288 



his little army but the advance of Colonel Smith ; who, upon hear- 

 ing a heavy cannonade at day-break that morning, marched im- 

 mediately from Colah, and reached the spot in Lime to compel 

 Hyder to fall back, at the moment when Colonel Wood's troops 

 were upon the point of being entirely defeated. 



The other specimen of an oriental epistle is from the peshvva 

 of the Mahralta empire to the king of Great Britain, accompany- 

 ing some valuable presents, intrusted to the care of Sir Charles 

 Malet, late ambassador at that durbar, on his departure for Eng- 

 land in 1798. This was accompanied by another letter, expressive 

 of the peshwa's friendship to the English East India Company : 

 that to his majesty was the first instance of the Mahralta durbar 

 making a declaration of attachment to a British sovereign. 



Translation of a letter from Sonde Badjerou Ragonatli, peshwa of the 

 Mahratta empire, to his Majesty George the Third, King of 

 Great Britain, Sf-c. <j-c. 



" May the august assembly of spiritual and temporal 

 majesty, may the congregation of glory and royalty, long derive 

 splendor from the princely virtues of your majesty, pre-eminent 

 among the inheritors of grandeur and magnificence, supporter of the 

 mighty and illustrious, chosen of the tribunal of the Almighty, 

 elect of the judgment-seat of infinity ! 



" Some time ago the exalted Sir Charles Warre Malet was 

 appointed by the mighty chiefs of Calcutta to reside at the court 

 of your well-wisher, in the character of their minister; which re- 

 spectable gentleman, being endowed with foresight and expe- 



