INDIA. 



53 



uh 



H. .-..:. 



:.- , ; 

 ii . ;- r 



He g.ive up to the British all his territories in Hindos- 

 tan, which lay to the southward of those possessed by 

 the Rajah* of Jypore, Joudpoor, and the Ilanah of 

 ( >ohud : he also ceded the lands to the south of Ad- 

 juntee, awl the fort and territory of Baroach ; and he 

 resigned all claims which he had on the British and 

 their allies. 



During this war, Holkar had remained quiet and in- 

 active, though he had engaged to assist the allies against 

 the British. As Lord Weilesley was informed of this 

 nstance, he deemed it indispensably necessary to 

 obtain from this chief an early and satisfactory expla- 

 nation of bis views and plans. This, however," Holkar 

 at first evaded, and afterwards nude such proposals 

 for a treaty with the British, as Lord Weilesley could 

 not accept. These proposals being rejected, Holkar 

 openly prepared for hostilities : he endeavoured to per- 

 suade Srindiah to assist him in an attack on the British 

 territories ; and at the same time invaded and plunder- 

 ed the country of the Rajah of Jypore. Lord Lake 

 immediately advanced against him, but he retreated 

 from the position which he occupied. The war with 

 Holkar was distinguished by the suddenness and rapi- 

 dity of the movements by which be for a long time 

 contrived to elude the attacks of the British, though 

 his territories were -invaded by them in -\i ry direc- 

 tion ; and by the reverse* which attended the British 

 arms. Two corps under the command of Colonel MOD- 

 son, and Colonel Murray, had been sent against the ca- 

 pital of Holkar's dominions: the Utter arrived at it, 

 and succeeded in reducing it ; but the former having 

 been led astray by hie guide*, was attacked hy Holkar 

 with such a decided suprieiu of force, that be waa 

 eampelleJ to retreat toward* Agra : at fire* the retreat 

 was conducted with a good deal of order ; but after- 

 wards, in consequence of several conflicts in which the 

 British suffered severely, an 1 the Ics. of most of their 

 artillery, ammunition, tec. they retreated in the 

 confusion. As the country was nearly impassable! 

 the rains, Colonel Monson did not reach Agra till after 

 the pe-e of seven week* ; and then only a very few 

 of hu troop* entered it, the net having been either kill- 

 ed by the enemy, or having perished through fatigue. 



Holkar hitherto had eluded all attempt* of General 

 Lake to bring him to battle; but at length, having en- 

 camped hi* army under the walls of Deeg, in the pro- 

 vince of Agra, with several range* of batterie* before 

 them, to the depth of two mile*, be resolved to wait 

 the attack of the British. The attack was made with 

 complete success. Holkar'* regular infantry and ar- 

 tillery were nearly all destroyed t and after a short but 



the town SMfieodend to the British. 

 In order that be might have time to collect his scat. 

 tcred troops, Holkar perwjaded the Rajah of Bhurtpoor 

 to embrace his eaue. Aa the reduction of this fortress 

 was deemed an object of great unportencr, General 

 Lake sat down before it ; but the defence made by the 

 gamson proved most obstinate. They repulsed with 

 great slaughter the asaanhe of the besiegers ; so that in 

 the course of the siege the loss of the British eiceeded 

 that which they had sustained in any three of the 

 grratett battle* they had fought in India. At last the 

 sued for peace, which was granted him on condi- 

 , it he paid to the British 80 lacks of rupees, five 

 immediately, and the remainder by instalment- 



withstanding the defeat* which Holkar had sus- 

 tained, and the desertion of nearly all his allies, he Mill 

 persevered in the war; but be conducted it more like 

 the chief of * band of marauder*, than the general of 



an army. In his last campaign, he entered the British " 



tfiritor'ies to the westward of Delhi. Lord Lake im. ^*Y^~' 



mediately marched after him, but on the approach of 



the British he fled ; and his flight wa> uninterrupted 



and most rapid, till he reached the banks of the Beynh, 



in the Punjab, when, being reduced to the utmost dis- Treaty with 



tress, he solicited peace from Lord Lake. The treaty Ho ' k * r ' - 



was ratified on the 6th of January 1806, by which he *'" ls 



gave up all claims on Kooitah and Bundclcund, and the 



di.tricts north of the Chumbul ; the latter, however, 



were afterwards given back to him. 



Before Holkar was finally overcome, Ix>rd Weilesley 

 had left India. We have briefly related the military- 

 transactions which took place during his government ; 

 but it will be also proper to advert to those changes 

 in the British possessions in India, which he effected 

 without the aid of war. 



In November 1801, all the frontier provinces of Change* ip 

 Oude were ceded to the Company. The reason assign- . I | ld '" "J" r - 

 ed for this cession was, that the British possessions \\>)i^i t ..- s 

 might become a barrier between the dominions of the govern- 

 vizier of Oude and any foreign enemy. On the 25th mem. 

 of July 1801, the civil and military government of the 

 Camatic was given up to the British, on condition that 

 they should pay the debts of the Nabob, and allow him 

 an annual sum, equal to one fifth of the revenues of the 

 Camatic. 



At the period of Lord Wellesley's departure for Eng- 

 land, the allies of the British were more secure, and 

 their cnenme leee numerous and formidable than they 

 had ever been before. Of the former, the Soubhadur 

 of the Decan was the most important ; and he had 

 been placed in a situation of security, by the reduction 

 of the Mahratta chitft, and by maintaining within hia 

 territories a subsidiary European force. The sovereign 

 ef Mysore was now friendly to the British, instead of 

 being one of their most inveterate enemies. The two 

 Pressdencies of Madras and Bengal were connected by 

 the con queer of Cuttack ; and this conquest, together 

 with the territories which the British now possessed in 

 Guzerat, Malabar, and Canara, rendered them the mas- 

 ters of nearly all the am coast from the mouths of the 

 Ganges to those of the Indus. 



llindoatan proper, the influence of the French 

 was completely destroyed ; the incursions of the Mali- 

 rattas into it had been effectually checked, and were 

 not likely to be soon renewed ; a* by the territories 

 ceded to the British in the Dooab, and on the right 

 banks of the Jumnah, as well as by the protection 

 which the British gave to those small state* which 

 stretch from the mountain* of Cumaoun to Bundelcund, 

 the British province* were defended from the encroach- 

 ment* of the Mahratta chief*. 



( >n the 31st of December 1805, during the admini- 

 stration of Sir George Barlow, a new treaty was con- 

 cluded with Scindiah, by which that chief gave up all 

 claim* on the countries of Boondee, Surredee, Dhool- 

 poor, Barree, and Rajah Keriah. 



During the administration of Lord Minto, the only 

 event* of importance which occurred in India, were the 

 reduction of Java, for an account of which see JAVA; 

 the renewing of the British protection to the Seik chief* 

 on the north-west of the Jumnah, and the south of the 

 Sutlege, thus strengthening and extending the fron- 

 the British territories in Hindustan ; and the pro- 

 tection afforded to the Rajah of Berar from the attack* 

 of Meer Khan, a chieftain of Malwah, and a noted pin. 

 daree, or freebooter. 



Lord Minto was succeeded in the government of In* 



