THE MODERN TRAVELLER. VOLUME THE EIGHTH. INDIA. VOL. II. THE MODERN TRAVELLER. A DESCRIPTION, GEOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL, AND TOPOGRAPHICAL, OF THE VARIOUS COUNTRIES OF THE GLOBE. IN THIRTY VOLUMES. BY JOSIAH CONDER. VOLUME THE EIGHTH. LONDON: JAMES DUNCAN, 37, PATERNOSTER-RO W, MDCCCXXX. LONDON : Printed by W. CLOWES, S tarn ford-street . CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME. PAGE EARLY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ENGLAND AND INDIA 1 FORMATION OF THE FIRST INDIA COMPANY .... 10 FIRST SETTLEMENT OF THE BRITISH IN BENGAL 14 BOMBAY MADE A VICEROYALTY 17 GRANT OF PRIVILEGES TO THE COMPANY BY THE MOGUL EMPEROR 23 COMMENCEMENT OF THE COLONIAL WAR BE- TWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE 25 ORIGIN OF THE NABOBSHIP OF THE CARNATIC. 29 HISTORY OF CLIVE 40 HOSTILITIES BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND THE NABOB OF BENGAL 51 BATTLE OF PLASSY 57 SUCCESSES OF THE FRENCH IN THE DECCAN ... 59 THEIR EXPULSION FROM INDIA 75 ASSUMPTION OF THE GOVERNMENT BY CLIVE . 76 PRESIDENCY OF VANSITTART 81 DEFEAT OF THE VIZIER AT BUXAR 85 SECOND PRESIDENCY OF CLIVE 87 PRESIDENCY OF HASTINGS 93 HIS RECALL AND TRIAL 102 HISTORY OF HYDER ALI 107 ORIGIN OF THE PEISHWA DYNASTY 114 GUICOWAR STATE 115 FIRST MAHRATTA WAR 125 ARRIVAL OF A BRITISH AMBASSADOR AT MADRAS 131 ARREST OF LORD PIGOT 134 INVASION OF THE CARNATIC BY HYDER 135 HIS DEATH, AND ACCESSION OF TIPPOO 146 EXPEDITION OF GENERAL MATHEWS 149 PEACE MADE WITH TIPPOO 154 ARRIVAL OF LORD CORNWALLTS 153 ORIGIN OF THE SECOND MYSORE WAR 162 FIRST SIEGE OF SERINGAPATAM 169 FALL OF SAVENDROOG 175 SECOND SIEGE OF SERINGAPATAM 179 DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY ib. IV CONTENTS AOK SECOND PEACE WITH TIPPOO 18? ADMINISTRATION OF SIR JOHN SHORE 191 ADMINISTRATION OF LORD WELLESLEY 194 ORIGIN OF THE THIRD MYSORE WAR 19? THIRD SIEGE OF SERINGAPATAM 201 CHARACTER OF TIPPOO SULTAN 209 HYDER ALI 216 RESTORATION OF THE MYSORE RAJAH 218 NEW ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE NABOB OF OUDE 22? DEPOSITION OF THE NABOB OF THE CARNATIC, TANJORE RAJAH, &c 231 TREATY OF BASSEIN 233 WAR WITH SINDIA AND THE BERAR RAJAH 241 BATTLE OF ASSAYE 248 DELHI 257 LASWAREE 260 PEACE MADE WITH THE MAHRATTA STATES .... 264 WAR WITH HOLKAR 267 SIEGE OF BHURTPOOR 274 SECOND ADMINISTRATION OF LORD CORNWALLIS 283 ADMINISTRATION OF SIR GEORGE BARLOW 286 LORD MINTO 290 DEATH AND CHARACTER OF HOLKAR 291 EMBASSY FROM THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL TO THE COURT OF PERSIA 300 ADMINISTRATION OF LORD HASTINGS 303 ORIGIN OF THE NEPAUL WAR ib. SIEGE OF NALAPANEE 315 OPERATIONS OF GENERAL OCHTERLONY 325 SECOND INVASION OF NEPAUL 335 ORIGIN OF THE PINDARRIES 337 COMMENCEMENT OF THE MAHRATTA AND PIN- DARRY WAR 356 THE BRITISH RESIDENT AT POONAH ATTACKED 362 THE RESIDENT AT NAGPOOR ATTACKED 363 REDUCTION OF THE NAGPOOR TERRITORY 372 DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE PLATES. TRICHINOPOLY. 43 PALACE at BANGALORE 107 of ,. TOMB HYDER ALI t ?r ? ..... 220 THE MODERN TRAVELLER, fa fa INDIA. HISTORY OF BRITISH INDIA. " Two centuries have elapsed since a few British merchants humbly solicited permission of the Indian princes to traffic in their dominions. The British power, at present, embraces nearly the whole of that vast region which extends from Cape Comorin to the mountains of Tibet, and from the mouths of the Brah- mapootra to the Indus."* With this striking state- ment, the Historian of British India introduces his interesting theme. The conquest, by a company of merchants, of a territory extending over more than a million of square miles, and sustaining upwards of a hundred millions of inhabitants ; those sovereign mer- chants resident in a small island at the further extre- of is mity the ancient world ; a political phenomenon which would have appeared incredible if foretold, and which will astonish succeeding ages. But the most strik- ing feature of this conquest is, that it has been effected, at almost every stage, with trepidation and unfeigned at to reluctance ; or, least, in opposition the wishes and Mill's British India, v. i,, p, 1 . PART JIT. JJ 2 INDIA. policy of those with whose capital and in whose name it has been carried on. The Directors of the Com- pany's concerns in England, Sir John Malcolm remarks, *' denounced at every step, that progress which their territorial with a agents made to power in India ; and view of checking this spirit of aggrandisement, they, at last, called for the aid of the Legislature, which readily seconded their efforts, and gave the authority of law to their orders. But had those proprietors, or had the English ministry been more fully informed, or had they drawn their conclusions from plain, practical reasoning, combined with a correct view of human nature, as it existed in the country for which they legislated, rather than from abstract principles of general policy, they might, perhaps, have been more moderate and less dogmatical in their efforts to correct the system ; they might have discovered that, though they might regulate, it was a vain attempt to endea- vour to stop altogether, the career of a state which was rising rapidly into greatness under the influence of causes that were irresistible in their force, and which it was not possible to control. The truth is, that from the day on which the Company's troops marched one mile from their factories, the increase of their territories and their armies became a principle of self-preservation; and at the end of everyone of those numerous contests in which tbey were involved by the jealousy, avarice, or ambition of their neighbours, or by the rapacity and ambition of their own servants, they were forced to adopt measures for improving their strength, which soon appeared to be the only mode by which they could avert the recurrence of similar danger."* * Malcolm's Political History of India, vol. i. pp. 3, 4. INDIA. 3 A rapid review of the origin and progress of the British power in India, is all that will be attempted in the present historical outline. The domestic and par- liamentary history of the Company does not come within our province. The earliest communication between England and India, has been traced back to a remote period in our annals. William of Malmsbury relates, that Alfred the Great sent a mission to St. Thomas's on the coast of Coromandel, about A.D. 883 ; and in the Saxon Chronicle we are further told, that the English mo- narch, having heard that the Christian missionaries in India were in great distress, despatched Sighelmus, one of his favourite priests, to convey his alms to the monks of St. Thomas's. Having executed his com- mission, he returned to England after an absence of several years, bringing with him a considerable num- ber of precious stones, which he deposited in the of in church Sherborne, Dorsetshire ; of which see he was created bishop, as a reward for his services. In consequence of the splendid account given by Sighel- mus of the trade, opulence, and luxuries of the East, we are moreover assured, that Alfred caused several ships to be built and equipped, for the special object of embarking in the Indian trade ; and that, having lent these ships to a few adventurous merchants, whom he also assisted with money, they performed some success- ful voyages to the ports of Syria and Egypt, whence they returned richly laden with Indian commodities. It does not, however, appear, that the commercial intercourse thus begun by the enterprising genius of Alfred, was continued for any length of time, or even prosecuted with any regularity during the most pros- perous period of his reign. From the death of that great prince to the time of Henry VIII., England was 4 INDIA. supplied with the commodities of the East hy the Vene- tians and Florentines. " After the Norman conquest, an event which con- tributed to increase the external commerce of Eng- land, a ship of considerable burden was sent annually from Venice to the port of Southampton, laden with the various products of India. As the English barons advanced in wealth and civilization, they acquired a taste for luxuries, and the demand for eastern commo- dities was consequently augmented. In the reign of Edward the Third, the Venetian merchants employed five ships in the English trade ; and the principal part of the cargoes of these vessels consisted in sugar, spiceries, and aromatics, which were much used at the tables of men of rank. These valuable articles, toge- ther with silks and cotton stuffs, were paid for partly in specie, and partly in woollens, untanned leather, and tin ; but, as the prices of the eastern commodities were very exorbitant, the balance of trade was in favour of the Venetians. Yet, notwithstanding this circumstance, and the superiority of English shipping and seamen to those of any other country, neither the statesmen nor the merchants of England used any endeavours to embark in this lucrative branch of com- of the of a merce ; a sufficient proof, not only want trading capital, but of the total absence of that specu- lative spirit which is the living principle of all com- mercial pursuits. Hence the English were contented to receive through the Venetians, those commodities on which they placed so high a value, and in which they must have been sensible they would have de- rived more advantage from trading themselves. But when the discovery of the passage roucd the Cape of Good Hope tbrew the Indian trade into the hands of the Portuguese, and Lisbon thereby became the great INDIA. 5 emporium for the productions of the East, the mer- chants of London imported them from that city on their own account, and conveyed them to the Thames in their own ships.