I X D I A. 



51 



bluhed his infloence and ascendancy in the Mahratta 

 empire. Thi was greatly augmented by the Heath of 

 Tin ir, most of u hose possession; tic u-i;r|>- 



ed, !(? to death hi- eldest son. and imprison- 



ing the other members of his family. He also obliged 

 the- I'jishwah to cede to him the important fortrew of 

 Ahmednairur and its surrounding district, by which 

 he not only obtained the command of the city of Poo- 

 nah, but the best passage into the territories, cither of 

 the Paishwah or the noubhadar of tin- 1 ). can. 



This great and rapid increase of power and influence, 

 especially as it was supported by an army di ^-iv! 

 a (treat measure after the European manner, by 1 

 officer*, gave some uneaines* and alarm to the British 

 government of India. Almost the whole of that part 

 Iindoatao- which had been subdueii Lab, M 



well a* the establishment and realiaation of his claims 

 upon the Rajpoot states, were entrusted to the ma- 

 : of the Frriich general who commanded his 



: 

 .bob 



In I 'i*. a treaty was entered into by the British and 

 Saadut Ali Khan, "ho had claims to the Musnud of 

 ie British promised to support; in re- 

 turn fur their assistance, he promised to vest in : 

 the defence of I 



of rupees; and in tin- < .< failure of at 



these instalment", i! <> pos- 



session of the conn f ten 



lacks of rupees. Saadut Ali Khan aim amed to pay 

 the amount of any expense whirl. 

 incur in placing him on the throne, 

 fortress of Allahabad There were several other ar- 



liighly favourable to the British, and which were 

 evidently calculated to assist them in obtaining the en- 

 tire sovereignty of the province at some nsture period. 

 These were the principal transactions which happened 

 in India during the government of Ix*>: 



.f April 1798, Lord WeUesley reached 

 India. Affairs at this time were rather critical for the 



i interest. The designs of Tippoo to renew the 

 war wear undoubted ; a French party prevailed at the 

 courts of the Nixjnn and of Scndiah ; the Poonah Mah- 

 ratta* were entirely under the power of the latter ; 

 and the court of Berar was suspected to be adverse to 

 the llri i-.'i, whom it had long looked upon with jea- 

 lousy and apprehension. The territory of (hide was 

 not yet nuirt under the government of Saadut. who 

 still called upon the Britiah for support in the e> 

 of that power to which they bad rassed him. The Car- 

 natic, alo, over which Omdut LI Onirah ruled, waa 

 in a weak ttite ; and }et 'it was evident, that in the 



of hostilities in that part of India, the li 



rely greatly on the assistance of its nabob. The 

 of the Britiah government had been greatly 

 exhausted by the expedition, against the Dutch posses- 

 sions in Ceylon and the Spies Tsbnda. and a consider- 

 able part of the army of Corouandcl waa likewise ab- 

 sent on these expeditions. 



Lord Wrilesley immediately began a system of mea- 

 sjrea and op opinion would 



strengthen the i in* in India, and secure 



them ag>mn any formidabte attack by the native princes. 



ptembcr 17"S. a favourable treaty was conrlud.d 

 with the Nuaro, by which, among other conditions, he 

 pi utilised to disband the French corp< in his service, and 

 to deliver over its officer* to h government, 



whenever the whole of the British force, to be station- 

 ed in hn dominions, reach**!! his capital. The It. 

 their part, agreed to arbitrate the points that Were 



in dispute between hjm and the Poonnh Mahrattas ; ^ History.^ 

 and if these were not settled, to protect his dominions < *""V~'' 

 from any unjust demand made by them. That part of 

 the treaty which related to the dismissal of the French 

 army, was of difficult execution ; but at length was 

 accomplished by the firm and decisive measures of the 

 Britiah, aided by a mutiny, which at this time broke 

 out in that army. 



Lord Weilesley next endeavoured to bring Tippoo War wiili 

 to reason ; but his attempts failing of succe-s, in the T'P 

 month of February 1799, he directed the British ar- 

 mies to advance against that prince, empowerii g, how- 

 ever, the commander in chief, General Harris, to treat 

 with Tippoo if he shewed a sincere desire for peace. 



The army under General Harris, after having been 

 joined by that of the Nizam, entered the territories of 

 Mysore, on the ,Sd of March, unopposed by the Sultan ; 

 who had, as soon as he saw the preparations of the al- 

 lies, hastened to attack the Bombay army under Gene- 

 ral Stewart, which was posted in Coorgah, and ready to 

 co-operate in the reduction of Serinpapatam. He was 

 however repulsed in his attack on the Bombay army, 

 with great lots. lli next object was to impede the 

 march of General Harris' army, which he met between 

 ^ulranpet and Malavilly, mi tin- '..'7th <>f March. Here 

 a partial action took place, which ended in his d< 

 and intant retreat to Striiifjapatam. That fortress was 

 a few day* afterward- regularly invested by the combi- 

 ned armies of the British and the N'icam. Tippoo now 

 endeavoured to make peace; but as he was unwilling 

 to accede to the terms proposed by General Harris, the 

 siagt continued. <>n the +lh <if-.M.iy, the fort was ta- 

 km by assault. Tippoo was killed under a gateway, tam \ 

 but l>y whom, or in what manner, is not known ; no uxt Tip- 

 individual ever appeared to claim the honour of having poo killed, 

 slain him, nor was it ever ducovered who had obtained 

 of his valuable necklace of pearls. A great 

 i of the garrison, which amounted to about 

 8000 men, was slain. 



The talcnu of Tippoo were undoubtedly great ; but 

 he did not possess them in an equal degree with his 

 father, and he was yet morr 1> low him w llh respect to 

 prudence and knowledge of human nature. He suc- 

 ceeded best in attaching to him the lowest classes of 

 the Mahomedans, and he possessed all the bigotry and 

 aeal necessary for that purpone. None of his Maliome- 

 dan soldiers entered the British service, though many 

 suffered extreme poverty, and they still revere his me- 

 mory, regarding him aa a martyr, who fell in the de- 

 fence of thrir religion. 



By the treaty with the N'icam, the fall of Serinpapa- 

 tam, and the death of Tippoo, the Mahomedan branch 

 of the grand confederacy whi>h the French had rai- 

 sed against the British in India, was completely de- 

 stroyed. 



A* soon as Ixml Wellenley learnt the fate of Tippoo, The My. 

 he formed a plan for the partition of his country. This iorc d' 1 ' 

 was carried into effrct. The district! of Canara, inclu- 

 ding all the sea-coasts of Mysore, and the provinces im- 

 mediately adjoining the possessions of the British on 

 the coast of Malabar, and the Carnatic, were kept by 

 the Bnti-h ; they also retained the forts and posts at 

 the different passes into the Mysore, and the fortress 

 and i*l.iml of Stringapatam. The districts of'C'oorum, 

 Condah. (looty, and others con; hit dominions, 



were given to the Nixam. Lord Wellesley moreover 

 resolved to cede some districts contiguous to the Poo- 

 nah government, to the Paiihwuh, providtd they would 

 enter into a new treaty with him. Over what remain- 



