Bengal newspapers were perpetually full of advertisements for the fale of lands, feized for want of due pay. ment of revenue. He held in his hand two of these advertisements; the one announced the fale of 17 villages, and the other a fale of 42. Thefe accounts were confirmed by numerous private letters from the most refpectable correfpondents, and he quoted fome minutes of lord Cornwallis to the fame effect; one of which, dated 18th September, 1789, was in these remarkable words: "I can safely affirm, that one third of the company's territory in Hindooftan is now a jungle inhabited by wild beafts." The right hon. gentleman had faid, that the affeffment of the revenue had not been increased. It might to be fo; and yet it would not follow that the people could bear it in their prefent circumftances. In former times, Great Britain had received great fupplies of merchandize and money from Bengal, where we now experienced the reverfe, and we

fent fpecie thither, inftead of receiv ing it from India. It had been acknowledged by Mr. Dundas, that in the courfe of last year the court of directors had fent out a million in fpecie to Bengal. If that practice was to be established, Mr. Francis infifted that we had better give up Bengal at once.

Thus we have given, in as few words as the nature of the fubject would admit, the contrary opinions of the two great authorities on Indian affairs, concerning the finances of that portion of our foreign dominions. The rest of the debate confifted chiefly in defultory converfation concerning the late Indian war. As that fubject, however, receives a new afpect from the fortunate termination which has been effected by lord Cornwallis, we haften to what is of more immediate importance, viz. a detail of the principal events of the war, from its commencement to the peace concluded in March, 1792.

CHAP.

quarter bordering upon theirs; and Seringapatam was established as the common center, where the whole force was to appear in a collective body.

With fuch dispatch were the movements ordered, that general Meadows joined the grand army at Trichinopoly on the 24th of May, and on the 26th this formidable body of finely appointed troops, amounting to 14,000 effective men, marched towards the Coimbettore country. The march, however, of Indian armies cannot be very rapid, as their baggage and provifions are moftly transported upon bullocks. It was therefore the 15th of June before general Meadows entered Tippoo's country; and the firft place that furrendered to the British arms was the fort of Carroor, about 45 miles from Trichinopoly, which was immediately evacuated on the appearance of the British general,

It was fomewhat remarkable that Tippoo appeared to have taken fcarcely any measures to fecure the country below the Ghauts, nor even to remove or deftroy the grain in a territory which it was evidently not his intention to defend. Notwithftanding this circumftance, however, fo inadequate is fuch a country to the fupply of fo confiderable a force as that of the British, that it was the 3d of July before the army was enabled to move from Carroor, after collecting all the fupplies which the country afforded, and after putting the fort on the most tenable footing poffible.

Seven days were spent in marching 59 miles to Daraporum. In this place the army was fortunate enough to find a very feasonable and plentiful supply of grain. They now learned that Tippoo had afcended the Ghauts, leaving at the

foot of them, between Gujelhetty and Damicotta a ftrong detachment of horfe. On the 22d of July the army entered Coimbettore, which wasalfoevacuated on their approach, though it contained a confiderable quantity of grain, and some military ftores. The faller forts in the neighbourhood of Coimbettore were reduced by different detach ments in a fhort time.

An enterprize of more importance was alfo attempted during the halt of the army of Coimbettore. Soon after their arrival at that capital, col. Floyd, with the cavalry, was difpatched towards Damicotta, about 40 miles to the north, in the hope of furprising the detachment of cavalry, which, we have juftintimated, was ftationed by Tippoo below the Ghauts; the colonel however only fucceeded in capturing about 50 horse.

Towards the latter end of Auguft, col. Floyd was again fent to reduce Sattimungalum and Damicotta. The former was garrifoned by a battalion, and, having been intended as a depot, confiderable quantities of provifions were collected there: it however, furrendered to col. Floyd without the fmalleft refiftance. Being foon after joined by a detachment under col. Oldham, the whole body was computed to be nearly equal in ftrength to one wing of the grand army, but without its proportion of artillery. The sta tion which this fall army occupied after the capture of Sattimungalum, was to the fouth of the Bowanny river, oppofite that fortrefs. On the 12th of September, Tippoo Sultan defcended the Gujelhetty Pafs, and on the following day commenced a fmart cannonade on col. Floyd's detachment. During the night there. fore the colonel thought it necessary

to

to retreat towards Coimbettore, but during the whole of the fucceeding day, the 14th, found himself clofely preffed by the enemy. The fevereft part of the conflict was in the evening near Showoor, when the Myforean force was repulfed with equal valour and judgment on the part of the British.

As intelligence was very early conveyed to general Meadows of Tippoo's mations, that commander loft no time in marching to the relief of col. Floyd. On the 14th at night the general reached Vellady, while col. Floyd was at Showoor about 20 miles to the caftward. By fome unaccountable mistake, however, the army continued to march to the northward, and did n t join col. Floyd till the 16th. The lofs on this occafion amounted to 150 killed and near 300 wounded, and 6 guns were left behind, on account of the lofs of the draft cattle.

After halting the whole of the 17th, in order to refrefa col. Floyd's detachment, gen. Meadows marched to the eastward to offer Tippoo battle; but in the mean time the Sultan had retreated to Sattimungalum, and the British general, from want of provifions, was under a neceffity of returning to Coimbet

tore.

of October before any authentic intelligence could be gained. It then appeared that his object had been to attack Daraporum, which furrendered to his arms, and the British garrifon arrived in camp on the 17th, under an efcort of Tip. poo's troops, agreeably to the terms of capitulation. The garrifon spoke in high terms of the honourable treatment which they had experienced from this prince, who has been ufually characterized as a cruel and implacable tyrant.

It was the clofe of the month before general Meadows was able to march again in queft of the enemy. The wary Indian, however, wh never fights but at an advantage, was too cautious to be engaged by the manoeuvres of the general. When the army arrived at any poft in the evening, the ufual report was, that Tippoo had quitted it early in the morning; and a general ignorance of his motions and defigns, feems indeed, for fome time, to have pervaded the camp; and it was the 12th

Tippoo departed from Daraporum on the 20th, and probably defirous of placing the Bowanny river, which at this feafon is rough and fwelling, between his army and the British, proceeded to Sattimungalum. He might alfo have a further view in taking this pofition, viz. to prevent the junction of general Meadows with the center army.

The British general left Coimbettore on the fame day that Tippoo quitted Daraporam, but nothing worth recording occurred till the 7th of November, when colonel Floyd, who had been fent to reconnoitre, brought the intelligence that Tippoo had crofled the Cavery to the north-eaft, in the beginning" of the month, and was apparently proceeding to ftop the progrefs of the center army, now commanded by colonel Maxwell, the former commander, colonel Kelly, being dead.

It would be ufelefs to detail minately the progrefs of this center army: let it fulfice to say, that after a fatiguing and dangerous march, and after taking poffeffion of feveral forts in the Barramaul, colonel Maxwell, on the 3d of November, took a ftrong pofition at Caveripatam, where probably his intelligence led him to wait the approach of

F3

Tippoo,

Tippoo, rather than rifk his army in a lefs favourable position by darзng to advance.

The conjectures which had been formed with refpect to the defigns of the enemy, were, as it afterwards appeared, well founded. On the 12th, 13th, and 14th, Tippoo prefented himself before colonel Maxwell in line of battle; but finding the British commander too well prepared and too ftrongly pofted, and confcious that his rear would certainly be preffed by the near approach of general Meadows, he retired in time to fecure himself a favourable position for a timely

retreat.

The hiftory of the grand army during this time, is no more than a journal of its marches in purfuit of the enemy. On the 17th of No. vember the two armies (the grand and the center army) effected a junction at Poolamputty; and on the following evening,as they were purfuing their route to the fouthward, they came unexpectedly in fight of the rear of the Myforean army, the advance of which was probably at that moment entering the pafs of Tapoor. The rear confifted of the prime of Tippoo's cavalry, drawn up in compact bodies to favour the retreat of the main body. They were cannonaded and purfued to the foot of the pafs, and apparently fuffered fome lofs.

From this period, the united armies under general Meadows directed their courfe backwards by the straighteft road to Trichinopoly, in order to refresh themfelves and obtain a supply; but the weather proved fo unfavourable that they did not arrive in its neighbourhood till the 8th of December. Here they learned that Tippoo had arrived at Munfurput, on the banks of the

Colaroone, oppofite Trichinopoly, on the 28th of November, where he continued encamped till December 6th, but without making any attack upon Trichinopoly -deterred, most probably, by the fwoln ftate of the river.

While fuch were the movements of general Meadows, a detachment from the Bombay army, under lieutenant colonel Hartley, rendered effectual affiftance to the Rajah of Travancore, and on the 5th of Dec. general Abercrombie, with the remainder of the forces from Bombay, arrived at Teilicherry, while col. Hartley was ordered to Paniani to keep the communication open between the two armies.

The reduction of Cannanore was general Abercrombie's first object, upon which he marched the 14th of December; and on the 17th the town and garrifon furrendered, and the troops engaged not to ferve against the British during the war. Col. Hartley nearly about the fame time obtained poffeffion of Ferokabad, the capital of the Malabar coaft, and the enemy retreated to the Ghauts. Thefe fucceffes were followed, on the 27th, by the furrender of the pofts of Barragurry and Cootahpoore, fo that the whole district along the coaft from Billipatam river to cape Comorin was now in the poffeffion of the British and

their allies.

The army under general Meadows left Trichinopoly on the 5th of January, 1791, and proceeded to the right towards Madras, where earl Cornwallis had arrived on the 13th of December. On the 12th of January the right wing of the grand army reached Vellout, about eighteen miles from Madras, and on the 29th of the fame month earl Cornwallis joined the grand army there,