136 
POONAH. 
countrymen, and the confidence we had in his talents and integrity. 
If, however, any troublesome people should in England pretend, 
that Lord Wellesley's friendship had induced him to give too 
favourable an account of the Paishwa's sentiments, I should, with 
the greatest satisfaction, step forward to contradict them. I after- 
wards expressed my gratitude for the honours he conferred on me, 
which I considered as a proof of his friendship for my country. 
Colonel Close was highly gratified with the result of the confer- 
ence, and assured me he had no doubt of the Paishwa's being 
sincere in what he had said. He had never seen him so evi- 
dently pleased, or heard him more unequivocally declare his 
sentiments. His heart is excellent, which is proved by the inti- 
macy that Subsists between him and his brother Chimnajee; they 
live in the same house, and seem to have only one purse and 
one opinion ; yet this brother might be viewed with some 
jealousy, as having been himself installed Paishwa during the 
troubles which followed the death ofMahdoo Rao Narain. His 
Highness is like the majority of his countrymen, superstitious to a 
high degree : he however relaxes from the strictness of his moral 
obligations in one respect, having had three wives and several 
mistresses. His brother's conduct is more strict, and is, in every 
respect, so steady, that when seated at the Durbar he moves neither 
hand nor foot, and seems a candidate for the office of Swamie. 
His Highness at the festival of Gunnais has a large party of ladies 
to dance before the deity, on which occasion he is accused of dres- 
sing himself out to the greatest advantage. Although this is ac- 
cording to precedent, yet his brother thought it might appear not 
sufficiently dignified in his present situation, and he accordingly 
