all fafety in diftance from the fcene of danger, and to truft to time for the recovery of that fortune, which was already loft. He accordingly fled from Ramnagur in the middle of the fame night, taking with him his effects, fuch troops as were there, and fuch of his family as were prefent; the palace being left in the cuftody of its own finall ftationary garrison. With thefe the Rajah fled for felter and refuge, to Lutteefpore, one of his ftrongest fortreffes.

Neither the late bloody cataftrophe, nor the imminent danger to which he was perfonally expofed, feem to have produced the fmal ft effect upon the firmness or refolution of the governor general. He proceeded immediately to adminifter the affairs, and to difpofe of the government of the country, as if nothing untoward had happened, and that neither refiftance or danger were yet to be apprehende. On the very following day, he appointed Ouffaun Sing to the adminiftration of the revenues and government of the country, until (as he fays in his narrative) it thould be determined to whom the zeminary might legally belong, and, who might be in a capacity to receive it. This act was immediat ly published by proclamation through the city of Benares; and meffengers were dispatched with no lefs expedition, to convey circular notices of the event to all the landholders throughout the country.

At the fame time, to fupport meafures fo unexpected and afto. mithing to the people, and to pre

It will be here neceffary, for the better comprehenfion of feveral fucceeding circumftances, to take fome notice of the fituation of thofe cities, particularly of the two firft, which lay within the Rajah's government. They both lie up the Ganges, to the foothweft of Benares, in the direct way to Illahabad, and to other parts of the Nabob vizier's dominions. Mirzapore, is an open city; its diftance from Benares, by a direct line across the country, appears to be under forty miles; but by following the winding course of the river, that would probably be more than double. Chunar lies about mid-way between both; and is the capital of a confiderable territory of the fame name. This is a very important fortress, from its commanding one of the principal paffes on the Ganges; and has been accordingly garrifoned by the English ever fince the war with Sujah Ul Dowlah, in the year 1764; it being retaired as a curb upon that prince and his fucceffors, and not upon the country of Benares, of which it compofes a part. Dinapore lies in the oppofite direction to thefe

cities,

cities, being a great way down the river, in the Bahar country.

The precautions taken by the governor general were fully neceffary, for the ftorm be, an now to gather amain; and that in a degree with refpect to violence, and acceleration in point of time, which he fee.ned little to have apprehended. He had received intelligence, on which he relied, that Ramn-gur had been abandoned, as we have already ftated; bt knowing the difaffection of the people, the difficulty of the approaches through fuch a town, and confidering at the fame time, the fatal confequences of a repule in the present state of things, Le very prudently abstained from hazarding Major Popham's fall corps upon any intelligence, and wited for the arrival of the expected fuccours to make the attack. But on the fecon1 day after the Rajah's flight, when recollection had fome little time to operate, Ramjeewaun, a domeftic, and confidential chief of the family, arrived with a body of armed men, for the fecurity of Ram

nagur.

This unexpected circumftance, prefenting a face of action till then untrought of, neceffarily demanded new meafures, and new difpofitions with respect to the coming fuccours. Örders were accordingly difpatched to Chunar for two mortars, Major Popham having traced a fpot on the thore, directly oppofite to Ramnagur, from whence it was expected they would play with fuch advantage, that the clumly ftrength of the palace could not long withftand their effects, and that the town itself would be rendered too warm,

to afford any longer protection, either to Ramjeewaun's par y,' or to the refractory inhabitants. Orders were likewife fent to the troops on their way from Mirzapore, under Capt. Mayafire, and . to the battalion from Chunar that they thould proceed directly to Ramnagur; the ftrictett injunctio s being at the fame time leid on the officers who conducted thefe corps, that they should not hazard or at empt any thing, nor even commit oftility; but that halting at a fafe distance from the town, they thould keep their troops cl fe and catire, until Major Popham had taken his meafures and the command. Thefe inftru&tions were particularly enforced on Mayaffre, who being the fenior officer, was to command the wh le united body, until the arrival of Popham.

All thefe precautions were rendered fruitless, and the defign not only fruftrated, but the enterprize. marked with heavy lofs and difgrace, through the intemperate. ambition, vanity and rafhnefs of Mayaffre. That officer, intoxicated by command, hoping to eftablish a high military reputation, without regarding the propriety or rectitude of the means to be employed in its attainment, and defpiting an enemy of whom he had no knowledge, marched on directly, at the head of the united corps, notwithftanding the remonftrances of the other officers, and without re onnoitring the place, or looking for information, to the attack of Ramnagur.

The event was fuch as the na-. ture of the a& merited; and had the author alone paid the forfeit, [2]3

the

the catastrophe might have been confidered, as an act of retribution, juft. His own divifion confitted of four companies of fepoys, one of artillery, and a company of French rangers. Aug. 20th. Thefe, and the Chunar battalion, he foon involved in the narrow streets and winding lanes of the town, where they were fired upon in all directions, and flain in neaps by a fafe and unfeen enemy. Captain Doxat, who commanded the rangers and led the attack, was bimfelf, with 23 of his men, almoft inftantly killed, befides a number wounded. The Chunar battalion led by Captain Blair, which bravely attempted to fupport the attack, not much longer in action, when 57 men lay dead, and 41 were wounded. The whole lots of the feveral divifions before they could get clear of the town, amounted to 107 killed, and 72 wounded. Captain Mayaffre had the good fortune not to furvive the difgrace. The retreat was conducted by Captain Blair in a manner which gained him much applaufe; and prevented the eager purfuit of the continued to enemy which was within four miles of Chunar, from producing any great effect.

was

Nothing more unfortunate could well be fuppofed to happen, in fuch a state of affairs, than this lofs and difgrace. War, was in effect, from thence declared, and the whole country was inftantly in motion. A fuccefs, that carried fo brilliant and flattering an appearance at its opening, could not but give confidence to the Rajah's councils, and infpire all orders of the people with hope and refolution. The governor general found him

felf at once unexpectedly plunged again into a ftate of danger, fcarcely inferior to that which he had fo recently efcaped. He met it with a confidence in his fortune, which is in a great meafure peculiar to thofe, who have been accuftomed to encounter great difficulties, and to triumph over them. Orders were written, and difpatched in multiplied copies to the different military ftations, within reach, for the moft fpeedy affiftance; to the minifter at the Nabob vizier's court, for a fupply of treafure; and to Colonel Blair, for an inflant reinforcement from Chunar. But the whole country was already in arms against the Company; and the communications in every quarter interrupted; fo that of the numerous meffengers difpatched upon this arduous. occafion, very few reached their destination; for being amazed and confounded at a fcene of danger to which they had been hitherto ftrangers, they were either detected and made prifoners through their awkward fears and confufion, or not daring to make the attempt, fecreted the dispatches.

In the mean time, on the very day after the defeat of Mayaffre, fuch preparations were making at Ramuagur for an attack upon the governor genera: in his quarters, that his departure from Benares not only became a matter of ne. ceflity, but liable to no small difficulty and danger in the accomplishment. Eis quarters, Mahdoodafs's Gardens, were fituated in the heart of the fuburbs of Benares, confifting of many detached buildings within one large enclosure, and the whole furrounded in such a manner by

in

houfes

houfes and trees, as to intercept all outward profpe&t. His whole force, including the remains of that diviñon of Major Popham's detachment which were immediately with him, amounted only to about 450 men; and were infufficient to man the defences, fuch as they were, even for one attack. It was therefore abfolutely neceffary to get out of fo wretched and confined a fituation, into fome open and fair ground, where the troops might at least oppofe their enemy upon equal terms. Nor did this point even, if they met with any oppofition, teem easily to be gained, as well from the perplexed and difficult paffages, which led through the fuburbs into the country, as from their being incumbered with a vast quantity of baggage, and with a great train of defenceless people.

On the other hand, to thefe ftrong motives for abandoning Benares, were to be oppofed the difgrace of a flight, to a perfon of the rank, authority and character of the governor general, the confidence which it would give to the enemy, and the encouragement and ftrength to rebellion; but above all, the cruel neceffity which it would induce, of abandoning the poor wounded and faithful fepoys to the mercy of an enemy, from whom, in the ufual courfe of things, little was to be expected.

The former confideration yielded to the danger and neceflity of the cafe; and with refpect to the wounded fepoys, as they were lodged in a remote part of the town or fuburbs, at near a mile's distance, and incapable of remo.

val, the impoffibility of protecting them, if the troops had even been equal to their own defence, was evident.

As a great number of boats were collected, and every preparation at Ramnagur directed to an immediate attack on that very night, no time was to be loft, and the retreat was accordingly commenced foon after dufk. By this fudden departure, notwithstanding the crowd of people, and the intolerable baggage with which they were incumbered, the troops had the fortune to get clear of the fuburbs (where any attack upon them would have been attended with the greatest danger) without moleftation. As foon as they had formed in the open country, they purfued their courfe to Chunar, where they arrived in the morning; having brought back with them the battalion of fepoys which Colonel Blair had difpatched to their affiftance, and which they unexpectedly met by the way, having fcarcely a hope, that the exprettes fent for the purpose had reached that place.

Before the governor general's departure from Benares, he had fent a meffage to the Nabob Saadut Ally Cawn, (of whom we have no other knowledge, than that from his name and titles he must have been a Mahometan, and a perfon of confideration, and that it appears, he had been reprefented to Mr. Hattings, as having a great fhare in fomenting the prefent troubles) to request he would take the wounded fepoys into his care and protection; a requeft which he repeated by a letter from Chunar. But Saadut Ally did not wait to be atked a fecond time,

mo

most faithfully and religiously to discharge the trust repofed in him; he had immediately vifited the fepoys in perfon, furnished them with provifions and with money, employed native furgeons to attend them, and as they became individually, able to bear it, had them inftantly removed to his own quarters. This will appear the more meritorious and generous, when it is confidered, that the company's credit was then fo entirely funk, and its affairs deemed to be fo iretrievably ruined, that it was by an exertion little thot of force, that Colonel Blair was able to extort from the bankers of Chunar, who had lived and grown rich under the protection of the English garrifon, a fall lean not much exceeding three hundred pounds fterling, although the money was to fupply the immediate and indifpenfible neceflities of the troops, and that the prefence of the governor general in the town, might be fuppofed to give weight and fanction to fuch an application.

The conduct of Benaram Pundit, the Maratta minifter from the Rajah of Berar to the court of Benares, was no lefs diftinguishable upon this occafion; and whether it may be attributed to national attachment, to a fenfe of public faith and honour, or even to private regard, is not wholly undeferving of notice; and the more particularly as it may tend, along with many other incidents which we have heretofore related of their conduct, in fome degree to illuftrate the character of that extraordinary people.

This envoy, and his brother, having come to pay a cuftomary

evening vifit at Mahdoodafs's Gar dens, arrived there at the very inftant of the diorder and confufion which prevailed upon the fudden departure of the troops. They proceeded with them out of town, and were continuing the march with thery on the way to Chunar, when they were difcovered, without a fingle attendant, and on foot in the crowd, by the governor general, who was aftonifhed on difcovering their determination to proceed all the way in that condition. It is to be obferved, that from his time of life, ftate of health, and corpulence of body, Benaram Pundit seemed very unequal to the fatigue of fuch a march. Without regard, however, to the arguments and remonftrances ufed to diffuade him from the defign, particularly the danger to which he might thereby expofe the large family he left behind, he fill perfevered in his refolution; and accordingly procteded with his brother on the march to Chunar, where they continued, until the troubles were fo far fubfided as to enable the governor general to return to Benares. It thould be recorded, whether to the honour of the police of that city, or more properly to the civilized manners and excellent difpofition of the inhabitants, that the imallest injury or infult was not offered to the family of the Maratta' minifter during his long abfence, though upon an occañon, and in a feafon, fo capable of exciting popular indignation. The generofity of Benaram Pundit alterwards, in offering, without application, to the governor general, all the ready money he was in poffeffion of, amounting to a lack

of