458 P I N D A R R £ E S, 
Khan, and the other generals of Aurengzebe. One of 
their firft and molt diftinguilhed leaders was a perfon 
named Poonah, who ravaged the Carnatic and took Vel¬ 
lore early in the reign of Sahoojee. This chief is faid to 
have been fucceeded by Chingody and Hool Sewar, who 
commanded fifteen thoufand horfe at the battle of Pani- 
put, and under whom the Pindarree fyftem would feem to 
have afi'umed a more regular form. They were divided 
into Durrahs, or tribes, commanded by Sirdars, or chiefs : 
people of every country, and of every religion, were 
indifcriminately enrolled in this heterogeneous commu¬ 
nity ; and a horfe and fword were deemetl fufficient qua¬ 
lifications for admiffion. A common intereft kept them 
united ; the chiefs acquired wealth and renown in the 
Mabratta wars, they ieized upon lands which they were 
afterwards tacitly permitted to retain, and tranfmitted 
with their eftates the fervices of their adherents to their 
defcendants. 
Heeroo and Burran are fubfequently mentioned as 
leaders of the Pindarrees ; and, in order to dillinguilh the 
followers of Tuckojee Holkar from thofe of Madajee 
Scindia, they were henceforward denominated the Scindia 
Shahee and the Holkar Shahee. 
From the year 1805, when a general peace was efta- 
blifhed by lord Cornwallis, (fee the article Hindoostan, 
vol. x. p. 114.) to the year 1813, when the marquis of 
Haftings afi'umed the government, the political relations 
of the company with the native powers had undergone 
little alteration. The tranquillity which prevailed was, 
however, more apparent than real; and it was fcarcely to 
be fuppofed, indeed, that the widely-extending domina¬ 
tion of a foreign power could long continue to be viewed 
without jealoufy by the native princes of India. Such 
of them, accordingly, as retained any fenfe of national 
honour, were naturally hoftile to the Britifh, and were 
well difpofed to unite againft them as the common ene¬ 
mies of Indian independence. In 1814 the war with the 
Nepaulefe commenced; and in the outfet the reverfes 
fuftained by the Britifii in their attempts to penetrate 
into the hill-country, itrongly excited the hopes of the 
native princes. In the following year, the valour and 
military talents of fir D. Oehterlony brought that war to 
a brilliant dole; and the bravery and difcipline difplayed 
by the troops in the courfe of the campaign, renewed 
among the Indian princes the former imprefiions of their 
invincible fuperiority. Whatever might be their ulterior 
views, therefore, they were compelled for the prefent to 
temporize, and to foothe their conquerors by an outward 
lhow of humility and peace. See Nepaul, vol. xvi. 
A more favourable opportunity, as they conceived, 
foon occurred for fuccefsful refiftance to the Britifii power. 
From the conftant wars and commotions in which India 
had from time immemorial been involved, it happened 
that a great proportion of the native population were 
trained to habits of diforder and military licence. At 
.the general fettlement concluded in 1805, it was natu¬ 
rally fuppofed that thele bands cf adventurers, having no 
longer any Icope for their predatory enterprifes, would 
betake themfelves to pacific purfuits, and would thus be 
gradually difl’olved among the mafs of the people. It 
happened otherwife. Thole hordes of freebooters, known 
under the general denomination of Pindarrees, improved 
both in ftrength and union ; and Scindia and Holkar, in 
whofe neighbourhood they were fettled, if they did not 
openly abet them, made no aftive efforts for their fup- 
prefiion. The nature of their force may be (hortly de¬ 
scribed. It confifts of a fpecies of light cavalry, which 
was formerly attached to the native armies, in the fame 
manner, and lor the fame purpofe, as the Cofiacks are 
to the armies of Rufiia. Their horles were trained to 
long marches and hard fare, it being their objeft to plun¬ 
der the country, and to elude purluit by the celerity of 
their movements. They were generally armed with a 
bamboo fpear, from twelve to eighteen feet long; every 
fifteenth man carried a matchlock; about 400 out of 
every 1000 were well mounted; of the remaining fix* 
hundred, 400 were indifferently mounted, and the reft 
were Haves, attendants, and camp-followers, mounted on 
wild ponies, and keeping up with the corps as they beft 
could. About the year 1814, thefe predatory bands 
comprifed about 40,000 horfe, who followed plunder as 
their mode of fubliftence, and were indeed a more formi¬ 
dable fpecies of gang-robbers; but, like other robbers 
and murderers on a great fcale, they afi'umed all the form 
and pomp of military array. The ftrength and numbers 
of this diforderly mafs were daily increafing by deferters 
from Holkar’s irregular bands, and from the loofe cavalry 
eftablifhments of Scindia and others, where they were 
retained by no tie but that of prefent advantage, and 
where their pay was always in arrear. The central filia¬ 
tion of the Pindarrees, at an equal diftance from the three 
prefidencies, rendered their hoftility Hill more formidable, 
and enforced on the Britifh the necefiity of maintaining 
an extenfive line of defence, which was always, however, 
penetrated-by thofe flying hordes, and the territories of 
our allies expofed, in confequence, to annual devaftations. 
In 1808-9, and in 1812, they carried their incurfions into 
the Britifii territories, and returned loaded with fpoil. 
The fame of thefe fuccefsful exploits recruited their 
bands, and enabled them to extend their ravages. In 
Oftober 1815, a force of 8000 Pindarrees crofted the Ner- 
buddah, in a north-weft direction, and, dividing into two 
parties, they penetrated to the Kifhna, though they were 
watched, and one party was furprifed by a body of infantry 
and cavalr}', which did them, however, little damage. 
They were only deterred from crofiing into the Madras 
prelidency, by the fwollen ftate of the river, along the 
fertile and populous banks of which they took their 
courfe, plundering as they went along, and committing 
every kind of enormity. In their return along the line 
of the Godavery and the Wurda, they pafl'ed the Britifii 
pofitions, making good their retreat with an immenfe 
booty, and with utter impunity. A fecond expedition 
w'as foon planned, which, crofiing the Nerbuddah, ap¬ 
peared on theweftern frontier of the dillrift of Mafulipa- 
tam, under the Madras prelidency, on the 10th of March 
1816. Next day they made a inarch of thirty-eight miles 
fouthward, plundering ninety-two villages, with every 
circumftance of unheard-of cruelty; and, on the 12th, 
they marched thirty-eight miles, plundering fifty-four 
villages. By the 17th May they had nearly all recrofled 
the Nerbuddah, loaded with fpoil, and with fcarcely any 
lofs. During the twelve days that they had remained 
within the company’s territories, it w-as afcertained that 
182 perfons had been put to a cruel death, 505 were 
found feverely wounded, and 3603 had been put to dif¬ 
ferent kinds of torture. 
The marquis of Haftings faw the nature and extent of 
this portentous mifchief, and faw alfo the remedies which 
it required. The main caufe of it was to be found in the 
want of a fupreme controlling authority, capable of 
framing by means of its influence, and (lengthening by 
its relources, a powerful confederation of all the dates of 
India; whofe firft intereft it was to extirpate the lawlefs 
hordes that w'ere let loofe againft all public and private 
fecurity. The Britifii government flood in too command¬ 
ing an attitude not to he confidered as the only power 
capable of forming this confederation. No other fyftem 
w'as either expedient or practicable. The diflolution of 
the Mufiulman empire, with the decline of the authority 
of Scindia and Holkar, had removed every other check, 
and Central India was defolated by rapine and anarchy. 
It required a large and comprehenfive mind to conceive 
and to mature a plan of general co-operation againft the 
common evil; but Inch a mind was not wanted in this 
critical exigency. The whole difpofable force of the 
three prefidencies exhibited a vail difplay of the Britiih 
refources, for no fewer than 120,000 troops were called 
out againft the Pindarrees. Fbur divifions under the 
command of lord Haftings were deftineu to aft offenfively ; 
c two 
