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but in general that they have occafioned a great deal of mifchief, and fome blood to be fpilt. It is faid that the inhabitants have upon different occafions taken up arms, and that fome engagements have

happened between them and the regular forces; and it is certain that fome of the principal perfons of the ifland have been fent in irons to France.

CHAP. VII.

War in India. Hyder Aly ravages the Carnatic. Battle near Mulvaggle. Hyder Aly advances within a few miles of Madrass. Peace concluded with Hyder Aly. New treaty with Sujah Doulah. Supervisors appointed to go to India. Great debates upon the powers to be granted to the fupervifors. A naval force applied for to go to India. Extraordinary powers demanded for the commanding naval officer; the demands are rejected by a general court. Sir John Lindjey fails with a small squadron to the gulph of Perfia.

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HAVING &iveable to bollect, ducted was thameful, and dancur

of the general affairs of Europe, it is neceffary that we fhould do the fame, by thofe which are either domeftic, or in which our national interefts are immediately concerned. We faw, at the clofe of the last year, the troublefome and expenfive war in which our Eaft-India company was involved on the coaft of Coromandel, with the celebrated adventurer Hyder Aly. This war, which we before obferved, was not capable of producing any advantage to the company, was notwithstanding attended with the most pernicious effects to its interefts, both at home and in the Eaft-Indies: a circumftance the more grievous, as by many. tranfactions which have finee come to light, it appears to have been wantonly entered into by the company's fervants in that part of the world, to answer their own private purpofes and emolu

ment.

The caufes of entering into this war were not more irregular, than 5

able to the military character of the nation. Field deputies were appointed to attend the army, and to controul and fuperintend the conduct of the commander in chief. This office, unknown in the English fervice, and pernicious wherever it has been practifed, was upon this occafion created only to constitute a lucrative job for the perfons who were appointed to it. Thefe deputies accordingly, being deeply concerned in the contracts for fupplying the army, took care to regulate its motions in fuch a manner, as best suited their private intereft or convenience.

The effects of this injudicious measure of appointing field deputies, were felt in every department. Brave and experienced officers were difgufted, and frequently either quitted the fervice, or, if their circumftances in fuch a fituation, and at fo great a distance from home, did not admit of this method of fhewing their refentment, they too

often

often became carelefs and indifferent as to their future conduct; while those of no character, or worfe, were employed and entrusted. From this original error, this war has been peculiarly marked with a ftigma, which never before difgraced our hiftory; British officers, a thing unknown and unheard of, deferting the caufe of their country, and entering into the fervice of a barbarous prince, and forts given up fo famefully, as to afford the cenforious too much colour in fuggefting, that they were betrayed to the enemy.

Hyder Aly was not an enemy before whom capital errors were to be committed with impunity. General Smith had penetrated far into his country, had taken feveral of his fortreffes, and was in a fair way of advancing to his capital, had not the diffentions with the field deputies, who counteracted and thwarted all his measures, prevented it. This gave a breathing time to the Indian chief, and leifure to confider the great diftance that the English forces were from their own fettlements, which were left naked, and the advantages which the celerity of his own troops, compofed chiefly of horse, gave him in fuch circumftances. He accordingly, with great dexterity, and in confequence of feveral mafterly motions, got between the company's forces and the Carnatic, which he entered and ravaged at pleasure.

This manœuvre had all the effect that Hyder Aly could with. The company's troops were obliged to relinquish his territories, and to retire in hafte to the defence of their own and their allies. Thus he recovered, without fighting, the forts L. VOL. XII.

and ftrong pofts which they had taken; and, instead of a fugitive flying before his enemies, and unable to defend his own dominions, he now came as a vindictive and haughty victor, to pour destruction into theirs. His army, before funk by the disheartening confequences of a defenfive war, which befides is a fervice for which fuch troops are not at all calculated, was now let lofe into its proper fphere of action. His reputation was by this means raised in a very high degree, and, in fuch circumstances, neither foldiers nor allies could be long wanting in that part of the

world.

The Nabob of Arcot, the most able prince, the moft generous friend, and the moft faithful ally, that the English ever met with in the Eaft-Indies, and who upon thefe confiderations was defervedly included by name in the late treaty of peace which we concluded with France, was the firft and principal fufferer upon this occafion. Hyder Aly had a long and peculiar enmity to this prince, which was probably, in a great degree, founded upon his inviolable attachment to the English. His dominions were accordingly ravished without mercy; and whilft Hyder Aly by this means gratified his perfonal refentment, he at the fame time cut off one of our principal resources for carrying on the war, by the mifchief which he did to our ally.

The company's forces that had been recalled to the defence of the Carnatic, found themfelves, upon their return, very unequal to that talk. Befides that the fame causes continued which had before impeded their fuccefs, they had been very much weakened in that [E]

expe. dition.

dition. Their fagacious enemy, fenfible of their great fuperiority in the field, cautiously avoided coming to a general engagement; an object which they as eagerly fought, till they were worn out and wafted, by a continued and fruitless fucceffion of purfuits and marches. In the mean time, he frequently and fuccefsfully attacked their detached parties, and cut off their convoys; upon which occafions they loft a great number of men, Europeans as well as natives; and he ravaged the country in fuch à manner as to complete its ruin. Thefe fucceffes raised his character fo high, that adventurers from all parts joined him, and his cavalry was augmented to above 90,000, to which however his infantry bore no proportion. The Maratta princes were alfo entering into alliances with him, and he became fo daring, as to advance with a body of horse almoft to the gates of Madrass. In every refpect he feems, at this time, to have been the most formidable enemy that we had ever met among the Indian powers.

A detachment of the company's forces, under the command of col. Wood, had made an unfuccefsful attempt to take a fort called Mulwaggle by ftorm. This repulfe was attended with the lofs of fome officers as well as private men, which, together with the fmall number of our detachment, encouraged Hyder, at the head of a great part of his army, to march to the protection of the fort. Col. Wood, notwithstanding the great difparity of their forces, did not

hefitate, with only 460 Oct. 4, Europeans, and 2300 1768. feapoys, to attack him.

The enemy's army confifted of 14,000 horfe, 12,000 matchlock guns, and fix battalions of fea poys. This battle was more obfti nately contefted, than almost any that the English had ever fought in this part of the world. The field was alternately loft and won feveral times; and the engagement, which began at eleven o'clock in the forenoon, was not over till five in the afternoon. Hyder Aly was at length obliged to retreat, leaving the field covered with dead bodies; among which are reckoned, three elephants, nine camels, and 700 horfes. The lofs on our fide was confiderable, above three hundred being killed and wounded, among whom were feveral brave officers. Some of our officers were also taken prifoners, and we loft two pieces of cannon; fo that, upon the whole, it feems to have been a very difputed affair.

If any confequence attended this action, it was only that it gave Hyder Aly a new proof of the vast fuperiority of our troops, which no numbers, difcipline, or conduct, on his fide, could counterbalance. In other refpects the war went on as before, and the devaftations of the enemy were carried on with their ufual fuccefs. The divifions and difcontents among the officers and council increased every day, and were productive of the worft confequences. Government grew daily more and more weak, divided, and perplexed. The contracts were ill performed, the feapoys deferted in companies, and the army was ruined.

The revenues of the establishment of Madrass, being unequal to the great expences of the war, large remittances were made from

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Bengal to answer that purpose. These remittances were obliged to be made in a bafe kind of gold coin, by which the company was faid to be at a lofs of 40,000l. in the difference of exchange only. Thefe effects of the war, confequently, put a stop to the investments that were ufually made from Madrafs to China; no filver being now ftirring in the country, and the manufactures at a ftand from the fear of the enemy. Such were the confequences of this ill-judged war, entered into, as it is plaufibly afferted, without neceffity, badly conducted, and continued with an obftinacy as in-. defenfible, as the motives that gave rife to it were adious. It does not appear that Hyder Aly had committed any act of hoftility, or given any caufe of offence to the company, which could have juftified a war. On the contrary, it is afferted, that their fhips were permitted to trade in his ports without moleftation, and their fervants had a free intercourfe with his dominions, till the very moment of the rupture. We alfo find, that as foon as terms of peace were propofed, notwithstanding the advantages he had gained, he wil lingly liftened to them, and as readily acquiefced in equitable conditions. We muft alfo do the juftice to a brave and able enemy, to obferve, that this war was not attended with the acts of treachery, breach of faith, and inhuman maffacres, which were fo frequent in the contefts we have had with the other powers of this country; but good faith, ability, and humanity, are generally found in company.

It is not however to be inferred from the ill fuccefs of this war,

that the company's principal fettlements were, at any time, in any degree of danger. Hyder Aly's whole force was utterly incapable of taking the city of Madrass, even though we had had no army in the field to cover it. But the cafe was, that we had always an army which he durft not engage; and all that made him dangerous, was the fagacity with which he avoided fighting. The expence of the war, the damage done to their allies by ravaging the country, and the embarraffment occafioned thereby to their commerce, were very prejudicial, and therefore it was very imprudent to enter into it; but they are only fuch loffes as the company must always be fubject to, when it ever quarrels with the Maratta chiefs, or any other of the country powers, who command great bodies of horfe. Such wars hauft the revenues of the company, but do not feem capable of endangering its fecurity.

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In the mean time, Hyder Aly having given our army in the Carnatic the flip, marched, at the head of a body of horfe, within a few miles of Madrafs. This motion, together with the apprehenfion of an alliance which he has forming with one of the most powerful of the Maratta princes, induced at length the prefidency of Madrass to enter into a negociation of peace with him. This was a measure the Indian chief was very well difpofed to, and the preliminaries were accordingly foon adjusted. The prefidency required a truce of fifty days, which was the only propofal that Hyder Aly refufed, judging, with his ufual fagacity, that fo long a time may give an opportunity for collecting fresh forces;

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in which cafe it would not be difficult to find a pretence for breaking off the treaty. He accordingly limited the time for carrying it into execution to feven days, which proved fufficient for the purpose. April 3, 1769.

The conditions of peace were fimple and equitable. The forts and places taken on either fide were reftored, and both parties were to fit down with the expences they had been at. A perpetual league, offenfive and defenfive, was agreed upon, and the number of troops to be furnished in fuch cases, as well as their pay, was ftipulated. The prifoners on both fides were releafed, and a free trade refpectively allowed both in the Carnatic and Hyder Aly's dominions.

- Hyder Aly fhewed uncommon abilities through the courfe of this war. Senfible of the great fuperiority of the English in the field, he not only cautiously avoided general engagements, but he also formed his army upon fuch principles, that he could not be obliged to fight when he did not like. He totaly laid afide the heavy unwieldy cannon that were ufed by the Indian princes, inftead of which he carried nothing to the field but neat light field-pieces, fix and three pounders, which were moft excellently equipped and mounted, and as well ferved. A remarkable proof of which was, that in the whole course of the war, we were never able to take a single piece of cannon from him. For though we took a great quantity of artillery at the battle of Errour, of which we gave an account in our laft volume, they were all the property of the Nizam; and, not withflanding the greatness of the defeat,

Hyder Aly carried every one of his guns fafe from the field. By this means, and the care he took to prevent his forces being incumbered with baggage, nothing could exceed the celerity of their motions; fo that while our troops were forming, his horse being immediately drawn up with a good countenance, always gave an opportunity to the foot to make a safe retreat, without our being able to bring either to a clofe engagement.

This

During thefe tranfactions, Sujah Doula had increafed his forces to fuch a degree, as to form a confiderable army, which he applied himfelf, with the most unwearied diligence, to difcipline, and put into a formidable condition. These motions having juftly excited the attention of the fecret committee at Bengal, three gentlemen were difpatched to that prince, with directions to make a ftrict enquiry into the motives of them. conduct, and the fpirited remonftrances made upon the occafion, produced the defired effect. Sujah Doula confented to disband a great part of his army, and concluded a new treaty with the company, by which he is tied up from ever increafing it beyond a certain ftipulated number, which will be fufficient to fupport the civil government, without being in any degree formidable.

The confequences of this ill-advifed and unfortunate war in the Carnatic, were not confined to the Eaft-Indies; the alarm was caught at home, where the distance of the object, and the uncertain know, ledge of the danger, having full room to operate upon the imagination, multiplied, as is usual in fuch cafes, the fears of the people

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