Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

tunate that could poflibly have happened,

the company have gained a ftanding revenue of about 200,000l. a year, by the conteft with Cheit Sing, independent of their claim on the ready-money fpoil, which was feized by the army. It is obfervable, if not remarkable, that no notice whatever was taken of Ouffaun Sing, in this final arrangement.

In two days after the flight of the Rajah from Lutteefpore, the 28th regiment of fepoys from Dinapore, under the conduct of Major Crawford, accompanied by a body of cavalry, joined the army. The tide of fortune being now turned, fuccefs crowned the company's arms on every fide. In the Vizier's country, Major Naylor, having marched with the 23d regiment of fepoys to the relief of Colonel Hannay, who had been long enclosed, and reduced to great freights by a tumultuous armed force on the northern banks of the Dewa, he totally defeated and difperfed that multitude, and quelled the revolt in that country. On the fide of Bahar, another regiment under Major Lucas, no less effectually defeated Futty Shaw, and drove him entirely out of the Sarun Sircar. And during this tide of fuccefs, as if it had been to give the greater eclat to the governor general, and to fhew the fuperiority of his fortune, a feparate peace, and treaty of alliance Oa. 13th. and friendfhip, was 1781. concluded by Colonel Muir with Madajee Scindia. An event, in the precarious and doubtful ftate of the company's affairs at that time, which may be confidered among the most for

In the mean time, as foon as the neceffary preparations for a difficult fiege could be compaffed, Major Popham advanced with the army in purfuit of the Rajah to Bidjeygur. This place, the envied depofitary of his father's treafures and of his own, lies not far from the frontiers, and about fifty miles to the fouth-eaft of Chunar. The fort is erected on the folid rock of a hill, which rifes to the perpendicular height of 745 feet above the level of the adjoining country; and was reckoned, next to Gualier, among the ftrongeft in India; being confidered, like that, as impregnable. The Rajah, however, did not think the ftrength of the one any fecurity against the conqueror of the other.

That unfortunate prince accordingly, without venturing to wait for Major Popham's near approach, abandoned the fort, and his country, probably for ever; leaving behind him a great part of thofe treafures which coft him fo dearly, and that honour, in the perfons of his women, which he had fo highly estimated; himfelf flying a wretched fugitive for protection to ftrangers, who were in no condition to afford it without imminent danger to themfelves. He did not neglect to take with him all the treasure

which the elephants and camels in his immediate poffeffion were capable of carrying; being, it was faid, one lack of mohrs or gold rupees, and fixteen lacks in filver, amounting to about 375,000l. befides jewels, to a

[C] 3

fup

fuppofed great, but unknown value. His wife and mother, (the former of whom is defcribed by Mr. Haftings as a woman of an amiable character) with all the other women of his family, and fuch of the defcendants of Bulwant Sing as ftill adhered to him, were left behind in the fort, with the remainder of his treasures, and a fufficient garrifon,

Major Popham's troops did not want fo powerful an incentive as the treasures enclofed in the fortrefs, to induce vigour in their attacks; though the profpect of fuch a prize, by no means tended to flacken their zeal, The difficulties were however fo great, that the month of November was advanced, before they had proceeded fo far by fap, as to have a mine ready to fpring, which it it was expected would enable them to ftorm the place. In thefe circumftances, the Rhanny, (by which appellation the Rajah's mother was known) who Nov. 10th. feems to have had the entire command, furrendered the fort by capitulation. By the terms, he was to be allowed fifteen per cent, upon the effects in the fort; and to be entirely at liberty, whether to refide in the country, or to follow her fon; in the one cafe to meet with perfect protection, and in the other, to be escorted by a proper fafeguard to the frontiers. We are totally uninformed as to the fate of the Rajah's wife,

The governor general wifhed that the treasures taken at Bidjeygur fhould become a prize to the captors, as a reward for the unparalleled zeal and alacrity difplayed, and the eminent fervices

performed by the officers and troops, through the whole of this bufinefs. A letter written by him to Major Popham during the fiege, was understood, as giving a full fanction to fuch a difpofition of the fpoil. The officers, however, being juftly apprehenfive, that the company, or the council of Calcutta, might not agree to this measure, determined, by a speedy diftribution of the money, to put it as far as poffible beyond the power of recall. They accordingly proceeded to make a dividend of all the cash that could be told out, or afcertained in the time, (being the greater part) on the very fecond day after taking the place.

The fum to be diftributed on this first dividend, amounted to 25 lacks, or 312,500l. of which the commander in chief's fhare was 36,7501. each of the majors, 5,6191. the captains above 3,cool, a piece, and the fubalterns, fomething more than 14001. each. The dividends of the native officers were but low; and a common fepoys fhare, fomething more than fix pounds. It was fuppofed that fomething near two thirds of the cafh was difpofed of by this dividend; but the other parts of the fpoil, confifting of large quantities of rich merchandize, and of rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and other precious ftones, it was fuppofed would produce a very great fum.

This difpofition of the Rajah's treafures, was not at all fatisfactory to the council of Calcutta, who paffed refolutions by which they declared, that the governor general had not formally, nor according to any liberal conftruc

tion which could be put upon his letters, renounced, on the part of the company, as their reprefentative, their legal right to the property of the booty found at Bidjeygur. That the precipitate and irregular divifion of the booty made by the officers, fhewed they did not confider thofe authorities as conftituting to them a legal title to it. That, their own unqualified acquiefcence in the meafure, would establish a dangerous precedent with refpect to the future conduct and claims of the army. And, on thefe grounds they refolved, that they could not renounce the company's claims on the booty; but that fuch meafures fhould be taken as would bring the queftion to a legal decifion, independent of any other measure it might be thought neceffary to adopt; leaving, how

ever, to the officers the alternative, of fubmitting the whole matter to the determination of the board, in which cafe it was promifed, that the governor general's recommendation fhould be liberally confidered. It being laid down as a farther condition, that the officers fhould lend to the company, as part of a public loan, upon the ufual terms, their fhares of the prize-money, excepting only what each might refpectively declare upon honour to be neceffary for the fupply of his private wants. An answer, in a given time, was demanded from the officers; a failure in which would be confidered by the board as a difobedience of orders, and proceeded upon accordingly.

Such was the iffue of the war of Benares, and fuch the fate of the Rajah Cheit Sing.

[blocks in formation]

CHA P. II.

Peninfula of India. Efforts by France to recover her ancient poffeffions and influence, and totally to overthrow the English power. French Squadron fails from the African iflands with a strong body of forces for the coast of Coromandel; takes the Hannibal of 50 guns, and appears fuddenly before Madras, intending to deftroy the English Squadron in the road, and, in concurrence with Hyder Ally, to befiege that place by fea and land. Caufes which obliged M. de Suffrein to abandon that defign and put out to fea. Is purfued by Sir Edward Hughes, who chaces and takes feveral of the convoy. Partial fea-fight; in which the French, having the wind in their favour, direct their whole force to the attack of the rear and a part of the center of the British line. Admiral's fhip, the Superbe, and Commodore King's fhip, the Exeter, fuffer extremely, through the great fuperiority of force by which they are attacked. Capt. Stephens, of the former, and Capt Reynold's, of the latter, killed. Enemy fuddenly haul their wind and ftand off; are out of fight in the morning. Admiral, on his way from Madras to Trincomale, is joined by the Sulton and Magnanime from England. Falls in with the Enemy's feet. Bloody action off the coast of Ceylon, on the 12th of April. The damage on both fides fo great, and fo nearly equal, that the hoftile commanders lie for feveral days within fight of each other, repairing their Shattered hips. French fleet proceed to Batacalo, and Sir Edward Hughes to Trincomale. Confequences of thefe naval actions. Great difappointment to Hyder, in his expectation of such a co-operation on the part of France, as would enable him speedily to reduce the Carnatic. Major Abingdon arrives with a body of troops from Bomboy at Tellicherry, on the Malabar coaft; where he defeats and takes Saados Carun, who had long blockaded that place.

[blocks in formation]

of Coromandel, but of giving fuch a fatal and decifive blow to her old rivals, as might enable her, with the aid of the native powers, to chace them entirely out of India.

The ftate of affairs on that continent, was the most favourable that could be imagined, or almoft wifhed, to that defign; for befides the exhaufture of their ftrength and treafures, in that open, very extenfive, and dangerous war, in which the English were unfortunately engaged with the two greatest powers of India,

moft

most of the other ftates happened at that time, through various untoward caufes, to be avowedly or fecretly inimical to their interefts; and France was to confider all their enemies, as being virtually, her own allies. She accordingly fpared no expence, and avoided no rifque, for the accomplishment of this purpofe; and notwithftanding the vaft objects which fhe had in view, both in America and the West Indies, at the fame time, her attention to this was unremitting, and her exertions in fending out men, fhips, ftores and artillery, were great and unceafing. We have heretofore feen that she was not always fortunate in thefe attempts, and that the lofs of fome of her convoys were no fmall impediment to her defign; but perfeverance, as ufual, at length triumphed over misfor

tune.

The new alliance with Holland, and the inability of that republic to protect the great fources of her power and wealth in the Eaft, against the defigns of the English, was an additional fpur to France, for endeavouring, by all means, and at all events, to acquire a naval fuperiority in India. Nothing lefs could effectually protect the Dutch fettlements; and as Sir Eyre Coote had fo unexpectedly and effectually oppofed, and given fuch fevere checks to Hyder Ally, it feemed that nothing lefs could fecure to that conqueror the complete reduction of the Carnatic, particularly including Madras, without which, nothing elfe could be confidered as fecure.

M. de Suffrein, after his unfucceísful attack upon the English

fquadron and convoy in Port Praya Bay, fulfilled, however, (as we have formerly feen) the fecond object of his commiflion, by fecuring the Dutch fettlements at the Cape of Good Hope from the hoftile designs of that armament; and having left a fufficient French garrifon behind for their future protection, proceeded, with the remainder of his force, to join M. de Orves, who was his fuperior in command, at the island of Mauritius. Upon this junction, the French commanders having now a force of ten fail of the line, befides one fifty gun fhip, and feveral large frigates, they failed for the coast of Coromandel, being accompanied by a number of tranfports and ftorefhips, together with a confiderable body of land forces; and M. de Orves dying on the paffage, the fole command of the fleet devolved on M. de Suffrein.

The British fquadron and convoy under the conduct of Capt. Alms, with the troops under Gen. Meadowes, which had departed for India while the French were fill at the Cape, met with fach extraordinary delays, through adverfe winds, and a fucceffion of exceedingly bad weather, that they were expofed to the greatest danger of falling in, fhattered and difperfed as they were, with the united force of the enemy, who had failed fo much later from the Mauritius than they had done from the Cape. The Hannibal, of fifty guns, happened to be the only victim to this unlooked for danger. That fhip being entirely feparated from the reft, found herfelf, in very dark and tempeftuous

weather,

« AnteriorContinuar »