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fered a discharge to any native soldier, who, from mistaken ideas of 

 the enemy's prowess, should be so base as to request it; promising 

 at the same time to any non-commissioned officer or private a 

 handsome reward who detected a coward deserting his colours ; 

 the commandant being determined to punish such an act by every 

 degree of severity, and in the most ignominious manner. It being- 

 suspected the sultaun's people were employed in seducing the 

 sepoys from their allegiance, and encouraging them to enter into 

 the enemy's service, Mr. Cruso represented these suspicions to 

 Mirza, adding, that even if they were unjust, the deserters must 

 either be entertained by him, or suffered to pass through his 

 camp : therefore if he did not in future return them, the com- 

 manding officer, for his own preservation, must put a stop to all 

 communication between the fort and the sultaun's trenches. To 

 this Mirza solemnly declared he had himself taken no measures to 

 induce the British troops to desert, nor did he know of such practice 

 in others. He confessed that a few deserters had been brought before 

 him, who so far from being fit persons to entertain as soldiers, were 

 miserable spectacles, famished with hunger, and sinking under 

 disease. They laid their little all at his feet, and declared they 

 only fled for the preservation of life, which they implored his leave 

 to seek in a more healthy atmosphere. To these wretched beings 

 he had granted a passage through his camp; but that in future 

 these, and deserters of every description, should be restored ; and 

 his officers prohibited, by the strictest orders, from suffering the 

 smallest intercourse between the sultaun's troops and the garrison 

 of Onore. 



Desertions and death at length became so frequent, that it ap- 



