 

 obtain possession of the peishwa's person, and to exercise 

 in his name a general control over the whole state. But an 

 arrangement which withdrew altogether the peishwa from 

 the control of any of them, and transferred to a foreign 

 power all the weight of his name and resources, besides 

 humbling their national pride, presented a common obstacle 

 to the ambitious views of each chief, and was therefore to all 

 an object of equal resentment. To the extent, therefore, 

 that the war was voluntarily incurred by the British adminis- 

 tration, the historian's argument seems quite incontroverti- 

 ble. He goes on to maintain that the company might have 

 safely looked on, and seen the different leaders waste them- 

 selves in internal conflicts, while, courted by each, they might 

 have secured advantages to themselves, and held the balance 

 between them. This part of the question, however, depends 

 upon circumstances that are extremely complicated ; and 

 the arguments urged on the other side appear to be at least 

 equally plausible. 



It has never been denied, that a power which sees its 

 neighbours engaged in war may be justified in interfering, 

 either from generosity to defend the oppressed, or from 

 policy, lest any one state, by conquering the others, should 

 attain a dangerous ascendency. But the conflicts of the 

 Mahratta chiefs now bore much less the character of internal 

 disturbance, than of regular war between independent 

 princes. The common national tie served little more than 

 to inspire the design and hope of a general dominion, — the 

 object which had obviously kindled the ambition of the 



