In Cuttack, the resistance was comparatively feeble; and by October 10 Cuttack itself had fallen, and the capture of Cuttack the fort of Barabuttee by storm, on October 14, com- reduced. pleted the reduction of the province. The operations in Bundelkhund present no remarkable features. The Péshwah's possessions were occupied, and in consideration of the importance of their situation, they were retained under an engagement with him, by which the quota of troops he had contracted to supply was reduced in proportion to their value. The cession of territory of the value of twenty-six lacs of rupees per annum for the payment of the subsidiary force to be made in the Deccan, was also exchanged for the Péshwah's possessions in Bundelkhund. These, however, proved to be morenominal than real, and involved much subsequent difficulty.

peace.

Battle of

Meanwhile, the movements in the Deccan and Berar had continued; but the details of them have comparatively campaign in little general interest. Rughoojee Bhóslay found that Berar he had no chance of plundering the Nizam's districts, or of outmanoeuvring General Wellesley, and turned towards his own dominions. In this movement he was followed by both corps of the British army: the capture of the great hill-fortresses of Narnalla and Gáwilgurh being a material object. Sindia, now thoroughly disheartened, sent an envoy for peace, and after the arrival of his proper credentials, a suspension of hostilities was granted, on November 22, by General Wellesley, on Sindia condition that Sindia's forces should move to the proposes eastward: but the same terms could not be extended to the Rajah of Berar so long as his army was in the field. At this time Rughoojee Bhóslay's troops were encamped at Argaom, in West Berar, in order to cover Gáwilgurh Argaom. and Narnalla. Some of the wreck of Sindia's infantry, with his own, and a park of artillery, were with them in this position, protected by a body of Sindia's cavalry stationed at a short distance. General Wellesley, as Sindia had not complied with the conditions of the armistice, determined to attack the whole; and, having been joined by Colonel Stevenson, advanced on November 28 and 29. At the close of a long march, on the afternoon of the 29th, intending to halt at Argaom, General Wellesley, on the arrival of the advanced guard, found himself in front of the army of the confederates. He immediately attacked them, and though a portion of their troops fought well, and a brilliant charge was made by Sindia's cavalry, they were defeated with severe loss in men and their guns. The capture of the stupendous mountain-fortress of Gáwilgurh followed-an operation of exceeding labour Gáwilgurh and skill, patiently and successfully achieved. On taken.

December 15, the outer or northern fort was breached, and the whole place stormed and captured; but the Rajpoot commander and his relatives were found to have put their families to death before they met the storming party by which they were killed.

Treaty with

Bhoslay.

Treaty of
Sirjee
Anjengaom

its provi

Thus the last hope of the Mahratta confederates perished, and negotiations were now opened in earnest. The treaty Rughoojee with Rughoojee Bhóslay, rajah of Berar, was first concluded on December 17. He was obliged to cede the province of Cuttack, the whole of Berar lying west of the Wurdah river, and to resign all claims on the Nizam. The negotiation for the treaty with Sindia was not so quickly accomplished, and as the principal aggressor and contriver of the confederacy, the terms insisted upon were more severe. Nor was it until he was assured that in case of a protraction of the war the whole of his dominions would be inevitably annexed by the governor-general, that he agreed to receive the conditions offered. The with Sudia; treaty was concluded at Sirjee Anjengaom on Decem ber 30, and by it he relinquished all his territory between the Jumna and Ganges called the Dooáb; all his districts stons. in Rajpootana, except those between Jeypoor and Joudhpoor; all his possessions in the Deccan and Khandesh, except his private hereditary estates; and he resigned all claims upon the Nizam, the Péshwah, and the Gáikwar. There were also many other minor points, in regard to his own private estates in other localities and settlements with dependants, which need not be enumerated. He was offered a defensive alliance, which he accepted, on February 27, 1804, by a new article added at Boorhanpoor, and agreed to maintain a force of 6,000 infantry with artillery; but this portion of the treaty was never carried out. Thus concluded the Mahratta war of 1803. The whole of the Conclusion of operations, from the capture of Ahmednugger, on August 8 to 12, and that of Gáwilgurh on December 15, had occupied only four months and four days, and had been carried on simultaneously and with unvarying success in four quarters of India, separated from each other by many hundreds of miles, while the revenues of the provinces obtained amounted to nearly six millions sterling a year.

the first Mahratta war.

CHAPTER XII.

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE MARQUESS WELLESLEY (concluded)THE WAR WITH HOLKAR, AND SECOND ADMINISTRATION OF THE MARQUESS CORNWALLIS, FOLLOWED BY THAT OF SIR G. BARLOW, 1804 TO 1805.

THE great Nizam Ally had died at Hyderabad on August 6, 1803, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Sikunder Jáh. Death of This event had no effect upon the result of the war, Nizami Ally. r the obligations of the subsidiary treaty; nor was Sikunder Jah the Nizam made answerable for the conduct of his dis- succeeds. trict officers, who behaved traitorously, and were strongly suspected, and in many instances accused, of complicity with the enemy. The governor-general, notwithstanding, bestowed upon the Nizam the fine province of Berar lying west of the Wurdah river. Many other treaties of offensive and defensive alliance were ecncluded by General Lake, of which Bhurt poor and the Játs, with several minor Rajpoot principalities, were rendered independent of Sindia and the Mahrattas. A States. subsidiary treaty, concluded with the Gáikwar, provided that five battalions of infantry should be received by him, and districts yielding twelve lacs of rupees were assigned for their payment. At this period, the Gáikwar's State was oppressed with debt, and the expenditure was far above the income; but, under the admirable management of Colonel Walker, the Resident, the turbulent local army, a great proportion of which were Arabs, was paid off and reduced, and the State affairs gradually recovered.

Other new treaties with native

Effects of the

Wellesley's

Although the additional year of service requested by the Court of Directors and the Board of Control had expired, the Marquess Wellesley still remained in India, and the Marquess events recorded are among the most wonderful in the policy. history of the country. In no portion of the political or military combinations had any weakness been displayed, or check appeared. Sindia's power was broken, that of the Rajah of Berar circumscribed, and the prestige of the capture of Dehly, and the protection of the aged emperor, belonged to the British, who, from Calcutta to Dehly, were now supreme. Holkar, how- Holkar's ever, remained; and it was evident that he could not proceedings. be allowed to continue as he was, a nucleus for all the disbanded soldiery of the north-west, supporting them by indiscriminate plunder. He had already levied contribution in Sindia's territory

to a large extent, and, after his own violent fashion, devastated several of his provinces; and he was evidently watching an opportunity for further action. In the war with Sindia he took no part; and openly rejoiced at the complete humiliation of his rival. Early in 1804, he addressed demands to General Lake His demands. and General Wellesley, by letter and by his agents, for chouth, and in regard to certain districts in the Dooáb, which he asserted had many years before belonged to his family; and they were made in such threatening terms, and with such arrogance, that it was impossible even to consider them. Holkar had indeed determined, as he expressed it, 'to fight Lake,' and to take the place of Sindia in Hindostan; and the governor-general was

Military movements against Holkar.

Monson's injudicious

equally resolved to repress this fierce outbreak of predatory power. He therefore, on April 16, directed Generals Wellesley and Lake to attack Holkar's pos sessions. Owing to famine in the Deccan, General Wellesley was unable to move; but Colonel Murray advanced from Guzerat upon Indoor, and by General Lake's arrangements in the north, Holkar was soon driven south of the Chumbul river. Tonk Rámpoora was taken on May 16, after which the British army retired into cantonments, for the monsoon had commenced early. Colonel Monson was, however, left in the field with advance. a force of five Sepoy regiments and 2,000 horse, partly belonging to Sindia and partly to Jeypoor, as a corps of observation. Monson, wishing to form a junction with Colonel Murray, advanced into Holkar's territory without adequate caution, and without sufficient supplies for his camp. It was at the best a useless, and proved an unfortunate, movement. When he heard of Murray's retirement into position for the rains, he began to retreat himself on July 8, and Holkar followed him with his whole army. On the next three days the column was attacked during its march, and the surrender of the whole demanded. On the 12th, the force reached Kóta, where they had hoped to receive assistance in food, and, in any case, shelter; but the rajah refused both, and the retreat continued. The miserable hardships endured, the repeated attacks and the gallantry displayed by the whole force, are well described in General Monson's narrative of the event, and it was not till August 31 that the shattered remains of the troops reached Agra. This defeat, as it was considered by Holkar, and by many of the

Monson's disastrous retreat.

Holkar continues

the war.

native chiefs who were as yet neutral, excited him to fresh exertion. At the head of 60,000 cavalry, 15,000 infantry, and 192 guns, he advanced to Muttra, whence the British force retreated, and he afterwards made an attempt to capture Dehly, which was gallantly and successfully defended

Bhurtpore.

He is

General Lake.

by Colonel Ochterlony, from October 8 to the 14th, with a weak detachment of Sepoys under his command. No action Defence of of the war, indeed, deserves greater commendation than Dehly. this very brave and skilful defence of an almost untenable position. Dehly was relieved on October 18 by General Lake; Holkar and Holkar, who avoided an action with him, retired returns to into the Bhurtpore territory, where the rajah, doubtful, after Monson's retreat, of the English supremacy, had broken the treaty with General Lake, and leagued himself with Holkar. On his way, he burst into the Dooáb, burning villages, and plundering the people without mercy; indeed, since the outbreak of the war, Holkar's conduct towards all belonging to, or connected with, the English, had been shockingly cruel and vindictive. General Lake's pursuit of Holkar was persistent and pursued by effective; and on November 12, his forces, no longer able to pursue their march, were found to have taken up a very strong position at Deeg, with their right resting on the batteries of the fort. Here they were attacked by Major-General Battle of Fraser, on the 13th; who fell early in the action, which Deeg. was conducted to the finish, with great bravery, by Colonel Monson. The enemy lost about 2,000 men and eighty-seven guns; and on the side of the British, 643 men were killed and wounded; but the victory was complete. General Lake meanwhile, with his cavalry, was pursuing Holkar's horse, which was moving eastwards with a vast celerity; but they were overtaken near Furrukabad, and routed with a loss of 3,000 men. Holkar fled towards Deeg to join the remains of his broken infantry, and General The fort of Lake undertook the siege of Deeg, which was com- Deeg menced on December 13, and ended in the surrender of that important place, after the storm of the city and outworks, on the 23rd.

captured.

First slege

pore.

For the present Holkar escaped; and General Lake, instead of pursuing him, which would have been the better policy, commenced the siege of Bhurtpore, and with of Bhurtvery inefficient means. Accustomed to the capture of fortresses by coup de main, and comparatively feeble resistance, he was not prepared, either for the real strength of Bhurtpore, or for the obstinate valour displayed in its defence. Holkar had thrown the whole of his remaining infantry into the fort, and the Játs themselves were brave soldiers. During the progress of the siege, Ameer Khan, on the part of Holkar, made efforts for its relief, but in vain. The Bombay divisions under Major-General Jones joined General Lake's army on February 10, 1805; and a previous assault having failed, another was made on the 20th, when two European regiments, one being the hitherto invincible 76th, the