HINDOOSTAN. 
the Jumna, encamped at Shahdirruk, on the ealtera bank, 
pretending to join Sujah ul'Dowlah, and the Englifh, 
■who were already on their march. Upon his entering 
the camp,- he received the two lacs of rupees ftipulated, 
amounting to 2o,oool. and alfo feventy-five thoufand 
rupees during his lhort ftay in the field; but fuddenly 
deigning fevere illnefs, he returned to the palace, and his 
further march was laid afide. But the Englifh were not 
quite fo tender in confidence ; or not fi> unjuft in principle 
as to receive the wages of Mammon, and perform nothing. 
They parted through all the daughter of hot and cofd 
blood, until the general engagement with the renowned 
.Rohilla chief, Hafiz Rhamut; who being killed in the 
heat of action, the viftors took pofleffion of the whole 
region of Rohilcund, except the fmall diftrifl of Rampour, 
which was granted in jaghire to the furviving chief, 
Fyzoollah Khan, with the remnant of his wretched 
cpeople. This people, however, in a few years, acquired 
.new ftrength; and after the death of Sujah ul Dowlah, 
their lavage chief Gholaum Kaudir Khan, in 1788, re¬ 
venged, as we have feen, upon the devoted head ol Shah 
Aulum, the iniquities of his vizier and the Englifh in 
the unprovoked Rohilla war : for more minute particulars 
of which war, fee the article England, vol. vi. p. 75+. 
The events which now followed, or rather refulted 
from this prodigious increafe of Britilh territory in Hin- 
' dooftan, notwithftanding the utmoft endeavours of the Eaft- 
India directors, and of the miniftry in England, to coun¬ 
teract them, appear for a feries of years to have flowed 
-from one undeviating ftream of fraudulent confederacy, 
and fanguinary opprefiion. To a train of cruel and un- 
juftifiable meafures we are alone to attribute the Rohilla 
war, a lafting monument of difgrace to this country ; the 
infamous deligns praftifed under colour of the company’s 
authority, by Ragonaut Row, at the court of Poonah ; 
the attempt made to involve the affairs of the emperor 
Shah Aulum at Delhi in ftill deeper diftrefs, by exciting 
Mahadjee Scindia to feize his few remaining territories, 
and divide them with the Englifh; the bloody conteft, 
which arofe from this third: after dominion and power, 
with Flyaer Ali, and his fon, Tippoo Saheb, lultan of 
the Myfore ; the unprovoked persecution and depofition 
'of Cheyt Sing, rajah of Benares; are enumerated among 
the caufes affigned for the recall of the governor-general 
Haftings, and for the impeachment which followed on 
his return to England. Tliefe tranfaclions occupied the 
attention and aftonifhment of mankind from the com¬ 
mencement of the adminiftration of Mr. Haftings to the 
termination of his authority in Bengal, in 1785. To pre¬ 
vent a repetition of fuch bare-faced enormities for the fu¬ 
ture in India, which Mr. Pitt, in his memorable fpeech in 
parliament, laid, “ be confidered in the moft horrible and 
■alarming point of view,” it was relolved to unite the high 
and important authorities of governor-general and com¬ 
mander-in-chief over Britifh India, in one and the fame 
rperfon. The choice fell where univerfal approbation ac¬ 
companied it, upon a foldier and a ftatefman, the earl 
Cornwallis. His lordfhip entered upon this arduous of¬ 
fice in 1786 ; and from his firft arrival in India, he was 
unceafmgly employed in healing the diftraftions of the 
country, in promoting the bleflings of peace, and pro¬ 
tecting the rights of individuals, throughout every call: 
and order of the' community over which he was now to 
prefide In 1790, however, the peace of Bengal was again 
difturbed by Tippoo Saheb, leagued with the French ; 
againft whofe powerful army lord Cornwallis marched in 
perfon, affifted by the immortal Abercromby, and general 
Meadows. The Myforean war was continued with great 
©bftinacy and valour on both fides, until February 1792; on 
the 7th of which month, the capital city of Seringapatam 
being clofely inverted, Tippoo foliciied for peace on 
terms prefcribed by the Englifh ; and fent two of his fons 
ns hoftages to lord Cornwallis’s camp, for the faithful per¬ 
formance of the articles then ftipulated. But, as all thefe 
various tranfaftions have been circumftantially related 
in our Eighth Volume, we muft beg to refer the reader to 
them,under the article Engl a n d, p. 756-766-771-776-78 3.. 
Earl Cornwallis was upon this occafion advanced to 
the rank of a marquis ; and, being defirous of returning 
to England, was fucceeded in the oftenfible office he bore 
in India by fir John Shore. This worthy baronet, pur- 
fuing the fteps of his noble predeceffor, contributed largely 
to the due adminiftration of impartial juftice, as well as 
to the extenfion of commerce, and the relations of amity 
and friendfhip throughout the vaft regions of Hindooftan, 
where the Britifh traffic and name had acquired a predo¬ 
minating influence. But the reftlefs ambition of repub¬ 
lican France was now employed to undermine this pro- 
rnifing afpeft of affairs; and the leaders in the directory 
were letting on foot various fchemes for the recovery of 
their national influence in India, and for humbling the 
pride and power of England in that quarter of tl}e globe. 
The frequent capture of Pondicherry, and the unrefifted 
feizure of the factories of France, on the weftern. coaft of 
Hindooftan, and on the banks of the Ganges, convinced 
them that it was not from their colonies alone, thinly 
and remotely lcattered, they could hope for fuch efforts 
as might wreft from England the dominion it had ac¬ 
quired. They therefore refolved to form eftablifhments 
in the very heart of Hindooftan, within the territories of 
the native princes themfelves, whofe influence would pro¬ 
tect their growth ; and whole refources and co-operation 
might powerfully affift them, on the occurrence of an op¬ 
portune moment for attacking the Englifh to advantage, 
in concert with the fleets and forces of their own coun¬ 
try. With this view, a number of French emiffaries were 
difpatched to India, who found their way into different 
parts of the interior, where their firft ftep was to prove 
themfelves deferving the confidence of the prince or chief 
they offered to ferve, by difciplrning his troops, and giv¬ 
ing him, in that refpeft, a decided advantage over the other 
rajahs. For this end regular battalions were formed, and 
inftrufted in European traffics; the clumfy Indian can¬ 
non were improved into ferviceable field-artillery ; foun- 
deries were eftablifhed for ordnance on the French im¬ 
proved principle ; and jaghires, or affignments of terri¬ 
tory, were granted for the fupport of thefe newly-imported 
fubjefts, the commandants of which acquired an influ¬ 
ence that generally directed the operations of the fields 
The firft exertion of that influence, was to infpire the 
prince they ferved with a jealoufy of the Englifh, and 
then to excite his ambition by the hope of conqueft, 
and a profpecf of plunder; fentiments always congenial 
to the mind of every Indian potentate. Thus eftablifhed 
in the principal courts of the Deccan, they only waited 
the hour, when France fhould throw a few thoufands of 
her troops on any Ihore of the peninfula, to overwhelm 
the Britifh poffefiions in Hindooftan, with the fame rapi¬ 
dity that has marked the inroads of that nation in al- 
moft every country of Europe. 
Such was the growing ftate of the French influence in 
India, when fir John Shore returned to England, after 
exerting all the energies of his mind to oppofe and re¬ 
p-refs it ■. but in vain. Sir John was now advanced to the 
dignity of the peerage, by the title of lord baron Teign- 
mouth; and the marquis Cornwallis was re-appointed 
to fucceed him in July 1797 : but, the noble marquis re- 
figning foon after, the earl of Momington was appointed 
governor-general, and commander-in-chief, of Britifh In¬ 
dia ; where he anrived in April 1798. He foon difcovered 
that the power and influence of the French had grown to 
an alarming height at the' courts of feverai of the native 
princes ; the perfon and capital of the nizam or, foubah- 
dar of the Deccan, were poffeffed by M. Raymond, at 
the head of fourteen.thoufand difciplined troops ; and was 
prepared to lend every affiftance to the ambitious projefts- 
of the French and Tippoo Saheb. Thus M. Raymond,, 
in great force at Hyderabad, and having the whole of the 
nizam’s refources at his command in the Deccan, was 
prepared either to ravage the f’outhern provinces depen¬ 
dent 
