To his Excellency the Most Noble Richard Marquis Wellesley, K. P. Governor General, &c. &c. &c.

My Lord,

IN an official address to Mr. Secretary Edmonstone, under date the 25th instant, I acknowledged the receipt of your ExcelJency's notes of instructions, transmitted to me in his letter of the 5th of this month; at the same time I informed him, that I expected to have an interview with Dowlut Rao Scindia on the 27th instant; in which expectation I was, however, disappointed, the Maharaja having postponed granting me an audience until the fol lowing day.

2. Yesterday afternoon I waited on Dowlut Rao Scindia, accompanied by my assistant Captain Paris Bradshaw, Mirza Bauker Khan, and Gunput Rao; Unna Bhasker, Ambajee Inglia, Eithul Purth, Bappoo Chitnavees, Moonshee Kavel Nyn, and Suddasheo Rao, were present on the part of the Maharaja. After

an interchange of compliments, I informed Scindia, that as he had expressed a desire to be made acquainted with the articles of the treaty concluded at Bassein between his Highness the Peishwa and the British Government, your Excellency, actuated by mo. tives of friendship, as well as by a wish to remove all doubts which might be entertained at this court respecting the tendency of the late engagements contracted with Baajy; Rao, had directed me to communicate to the Maharaja, without delay, the whole of that treaty; that accordingly I had brought with me copies, in Persian and English, of the treaty, in order that it might be fully ex the plained to him. I then gave copies into the hands of Moon, shee Kavel Nyn, with a request that he would peruse the Persian one, and make a faithful report of its contents to his prince.

3. Moonshee Kavel Nyn having attentively read the whole of the treaty, proceeded to interpret it, article by article, to

Dowlut

Dowlut Rao Scindia; but when the Moonshee came to the 12th article, which expressly provides additional security for the inde. pendence of the feudatory Mahratta chiefs, he by no means gave that force to the words thereof which he ought to have done; I was therefore under the necessity of assisting him, and I embraced this opportunity of giving the clearest explanation of that important stipulation; and I had the pleasure to perceive that Scindia was at length fully satisfied of the moderation, as well as friendlyfintent, of the 12th article.

4. When the whole of the treaty had been distinctly explained to the Maharaja, I then asked him, whether he thought it contained any thing injurious to his just rights, since I had reason to think some doubts had arisen in his mind on this head?-Unna Bhasker, who thought proper to reply to my question, acknowledged that the treaty did not contain any stipulation prejudicial to the rights of the Maharaja, to which the latter assented. I then said, it afforded me real pleasure to observe that your Lordship's liberal communication of the engagements contracted at Bassein had been productive of the desired effect; for that, connected as our respective states were in friendship, no explana. tion whatever ought to be withheld by either which could tend to remove any doubts or suspicions that might occasionally

occur.

5. After making the foregoing observation, I proceeded to state, that negotiations had of late been carried on between Dowlut Rao Scindia and the Berar Rajah; that these chiefs were, I under

stood, to have an interview shortly, somewhere in the vicinity of this place; that the Maharaja had concluded a peace with Jes. wunt Rao Holkar, in whose camp a Vakeel now resided on the part also of Ragojee Bhomslah ; that he (Scindia) had likewise avowed an intention of proceeding with his army to Poona, accompanied by the Berar Rajah; and that on combining these circumstances, I could not but suspect that this court meditated designs adverse to the interests of the British government; for since his Highness the Peishwa was restored to the Musnud of Poona, the presence of the Maharaja at that capital could not now be of any use, but, on the contrary, might be productive of evil consequences; nor could the longer continuance of the Maharaja in the Deccan be necessary to his security, since he had come to an accommodation with the only enemy from whom he had any thing to apprehend south of the Nurbuddah. That therefore I felt it my duty to require an unreserved explanation from this court, as well respecting the intent of the proposed interview between the Maharaja and the Rajah of Berar, as regarding the nature of the engagements entered into by those chiefs with Jeswunt Rao Holkar, as their recent union, and present proceedings, induced some suspicion that they were confederated, either for the purpose of invading the territories of our allies his Highness the Peishwa and Nabob Nizam, or of subverting the arrangements lately concluded between the British government and Baajy Rao; and, in order to induce the Maharaja to favour me with a candid de+ N 2 claration

est assurances of your Lordship's sincere disposition to maintain and even to improve the existing friendly connection between the two Sircars; and I moreover positively asserted, that the British government would make no attempt whatever upon the independence of this state, unless he (Scindia) should provoke hostility by acts of aggression.

6. As Dowlut Rao Scindia did not instantly speak, Unna Bhasker took upon himself to say in reply, that his master had no intention whatever to invade either the territory of his Highness the Peishwa, or of the Nabob Nizam; adding, that when Holkar was levying contributions on the city of Aurungabad, the Maharaja had desired that chief to desist from further exactions, and to retire from the Nizam's frontier. I said, that I was highly gratified by these assurances, and observed, that it only now remained for the Maharaja to declare, that the negotiations between the Durbar, the Berar Rajah, and Holkar, were not entered into with any view to obstruct the completion of the treaty of Bassein.

7. Unna Bhasker then plainly told me, that Scindia could afford me no satisfaction on this point until he had conferred with the Berar Rajah. I instantly replied, that the proposed interview between those chiefs was of itself a sufficient cause to excite the suspicions of our government, inasmuch as the present tranquil state of affairs in the Deccan did not require the adoption of a measure seldom resorted to but for hostile purposes; and at the same time

your Excellency's notes of in. struction, which I had taken with me to the Durbar, in order to assist my memory.

8. I most particularly insisted on the full right of the Peishwa to avail himself of the aid of the British power for his restoration, and to contract his present engagements with the English, independently of the consent of the feudal chiefs of the Mahratta empire: I also declared, and in the plainest terms, that your Excellency was resolved not to admit of any opposition whatever to the exccution of a treaty founded on principles of justice and modera. tion. In short, I did not fail to introduce every argument with which I had been furnished by your Lordship; and I moreover exerted every mode of persuasion that I was master of, to induce the court to give me the required explanation, before any meeting should take place between Rago. jee Bhomslah and Dowlut Rao Scindia. But it is with infinite concern I inform your Excellency, that my utmost endeavours on this occasion proved altogether unsuccessful: Unna Bhasker and Moonshee Kavel Nyn, both persisting that the Maharaja could not possibly give me the satisfaction I required previously to his conference with the Nagpore chieftain.

9. Perceiving that the ministers would not relax from this declaration, I again addressed myself to Dowlut Rao Scindia, observing, that although what I should now say to him was unpleasant to my feelings, yet the interests of both Sircars required that I should, without delay or

reserve,

reserve, apprize him of the line of conduct your Excellency would assuredly pursue should this court persevere in withholding from me the information which I had with so much reason demand. ed; I also remarked, that it was the more incumbent on me to be explicit in the present instance, lest the Maharaja might unadvisedly be involved in a serious and unequal contest with the English. 10. I then stated, that if this court persisted in refusing to give me the explanation which I now demanded, and at the same time conducted its military operations in opposition to the representations which had made, that your Excellency would be compelled to adopt measures of precaution on every boundary of the Maharaja's dominions; and moreover, that certain intelligence of the accession of the Maharaja to any confederacy against the British power would produce immediate hostility on all parts of his frontier. I added, that were the united forces of the Maharaja and of the Berar Rajah to march to Poona at this juncture, that your Lordship could not but regard such a procedure as indicative of hostile designs against the British government; and that an attack on the territories of his Highness the Nizam would be considered by your Excellency as an act of aggression on the part of this

court.

11. When I had done speaking, Unaa Bhasker positively athrmed that his Highness the Peishwa, since his return to his capital, had repeatedly written to the Maharaja and to the Berar Rajah, desiring both those chiefs to repair to Poona. I expressed

much surprise at this information," having, as I told Unna Bhasker, understood from Colonel Close, that his Highness Baajy Rao had requested Dowlut Rao Scindia not to advance to that city. Here the Maharaja solemnly assured me, that he and the Bhomslah had actually received the invitations mentioned by Unna Bhasker; and this prince further asserted that the Peishwa had never written to him prohibiting his approach to Poona. To this assertion, I only said, that no doubt a letter to that effect from his Highness would soon arrive here. Then, reverting to the required explanation, I conjured Scindia, in language both urgent and conciliatory, to remove all my doubts and suspicions by an immediate and candid avowal of his intentions.

12. Dowlut Rao, in reply to those instances on my part, said, that he could not at present afford me the satisfaction I demanded without a violation of the faith which he had pledged to the Rajah of Berar. He (Scindia) then observed, that the Bhomslah was distant no more than forty coss from hence, and would probably arrive here in the course of a few days. That immediately after his interview with the Rajah, I should be informed "whether it would be peace or These words he delivered with much seeming composure. I then asked, whether I must consider this declaration as final on his part; which question was answered in the affirmative by the ministers of Dowlut Rao Scindia. Here the conference, which had lasted three hours, ended, and I soon after took a respectful leave of the Maharaja. Neither Scindia

war."

nor