arise, than from any expectation that Scindia can afford to the British government any satisfactory security for his pacific disposition, while he shall remain with an army to the southward of the Nurbuddah. The expediency of Scindia's return to the northward may be enforced by an exposition of the danger to which Scindia's dominion and possessions will be exposed, by his perseverance in a system of policy which must be considered to be hostile to the British government, and its allies. 25. The nature of the existing connection between the Honour. ableCompany and his Highness the Nizam is so well known to Scindia, that he must be aware of the consequences of any aggression against that ally of the British government; but it may be proper to remind Scindia on this occasion, that any attack on the territories of his lighness will be considered to be an act of hostility against the British government, and will be resented with the whole force of the British power. 26. His Excellency the Gover. nor General confidently expects that the amicable representations which you are instructed to make to Scindia, will convince that chief of the justice and moderation of our views in concluding the late alliance with his Highness the Peishwa, and will induce him to refrain from the adoption of any measures directed to the subversion of that alliance, and injurious to the rights and interests of the British government and its allies. 27. Scindia must be sensible of the peculiar disadvantages under which he would enter upon a con. test with the British arms, although supported by the combined power of the Rajah of Berar and of Jeswunt Rao Holkar; and must be aware that his temerity, in provoking the resentment of the British government, must expose to imminent hazard the existence of his own power. 28. You have already been furnished with a copy of his Excellency the Governor General's detailed instructions to the Resident at Poona, and you will have been apprized by those instructions of the precautionary measures which have been adopted, with a view to eventual hostilities with Scindia, Holkar, or the Rajah of Berar. 29. In the present situation of affairs, it is of the utmost importance that your communications with the Honourable Major-General Wellesley, and with the Resident at Poona, should be conducted by the most expeditions channel of conveyance, and you will accordingly make every effort in your power to accelerate the Dawk from Scindia's camp to Poona, and to the camp of General Wellesley. 30. Copies of these instructions will be transmitted to the Honour. able Major-General Wellesley, and to the Residents at Poona and Hydrabad. You will be careful to apprize his Excellency the Commander in Chief at Cawnpore, from time to time, of the temper and disposition of Scindia, and of the effect of the remonstrances which you have been directed to address to that chief. 31. You will receive by this dispatch, from the Persian depart ment, a letter which his Excellency the Governor General has thought proper to address to Dowlut Rao Scindia on the present occasion. You will deliver that letter to Dowlut Rao Scindia at at such time as you may judge lic declarations, and in possession most advisable. Letter from the Secretary to Government, to Dowlut Rao Scindia; June 3d, 1803. I HAVE received the satisfactory intelligence of his Highness the Peishwa's actual restoration to the Musnud of Poona, under the protection of the British power, and in conformity to the treaty of defensive alliance concluded at Bassein between his Highness and the British government. You have long since been apprized of the general nature of the engagements concluded with his Highness the Peishwa, and I received with great satisfaction, from Colonel Collins, the information of your entire concurrence in the expediency and wisdom of the measures undertaken by the British government for his Highness's restoration, accompanied by a declared intention on your part to abstain from any measures calculated to obstruct the completion of the arrangements established under the treaty of Bassein. This resolution manifested your wisdom as well as your good faith: and your declaration to Colonel Collins was conformable to the principles of pruden ce and policy which dictated your direct application contained in your letter (received 13th December 1802), for the co-operation of the British power for the purpose of restor. ing his Highness the Poishwa to the Musnud. Withthis experience of your pub. of your authentic letters under your signature and seal, I am disposed to discredit the reports which have reached me of the formation of a confederacy between you, the Rajah of Berar, and Jeswunt Rao Holkar, directed to the subversion of the arrangements concluded at Bassein; nor can I credit the rumour of your supposed intention to meet the Rajah of Berar on the frontier of his Highness the Nizam's dominions, in order to concert with that chieftain the measures to be adopted for the purpose of defeating the treaty lately concluded between the British government and his Highness the Peishwa. The credit of these reports is, however, in some degree sustained by the information which I have received, of your having actually marched in the direction of the Nizam's frontier, and of the Rajah of Berar having entered his tents with a design of meeting you. Compelled reluctantly to direct my attention to reports, of which I still hope that you will enable me to detect the falsehood, the obligations of friendship, as well as the laws of prudence and precaution, require that I should declare to you, without reserve, my sentiments and resolutions in the event of your actually entertaining the design of interfering between the British government and any of its allies, especially the Nizam or the Peishwa, or of violating the rights or possessions of the Com. pany, or of any state connected with it by alliance or friendship. The interposition of the British power for the restoration of his Highness the Peishwa to the Mus. nud, and the arrangements concluded between his Highness and the British government, in no de gree gree disturb your just rights and authority, or the general interests and prosperity of the Mahratta empire. Before this dispatch can reach you, you will have been apprized of the full extent of the engagements concluded between his Highness the Peishwa and the British government, by the treaty of Bassein. An examination of the articles of the treaty will demonstrate the justice, moderation, and honourable policy of those engagements; and a review of the late transactions in the Mahratta empire will be sufficent to convince you, that the interposition of the aid of the British government for the restoration of his Highness the Peishwa to the Musnud of Poona, far from having a tendency to subvert the order of the Mahratta state, afforded the only means of averting confusion, and of providing for the future security and tranquillity of every branch of the Mahratta power. The success of Jeswunt Rao Holkar had completely established the ascendancy of his power in the Mahratta state; and his views have been demonstrated by his attempt to destroy the Peishwa's government, and to assume the entire authority of the Mahratta empire. You must acknowledge the danger to which your inte. rests, and those of the other Mahratta chieftains were exposed by the extraordinary success of Jeswunt Rao Holkar. In the moment of his victory your prudence and wisdom foresaw the approaching ruin of your own power; and in the persuasion that the progress of his success must destroy your dominions, you solicited and obtained the powerful and seasonable aid of the British government. The Mahratta em pire, and your power, have been preserved by the timely interposition of the British government at a moment when the distance of yourarmy from the scene of action precluded the possibility of any effectual aid from you. The arrangements, connected with the interposition of the British government, have effected the restoration and provided for the future stability of the Peishwa's just authority, and have afforded additional security for the legiti mate and separate rights of the feudatory chieftains of the em pire. Under the treaty of Basscin those chieftains are effectually protected against any molestation, either on the part of his Highness the Peishwa or the British government, unless any chief should place himself in the condition of a public enemy to the state; at the same time an option is afforded to all the principal chieftains of participating in the defensive alliance. The constitution of the Mahratta state, and the authority of various precedents, have esta blished the independant right of his Highness the Peishwa to contract with foreign powers all such engagements as shall not affect the separate rights and interests of his feudatory chieftains. That right is inherent in the supreme executive authority of the Mahratta state. The objects of the treaty of Bassein are to secure the British dominions, and those of our ally the Nizam, from the dangers of contiguous anarchy and confusion; to fulfil the duties of friendship towards our ally the Peishwa; and to provide at the same time for the the safety of the several branches of the Mahratta empire, without disturbing the constitutional form of the state, and without affecting the legitimate independence of its feudatory chieftains. This course of policy is calculated to strengthen the bonds of amity and alliance with your government, as well as with every other branch of the Mahratta power. Under these circumstances, therefore, I deem it necessary to signify to you my determined resolution to accomplish the provisions of the treaty now concluded with his Highness the Peishwa; any attempt on the part of any state or power to obstruct the operation of that treaty, any combination among the Mahratta chieftains directed to that purpose, must be deemed an act of hostile aggression against the Peishwa and the British government. I have been informed by Colonel Collins, that it is your intention to proceed with your army to Poona. The original object of your march towards that capital having been completely accomplished by the exertions of the British power, the prosecution of your march to Poona is obviously unnecessary for any purpose connected either with your own security, or with the interests of his Highness the Peishwa. I shall therefore be justified in considering that measure to be an unequivocal indication of your resolution to attempt the subversion of the late arrangement concluded between his Highness and the British government, and in that event the British go. vernment will be compelled to adopt measures calculated to counteract such unwarrantable designs. tinuance to the southward of the Nurbuddah at the head of a powerful body of your forces, is equally unnecessary, and is calculated to excite apprehensions with regard to the nature of your designs. I confidently expect, therefore, to receive early intelligence of your having commenced your return to the northward of that ri ver. The British government is disposed to arbitrate, on principles of equity and justice, any demands which you may have on his Highness the Peishwa. The settlement of such demands, therefore, cannot be considered to be a justifiable plea for your proceeding to Poona. The British government is also willing to arbitrate any differences which may subsist between you and Jeswunt Rao Holkar, with whom it is my wish to maintain peace, provided he shall manifest a disposition to relinquish every inordinate pretension, and to accept reasonable terms of accommodation with the Peishwa and with the other powers, whose dominions he has invaded, and whose rights he has violated. If the reports of your intention to enter into a confederacy with the Rajah of Berar should be well founded, the British government has a right to expect that you will explain the motives and objects of such a confederacy, with the same degree of candour which I have manifested in communicating to you the views and intentions of the British government,in concluding the late arrangements with his Highness the Peishwa. 1 deem it necessary to apprize you, that I have addressed to the Rajah of Berar representations similar to those contained in this letter. I have For the same reason, your con- expressed to that chieftain my so licitude licitude to maintain with him, unimpaired, the relations of peace and amity; and I have at the same time communicated to him my resolution to resist any attempt on his part, either singly or combined with any other state, to obstruct the full accomplishment of the treaty of Bassein. I further deem it to be necessary to remind you, that, in conformity to the defensive engagements subsisting between the British government and his Highness the Nizam, any attack upon his Highness's territories must be considered to be an act of aggression against the British government. It is my earnest desire to main. tain with you the relations of amity and peace; but at the same time it is my determined resolution to resist any attempt on your part to violate the rights, or to injure the interests of the British government or its allies. If a just regard to the real interests and prosperity of your government should dispose you to conclude defensive engagements with the Honourable Company, similar to those which have been contracted with his Highness the Peishwa, I shall be ready to enter into a negotiation with you for that purpose. The ties of friend ship, however, will not be relaxed by your resolution to remain unconnected with the powers allied by the treaties of Hydrabad and Bassein. Whatever may be your determination with regard to this proposal, I shall continue to maintain, with cordial solicitude, the relations of amity and peace which have so long subsisted between the British government and you, unless you should compel me to pursue a contrary course. Letter from the Secretary to Go vernor, to Rajah Ragogee Bhomslah; dated 13th May 1803. THE intimatefriendship and alliance which have long subsisted between the British government and the state of Berar, induce me to communicate to you without reserve, the engagements recently concluded between the Ho. nourable Company and his High. ness the Peishwa; to explain to you the principles on which those engagements are founded; and to demonstrate to you that the treaty of Bassein is formed with a sincere regard for the integrity of the Mahratta empire, and for the security of the separate rights and privileges of the constituent branches of that respective power. When his Highness the Peishwa was compelled by the violence and usurpation of Jeswunt Rao Holkar to abandon the seat of government at Poona, and to retire into the Koncan, his Highness earnestly solicited the aid of the |