HINDOOSTAN. • 107 
der and fteadinefs, until the moment when a junction was 
formed with the infantry, which, on a fufficient interval 
being left for that purpofe, advanced in front, forming 
one line; the cavalry, who had now faced about, being in 
a fecond, about forty yards in the rear of the right wing ; 
the whole of the Britiih force -then advanced towards the 
enemy, the gallant commander-in-chief leading it, at the 
head of the 76th regement. 
As foon as the cavalry began to retire, the. enemy, Con¬ 
ceiving this movement to be a real retreat, immediately 
quitted their Itrong pofition, and advanced with' the whole 
of their guns^fliouting and difplaying every confidence in 
their future triumph. They halted, however, oil the un¬ 
expected and Heady advance of the Britifh infantry; and 
then commenced a tremendous tire of round, grape, and 
chain, tliot, which did terrible execution. In the mean 
while, the Britiih line, led by general Lake, with un¬ 
daunted bravery, and the utmoft Coolnefs, without taking 
their mulkets from their thoulders, moved oh towards the 
enemy, until within a hundred paces of their line, which 
then commenced a general difeharge from all their artiilery. 
Orders were inltantly given to charge the enemy with 
bayonets : the whole Britifh line tired a volley ; and, with 
their commander-in-chief at their head, milted on with 
fuch impetuofity, as to force their opponents to give Way, 
and fly in every direction. As lbon as the Britiih troops 
halted, after the charge, general Lake, with his accuf- 
tomed judgment, ordered the line to break into columns 
of companies, to allow the cavalry to charge through the 
intervals with their galloper-guns, which completed the 
victory. The enemy was purfued to the banks of the 
Jumna, and vaft numbers were driven into the river, and 
qperiflied. 
While thefe operations took place on the right, thofe 
cn the left, under major-general St. John, were equally 
fuccelsful. The enemy left the whole of their artillery, 
fixty-eight pieces of ordnance, arid thirty-feven tumbrils 
laden with ammunition, in pJnTeflion of the Eriglitn ; 
twenty-four tumbrils blew up during the aCtion, exclu- 
five of which, many were loll in the Jehna Nuilah arid in 
the Jumna Two’tumbrils, containing treafure, were alio 
taken on the held of battle. The lofs of the enemy was 
eltimated at 3000 men, nearly equal to three-fourths of 
the. whole Britiih army ! This celebrated action Wa-s 
fought within light of the minarets of the city of Delhi, 
from which it is ufually defignated. 
On the following day, the whole army encamped clofe 
to the Jumna, oppolite the city of Delhi. On the 14th of 
September it began to crofs the river : that day, M. Bour- 
quicn, who commanded the enemy’s forces in the late ac¬ 
tion, and four other French officers, furrendered theihielves 
prifonevs to general Lake ; and on the 1’6'th, the covn- 
ihander-in-chief paid his firft Vilit to the unfortunate Shah 
Aiilum, in Delhi, to congratulate his rriajefty on his re- 
ieafe from the degrading bondage in which he had been 
ib long held, as noticed at p. 78. Immediately after 
the battle of the tath, that fovereign had lent to the edm- 
riiander-in-chief, to exprefs his earned defife of placing 
bis perlbr. and authority under the protection of the Bri¬ 
tifh government, and had now directed his eldelf fori arid 
heir apparent, the prince Mirza Akbar Shan, to ConduCt 
general Lake to his pretence. The prince arrived at the 
camp at half-palt three in the afternoon, when the caval¬ 
cade was ‘formed, arid proceeded to the city of Delhi, 
where it arrived about lUri-ltet. The ftfe'ets of the city 
were crowded to fuch a degree, that it was with difficulty 
the proeeffion could make its way to tire palace; and even 
there frefh obftafcles awaited the Cavalcade, from the num¬ 
bers of people who thronged its various courts, eager to 
vritneis the deliverance of their fovereign, arid to hail 
with transport the generous victors. 
At length the Britiih chief was u-fMred into tb.e royal 
prfefeiiee, and found tlie. unfortunate and venerable em¬ 
peror, the descendant arid fepreleni-itive of the Taintr- 
hanes, the Akbars, and the Aurui.gzebes, op prelied by 
the accumulated calamities of old age, degraded autho¬ 
rity, extreme poverty, and lofs of fight! His ‘tnajetty 
was feated under a canopy, ,'fcaftty and tattered., all that 
remained to him of his former grandeur, with eves'y ex¬ 
ternal appearance of wfetcliednefs and mifery. 
It was the? ‘immediate objeft of general Lake, with 
united teftderhefs arid refpeCt, to foothe arid comfort the 
royal fnfferer; to allure him 6f the future prefection of 
the Britiih government, which would immediately em¬ 
ploy itfelf in the formation of a perhvment aft'angemehf, 
for the future maintenance of the dignity and comfort of 
his imperial majefty, and of t he royal family ; and that the 
nobility and great omrahs of Hate at his capital, whole 
fortunes had been deftroyed by the ufurpation of Sciridia, 
and the rapacity of the French adventurers, fhould be re- 
ftored to their pofieffions arid revenues. 
It 'is impoffible to deferibe the impreffion which the 
conduct of the commander-in-chief, on this interefting 
occafion, made on the minds of the inhabitants of Delhi, 
and of all the mufTulmahs in India, who had been made 
acquainted with the tranlaCtions of the memorable 16th 
of September, 1803. In the metaphorical language of the 
eaft, the native writers who deltri’oe this extraordinary 
feene have not fcrupled to declare, that his majefty Shall 
Auburn, recovered his fight from excefs of joy. In addi¬ 
tion to many other marks of the royal gratitude and fa¬ 
vour, the emperor beftowed upon his deliverer the leebrid 
title in the empire. 
The refult of general Lake’s operations, equally judi¬ 
cious and Spirited, at Coel, Aflygur, arid Delhi, Were 
highly beneficial to the Britiih interests in India; While 
the French officers, deprived of influence arid authority, 
became the objects of the juft indignation of. the Country 
they were endeavouring to enflave, and found their belt 
fafety in the generality and protection of the victors, 
whole humane conduCt arid orderly deportment cabled 
them to be regarded univerfally throughout the conquered 
provinces, as friends and deliverers. But thefe Victories', 
great and important as they certainly were, would have 
loft half their luftre, and all their effect, had they not 
ferred to enable the governor-general, marquis Welie'iley, 
more effectually to extend his wife, juft, and liberal, fyfterii 
of polic)*, over fo great a portion of the Indian periiiilula. 
Already aavantageoufly knoWn throughout Alia as the rc- 
ftorer of the ancient royal houfe of the Myforean dominion ; 
his railing from the drift the veherableand unfortunate Mo¬ 
gul empefor, to enjoy, in his latter days, thofe comforts, 
and even rieceffaries. of which he had 1b long fullered the 
privation, and the difperfion or fubjugation of the enfla- 
vers of that fovereign, eftabiifhed the reputation for va¬ 
lour, clemency, and juftice, of the Britifli government 
throughout the eaft. Its triumphs 'brought no terror, 
lave.to the tyrant:—arid its alliance and friendfhip were 
c'onfidered by the native powers as the lureft pledges, to 
their federal ftates, of Irappinefs and tranquillity.. Con- 
fidering thefe events allb in a view purely political, it 
will be remembered, that by their operatic’*, the Mogul 
emperor being now firmly roftored to his functions, and 
tinder the protection of the Britifh government, no other 
power cart avail itfelf of the weight and influence which 
liis name rnuft evCr polfefs amongft the Mogul and Mo¬ 
hammedan inhabitants ot Hmdooltan. 
The commander-in-chief, having made the. rieceffiijy' 
arrangements, at once for the fecurity of Delhi, and the 
prfefervation to the emperor of thofe biefltngs of peace and 
independence to which he had been reltofed, proceeded 
in piirlitit of the enemy towards Agra. 
During thefe tranlaCtions, the force under colonel PoweJ, 
ftatkmed near Allahabad, had formed a junction With the 
cavalry of the peifhwa, comirianded by Hiinmur Baha¬ 
dur, his principal officer in the province of BundelcuncL. 
This united army, amounting to near feventeen thousand 
men, reached.the banks of the fiver Cane on the ioth of 
GCtober, and found the enemy’s troops in confiderable 
force, encamped on the other fide, under the command of 
bhumlhere 
: S 
