THE WELLESLEY DESPATCHES.
THE present volume relates almost entirely to the Mahratta War; by the successful conduct of which, the force of that turbulent and martial people was broken, the French power and influence completely overthrown and rooted out, Delhi the capital, and Agra the key of Hindostan, acquired by the Company, and the Great Mogul transferred from French and Mahratta control to English " protection,"—or, in the words of the Marquis WELLES- LEY, "the house of Timm was delivered from bondage and de- gradation." The following narrative contains the origin and leading circumstances of this war.
The Mahrattas formed a species of feudal power, each chieftain having certain rights of sovereignty iu his own dominions, and taking more, but all being constitutionally subject to the head of the Mahratta state. The reader may remember, that on the arri- val of the Marquis in India, these people had so weakened them- selves by internal quarrels, as to be able to render us little assistance against TIPPOO in the capacity of allies. It eventually appeared, however, that had as much to do with the falling-off as weakness. The Peishwa, the nominal head of the Mahrattas, was a weak man, who, by the joint influence of ability and terror, was under the control of SCINDIAH. This powerful chieftain had completely usurped the government, and established himself and his army, disciplined by French officers in the European manner, in the vicinity of Poonah, the residence of the Peishwa. Under his evil influence, according to the Marquis, the alliance between the Company and the Mahrattas was in effect dissolved; but as the overthrow of Ti PPG° had left no other power capable of coping with the English, and as the Mahrattas were only formidable in case of a foreign European alliance, or a eor- dial union amongst all the chieftains, which was not likely to happen, the Governor-General remained quiet, watching his op- portunity. This shortly came in the following way. JESWUNT AO HOLKAR, an illegitimate son of the late TucKoJEE Hot: EAR, and a man, it would seem, of great but irregular capacity, had collected a large, army of native cavalry,—or, as the Mar- quis terms them, " hordes of banditti,"—and advanced towards Poonah, with the design of seizing the Peishwa, overthrowing SCINDIAH, and stepping into his shoes. A battle was fought, and victory declared in Hoursies favour ; but buth SCINDIAR and the Peishwa escaped ; the latter throwing himself into the bands of the English, and claiming their protection upon the usual terms—a cession of territory, a loan of troops to be paid Inc by the potentate, and a Resident who should assist him with "advice" in the government of his dominions. A treaty of this nature being signed, General WELLESLEY (the Duke or WELLINGTON) was directed to restore the Peishwa to his capital ; which he did successfully ; HOI.KAR retiring upon his rapid ad-
vance. In the mean time, Seism' an had collected his scattered forces, and increased them by volunteers, whilst an army under the Rajah of Berar was advancing to join him; but the objects
these chieftains had in view were not clear. After much tempo- rizing and artful delay on the part of SCINDIAH, he was at last
pressed so closely by the English Resident, that he avowed his in- capability of g.sing an answer to the propositions submitted to him, until be had seen the Rajah; after which, be had the "inso- lence " to deektre, that the Resident should be ieformed whether " it
would be peace or war." Foreseeing the certainty of the latter. the Marquis took his measures, by quickly but quietly preparing all the disposable forces of the three Presidencies (Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay) to act simultaneously against the centre and two extremi- ties of the enemies' territory. As soon as every thing was ready, Sc INDIAH and his allies still temporizing, war was declared. WEL- LINGTON, after some minor successes, defeated SCINDIAH at the batttle of Assaye, and followed up his victory. The Commander- in-Chief, LAKE, advanced against the forces of M. PERRON, a • Frenchman, nominally m the service of SCINDIAH, aril compelled them to retreat, after a brief action ; attacked mid carried
by assault the supposed impregnable fortress of Ally-ghur ; proceed marches rapid marches to Delhi, and totally defeated the disciplined at
under • M. Louts, who held possession of the Great Moghul. After deli- vering the " house of Timer," LAKE marched to Agra; which sur- rendered to the terror of his name. Hearing that the remnant of Louis's army, and a Mahratta force that had been trained by French officers, was in the field, with the view of joiaing one of Sc 'NM AD'S chiefs, he immediately pursued them, leaving his teary artillery behind. By forced marches the Commander-in-Chief over- took theta, with his cavalry, at Lasswary ; but, in consequence at the • strength of their position, the number of their al tilletN, and the • general excellence of their appointments, he was repulsed. Ile kept them standing at bay, however, till the arrival of part of his infantry; when he carried their position, after a severe struggle, and a heavy loss, the enemy standing to their guns till cut down or bayonetted from them. The victory, notwithstanding, was most complete; the army being annihilated, and all the materiel captured ; and the war, which began in the middle of August, virtually terminating on the 1st November. The final result was a vast acquisition of territory to the Company ; the consolidation of the English power throughout the whole of Hindustan ; the removal of every rival either native or European; a- splendid amount of prize-inoney for lucky individuals, (the Commander-in-Chief, it has been said, getting 100,0001.); besides honours innumerable—a peerage and pension for LAKE, an extra red ribbon fur General WELLESLEY, thanks of Lords and Commons to all and each. addresses to the Governor-General from the leading towns, the vote of a marble statue to him by the inhabitants of Calcutta, and unqualified votes of thanks from the Courts of Directors and Proprietors, to generals, officers, and men, and to the Governor-General " with- out entering at peseta into the origin or policy of the war." They had, however, mistaken their man : the Marquis was not a person to let this prudish disposition of repudiating the Devil whilst taking his gifts pass without comment ; and their qualified thanks drew forth the following courteous and dignified tripe. Probably the servant was not sorry to hit his masters hard ; for they had frequently given him cause of complaint, and he had once re- signed in consequence. " Your honourable Court will observe, that the resolutions be which your honourable Court, and the Court of l'repi ietots, have been pleased to signify your approbation of my conduct, are not published in those 01 or! S. "I have never been required to offer a ,:eater or more painful sacrifice to public duty than that by which I renounced the satisfaction of publishing in India the marks of approbation and honour conferred upon me by your honour- able Court and by the Court of Propr.etors; but it appealed to me to he necessary to submit the high personal distinction which 1 should have derived front such a publication, to more important considerations of the public safety, and of the interests of the Company and of the nation in India. " The deterinination expressed in those resolutions to withhold all judgment upon the original justiee, necessity, and policy of the war, could not have been published in India by a formal act of this Government without conveying an universal impression of doubt and ambiguity respecting the stability of every arrangement connected with the progress mod success of our arms. The per- manency of all the treaties of peace, p.irtitiou, subside, and alliance, must have been exposed to hazard by such a public declaration, proceeding from the high authority of your honourable Court, and of the Court of Proprietors, and an- nounced by your Government in India to all >uur subjects, dependents, and allies.
" The public and formal reservation t.f your judgment upon the justice of the war, necessarily would have involved the possibility of your future condemna- tion of the cause in which the British arms had been employed. It could not be supposed that either your honourable Court, or the Court of Proprietors, would try the justice of our cause by the success of our arms; the prosperous result of the war, therefore, could not have removed the doubts of its justice arising front the eservations expressed in your resolutions; and the irresistible inference in the minds of all the native states would have been, that your honourable Court and the Court of Proprietors might ultimately censure the whole transaction ; while the general fame of your equity and magnanimity would have precluded any supposition, that in condemning the justice of our cause, you would retain the fruits of our success, or enjoy the henetits of the peace, while you tepudiated the necessity and policy of time war. • • • " If the origin and policy of the Wm I shall ultimately be condemned, and the treaties of peace, partition, subsidy, and allianme shall finally be abrogated by the commands of your honourable Court, those commands will be issued ua such terms and accompanied by such ar rangements as shall tender the execution of your milers an additional bulwai k to the public safety, and a fresh security to the public faith. During whatever interval et time you rhonourable Court may be pleased to suspend your determination, it would neither be consisteut with the welfate of the honourable Company in India, nor with the tespect due to your high authority, that one of your ...leant., for the gratification of personal ambition by the ostentatious display of the honours which you had been pleased to confer upon him, should pursue a course which might embarrass the free and deliberate exercise of your wisdom and justice in a matter of the utmost impor- tance to the national interests and honour; or that, by a pis:mature and unsex- minable publication of your favourable acceptance of his services, the same servant should risk the main object of tho-e servicea, and endanger the imme- diate senility of a great political system of arrangement which it may possibly be your future pleasure to confirm. 6. With these sentiments, I have reluctantly determined to deny myself the honour of publishing the resolutions of your honourable Court and of the Court of Proprictots, conferring personal distinctions upon my conduct, until i shall be satisfied that these marks of your favour towards use can be annunnc d India without injury to your interests or eathsrressmeat to your ultimate decision.
"The votes of both Houses of Parliament being entirely silent respecting the • origin. policy, justice, and necessity of the wur, and expressing no reservation on any of those important topics, I have published all the resolutions of the Lords and Commons in general orders, without any apprehension of the dangers de- scribed in the preceding paragraphs of this letter."
In a popular sense, this volume is the best of the series. The lung and elaborate Introductory Minute of the Marquis WEL- LESLEY places the reader at once in possession of the leading subject, and he finds no difficulty in grasping all the documents which follow. The Marquis appears to have improved with prac- tice ; the despatches in the present volume seem to have more ease and vigour, without losing their characteristic rotundity. His brother's epistles are distinct, but he is better at reasoning than description. His letter narrating the battle of Assaye is but a bald affair. In the sense of character, General LAKE'S are the most striking productions. Luta seems to have been a valiant, skilful, straightforward soldier, but "no orator as Brutus is;" and the praises of the Marquis, in his confidential letters, quite overpower the old gentletnan, and render him " bankrupt in words," though it is evident that he culls his finest to reply. There is also a good deal of kindly feeling about him, especially in relation to his son, who, he assures his noble correspondent, is of "amazing use" to him in the field, and whose name he should mention " very highly " in his despatches, were he not " prevented by delicacy :" a Milt the Marquis might have taken, fur, grandi- loquent even in the praise of a Captain, he becomes a Governor- General Puff when he fins to mention the name of ARTHUR WELLESLEY.
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