First against the Pindhárees. and true humanity; and it is difficult to realise the heartless policy which had influenced the court in dictating the dispatch. When Lord Minto returned to Calcutta, he found it necessary to take measures against the Pindhárees, who, no longer measures able to follow native armies, had commenced indiscriminate plunder; and it is necessary to sketch briefly the antecedents of the principal leaders. In 1808, two persons, Hurrun and Burrun, who had been attached to Sindia, were employed by the Rajah of Nagpoor, to ravage the territories of the Nawab of Bhopal, with whom he was at war; and the mischief they had created was incalculable. On their return to Nagpoor, the rajah, as was commonly the case, imprisoned Burrun, and extorted from him all he could of the plunder. Hurrun escaped, but died; and his two sons, Wasil Mahomed and Dost Mahomed, continued their father's profession and authority. The leadership of Burrun's band was conferred by the family and dependents upon Cheetoo, who had already attracted the notice of Dowlut Ráo Sindia, from whom he had received an estate and its appanage. These three men eventually became the most daring leaders of the whole of the Pindhárees of Central and Northern India; but there was still a fourth, Kureem Khan, a Patán, who was perhaps the most celebrated of all. Sindia, from his irrepressibly lawless disposition to plunder, and for outrages in his own territory, had at one time imprisoned Kureem Khan; but he eventually released him on payment of a heavy fine. Kureem now rose higher than before; and for a time was joined by Cheetoo; and he became so mischievous, that he was again imprisoned at Indore. It is impossible to follow the depredations of the Pindhárees for four years, 1807 to 1811-12, in Central India, which were confined to native territories; but in 1812, em The Pindháree chiefs. Depredations of the Pindhárees. 6 boldened by success, Dost Mahomed swept through Bundelkhund, plundering unresisted as far as Gya, and escaped free. Lord Minto might well now ask the Court of Directors, whose detestably selfish policy he was carrying out in only too obedient a spirit, whether he could longer observe a strict neutrality amidst these scenes of disorder and outrage, or refuse to listen to the calls of suffering humanity, and interfere to protect weak native States who called upon us for assistance.' For several years in succession, the Pindhárees had roamed over Central India, Rajpootana, Berar, and the Nizam's dominions, increasing in numbers, strength, and daring, year by year, and inflicting torferent policy ture, misery, and desolation, on every province they mercilessly plundered. These acts had been correctly pression. known in England; but not a line was written, or a The non-inter prevents their sup soldier moved to prevent them. It cannot be doubted that had Lord Minto been free to act, they would have been summarily checked and suppressed. Now, indeed, the company' were touched to the quick by the invasion of one of their own provinces; but till the reply from England arrived, Lord Minto was as little a free agent as ever. Lord Minto's In other respects his administration was just, and, as far as his powers extended, comprehensive; and he was thoroughly Character of respected by the native princes and people of India. administraIn his civil administration, he was at once liberal and tion. practical, and the measures applied for the suppression of dacoity, the normal crime of Bengal, were to a great extent effective; but the police administration still continued inefficient, and in many respects scandalous and oppressive to the people. He took much interest in the maintenance of native literature; but it is strange that at the same time he was neutralising, as far as possible, the efforts of Christian missionaries, and preventing their attempts to spread true knowledge among the people. It may be questionable whether he really approved of the orders he received from the Court of Directors on this subject, which, like those of the noninterference policy, he had not sufficient determination to set aside; and it still required many years of experience to induce the executive Government to manifest to the people of India that the English were neither ashamed of their religion, nor the promulgation of the knowledge they possessed. Lord Minto's financial administration had been very creditable. If he had not succeeded in reducing the debt, he had at least been able to pay off old loans raised at twelve per cent. per year, by others raised at six; which showed a healthier state of public credit than had previously existed, and carried with it a proportional diminution of expenditure. Before he left India, at the close of 1813, he was Lord Minto impressed with an opinion that there was not a cloud leaves India. to dim the political atmosphere, except the Pindhárees, in regard to whose suppression he wrote fully and earnestly. As the reward of his eminent services he was created Earl Minto, a dignity which he did not long enjoy, as he died the year after his arrival in England. Earl Minto was succeeded as governor He is sucgeneral by the Earl of Moira, who had been nominated ceeded by the to the office nearly two years before, but whose departure had been delayed. Earl of Moira. Condition of the native States. BOOK VII. CHAPTER I. THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE MARQUESS OF HASTINGS, 1813 To 1816-THE GOORKHA WAR. WHEN Lord Minto left Calcutta, political events had not been so tranquil as before, in all respects: and had he remained he would have had the several questions to deal with that speedily occupied the attention of Lord Moira, who wrote there were no less than seven of a pressing character, which he found he had to settle. The fact was at last proved, that the non-interferent policy had been misunderstood by the native powers: and in some instances they had become overbearing and intractable. In Central India, matters continued in the same state as before; but the armed classes of the country were augmenting the ranks of Sindia, Holkar, Ameer Khan, and the Pindhárees; and every petty chieftain was supporting levies as well for his own protection, as to strike in whenever a general mêlée should commence. Lord Moira was a man of mature age and experience, he had taken part against Lord Wellesley's policy in England, and had belonged ostensibly to the non-interference school of Eastern politicians; but on his arrival in India, affairs which admitted of no delay, and which had arisen out of the previous inaction of the English authorities, were early forced upon his attention, and gave that tone of decision to his political acts which continued, with such eventful results, throughout his administration. Relations with Nipál. Among the last political questions with which Lord Minto had been occupied before he left India, was that of relations with the Goorkha State of Nipál, whose dominions consisted of a broad fertile valley lying between the lower, or southern, range of the Himalayas and the northeru. The frontier on the British side extended nearly from Dehly to Goorkhas. Bengal, and had never been properly defined. The Goorkha State had been established by an invasion of the valley, in Antecedents the fourteenth century, by Rajpoots, who had gradu- of the ally conquered the former Tibetian possessors; and of them, one family had gradually extended its authority over all. The inhabitants had become for the most part converts to Brahminical Hindooism; they were divided into classes, and of these, the military was brave and reliant. While they defended their own territory to the south, the Goorkhas had attempted conquests in China; but had been driven back, and forced to pay tribute. Foiled in their attempts northwards, they had made gradual encroachments upon the country lying south of their mountains, the whole of the northern frontier of Oudh became insecure, and they finally demanded and seized two districts of that province, Bootwul and Seoráj. declare war, Lord Minto's negotiations with the Goorkha court had been abortive, and he had been obliged to threaten the re-occupation of these districts by force of arms; but no reply had been received to his demand. The governor-general, therefore, directed immediate action upon the question, and the town of Bootwul was occupied by the police. It now became a question of peace or war among the Nipálese, and many of their Council The Nipálese declared for peace; but the majority were for war, which was entered upon with great enthusiasm. The prospect of driving back the cowards who had failed to take Bhurtpoor,' with the certainty of unlimited plunder, were temptations too strong to be resisted; but their whole army did not exceed 12,000 men, and they had no guns. On May 29, 1814, they attacked the police at Bootwul, and murdered the native officer and eighteen of his men in cold blood. This cruel act admitted of no hesitating policy. Lord Moira was then travelling in the upper provinces, and had visited Lukhnow, where his honourable and dignified treatment of the Nawab so deeply impressed that prince, that he offered a loan of 1,000,000l. sterling for the war, which was accepted; and though more than half was unfortunately applied by the Council of Calcutta, in the absence of Lord Moira, to the liquidation of an old loan, the balance enabled him to enter upon vigorous proceedings. On the west of the Goorkha frontier, General Ochterlony took post with 6,000 men. General Gillespie having arrived troops take from Java, advanced with 3,500 troops on the east; and the two central columns were one of 4,500 men under General J. S. Wood, and one of 8,000 under General Marley, which was to move direct upon Khatmandoo, the Goorkha capital. In all, therefore, 22,000 troops were employed for the campaign, with English up positions. P P and murder an officer of police. 60 guns; but never, in any war in which the English had been previously engaged, was more incapacity displayed. The first attack was made by General Gillespie, with his accustomed desperate valour, on the fort of Kalungah, which he endeavoured to carry by a coup de main, on Gallant October 3, 1814; but was shot through the heart in a vain attempt to rally the storming party, which had failed, after a loss of 20 officers and 220 men, killed and wounded. On the arrival of a battering-train from Dehly, the fort was breached, and Colonel Manbey attempted to storm it; but was repulsed, with a loss of 680 killed and wounded. The garrison defence of had originally consisted of 600 Goorkhas, who had already inflicted a loss of nearly double their number on the invaders, and being reduced to only seventy men, their brave commander evacuated the now untenable fort and escaped. By this successful resistance, the Goorkhas had at once established a high reputation as soldiers, and were proportionally dreaded by the Sepoys, who were utterly unaccustomed to mountain warfare. Kalungah. Death of General Martindell's operations against the fortified position of Jythuk were not more fortunate, for it proved so strong, that he was held at bay. General Ochterlony, after obtaining some success over the Goorkha officer opposed to him, Umur Singh Thapa, was unable to force the highest of the enemy's positions, and the winter coming on, prevented further operations in the upper ranges of the mountains. General Martindell fails against Jythut, and General ohtains only partial success. The central and largest force had no better success; and General Marley proved utterly incompetent for the enterprise of advancing upon the capital. He lost the whole of two important detachments, with their guns and stores, which he had sent to effect diversions from the main attack, and which were cut off by the Goorkhas. He then re who retires, his post. Wood succeeds, and fails. and deserts tired, as he professed, to guard the frontier, and was even reinforced by Lord Moira with two European regiments; but on February 10, 1815, he, as it were, deserted General from the army, leaving it privately by night and proceeding to Dinapoor. General George Wood was appointed to succeed him, and in a skirmish with the enemy they lost 400 men, leaving the road to the capital open; but the general had neither the courage nor the capacity to avail himself of the circumstance. General J. S. Wood's operations were of a similar character. He advanced about the middle of December, and was conducted by a guide, in the interest of the enemy, to the stockaded position of General Marley's incompetency, General J. S. Wood also fails, and retreats. |