ENGLAND. 75*. 
that Ragonaut Row ffiould withdraw from Bombay, and 
that no protection or affiftance fhould be granted'to him 
or any other fubjedt of the Mahratta date, who may caufe 
any diflurbanee or rebellion in that country. Notwith. 
(landing the folemnity of this engagement, Ragonaut Row 
(till continued at Bombay, and by means of his agents 
fomented parties and diffenfions in the court of Poonah, 
until the Mahratta government, jealous in the higheft 
degree of the defigns of the Englifh, were provoked to 
receive with marked diftindtion the chevalier de.St. Lubin, 
ambaflador from the French prefidency of Pondicherry. 
This event brought on the fubfequent druggies betwixt 
the Englifli and French in India. 
On the 28th of January, 1778, the governor introduced 
this fubjedl at the fupreme board. “ If report could be 
believed, (faid Mr. Haftings,) written engagements had 
pafled between the Mahratta court and M. St. Lubin, the 
objeCt of which, whatever it be, mult, if attempted, prove 
deltruCtive to the Britilh trade and influence in India. 
Although the Mahratta power, unallied with other dates, 
was unable to cope with the company, yet, fudained by 
the French, they are qualified to refute acquiefcence with 
our demands, which demands the illand of Baffeen offers 
as the only profpedt of a fecurity ; that no obligation pre¬ 
cludes us from demanding it, nor can any blame be im¬ 
puted to us, if, as the fuperior power, we prefcribe the 
terms of accommodation.” In addition to this demand, 
Mr. Hadings, in the plan fubfequently laid by him before 
the board, required “ that the Mahratta government give 
fuch fecurity for the perfonal fafety of Ragonaut Row as 
he himfelf fhall require; that a fpecific fum be demanded 
to reimburfe the company for their late military charges; 
that a grant of territory be made contiguous to Baffeen; 
and that no European fettlement be allowed on the Mah¬ 
ratta coads without content of the company.” At the 
fame time he communicated a plan formed by the prefl- 
dency of Bombay, to reindate Ragonaut Row in the peifli- 
walhip by force of arms, being invited to this enterprife 
by fundry members of the Mahratta government. 
After much oppofition from Mr. Francis and Mr. 
Wheeler, who had recently fucceeded fir John Clavering 
as a member of the board, the governor’s propofals were 
carried in council by his own cading vote; and it was 
finally determined to fupport Ragonaut Row, in the event 
of the infraction of the Poonah or Poorunder treaty, as 
now explained : afferting that “ the prefidency of Bengal 
was in a condition to aflid Bombay abundantly with men 
and money to carry on the Mahratta war,” Mr. Hadings 
propofed to march a large detachment of the company’s 
troops acrol's the peninfula, for the purpofe of reinforcing 
the Bombay army. This alfo being carried in the fame 
manner, the defiined reinforcement, under colonel Leflie, 
commenced this unprecedented march of eleven hundred 
miles, early in May, 1778. In order to promote and cor- 
roboiate the fuccefs of this project, Mr. Hadings had 
mod affidnoufly courted the friendfhip and alliance of the 
rajah of Berar, Moodajee Boofla, whole dominions occu¬ 
pied the intermediate fpace between thofe of the company 
and of the Mahratta dates, inciting and urging' that prince, 
who was far advanced in years, and of a mild and pacific 
difpofition, openly to avow his claim to the fovereignty 
of the Mahrattas, to which the rajah had fome obfcure 
and remote pretenfions. Moodajee Boofia, however, was 
fo far from being willing to embark his fortunes in this 
new war, that he abfolutely declined to take any part in it. 
Colonel Leflie, who commanded the army on its march 
to Bombay, dying, October, 1778, was fucceeded by colonel 
Goddard. This able officer, after furmounting great and 
various obdacles, reached the fouthern banks of the Nar. 
budda, within the territory of Berar, January,' 1779; 
and immediately detached lieutenant Wetherftone to the 
court of Naigpore, again to urge the rajah’s acceffion to 
the propofed plan of operation. But the lieutenant, in 
his letters to colonel Goddard, declares, that Moodajee 
Boofla, and the government of Berar, were determined 
Vol. VI. No. 389. 
not to take any adtive part whatever with the company’s 
armies; that they had a thoufand arguments to oppofe to 
thofe he urged in favour of the plan for affuming the 
dignity of ram rajah of Setterah, particularly the faith 
pledged, and the alliance of friendfhip they had (worn to, 
With the prefent peifliwa ; that the aliening their preten¬ 
fions to the fovereignty would meet with numberlefs op- 
pofitions ; and that fuccefs could not be obtained without 
fliedding much blood, and at the expence of violating 
the facred engagements before entered into with them. 
Mr. Wetherftone further fays, “ that ft feemed now to 
be the firft with of the court of Berar to fet afide our 
connection with Ragonaut Row, the fupporting of whom 
they aliened to be highly unpolitical, and that in the end 
it would be fully proved fo ; that this chief, Ragonaut 
Row, was held in univerfal abhorrence ; and that the 
prejudices againft him in the decan would not eafily, if 
ever, be removed. And the rajah earneltly offered his 
mediation to make up all the exifting differences.” 
About this period, likewife, letters were received by 
the governor-general from Siccaram Pundit, prime mi- 
nifter of the Poonah government, containing heavy com¬ 
plaints of the conduCt of the Englifh fince the conclufion 
of the treaty of Poorunder. “ The government of Bom¬ 
bay from that period has, in every inftance, (he aflerts,) 
excited troubles and commotions, in violation of the ties 
of friendfhip; and notwithflanding thfc exprefs flipulation 
to expel Ragonaut Row from the dominions of the com¬ 
pany, they have performed nothing thereof. Out of re¬ 
gard to the friendfhip and alliance of the company, I call 
God to witnefs, that the envoy of France was dif'miffed 
without negociating with him. It is mutually incumbent 
upon us to obferve the terms of the treaty.” And again, 
in a fubfequent difpatch, the fame minilter fays, “ Not- 
withftanding the conclufion of the treaty, the Bombay 
government kept Ragonaut Row with them. It even 
appears to a conviction, that they perfuaded Ragoba, i. e. 
Ragonaut Row, to the meafures he lias purfued. How 
then does the fupreme authority of the council of Cal¬ 
cutta from the king of England appear, fince the chiefs 
of the different fettlements do not regard engagements 
made by you as binding on them > And you, fir, paying 
no regard to your own aCts, take your meafures on the 
representations of the government of Bombay. This is 
indeed aftonifliing to the higheft degree! It is the dictate 
of found policy, that you withdraw your troops to your 
own territory. This will be a convincing proof of the 
fincerity of your friendfhip, and will fpread the fame of / 
your good faith throughout the univerfe. From the 
commencement of the government of the family of the 
peifliwa, they have entered into treaties with many of the 
chiefs of the eaft and weft, and have never before expe¬ 
rienced fuch a want of faith from any one.” 
In the mean time, pending thefe negociations and the 
march of the Bengal army, the prelidency of Bombay, 
poffeffed with high ideas of their own (trength, confident 
of f uccefs, and jealous, left, by the arrival of the expeCted 
reinforcements, they fliould be obliged to divide the fpoil 
and profit of the expedition into the Mahratta country, 
with thole of whofe affiftance they flood in no need, having 
made all the previous military preparations, and formally 
declared the treaty of Poorunder void, put their troops 
in motion, November, 1778. The event of this expedi. 
tion cannot be better related than in the words of Row- 
Ghee, relident at the court of Poonah from the nabob of 
Arcot : “ The Englifli furdars, (lays this intelligent ob- 
ferver, in a letter to the nabob,) with an army confifting 
of feven hundred Europeans, eight battalions of fepoys, 
and forty pieces of cannon, marched from Bombay to the 
paffes. Siccaram Pundit and Nana Furnefe joined their 
forces, and fatisfied the difcontented chiefs, Scindia and 
Holkar, by giving them money, jaghires, and other pre- 
fents. All the chiefs having met to confult, agreed 
unanimoully not to receive Ragonaut Row, fince became 
vvith an army of Englifli, who were of a different nation 
9 G from 
