50 



INDIA. 



Treaties * 

 with the 

 Nabob of 

 Canutic 

 i,d Vizier 

 of Ouiie. 



Pondieher- 

 rj taken, 

 A.D. 173J. 



mate ; but, on the oilier hand, a coolness arose between 

 them and the Pooiulj M.ihratus, principally on ac- 

 count of : conmrtion between tlicra and the 

 .rknowledged mi independent 



power by Lord Cornwallis, who did not think it pro- 

 per to prrM'ni tint chief's ggrandiMnent The con- 

 once WHS, the complete csiublisiunciit of his power 

 over the norther. i part* of Hindustan; the possession 

 of the person of the Emperor of Delhi ; the formation 

 of a large and formidable corps of regular infantry, 

 chiefly under French otlicers ; the erection of founderies 

 and arsenals ; and, in short, the accumulation of those 

 vat military powers and resources, which enabled his 

 immediate successor to carry on a war. at the same mo- 

 ment, in the Decan and Hindustan, against the British 

 government and its allies. 



Lord Cornwallis had formed treaties with many of 

 the Indian princes, the chief of whom were the Nabob 

 of the Carnatic and the Vizier oft Oude ; with the for- 

 mer it was stipulated, that, in the event of a war in 

 that part of India, the British should charge them- 

 selves with its conduct, on condition that the Nabob 

 applied a certain proportion of his revenue to its sup- 

 port. If he failed in this condition, the British were 

 vested by the treaty with a right to appoint superin- 

 tendents and receivers in his territory ; they were also 

 to assume the management of the Carnatic, which was 

 to remain in their possession during the continuance of 

 hostilities. The treaty with the Vizier of Oude related 

 principally to the regular payment of the sums which, 

 by former treaties, he had engaged to pay to the Bri- 

 tish. 



When the account of war between France and Eng- 

 land reached India, Pondicherry was immediately at- 

 tacked, and taken by an army from Fort St. George. 

 In the month of August 1793, Lord Cornwallis sailed 

 for England. 



He was succeeded as governor-general by Sir John 

 Shore, afterwards Lord Teignmouth. During his ad- 

 ministration, no war with a foreign power occurred; 

 but that period was marked by political changes in the 

 state of India of great importance. A rupture took 

 place between the Nizam and the Mahrattas : the for- 

 mer entertained the most friendly disposition towards 

 the British government, v hereas the latter viewed the 

 success of our armies with alarm, and, consequently, 

 could not regard the Nizam with any friendly feelings. 

 They believed, that if they could reduce his power, 

 they would not only increase their own. but injure the 

 British government. As they trusted for the accom- 

 plishment ot' "any object which they had in vww, not 

 more to their military strength than to intrigue, they 

 had for some time gained over the Nizam's minister, 

 who acted more at their command than at that of his 

 master. As soon as the Nizam found this out, he put 

 him to death. Immediately before the occurrence of 

 hostilities between the Mahrattas and the Nizam, Tip- 



a, whose active spirit of hostility against, the British 

 led him to commence intrigues with the French 

 government, the court of Hyderabad, and the court of 

 Poonah, almost at the same moment that the peace of 

 Seringapatam was concluded, had assembled an army, 

 and threatened to come forward as an ally of the Mah- 

 rattas against the Nizam, in the quarrel between those 

 states. Sir John Shore seems to have been of opinion, 

 that the British government was not bound, either by 

 express treaty or by political expediency, to support its 

 ally the Nizam, in the event of his being attacked by 

 Tippoo, during the period when he was engaged in a 



6 



War be- 

 tween the 

 Nizam and 

 the Malirat- 

 Ua. 



war with the Mahrattas. This war, however, lasted 

 such a short time, and Tippoo was so completely oc- 

 cupied in his own dominions-, repairing tha losses he 

 had .sustained, that he could not accomplish his object 

 of attacking the Nizam. 



The war between the Mahrattas and the Nizam be- 

 gan in February 179.') ; the advanced corps of the for- 

 mer, under tiie command of Dowlut Bow Sundial), 

 marched towards the Nizam ; and on the 1 1th of March 

 attacked that prince, who hud advanced from Bedar to 

 meet him. After a general action, in which both par- 

 ties were thrown into some confusion, and neither ob- 

 tained any decided advantage, the Nizam, yielding to 

 the fears of his women, who attended him in the ac- 

 tion, retreated during the night of the 1 1 til, and took 

 shelter in the small fort of Kurdlah. This fort is com- 

 pletely surrounded by hills, except in one direction, 

 which the Mahrattas immediately occupied ; and by 

 that means hemmed in the Nizam's army, and cut it 

 off from all supplies. After remaining for some weeks 

 in this situation, he was obliged to conclude a peace, 

 the exact particulars ot which are not known ; but it is 

 understood that he agreed to cede to his enemies a 

 country, the annual revenue of which was about 35 

 lacks of rupees, including the fort and district of Dow- 

 latabad, and to pay them three crores of rupees. Af- 

 ter the convention was settled, the Nizam returned to 

 his capital, and the Mahratta confederates towards 

 their respective countries. Very shortly afterwards the 

 young Paishwah died suddenly, and the eldest son of 

 the Nizam rebelled against his father. The Nizam, 

 alarmed at this, pressed the instant return of the Eng- 

 lish subsidiary force to Hyderabad, and took every step 

 to manifest his attachment to the British government. 

 The troops were immediately ordered to march; and 

 they were already advancing to join the army acting 

 against the son, when accounts were received if his 

 defeat and capture. 



At this period, the French, under M. Raymond, were 

 employing every means in their power to ingratiate 

 themselves with the Nizam ; and^ is they had acquired 

 great reputation by the active part which they took in 

 the reduction of his son, they succeeded in their ob- 

 ject ; and the influence they possessed they directed 

 against the British. 



The death of the young Paishwah contributed to re- 

 store to the Nizam a part of that power and rank among 

 the states of India, which he had lost by the treaty of 

 Kurdlah, as it occasioned the most serious dissensions 

 among the Mahratta chiefs, whose interests were deep- 

 ly involved in the succession. The principal minister 

 at Poonah was desirous of placing an infant on the 

 Musnud to. the exclusion of the legitimate heir. This 

 plan was opposed by the agent of. Dowlut Row Scin- 

 diah ; and that chief prepared to inarch to Poonah to 

 support the legitimate heir. Under these circumstances, 

 the minister endeavoured to gain the support of the 

 Nizam, and for this purpose he resigned all those reat 

 cessions which, had been obtained from the Nizam by 

 the convention of Kurdlah. In the mean time, how- 

 ever, Dowlut Row Scindiah, having arrived at Poo- 

 nah with a force, which gave him a decided superi- 

 ority, and thus placed the legitimate heir, Badgeron, 

 on the Musnud, a new negotiation was opened with 

 the Nizam, not so favourable as that which he had just 

 concluded ; for by this, he agreed to cede one fourth 

 of the territory, and to pay one fourth of the sum fixed 

 by the convention of Kurdlah. The success of Dow- 

 lut Row Scindiah in this important transaction, esta- 



Historv. 



The former 

 defeated, 

 A. D. 1795. 



Treaty of. 

 Kurdlah, 



French in- 

 fluence over 

 him. 



Disputes 

 among the 

 Mahrattas. 



Influence . 

 and power 

 of Scin- 

 diah. 



