acquiesce in this proposal; but the advantages were too solid to be declined, and he continued neutral, promising his best consideration of the terms offered.

CHAPTER III.

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE MARQUESS OF HASTINGS (continued) -THE SECOND MAHRATTA WAR, 1817 TO 1818.

War com

the Péshwah.

As the British armies were gradually converging upon the Pindhárees, who collected annually in the south-eastern portion of Malwah, a wild and rugged tract of country, menced by the Péshwah suddenly broke into war, supposing that his example would be simultaneously followed by Sindia, Holkar, the Rajah of Berar, Ameer Khan, and the Pindhárees, and that in the contest with all these separate powers, the English forces would be distracted and overcome; but never in the many strange estimates of delusive strength in India had a greater mistake been made. After the conclusion of the new treaty, the His peaceful Péshwah appeared actuated by candour; and while he professions. deplored the humiliation of the new engagements, professed acquiescence in their provisions. He went on his usual His covert annual pilgrimage to Punderpoor, and appeared to re- proceedings. duce his cavalry, though to each man pay for seven months was disbursed, under agreement for all to assemble when called upon. Instead of returning to Poona from Punderpoor, the Péshwah went to Mahóly, in order, as was alleged, to complete his religious observances; and was visited there by Sir John Malcolm, whom he satisfied as to his peaceful intentions; but Mr. Elphinstone's suspicions continued as strong as sions of Mr. ever, and he viewed with apprehension the march of the subsidiary force from Seroor, on October 9, to its position in the general distribution of the grand army, a movement which left Poona entirely undefended. It had been arranged, however, that a regiment of European infantry should be sent up from Bombay.

Apprehen

Elphinstone.

Bappoo Gókla was now the adviser of the Péshwah in all political and military affairs, and the organisation of troops and the missions to the Mahratta courts were pushed forward with every possible expedition; but of all the Péshwah's wild schemes, that of corrupting the English officers and their Sepoys, coupled with the assassination of Mr. Elphinstone, seems to have been most at heart. It need hardly be recorded, that the Sepoys tampered with indignantly rejected the offers made to them, and that the corruption

of their officers was never even attempted. Even his minister, Bappoo Gókla, refused to be concerned in any treacherous attack upon Mr. Elphinstone, from whom he had received many kind

nesses.

The Dussera at Poona.

The annual festival of the Dusséra was to take place on October 19, and is an occasion, in every Hindoo State, not only for a military display in commemoration of the capture of Ceylon by King Ráma, but for taking the annual muster of troops. The assembly on this occasion was greater than usual; while the only English troops at Poona were a weak brigade, partly composed of the battalions nominally belonging to the Péshwah. In noticing the unusual number of levies present, Mr. Elphinstone was informed that they were destined to operate against the Pindhárees; and to this no objection was open, as it was a point on which he had been already urgent. But in a few days the Péshwah's horse and foot began to crowd upon the British position very unpleasantly; and on November 4, Captain Ford was privately informed by Moro Dixit, a native friend, that the Péshwah intended to cut off the British troops, and recommended him to withdraw. There was no doubt, therefore, from every concurring circumstance, that an attack was imminent.

Threatening position of the Peshwah's troops.

Arrival of the European regiment.

The arrival of the European regiment was looked to with intense anxiety, for it had been already debated in the Péshwah's Council whether the British force should not be attacked before its arrival; and it was still believed to be at a considerable distance, when by forced marches it arrived on October 30. The whole force then, on November 1, took up an open position near the village of Kirkee; and on the 3rd, Mr. Elphinstone directed a battalion of light infantry, and a party of auxiliary horse, then at Seroor, to join him. On November 5, the Péshwah's plans were completed, and the whole army was ordered out, on pretence of escorting him to a temple in the suburbs of Poona. A last endeavour was made by him to remonstrate against the advance of the regiment from Bombay, and that of the battalion from Seroor, and to request their being returned; but Mr. Elphinstone resisted both demands firmly, and the Pésh

The Peshwah's army advances,

the British

:

wah's officer had barely left him, when the great army was put in motion. No one knew the Mahrattas better than Mr. Elphinstone and instead of allowing Colonel and is met by Burr, the officer in command of the brigade, to await attack, he directed him to move at once on the Mahratta forces. The effect of this act was a strange panic among the Mahratta troops; and an evil omen had occurred in the breaking of the staff of the Juree Putka, or national standard, as it left the

troops.

abandon the

Arrival of

city. Beyond one brilliant charge led by Gókla, which was successfully repulsed with heavy loss by Colonel Burr's own regiment, the 7th Bombay Native Infantry, the vast host of the The Mahratta Mahratta army did nothing; and as the British brigade army still advanced, the whole took to flight. The strength field. of the forces engaged were-2,800 British, in the proportion of 2,000 natives to 800 Europeans; of the Mahrattas, 18,000 horse, 8,000 foot, with fourteen guns. In the night, the battalion from Seroor arrived, and the Mahratta attack was not renewed. This event was followed by the murder, in three instances, of English officers who were travelling; and Cornets Hunter and Morrison, of the Madras cavalry, were overpowered and confined in a hill-fort. General Smith, who retraced his steps on hearing of the outbreak, arrived near Poona on November 13, and had made dispositions to attack the Péshwah's army, which General was encamped west of the Moota river, on the morning of the 15th, at daylight; but this was prevented by the state of the ford. On the 16th the Mahratta army began The Peshwah to retreat. On the 17th no portion of their host was to be seen the whole, with the Péshwah, had fled to Sattara. Poona was now taken possession of without occupied. resistance, and General Smith, after depositing his heavy guns and baggage at Seroor, commenced a pursuit of the Mahratta army. It is unnecessary to follow the movements of the several divisions of the British forces which were put in motion the Peshwah. for the same purpose, and to avoid which the Péshwah adopted every expedient in his power; but an episode in the war occurred which cannot be passed by without record.

Smith's force.

flies to
Sattara.

Poona

Fursuit of

Korygaom by

Staunton.

The second battalion of the 1st Bombay Native Infantry had been left at Seroor; and Colonel Burr, apprehending Memorable that the Péshwah might suddenly return to Poona, defence of directed it to join him. It therefore set out on De- Captain cember 31, 1817, under the command of Captain Staunton, accompanied by two six-pounder guns of the Madras Artillery, and 300 of the newly-raised irregular cavalry. On the morning of January 1, 1818, having marched all night, the detachment reached the small village of Korygaom, on the Bheema, and Captain Staunton found the whole of the Péshwah's army, 25,000 strong, encamped before it. He did not halt, but passed on till he occupied the village. Here, throughout the whole of that day, he was attacked, by several bodies in succession, of Arabs, Gosains, and other foot soldiers; and every post of the village was desperately contested. The guns were taken and retaken; several of the few officers were killed and wounded; and the men, from whom water was cut off, were frantic with thirst, and faint with

hunger; but the defence was maintained with high valour, until nightfall, when the men obtained water, and the enemy gradually withdrew. At daylight, Captain Staunton opened his guns upon parties of horse which were careering about on the plain; but they had no disposition to renew the fight, and the whole Mahratta army gradually disappeared. Captain Staunton had lost 175 men in killed and wounded, with eight officers-three killed and five wounded-and only himself, Lieutenant Jones, and Assistant Surgeon Wyllie escaped; the Mahratta loss was between 500 and 600 men. The glory of the defence, with that of the battle of Seetabuldee, which had preceded it, are still sung by Mahratta minstrels, in every part of the Deccan; and a monument erected near the fort at Korygaom commemorates the names of every man who fell.

The Péshwah pursues his flight.

Sattara occupied.

The Péshwah witnessed the fight all day from a distant eminence, and seeing the successive failures of those on whom he had most relied, bitterly upbraided them for having misled him. He had now no refuge but in flight, and the British divisions allowed him no rest. He proceeded to the south, being chased in turn by Generals Munro and Pritzler; and obliged to recross the Krishna, he turned northwards to Sholapoor, where General Smith took up the pursuit. On February 10, Sattara was taken possession of, and a manifesto issued to the people; and the Mahratta force, under Bappoo Góklą, was overtaken at Ashta, and routed by General Smith's cavalry, with the loss of their brave, but misguided commander, who was killed the Rajah of in the mêlée by a dragoon. The action was important, however, as the Rajah of Sattara, who had been hitherto in confinement, was rescued, and assured of the good intentions of the governor-general, remained with Mr. Elphinstone. The Péshwah still fled northwards, intending, it was supposed, to make for Nagpoor.

Combat of
Ashta.

Release of
Sattara.

Meanwhile, events of the highest interest had occurred there. Events at Appa Sahib, the regent, had caused the idiot rajah to Nagpoor. be strangled, and himself to be proclaimed successor, in February 1816. From that period he maintained an active correspondence with the Péshwah. Cheetoo, the Pindháree chief, visited him, and large levies of troops were made. This conduct was remonstrated against by the Resident; but protestations of loyalty to the English were received, perhaps, with too great reliance. So long as the Péshwah had made no direct movement, Appa Sahib was tranquil, and the Resident, Mr. Jenkins, saw no cause for apprehension; but on the news of the Péshwah's outbreak, he threw off the mask, and on the evening of November

defence of

26, when he had drawn out his forces to witness his investiture with an honorary dress sent by the Péshwah, the British troops were suddenly attacked by the whole of his army. They Remarkable had fortunately been able to occupy two eminences battle and near the Residency, called Seetabuldee, and the posses- Seetabuldee. sion of these was hotly contested during the whole of the 27th; but the enemy were at last repulsed, and the attack was not renewed. The disparity of numbers was even greater than at Poona. Appa Sahib's army was 18,000 strong, while the British force did not reach 1,400, who, with the exception of the artillerymen, were all Sepoys. Their loss was 333 in killed and wounded, with twelve officers. Appa Sahib endeavoured to lay the blame of the attack upon his Arabs, and other mercenaries; but the Resident, strengthened by reinforcements on November 29, and December 5th, 14th, and 19th, would listen to nothing short of unconditional submission; and the rajah came to the Residency and surrendered himself; but his army did not obey his orders in regard to the delivery of its guns, and they were Battle of taken in an action fought at once upon the spot. Mr. Nagpoor. Jenkins dictated terms to the rajah, which involved a territorial cession of twenty-four lacs, equal to the pay of the subsidiary force, and included the military control of the country; and these terms were subsequently confirmed by the governor-general.

CHAPTER IV.

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE MARQUESS HASTINGS (continued) -THE MAHRATTA AND PINDHÁREE WAR, 1818.

Mahratta

Proclamation

THE issue of events at Poona had placed the Mahratta dominions at the disposal of the governor-general, who, on hearing Annexation of the Péshwah's outbreak, resolved to annex them. of the Mr. Elphinstone was appointed commissioner for the dominions. whole of the Mahratta territories in the Deccan; but the public manifesto was not issued until Sattara had been taken possession of, when it was proclaimed that the authority of the Péshwah had ceased to exist, and that a portion of the at Sattara. territory had been set apart for the Rajah of Sattara. The dominant authority of the Péshwahs, from the recognition of Ballajee Wishwanath in 1717, by the Emperor Mahomed Shah, to the flight of his great-grandson, Bajee Ráo, in 1817, had been as nearly as possible a hundred years. Now, not only had the once vast power of the dynasty crumbled to pieces under the effects of mutual divi