49 



Sir Charles was met there by Mhadajee's Sindia's duan, with a 

 large party of horse to escort him to camp; he also received a 

 letter from Mr. Anderson to express Sindia's wish that he would 

 proceed as fast as convenient, being very desirous to have a per- 

 sonal interview. They arrived there the next morning, and found 

 the Mahratta camp greatly enlarged by that of the emperor Shah 

 Aalum; who had appointed Mhadajee Sindia hk vackeel ul mul- 

 hick, an office in the Mogul empire superior to the vizier Aazim. 

 Mr. Anderson was also encamped near Muttra as English minis- 

 ter with the Mahratta chief, and was invested with powers to 

 treat and negotiate with the last aged monarch of the imperial 

 house of Timur. Mr. Anderson's suite consisted of a surgeon and 

 a British officer in command of the two companies of sepoys which 

 composed his guard. 



The preliminaries of the ceremonial of the first meeting being 

 arranged, the morning of the 20th was appointed for Sir Charles 

 Malet's introduction to Mhadajee Sindia. Sir Charles and Mr. 

 Anderson were mounted on the same elephant, and the gentlemen 

 of their suite on others, or in palanquins. Mr. Anderson was 

 escorted by a party of horse, appointed as a standing guard by 

 the Mahratta chief; Sir Charles was attended by his own escort 

 of horse and foot. They were met by Mhadajee Sindia some hun- 

 dred yards from his tent, attended by his principal chiefs, a party 

 of sepoys, a body of cavalry, and several elephants: he there 

 alighted from his elephant, and, being extremely lame, was sup- 

 ported by two persons as he approached to embrace Sir Charles 

 Malet, and the other gentlemen, in the order they were intro- 

 duced by Mr. Anderson. He then preceded them to the durbar 



VOL. IV. H 



