490 
India Company, in many treaties. That 
prince has been in faithful alliance with 
the Company fir many years. It was the 
Company's intereft to fupport his autho- 
rity, becaufe ths would tend to confirm 
the internal tranquillity of its own domi- 
nions ; as well asto preferve and eftablith 
the general peace of all India. The Peith- 
wah, finding his whole authority ufurped, 
and his very perfonal fafety endangered 
‘by the ambition of Dowlut Raho Scindia, 
Jefwuat: Reo Holkar, the Rajah ot Berar, 
and others of his great military cfhcers 
and nobility, threw himfelf under the im- 
mediate protection of the Company’s go- 
vernment in India; and on the 3r/t of 
. December, 1802, concluded a treaty, of- 
fenfive and defenfive, with an authorized 
reprelentative of their authority, in the 
ifle of Baffin, which was finally ratified 
by the Governor-general in Council, be- 
fore the 18th of March, 1803. By that 
treaty, the Peifhwah and the Company 
engaged, at all times, and againft all ene- 
mies, to make common caufe with each 
other. The Company particularly engaged 
in jt, tomaintain in the Peifhwah’s /ei vice, 
for the fupport of his authority, a fubfidi- 
ary military force of not fewer than ‘* 6000 
regular native infentry, with the ufual 
proportion of field-pieces and European 
artillery-men attached, and with the 
proper equipment of warlike ftores and 
ammunition ; this force to be ftationed 
in perpetuity, in his Highnefs’s domi- 
nions.”’ The Peifhwah, on the other 
hand, affigned to the Company, in the 
fame treaty, to defray the expence of this 
auxiliary force, territories affording a re- 
venue of 2,600,000 rupees, or between 
three or four hundred thoufand pounds 
fterling. 
Under this treaty, inftant preparations 
were made to reitore the Peifhwah to his 
throne at Poonah. The fubfidiary troops, 
in a force much more confiderable than 
had been flipulated, were {von upon their 
March to the Marhatta capital. On the 
morning of the 20th of April, 1803, Ma- 
jor-general Wellcfley, at the head of a 
fufficient body of troops. Another de- 
tachment to the number of 2475 Britifx 
and native foldiers, under the immediate 
command of Colonel Mu:ray, e‘corted the 
Peifhwah from Baffein to Poonah, in a 
journey which his Highnefs performed be- 
tween April 26, and May 14. 
The lawful authority of the ru’er of 
the Marhatta Empire was new reftored-; 
but is refcrationand is maintenance, by 
the authority of the Britifh, were fatal to 
a 
State of Public Affairs in May, 1804. 
[June t, 
the ufurpations of Scindia, Holkar, and 
the other great vaflals who alpired to 
independence. Scindia affembled an army, 
and ied it into pofitions in which it threat. ~ 
ered the fecurity of the Britifh dominions. 
He was required to withdraw this army to 
‘a fufficient!y remote fituation, within his 
own immediate poffeffions. He refufed. 
He was informed, that, if he fhould en- 
gagein any confederacy againft the Britifh 
power; the Britifhh would immediately 
commence hoftilities againft him, on all 
fides of his dominions. He replied that, 
he would decide—‘‘awhether it fhould be 
peace or avar, after he fhould have had — 
a meeting with the Rajah of Berar.” 
The Rajah of Berar joiied Scindia on 
the 3d of June. Thefe Chiefs, theny 
with a ferce of about 24,000 infantry, 
38,000 cavalry, and.-210 pieces of ar- 
tillery, took a formidable pofition at 
Checkly, on the frontier of the territories 
of the Company’s ally and dependent, the 
Nizam, the Sovereign of the Dekkan. 
From that pofition, they negotiated to en- 
gage Holkar to join them, in.an offenfive 
alliance againit the Britith ; they employed 
threats and menaces to detach the Nizam 
from the Compuny’s friendfhip; they uled 
fimilar folicitations to induce the Peifhwahk 
to adhere to them, in contempt of the 
Treaty of Baffein; and they even iffued © 
orders to fome of the Peifhwah’s other 
officers to prepare for hoftilities againft the 
Britifh. _ 
This condu& was the more plainly hof~ 
tile, and the more alarming, becaule the 
effective firength of Scindia’s army was 
under the command of French officers. 
M. Perron, the chief of thefe, was at the 
head of a body of 43,650 troops, infantry 
and cavalry, with 464 pieces of. ar- 
tillery. For the maintenance of thefe 
troops, Perron held under Scindia a wide 
and furtile territory, and was even mafter 
of the perfon of Shah Aulum, the depofed 
Emperor of Hindooftan. This French 
officer was known alfo to be privy toa 
defign which had been conecived in the 
ceuncils of Bonaparte, forthe French, as 
foon as they fhould be able to mufter a 
fuficient military force in India; openly 
to affume the tafk of reftoring Shah Aulum 
to all the ancient dominions of his family 5 
and, under this pretext, to wreft from the 
Englith, their dominions in Hindooftan. 
That defign the French were carrying 
gradually into effect, by difmiffing officers 
and fuldiers, from time totime, from Pons 
dicherry, with direétions to enter into the 
fervice of the native powers. Perron had, 
i for 
