cipal inhabitants of the settlement, afforded me the most zealous and cordial assistance in the discharge of my duty, and the most satisfactory testimonies of their attachment to your interests and government. I am concerned to inform your honourable Committee, that I have now every reason to believe, that the proposition of the Nabob Vizier to abdicate the sovereignty of his dominions was illusory from the commencement, and designed to defeat by artificial delays, the proposed reform of His Excellency's military establishments. I have the satisfaction however, to be enabled to acquaint your honourable Committee, that I entertain no doubt of ultimately accomplishing my original object of reforming his Excellency's army, and of substituting a British force in its place. A very considerable increase of our permanent force in Oude will be immediately made; and a further augmentation of it will take place as soon as possible. The disbanding the greater part of his Excellency's undisciplined and useless force must necessarily follow. Of the measures now in progress in Oude, I shall at present say no more, than that they are calculated to secure the external defence and internal tranquillity of his Excellency's territories; to reduce your military expences by transferring the charge of a very large body of your troops to the funds of the Nabob Vizier, and to diminish his Excellency's military expences, while the effective strength of his kingdom will be considerably augmented. It will no doubt, become necessary to raise some additional corps, in the place of those which are to be furnished for the service of Oude; but this augmentation will be kept within as narrow bounds as possible, and will at all events, bear no proportion to the relief resulting to your finances, from the intended increase of the troops to be paid by the Vizier. I have the honour to be, &c. No. LIX. The Earl of Mornington, to the Honourable Court of Directors. HONOURABLE SIRS, Fort William, January 27th, 1800. On the 13th instant, I had the honour to receive under the signature of the Secretary to your honourable Court, an official copy transmitted by your directions of your resolutions of the 24th of September, 1799,* adopted in consequence of the glorious and decisive success of the British arms against the deceased Tippoo Sultaun. I request your honourable Court to receive the cordial assurance of my most grateful acknowledgements, for the distinguished honour of your favourable acceptance of my endeavours to discharge the duty of my station in your service. I entertain a confident hope that the settlement which I have been enabled to effect by the treaty of Mysore, and by the subsidiary treaty of Seringapatam, will correspond with your Honourable Court's expectations of lasting peace in India, and of increasing prosperity to the Honourable Company's affairs. The glory of your triumph does not surpass the value of your acquisitions, nor the solid and permanent advantages resulting from the terms of the pacification; I have the satisfaction to assure you, that the beneficial effects of the late war, and of the treaties in which it terminated, are now sensibly felt in every branch of your extensive and complicated interests; and that, in every part of India, while the moderation, equity and humanity of the Honourable Company are the theme of general praise, the British power is the object of universal confidence and respectful awe. No part of the resolutions of your Honourable Court was more satisfactory to me, than that which expresses your just sense of the services of the Governments of Fort St. George and of Bombay, and of the commanders, officers and troops employed in Mysore, during the late successful contest. On this occasion, it is a pleasing duty to repeat to your Honourable Court the sentiments of gratitude, which I have expressed in several of my despatches, and in various recorded proceedings, towards His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief * See Vol. I. page 635. of his Majesty's and the Honourable Company's forces in India. To his Excellency's cordial and active co-operation, I attribute the speedy equipment of the native volunteers from this establishment, the spirit and alacrity with which they embarked for the coast of Coromandel, and their early arrival at Madras, by which a most effective and seasonable addition was made to the army opposed to Tippoo Sultaun. To the same zealous and able support must be ascribed the considerable augmentation made to the artillery of the army in the Carnatic, by detachments from Ceylon and Bengal. During my absence from Bengal, I committed the arduous charge of this government to his Excellency's hands, under a strong apprehension that the difficulties of the impending contest with Tippoo Sultaun, would be aggravated by the approach of Zemaun Shah to the frontier of Oude. The concert and correspondence subsisting between Tippoo Sultaun and Zemaun Shah, are now matter of public notoriety; and, if a fortunate coincidence of events had not recalled Zemaun Shah from Lahore, to the defence of his own dominions, it is my decided opinion, that the personal services of Sir Alured Clarke must have been required in the field for the protection of Bengal, while your army in Mysore was engaged with the forces of Tippoo Sultaun. During this period, under the direction of his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief in India, the British Forces on the frontier of Oude were maintained in a state so respectable, as to afford every prospect of effectual security in any contingency which could have arisen; and the judicious distribution of our army in Oude and Benares, at that crisis, unquestionably preserved the Vizier's dominions from internal commotion, under the combined dangers of the revolt of Vizier Ali, and of the approach of Zemaun Shah. In his capacity of vice-president in council at Fort William, his Excellency, by a most zealous effort, and under circumstances of extraordinary difficulty and embarrassment, furnished me with such timely aid as enabled me to order Lieutenant-General Harris into Mysore, with treasure sufficient for the army during the campaign. The detail of these circumstances in their full extent, could not have been brought under the particular notice of your Honourable Court, previously to the 24th of September, 1799. In the station in which you have placed me, it is a duty of public justice and gratitude, to bear this sincere and respectful testimony to the meritorious conduct of Sir Alured Clarke; whose approved military talents, experience and honourable spirit, would have acquired additional lustre in Mysore, if the exigency of the public service, and my earnest entreaty had not demanded his presence in Bengal. I have the honour to be, with the greatest respect, Your most obedient and faithful Servant, No. LX. The Earl of Mornington to the Right Hon. Henry Dundas. MY DEAR SIR, Fort William, January 29th, 1800. Your kind letter of the 27th of September, 1799, reached me on the 13th instant, together with those of the 6th and of September, and the duplicate of the 23rd of July. I need not say how happy I feel in the honourable reception given to my packet, by the Sarah Christiana; it was peculiarly satisfactory to me to perceive that the motion of thanks to me was postponed, until the whole circumstances, causes and conduct of the war with the Sultaun could be fully before Parliament. I am very anxious however, that you should cause distinguished notice to be taken of the services of Sir Alured Clarke. They are particularly enumerated in my separate letter by this despatch to the Court of Directors. I sent a copy of my letter to Sir Alured after I had made it up for despatch, and I enclose a copy of his answer to me, which reflects the greatest honour on his character. You will really oblige me by obtaining a peerage for him, and I wish you to state the application to the king, as a personal request from me. My despatches in various departments for these last eight months, have nearly anticipated the answers to all your letters; and I trust in God that before this time, my brother Henry's arrival in England has satisfied your expectations respecting the settlement of Mysore. To have retained the whole territory for ourselves, would have raised such a flame both at Hyderabad and Poonah, as could hardly have been extinguished without another war. Henry will have informed you of the difficulties which delayed even the settlement as ultimately effected at Hyderabad. The Nizam's pride would not have been satisfied without a considerable cession of territory; and territory is more acceptable to his Highness's ministers, as affording a larger field both for patronage and peculation; money or jewels accompanying territory would also have been acceptable no doubt; but, distinct from territory, would not have contented the Nizam, and as they would have passed directly into his private coffers, would have been inaccessible to his ministers. The present settlement is more gracious, and as effectual in point of real power, as that which seems to have formed the extreme point of your wishes. The affairs of Oude continue in the same uncertain state; but advantage will certainly flow from what has passed. The private tonnage this season has given me much trouble, it is difficult to decide such a question permanently on principles supposed contradictory to the orders of the Court of Directors. I shall endeavour to proceed, at least so far as to prevent the trade from taking a bent towards foreign European markets in this year; and you ought, in justice to my situation to decide the question at home. I remain, my dear Sir, Yours most faithfully and affectionately, No. LXI. The Earl of Mornington to the Right Hon. Henry Dundas. MY DEAR SIR, January 30th, 1800. I think it necessary to request your immediate and particular attention to the novel circumstance which has recently occurred of a Danish frigate entering the river Hooghley. She is said to be designed to protect the homeward-bound |