112 HINDO 
has eftablifhed for ever the invincible character of Eng- 
lilhmen in the hearts of the chiefs and princes of Hin- 
dooltan. 
The thanks of both houfes of parliament were voted to 
the governor-general, and the commanders, officers, and 
foldiers, of the l'everal armies, which had ffiared in the 
glory or' the contell. His majefty was alfo further pleafed 
to create general Lake a peer of the realm, and general 
Welleiley a knight of the Bath. 
The fair profpeft, which the termination of the war 
with Scindia, and the rajah of Berar, gave of general and 
permanent tranquillity throughout India, fuffered a ffiort 
interruption from the aggreffion of Holkar, the chieftain 
already policed as the rival of Scindia, over whom the 
former had gained an advantage, previous to hoftilities 
with the Engliih. Jefwunt Rao Holkar was an illegiti¬ 
mate fon of one of the principal Mahratta chieftains, and 
had ufurped the hereditary rights of his legitimate bro¬ 
ther Calhee Rao ; and, being of an aftive difpofition, 
directed his efforts to extend his. territories and increafe 
his wealth by dint of arms; which, regardlefs of right or 
juftice, he turned indiscriminately on thofe princes whole 
poffeffions promifed him the richeft booty. Whilft war 
lubfifted between the Engliih and the confederated chief¬ 
tains, he profeffed himfelf well inclined to both parties, 
yet employed his time in plundering both ; he laid the city 
of Aurungabad, the capital of the nizam, under a heavy 
contribution, collected tribute from the rajahpout princes, 
enforced exactions from fome diltridts belonging to Scin¬ 
dia ; and when, on the conclufion of peace with Scindia, 
this freebooter was required to defilt from his predatory 
incurfions, and invited to participate in the general arn- 
nefty, he replied at firlt in evafive, and afterwards in info- 
lent, terms of defiance. His folly and ralhnefs foon met 
their reward. Emboldened by a firlt and partial luccefis 
over a final! detachment that had penetrated into the pro¬ 
vince of Malwa, he advanced to the Jumna, which he 
crofted in perfon with his cavalry, and fixed his camp, 
leaving his infantry and artillery to profecute their hoftile 
operations on the.weltern bank of the river. 
On the 29th of January, 1804, the commander-in-chief, 
in conformity with his inftruftions, required the imme¬ 
diate evacuation of the poll thus occupied by Holkar ; and 
ftated that he Ihouid be left in the unmolelted enjoyment 
of his authority, provided he retired into his own do¬ 
mains, and ahftained from all further exactions of tribute 
from the allies of the Eaft-India company. To this re- 
quiiition a reply was returned on the 2.7th of February in 
amicable terms, and an affurance was given that vaqueels 
(ambaffadors) ihouid be fent to negociate a treaty. On 
the 16 th of March they arrived, and propoled on his part, 
terms of a nature fufficiently exteniive. They demanded 
“ that he fnould be permitted to coiled! the choute, (a fourth 
part of the revenues,) agreeably to the cuitom of his an- 
ceftors ; that the ancient poiTeifions formerly held by the 
family, fuch as Etawah, &c. (affigned to the company by 
the vizier of Oude, under the treaty of Lucknow in 1801,) 
twelve pergunnahs in the Douab, and a pergunnah in 
Bundelcund, ihouid be ceded to him ; that the country 
of Humana, which was alfo formerly in the poffeffion of 
the family, ihouid be given up; and that the territory 
then occupied by him ihouid be guaranteed, and a treaty 
concluded with him on terms fimilar to that figned with 
Scindia.” Thefe propofitions were inftantly rejected, and 
the offer of peace again made, folely on the condition 
that he ihouid withdraw his troops within his own domi¬ 
nions. Several communications afterwards took place, all 
of them on his part evafive of this propofal. The laif, 
about the 4th of April, ftated that he was about to vifit 
Agimere, a province belonging to Scindia ; whence, af¬ 
ter having performed fome devotional duties affigned as 
the caule of his Journey thither, he ihouid commence his 
march home. At Agimere he levied considerable contri¬ 
butions, and even made an attempt to poffefs himfelf of 
tire fort. This tranlkflion, therefore, combined with the 
O S T A N. 
information afforded by the minifters of Scindia, compel¬ 
led the commander-in-chief at once to refolve upon war. 
It appears, that, fubfequent to the peace concluded be¬ 
tween Scindia and the Company, Holkar earneftly preffed 
that chief to aid him in his hoftile defigns. Scindia, 
averfe to any renewal of a war in which he had already 
fuffered fo much, fteadily refufed all co-operation, and 
expreffed his ow;\ defire to be at peace; complaining at 
the fame time of the injury which had been committed 
upon him by the attack at Agimere. Holkar, in juftifi- 
cation of his conduit, alleged, that the rajah of Jodpour 
(with whom he intended to leave his family “ when he 
commenced his operations againjl the Englijh ”) was unwilling 
to take upon himfelf that charge, unlefs. the fort and 
province of Agimere were firlt made over to him, and 
infifted that Scindia could not do otherwife than forgive 
a ftep neceffary to that war which w r as to be waged for 
the independence of the Mahratta empire. 
With fuch indubitable reafons for military and decifive 
operations, ail liefitation would have been dangerous and 
blameable. On the 16th of April, therefore, orders were 
iffued to the commander-in-chief for operations in Hin- 
dooftan and the Deccan ; a notification of which was con¬ 
veyed by major Malcolm to Scindia. 
The principal poffeffions occupied by the followers of 
Jefwunt Rao Holkar in the Deccan, were the fort and 
territory of Chandore, about one hundred and thirty 
miles north of Poonah, and the forts of Dhoorb and Gal- 
nah ; a territory was alfo held under his authority in 
Oandeilh, together with a few diftrifts intermixed with 
the dominions of the nizam. The fiege of Chandore and, 
Galnah, as the occupation of them w r ould at once deprive 
the enemy of all his pofleffions in the Deccan, was natu¬ 
rally relblved upon. To the march of an army for that 
purpofe, the wafted country between Poonah and Chan¬ 
dore prefented many difficulties; and an apprehenfion 
was entertained, that, unlefs hoftilities were poftponed un¬ 
til the rainy feafon, no effeitive operations could take 
place in the Deccan. Major-general Welleiley, however, 
ad'verfe to every idea of procraftination, placed the troops 
under his command in a Itate fit for immediate fervice. 
The difpofition made with a view to hoftilities again!! 
Holkar, was as follows : The principal corps was to af- 
femble at Aurungabad, under the command of lieutenant- 
colonel Wallace of his majefty’s 19th dragoons, four re¬ 
giments of native cavalry, two regiments of European in¬ 
fantry, the 74th and 94th ; and fix battalions of fepoys, 
with a battering train,-and a proportion of artillery in pio¬ 
neers ; leaving a referve at Poonah of four battalions of 
lepoys, at Hydrabad of two battalions, and a garrilon of 
one battalion in Ahmednagur. 
In the judgment of the commander-in-chief, the ad¬ 
vance of troops into Guzerat, againft the domains of Hol¬ 
kar in Malwa, was likely to be attended with great ad¬ 
vantage} and meafures were therefore adopted for rein¬ 
forcing the troops in that quarter. Colonel Murray was 
the officer who received inftruitions relative to that branch 
of the fervice. At the fame time Scindia was directed 
to employ his ftrength in the reduction of fuch parte of 
the poffeffions of Holkar as might be raoft acccffible. to 
his army. Lieutenant-colonel Ball was ftationed with a 
detachment of troops near Canoon, a town about ninety 
miles fouth-weft of Delhi, to oppofe any irruption into 
the recently-acquired territory of the company in that 
direction. A detachment was alio formed under lieute¬ 
nant-colonel Monlon for the defence of Jeypour, which 
began its march towards Jeynagur on the 18 th of April. 
On the morning of the 23d, Holkar commenced a preci¬ 
pitate retreat towards the fouthward. We Ihouid here 
obferve, that general Welleiley, having received inftruc- 
tions from the governor-general to proceed to Fort Wil¬ 
liam on the public fervice, now refigned the militari- 
powers intrufted to him. 
After a reft of two days, upon the further advance of 
colonel Monfon with his detachment, followed by gene¬ 
ral 
