courfe thus commenced, might well have been continued and improved, although, from the apparent impracticability of the defign, and the Rajah's fubfequent connections with the court of Poonah, the idea from which it originated had been long laid afide. The Berar Rajah might alfo, in a general political view, have confidered the Company as highly ufeful, in contributing to fupport fome tolerable balance of power between the native princes of India; and, as in a late particular inftance, he had himfelf been overmatched, worsted, and loft a confiderable portion of territory in his war with the Nizam of the Deccan, he perhaps hoped that their friendhip and alliance would be a means of preventing future injury or lofs.

But it was long and late before the Berar Rajah was admitted into the mystery of the new fyftem of policy which was in contemplation at Calcutta, and in which he was intended to hold fo great and confpicuous a part. Repeated hints had indeed been thrown out, both to his refident at Calcutta and in letters to his prime minifter, that a treaty of the first importance, and fraught with the greatest mutual advantages, was in view, and would foon be difclofed to him. This intelligence being entirely fuited to his own wishes, could not but afford the greatest fatisfaction; and he accordingly expreffed no fmall regret at the death of Mr. Elliot the minifter, who, we have feen, had been appointed to negociate and conclude the bufinefs at

his court.

In the mean time, he ufed the most friendly and unremitting en

deavours to prevent or to compromife the differences between the court of Poonah and Calcutta. His central fituation, his intimate connections with one, his friendly correfpondence with the other, and his good wishes to both, rendered him the natural mediator between the parties; and it is but juftice to fay, that he was indefatigable in his endeavours to difcharge the duties of that office. He was equally industrious at Poonah and at Calcutta in explaining the meafures, conduct, and views of the oppofite fide, and in reftraining or curing the jealoufies arifing on both. As the apprehenfion of a French alliance was the great object of complaint and alarm held out at Calcutta, his representations at the court of Poonah were fo effectual, as to procure the abrupt difmiffion of the Chevalier de St. Lubin: and this fatisfaction, as the Maratta minifters affert, was given in fo clear and complete a manner, that he was fent away without hearing or receiving his proposals.

On the other hand, he was no lefs urgent, though lefs fuccessful, at Calcutta, in remonftrating on the impropriety, evil confequences, and ultimate danger of Leflie's expedition. He strongly stated, that exclufive of the effects which it muft unavoidably produce at Poonah, it was a measure of such a nature, as could not fail to disgust and alarm all the princes of India. It was not only without example, but it was contrary to all treaties, and a direct violation of all the rights of fovereignty. Every prince through whofe territories the army pafled, muft refent, fo far as he was able, fuch a flagrant

outrage.

lefs difficulties of every kind which they were to encounter, the unknown countries they were to explore, the difficulty of procuring provifion in the midft of hoftility, with the impracticable roads and the dangerous paffes and defiles through which they muft attempt their way.

The inattention paid to the Rajah's counfel and opinion, did not produce any remiffion of his kindness and good offices. Two of his principal officers had long been in waiting on the banks of the Nerbudda, with ample fupplies of provifions and neceffaries, as well for its future fupport as for the immediate relief of the Bombay army on its arrival. His zeal went fo far, as to lead him to difclose the preparations making by the court of Poonah for cutting off the detachment, even to the number of the troops and the names of the leaders, which were in different quarters affembling, and appointed for that purpose. When the army had arrived in the dominions of Berar, that prince, after fpecifically pointing out the dangers to which they would be expofed and the enemies they had to encounter, then regretted, with much apparert tenfibility, that he did not however think they could at that time return, without difgrace to the Company's arms and councils; and thence concluded, that it was better they fhould at all hazards proceed. But, at the fame time, ftill attentive to the prefervation of the troops, he pointed out the nearest line of march for them to Guzerat, as the means of evading the impending dangers.

It was evidently in his power to

without rifque or difficulty, to the views of the Nizam and the court of Poonah; and no conditions or advantages could by them have been thought too great for such a fervice. Yet, although he was himfelf equally difgufted and alarmed at the defigns and objects of the new league, which were then unveiled to him, his fidelity continued unfhaken; and instead of detaining the detachment under apparent circumftances of the greatest danger, he advanced money, upon bills from Calcutta, to enable them to profecute the march, when it could not otherwife have been remitted in any time equal to the exigency. This conduct does not belie the affertion, which was thrown out upon a fubfequent occafion, by one of the Berar Rajah's minifters: "That the family of "Boofla had never yet departed a "hair's breadth from their public 66 or private faith.”

But with thefe good difpofitions and qualities, in other refpects the Berar Rajah was exceedingly ill calculated for the high part which was allotted to him in the new fyftem of policy. It perhaps requires little lefs greatnefs of mind to comprehend and adopt than to conceive and frame vaft and daring defigns. Moodajee Boofla was old and timid; and had no more dif pofition to break in upon the tranquillity of his neighbours, than to hazard his own fecurity. Inftead of being fafcinated by the glorious views of victory, conqueft, and empire, he was ftruck with horror at the means by which they were to be attained. He feems to have been biaffed by ideas which cannot but appear ftrange and extraordinary in a Maratta; and his

long

long letters upon the fubject, may be confidered as little lefs than lectures upon political morality.

Colonel Goddard, who departed from the Bundelchund country on the 12th of October, 1778, was, during a march of about feven weeks to the Nerbudda, almost continually harraffed, his fupplies cut off, and his progrefs interrupted, by a body of Maratta horfe, under Bailagee Pundit. It however appears, that the army in this courfe paffed through defiles, buried in the woods and mountains, of luch length, difficulty, and danger, that a handful of men might have ftopped the progrefs of an army, and a moderate well conducted force have fhut it up entirely. Fortunately, the advantages to be derived from fuch circumstances of fituation, were not within the compafs of the enemy's

skill.

The army arrived on the northern banks of the Nerbudda, fatigued, exhaufted, their carriages broken, their draught-cattle worn down, and in want of all manner of fupplies, on the laft of November; and paffed over to Huffinabad, in the Berar dominions, on the following day, where all their wants were amply fupplied. Colonel Goddard, with the army, continued at Huffinabad until near the middle of the following January; he immediately fending an agent to Naigpore, the Rajah's capital, in order to negociate the propofed alliance. Notwithstanding the friendship fhewn by Moodajee Boofla, he was by no means difpofed to admit of their advancing, under any pretence, into the interior parts of his dominions; and he fhewed no fmall jealoufy at fome intimations that were given, of

their good difpofition to the protection of his capital against any poffible confequences of the propofed alliance.

The refult of the negociation was, that the court of Berar abfolutely refufed concluding any alliance, or entering into condi tions which tended to hoftility, either with the Paifhwa or the Soubah of the Deccan. They reprefented the breach of friendfhip. violation of faith, treachery, and pofitive perjury, which, on their fide, would attend the former; and they confidered as not a great deal lefs heinous, the unjustifiable violation of a treaty of peace folemnly ratified with the Nizam. They likewife totally condemned the fcheme with refpect to its policy, as being rafh, immature, haftily formed, highly dangerous, and as impracticable as it was juft.

Moodajee BooЛla himself entered into much reasoning upon the fubject, both in writing and otherwife. It feemed as if he wished to foften the refufal, by stating the impracticability of the defign; fhewing the total incompetency of his own forces joined with the Englifh, to oppofe the powerful and numerous enemies which it was intended to provoke; and the inevitable ruin to himself and his country, which muft neceffarily attend his engaging in the mea fure.

He feems everywhere to treat the fcheme as a matter haftily taken up and adopted, without deliberation, judgment, or a due attention to means or confequences.

It was in this ftate of things that the Berar Rajah received intelligence of the landing of the Bombay army on the continent,

with

with a view of conducting Ragonaut to Poonah, and placing him by force of arms in the Paifhwafhip. The impreffions which this intelligence made upon his mind can only be fuppofed. It certainly could not excite very favourable ideas with refpect to the rectitude of the Company's conduct and views, any more than to the faith or honour of the nation. However ruinous and disgraceful the Bombay expedition was in itself, it undoubtedly proved the means of preferving Goddard's detachment; the large forces which were aflembled in different quarters to intercept their paffage, being, in the first inftance, neceffarily called off to encounter the nearer danger; and the treaty or convention of Worgaum having afterwards lulled the court of Poonah into a fecurity which excluded all ideas of farther hoftility.

The negociation with the Rajah having thus failed, Colonel Goddard began his march Jan. 16th, from Huflinabad for 1779. Poonah. But he had not advanced many days, when he received a letter from the Poonah committee, being those field deputies whom we have feen conducted the operations of the Bombay army, advifing him to proceed either to Baraoch or Surat, or otherwife to continue on the borders of Berar; but by no means to advance towards Poonah. This letter was dated on the 11th of January, before the final engagement with the Marattas. The colonel, however, kept his way, not thinking himself warranted by thefe advices to return to Berar; and the fame common road ftill holding to the other fpecified places. On the 16th of January, when the

terms of the treaty of Worgaum were agreed on, the Poonah committee wrote a letter to Goddard, with pofitive directions to march back with the army to Bengal; but in three days after, when the impreffions that then operated were worn off, and they had come to a refolution of difputing the validity of the treaty, they difpatched another letter, informing him, that upon due recollection, they found they were not authorized to iffue the former orders; and he was therefore to pay no regard to them.

Colonel Goddard, without being moved by thefe contradictory orders, continued his courfe until on the 5th of February, being arrived at Brahmpore, he received difpatches from the council of Bombay, with orders for his proceeding immediately to Surat; obferving at the fame time, that they were not at liberty to give him any precife information as to the caufes of the return of their army, nor as to the probable confequences of that event. Thefe advices were fucceeded by the arrival of a vackeel, or minifter, from Poonah in his camp, with a copy of the convention at Worgaum, by which his immediate return to Bengal was ftipulated. Colonel Goddard denied that the committee who, figned the convention had any manner of authority over him; faid that he was under orders to march to Bombay, for the security of the Company's poffeffions against the defigns of the French; that he could not difpenfe with his orders, and fhould accordingly profecute his march. Being now fenfible of the fituation of affairs, he bent his courfe directly to Surat, where he arrived by the end of February.

Bombay

Bombay was exceedingly flow in communicating its misfortune, or intended mode of conduct in confequence of it. The intelligence had been fo long received from Madras and Poonah at Calcutta, before any direct account was tranfmitted from that prefidency, that fome cenfure feemed to be in agitation for fo unaccountable a negligence in the fupreme council. The Bombay difpatches did not arrive until after the middle of March. That prefidency had publicly difavowed the treaty of Worgaum; although it was ratified by two members of the select committee, who were in effed armed with all the powers of the government; and thus were the lives of Mellrs. Farmer and Stuart, the two gentlemen who, relying on the faith of the Company (which in that inftance should have been deemed particularly facred) had committed themselves as hoftages for the faithful performance of the conditions, to all appearance facrificed.

No misfortune feemed capable of laying the spirit of intrigue in Bombay. In the midft of difgrace and calamity, a fcheme was inftantly formed for finding a fubftitute to fupply the lofs of Ragobah, and thereby reviving the never-abandoned defign of ftill effecting a revolution in the Maratta government. The late great kindnefs fhewn to the English, and the eminent service done by Madajee Sindia, in preventing the whole army from being difarmed and detained as hoftages, and thereby affording an opportunity for evading the treaty of Worgaum, pointed him out as the proper inftrument for this purpofe. Such fignal acts of fervice, it was fuppofed, could

only proceed from interefted and finifter views, or from fome very extraordinary ftrain of friendship. In either cafe, though with more certainty in the former, the motive might operate to the fame end in promoting the defign. The power, refouroes, influence, and character of Sindia, rendered him a much more eligible inftrument, and infinitely more capable of carrying the bufinefs into execution than the profligate Ragobah. Meafures were accordingly taken for making fecret propofals, holding out great advantages to Sindia, to induce him to adopt the new fcheme of revolution; but we do not find that they produced either anfwer or notice from that chief.

In the mean time, Bombay and Calcutta charged each other with the late misfortune and all its confequences. The fupreme council charged the prefidency with dilatorinefs and caution when they fhould have been alert and in action; with mifling the fairest opportunities of advantage and fuccefs; and at length, with the ut moft precipitancy and rafhnefs, in adopting the late expedition when the feafon was over, and under circumftances which rendered fuccefs impracticable. On the other hand, the prefidency of Bombay attributed all their failure and misfortune to the propofed treaty with Moodajee Boofla, and to the keeping them fo long in the dark with refpect to the defign, that it was too late to benefit by the knowledge when communicated. While recrimination was thus bandied, Madras was foreboding and lamenting the evils, calamities, and dangers, to which the rathnefs and violence of both, in continually forcing the Marattas

to