given to the governor general, cautioning him to guard against private treachery; and he was particularly warned not to vifit him, without fo ftrong a guard as would be fully competent to the fecurity of his perfon. It will ever be found, that thofe countries which are in the unhappy circumstances attending a precarious government, and holding out, like India, vaft temptations of power and wealth, to arife from profcriptions, forfeitures, and the ruin of great individuals, will likewife abound with fecret criminal charge, and with dark, malignant infinuation.

At the fame time that fo many concurring caufes could not fail of producing their effect in operating upon the mind of Mr. Haftings with refpect to this vifit, he was not infenfible to the credit and advantage, which, in the prefent fallen ftate of affairs, the prefence and authority of the Nabob might communicate, if he were really a friend; nor that his troops (rabble though they were) would ferve to keep the country in awe, and to divide the attention of the enemy. But even in this view of things, he did not approve of the vifit. He confidered, that fuch fervice or obligation, would invert the nature of their alliance and mutual relation, and give the Nabob a fuperiority at their meeting, which would defeat its purposes; nor did he think it confiftent with the dignity of the English government, to employ a foreign aid for the fuppreffion of a rebellion of its own Jubjects.

He therefore endeavoured by letter to diffuade the Nabob from

the farther profecution of his journey, requefting that he would return to Lucknow, and there wait his own arrival, which would be as foon as the prefent disturbances would afford leifure for that purpose. The Nabob, however, understanding the difficul ties and dangers in which the governor general was involved, determined to feize that opportunity of giving a proof of his zeal and attachment by proceeding on his way with the greater expedition; while the former, willing to remove any ideas of diftruft which might be excited by the preceding letter, fent another, returning his acknowledgments for fo kind an attention. It appears that the greatest harmony fubfift ed between them during the whole time they were together.

In the mean time, the commotion in Benares operated as a fignal to all the adjoining countries, and the flame feemed fpreading on every fide. Independent of the dominions of Oude, one half of which were in a state of actual rebellion or refiftance to the company, a great part of their own province of Bahar was convulfed in fcarcely a lefs degree. Many of the landholders not only fhewed the strongest fymptoms of dif affection, but things were carried to fuch an extreme, that levies of men were openly made there for the enemy. Hutteh Shaw, a chtef on that fide, being fupported by Cheit Sing with money, had ac. tually commenced a war, by laying claim to and invading the Sarun Sircar, one of the great divi. fions of that extenfive province, and the right to which had not before been questioned fince the

acces

accceffion of the company to the whole. But their ruin now was confidered as being fo inevitable, that the most petty chiefs and infignificant towns, eager to grafp at fome fhare of the fpoil, either laid claims which never before were heard of, or feized upon fuch villages and fmall diftricts as were within their reach without any claim at all. And while the company's affairs were in this flate of confufion and danger, the communications were fo entirely cut off, that the governor general was kept in a state of almost total ignorance at Chunar, both with refpect to what was paffing in the adjoining countries, and the fuccefs or failure of the various expreffes which he had difpatched to different parts for affiance.

It was probably during this feafon of inaction that Cheit Sing published his manifefto, which was addreffed to the Rajahs and native chiefs or princes of India. In this piece he gives a narrative of his father's conduct and of his own, of the treatment which he had himself experienced, of the caufes and motives which led to the present troubles, and he calls upon them, as in a common caufe against a common enemy, to join in chacing away thofe rapacious frangers, who were the authors of fuch numberlefs calamities to their country. This manifefto, is a plain fimple piece of writing, entirely free from thofe gorgeous ornaments which fo frequently load and disfigure the eaftern ftile, but at the fame time fo exceedingly pathetic, that it could not fail of going home to the feelings of thofe to whom it was addreffed. After fating his attachment and

66

fidelity, he complains that, notwithstanding, envious of the profperity and riches of his country, he had been continually harraffed by pretended crimes, and forged calumnies, meanly forged, in order to extort money in atonement of them, and to compel him to purchafe patronage and protection.On this fubject he fays,' every complaint has been heard a gainst, and every wretch en"couraged to mifreprefent me." It is remarkable, that the charge of mifgovernment, which had been laid against him, and of violence, robberies, and murthers being authorized or tolerated in his dominions, feems to have particularly touched and affected the Rajah; and his fenfibility upon this occafion leads him away from his immediate fubject, and affords the means for his laying before us a most curious picture of the ftate of his own country before the troubles, contrafted with that, which he likewife prefents, of thofe extenfive dominions which were under the immediate government of the company. little qualified to judge of the truth of thefe reprefentations, or of the degree of colouring with which they may be charged, but the one prefents fo new and interefting a picture of human felicity, and the other fo many objects of reflection and observation, that if they had been purely ideal, we could fcarcely refrain from endeavouring to preferve them.

We are

The Rajah, in vindication of his government, fays, "Look to my

diftricts, look to theirs! Do not the different pictures they prefent to you mark the limits of "them more than the bounda

"ries which nature itfelf has "drawn out? My fields are cul"tivated, my villages are full of "inhabitants, my country is a

garden, and my fubjects are "happy. My capital is the re"fort of the principal merchants “of India, from the fecurity I have given to property. The "treasures from the Marattas, "the Jaits, and the Saiks, and "the most distant nations of India, "are depofited here. Here the "orphans and the widows convey "their property, and refide here "without fear of rapacity and "avarice. The traveller, from "one end of my country to the "other, lays down his burthen "and fleeps in fecurity. Look to "the provinces of the company! "there famine and mifery ftalk "hand in hand through unculti

"vated fields and deferted vil"lages. There you meet with nothing but aged men, who "are not able to tranfport them. "felves away, or robbers watch"ing to way-lay their helpleff"nefs. When any of the fervants "of the English have paffed thro' my country, every kindnefs "has been fhewn them, and all "their wants fupplied; even their "very coolies have had their bur"thens taken off and carried for "them, and paffed on from village to village. When any of thefe gentlemen travelled thro' "my country, my officers have "attended them to know their "wants, fupplied them with neceffary provifion and carriage at "my expence, and performed all "their orders as if they were my "own. Let any of them be afk

ed, if they met with fuch treat

"ment in the countries under

the company's management? "Were they not almost conti"nually robbed, and in danger "of their lives."

Such was the feducing reprefentation of his country, and of the ftate of his people, which was at this time given by the Rajah Cheit Sing.

The fortrefs of Chunar, which now afforded a fecure afylum to the governor general, is fituated on the fouth fhore of the Ganges. The principal force of the enemy was affembled at a town called Pateetah, lying about feven miles to the fouthward of Chunar, and in the direct way to the noted pafs of Suckroot, and the ftrong fort of Lutteefpore. Major Popham's regiment, with what force could be fpared from the garrifon of Chunar, were formed into a detachment under his command, and encamped about a mile from the town on the way to the enemy.

Towards the end of

the month, Lieutenant Aug. 27th. Polhill arrived from Illahabad, with fix companies of fepoys belonging to the Nabob vizier's body life-guard; and was ordered to encamp on the oppofite fhore of the river, in order to keep the communication on that fide open. In two days after the arrival of this officer, he unexpectedly attacked, and easily defeated a confiderable body of the enemy, who were ftationed, under the command of a principal chief of the country, at a fmall fort and town called Seeker, which lay within fight of Chunar. A confiderable booty in grain, an article which was then exceedingly wanted, was

the

the principal reward as well as object of this enterprize.

The vicinity of the enemy, who lay without motion, and feem ingly without object or defign at Pateetah, could not but prove an inceffant and painful fpur to the enterprizing fpirit of Major Popham. He accordingly detached Captain Blair, with his Chunar battalion, and two companies of his own grenadiers, to furprize their camp at that place.

The detachment march

Sept. 3d. ed at three in the morning, and arrived at the ground by day-light, but to their aftonifh ment found the camp abandoned, and the enemy in complete order, waiting their attack about a mile beyond it. Though this was a ftile of acting little to be expected from fuch raw troops and inexperienced commanders, yet the firmnefs with which they stood a fevere and bloody action was ftill more extraordinary They fought with fuch zeal and intrepidity, that the fepoys, feafoned as they were, and doubly fortified by mechanical and natural courage, were at length thrown into diforder, and it feemed as if all was over; but at that critical inftant, the fpirited and admirably timed attack made by the Lieutenants Fallon and Birrell, at the head of the two companies of grenadiers, upon the enemy's cannon, fuddenly turned the fortune of the day, and left the field, and four guns, in the poffeffion of the company's troops. The guns were very old and bad; but they were fo well ferved as to excite admiration, and the apparatus for the artillery was modern and excellent.

This fuccefs was dearly puf chafed by Captain Blair's party, who had 48 men killed, and 85 wounded, being about one fourth of their whole number. It was, however, a victory; and produced its effect as fuch, in ferving to difpirit one fide, and to reitore that confidence to the other, which the affair at Ramnagur had rendered necessary.

The governor general had written early for affiftance to Colonel Morgan, who commanded far up the Ganges at Cawnpore, in the Vizier's dominions; and as the danger increased, he dispatched a fecond exprefs to that officer, requiring him to follow the detachment (which was then fuppofed to be far advanced on its way) with his whole force, and enclofing an order to Sir John Cumming, who commanded at Futtehgur, to fupply Morgan's place at Cawnpore. Though the expreffes did not arrive in time, the vigilant zeal, and the comprehenfive judgment of Colonel Morgan, were fufficient to fupply the defect of inftructions. Reports of the dangerous ftate of affairs in Benares having reached him, he at once confidered the failure of of. ficial intelligence and inftruction, as a proof that the communica tions were interrupted; and conceiving what orders were likely to be fent in fuch circumftances, he determined to act as if they had been received.

So fpirited a conception of duty, was not liable to be rendered abortive by any narrowness in the measure of the fupply. He dif patched a very effective force to the aid of the governor general, confifting of two regiments of

fepoys,

more wanted even than their aid, the very welcome fupply of a lack of rupees in filver. This was foon followed by another fupply of money, though to a lefs amount, from the Vizier's receiver at Illahabad.

fepoys, (which may probably be eftimated at four battalions) of 30 European artillery men, and two companies of European infantry; befides four fix pounders, one howitz, with tumbrils, ammunition, draft and carriage cattle, and every other provifion neceffary for active service. Major Crabbe was appointed to the command of this powerful and exceedingly well provided detachment; which, in the fame fpirit that fixed its destination, was ordered, for the greater expedition, to proceed by water down the Ganges. The zeal of the officers correfponded fo well with the defign and wishes of the colonel, that though the refolution was only taken on the 29th, the whole party was embarked and on its way, the 31ft of Auguft.

On the 10th of September, early in the morning, Major Crabbe, with his detachment, appeared on the fhore oppofite to Chunar. He had been much retarded on his courfe to Illahabad by trong adverfe winds; and finding that these ftill continued, and that the courfe of the river from thence was befides extremely winding, he difembarked both men and ftores and proceeded the reft of the way by land. On the following day, the Nabob vizier arrived and encamped on the fame fide of the river, where he continued during the time of his ftay; and in two days after, Major Roberts, who had been fent with his regiment to Lucknow, to ferve as a guard to the governor general's perfon during his intended vifit in that capital and country, arrived from thence with the troops; and bringing with him what was

It was now evident, to all who had only a moderate knowledge of military affairs, that the fate of the Rajah, Cheit Sing, was finally decided. Major Popham had now under his immediate command, (exclufive of the garrifon of Chunar) four complete regiments, and one battalion of fepoys, being all seasoned, tried, and excellent troops; he had along with these three European companies, of which one were grenadiers, one light infantry, and the third French Rangers; and he had befides, fix companies of the Nabob's body guards, under Lieutenant Polhill, and 30 European artillery men. Thefe were led by officers who had not only feen much fervice, but who were already highly diftinguished for enterprize and action; the fubalterns were equal to mands, and among the principal commanders were fome of the best in the company's fervice. Το this force in hand, was to be added the hourly expectation of far ther and confiderable reinforcements from different quarters; a circumftance which never fails to increafe the prefent energy in ac tion. Such troops, fo commanded, would probably have little to apprehend in the field from any native force that could be collected in India, Hyder Ally and the Marattas being only left out of the estimate.

com

To oppofe to thefe, befides