764 
ENG 
rious momentous incidents occurred in the fubordinate 
departments of government in India ; but of thefe a cur- 
fory mention can only be made. Mahomed Ali Khan, 
nabob of Arcot, had, by means too obvious to need ex¬ 
planation, acquired an unbounded influence over the 
counfels ot the government of Madras. Supported by 
the aid and authority of that prefidency, under the ex- 
prefs fandtion of the governor and council of Bengal, the 
nabob, on frivolous pretences, declared war againfl the 
rajah of Tanjore, a neighbouring prince and ancient ally 
ot the company ; and, feizing his dominions, annexed 
them to his own territory. The court of directors, highly 
indignant at this unjuft and violent ufurpation, deter¬ 
mined upon the reftoration of the rajah : and for this 
purpofe lord Pigot, a nobleman who had formerly been 
employed in the Indian (ervice, and whofe charadter, 
both in a civil and military capacity, flood defervedly 
high, was appointed to the government with pofitive or¬ 
ders to that effect. His lordffiip arrived at Madras the 
latter end of the year 1775 i and, notwithftanding all the 
oppolition and the temptation thrown in his way, he ac¬ 
compli (fled the grand objedt of his appointment in the 
re-inftatement ot the rajah. Difputes running extremely 
high in the council in confequence of this meafure, the 
governor, in the autumn of 1776, fufpended two of the 
members from their fundlions, by a doubtful and dan¬ 
gerous aflumption of authority. But ample revenge 
was loon after taken by the remaining malcontents, in the 
aneft and imprifonment of his lordfhip, who furvived 
this daring outrage but a very fhort time. In the feflion 
of Parliament which began November 1778, Admiral 
Pigot, brother to lord Pigot, brought this affair in all its 
circumftances before the lioufe of commons; and after 
ftatmg, in a feries of refolutions, the principal fadfs re¬ 
lative to this cataftrophe, he concluded with moving an 
addrefs to his majefty, “ humbly praying, that George 
Stratton, efq. and the other members of the council of 
Madras, be profecuted for ordering their governor and 
commander in chief to be arrefled, and confined under a 
military force—they being returned to England, and now 
within the jurifdidtien of his majefty’s courts of Weft, 
minder-hall.” Notwithftanding the laboured juftifica- 
tion ot Mr. Stratton, who was a member of the houfe, 
thefe refolutions were unanimoufly carried. Thefe gen¬ 
tlemen, being in the fequel tried and convidfed in the 
court of king’s-bench, were, to the amazement of the 
public, fentenced only to pay a trifling fine. 
At this period the war in India had become very 
general; a mod formidable combination of the country 
powers in oppofition to the Engliih had taken place, 
which, aftifted by the fleets and armies of France, feemed 
to menace the very exiftence of the empire of Britain in 
India. Hyder Ali, the ancient and inveterate enemy of 
the company, in July, 1780, broke into the Carnatic with 
a vaft army, and committed the mod dreadful ravages. 
On the 10th of September, he attacked and furrounded 
a confiderable detached corps under colonel Baillie, which 
were entirely cut to pieces or made prifoners. He then 
attacked and made himfelf matter of Arcot; and fcarcely 
did the government at Madras believe itfelf to be in 
fafety, wh.en fir Eyre Coote arrived to take the command 
of the company’s forces on the coaft of Coromandel, and 
Hyder was in repeated engagements foiled and defeated 
by this gallant veteran. Various naval encounters alfo 
took place between the French and Englifh fleets, com¬ 
manded by M. Suffrein and admiral fir Edward Hughes, 
with equal fkill, courage, and fuccefs. The naval 'force 
of both nations was gradually increafed, in the progrefs 
of the war, to a degree far beyond what had been known 
at any former period in India, amounting at the laft, on 
the part of the Britifti, to eighteen (hips of the line of 
battle. But the proportion continuing nearly the (lime, 
the mutual accefiions of ftrength ferved only to increafe 
the number of human vidtims : and the fuccellive battles 
being obftuiately and heroically contefted^ the blood fhed 
.AND. 
in the eaftern world was uncommonly great.—See the 
article Hindoostan. 
The affairs of India were now become fo alarming in 
England, that a fecret committee having been appointed, 
in 1781, to enquire into the caufes of the Mahratta war, 
and that in the Carnatic; a very able report was brought 
up early in the feflion of 1782, by Mr. Dundas, chairman 
of the committee, in which the general fyftem of policy 
purfued by the governor-general Haftings, was reprobated 
in terms of extreme feverity. Mr. Dundas, in the courfe 
of his fpeech, laid, “ that the governor had no right to 
fancy he was an Alexander, or an Aurengzebe ; or to 
prefer frantic military exploits, -inftead of the improve¬ 
ment of the trade and commerce of the country.” Sir 
Thomas Rumbold alfo, who had juft: relinquilhed the 
government of Madras, was criminated as guilty of grofs 
peculation, embezzlement, and oppreflion. General 
Smith, in moving that the report of the fecret committee 
be referred to a committee of the houfe, took notice that 
fir Elijah Impey, his majefty’s chief juftice in India, had 
fo far degraded his charadter and office, as to accept of a 
place under the company of 8000I. per annum, contrary 
to the folemn engagements under which he held his ap¬ 
pointment. An addrefs was in confequence prefented to 
the king, to befeech his majefty to recal fir Elijah Impey 
from India to anfwer for his conduit. A bill was likewife 
brought in by Mr. Dundas, for inflidting certain pains 
and penalties on fir Thomas Rumbold, for high crimes 
and mifdemeanours. 
On the 28th of May, 1782, the houfe of commons 
palled a feries of refolutions, in the molt decifive terms 
condemnatory of the whole fyftem of Indian politics. The 
laft refolution imported, “ That Warren Haftings, efq. 
governor-general in Bengal, and William Hornby, efq. 
prelident of the council at Bombay, having in fundry in- 
ftances added in a manner repugnant to the honour and 
policy of this nation, and thereby brought great calami¬ 
ties on India, and enormous expences on the Eaft-India 
company, it is the duty of the diredtors of the faid com¬ 
pany, to purfue all legal and effectual means for the re- <* 
moval of the faid governor-general and prelident from ’ 
their faid offices, and to recal them to Great Britain.” 
This refolution was confirmed by the court of directors, 
and patted Odtober, 1782, in the following terms ; “ Re- 
folved, that it is the opinion of this court, that a*fteady 
perfeverance in the fyftem of condudt fo frequently en¬ 
joined by the court of diredtors, cannot be expedted from 
thofe fervants whofe ideas of extenfion of dominion, either 
by negociation or conquelt, have led them to depart from 
orders fo often enforced ; and therefore, that it is expe¬ 
dient to remove Warren Haftings, efq. from the office of 
governor-general of Bengal.” 
The war in India, in the mean while, went on with 
various fuccefs. The valuable fettlements of Negapat- 
nam, on the Coromandel coaft, and Trinquemale, in the 
ifland of Ceylon, belonging to the Dutch, were captured 
by the Engliih. On the other hand, colonel Braithwaite, 
with a detachment of the company’s troops, was totally 
routed on the banks of the Coleroon by Tippoo Saib, fon 
of Hyder Ali, afiifted by a body of French troops; after 
which Cuddalore furrendered to the vidtors. The ope¬ 
rations of the war on the Malabar coaft were at the fame 
time condudled by general Goddard, with a great difplay 
of military (kill and fpirit. Invading the province of 
Guzzerat, in 1780, he reduced the city of Amedabad, its 
capital; and, on thefecond of Aprilj«he ftormed the camp 
of the Mahrattas, commanded by Madajee Scindia, whom 
he totally defeated. Entering into a treaty with the rana 
of Gohud, major Popham, by order of the general, at¬ 
tacked and carried, in the courfe of the hammer, the 
ftrong fortrefs of Gualior, which was garrifoned by the 
Mahrattas, though within the territory of the rana. 
Early in 1781, general Goddard fat down before Baf- 
feen ; and, after reducing this important place, he delifted 
from further active operations, in confequence of the fuc- 
cours 
