tion to refer to those authorities, it will naturally follow that its object was to bring about a general confederacy in opposition to the defensive alliance which your Lordship is desirous to establish for the tranquillity of India. But whatever may be the aim of Munkaiser's mission, or to whatever quarters it may refer, the recent coincidence between the intelligence received here and at fy-* drabad, nearly at the same period of time, seems to furnish satisfactory grounds of belief that it has failed of success, and so decidedly as scarcely to allow of its being renewed. The Peishwa, I understand, on recalling Munkaiser, but changed his intention at the instant. Gopaul Rao has reason to consider him as an enemy. 4. With regard to the Peishwa's government, it seems, if possible, to become less respectable every day. The great families of the state, with whom he is at variance, prevail over him at every contest, and the deputations of Jeswunt Rao Jewagee have become so serious, as to occasion some uneasiness to the inhabitants of Poona, and induce Bajow Rao to take measures for collecting a force at a position on the Bheema, about twenty miles from hence, with the view of covering the capital. But the troops of the government are so ill paid, disobedient, and licentious, that few of them, probably, will be prevailed upon to assemble. 5. I am concerned to inform your Lordship, that owing to the warfare between Scindia and the Holkars our Dawk communication with Hindustan has been lately interrupted. The runners, who bore the Dawk packet of the 4th I have the honour to be, Most faithful and No. 13. To his Excellency the My Lord, I HAVE received from Major Kirkpatrick a copy of his address to your Lordship, under date the 15th instant; transcripts of its inclosures he had formerly dispatched to me, that I might have early information on the subjects to which they relate. 2. Aware of the wily practices of this Durbar, and wishing to deprive the Peishwa and his servants of the means of mistating the substance of my public communications, falsifying their own representations, or imputing expressions to me which I never used, I took the precaution, at my first meeting with Gopaul Rao, to point out to him the inconvenience that might result from a medium being used between us on public subjects, and then apprized him of my intention to avoid convers ing by means of a third person, and limit my communications on subjects subjects of any importance to occasion of personal meeting; with which, as I formerly noticed to your Lordship, he shewed himself perfectly satisfied. From this rule, which I originally judged indispensable, I have been careful not to deviate. Indeed, the necessity of it, and of every precaution which I could possibly adopt, to guard against evasion and falsehood from this Durbar, was pressed upon me by the result of my first conference with Gopaul Rao, when he had the effrontery to deny what he had stated from the Peishwa to Colonel Palmer, respecting an important article of the depending negotiations. The Parsee writer, alluded to by Suddasheo Munkaiser, visited the Durbar on new year's day, for the purpose of placing before the Peishwa the usual gifts from the Residency, and denies having touched on any subject besides those expressions of compliment which the occasion demanded. On these points I have communicated fully with Major Kirkpatrick by a private address. I have the honour to be, Your Lordship's, &c. Poona, (Signed) B. CLOSE, 25th Jan. 1802. Res. at Poona. in relation to the Guickwar state, aim at the accomplishment of very important objects, I have much pleasure in acquainting your Lordship that it continues highly probable that no part of his proceeding will meet with impediment from the government. That his Highness the Peishwa, on hearing of the cession of the Guickwar Choute at Surat, and the district of Chaurasse, was much dissatisfied, cannot be doubted. Various considerations, however, have impressed him with the expediency of restraining his inclinations, and his views will now be limited probably to obtaining as large a Nuzzer as possible, in return for his act of conformation in favour of the new government. I have the honour to be, I Do myself the honour to forward for your Lordship's notice a copy of a letter, which I addressed yesterday to Mr. Duncan, who, I believe, continues at Su rat, and of whose last communication to me I inclosed a transcript in my address to your Lordship, under date the 28th ultimo. 2. The anxiety lately shewn by the Peishwa to detain Futteh Sing may possibly refer not less to the consideration of obtaining an handsome Nuzzer from the Guickwar government on the oc casion of Anaba's succession, than to the apprehension which may be entertained by Baajow Rao, that when the Guickwar minister shall feel the support of the British government, he may avail himself of his improved situation to avoid adjusting some demands which the Poona Sircar seems to have upon Anaba, on account of an assignment of territory made by the Peishwa to the Guick war state, in consequence of which the latter bound itself to pay to Dowlut Rao Scindia, on account of the Poona government, a sum not less than ten lacks of rupees. I shall take an early occasion of conversing with the Guickwar Vakeel concerning the above transaction, and make Mr. Duncan acquainted with the result. families, has altered little of late. The sons of Purseram Bhow succeed in all their attempts against the Peishwa's troops, and there is reason to believe that some friendly transactions have recently passed between Appah Saheb and the Rajah of Koulapore. 3. The apprehensions excited in this neighbourhood, a short time since, by the depredations of Jeswunt Rao Jewagee seem to have subsided. The desultory operations of that freebooter have been principally directed of late to laying waste the southern skirts of Scindia's territory; and although the Peishwa gave me intimation of his intention to assemble a force on the Bheema, for the purpose of checking his incursions, no measures to this effect have yet been adopted. Ballojee Koonger, who with Scindia's Vakeels, proceeded to the Bheema, under instructions to collect the troops, has been recalled; and it is probable, that the Peishwa is disposed to hazard the injury that his ter ritory may be exposed to from the ravages of the freebooters, rather than form an army of observation, which would be attended with an heavy expence. 4. The situation of this government, relatively with the Jaghire 5. A report prevails here, and is generally credited, that an action has lately taken place between the troops of Jeswunt Rao Holkar and those of Scindia, and that the latter have met with a sharp defeat. The Hindustan Akbars, however, have made no mention of such an event. I have the bonour to be, &c. &c. &c. Poona, (Signed) B. CLOSE, 4th Feb. 1802. Res. at Poona. No. 16.-To his Excellency the Most Noble Marquis Wellesley, My Lord, FINDING that Major Kirkpa trick had no prospect of procuring, a copy of the Mahratta letter perused by Suddasheo Munkaiser on the 12th of January, in the pre sence of Azeem ul Omrah, and the Moonshee Azeez Oolah, I judged it proper to notice the subject of that letter at this Dur◄ bar; not so much in the hope of being able to bring the question to a satisfactory result, as in the idea that remonstrating with Gopaul Rao, on the information he is stated to have given the Peishwa, might be the means of discouraging such improper proceedings in future. 2. I accordingly procured an interview yesterday with Gopaul Rao, and presented him with an extract extract from Azeez Oolah's report, requesting that he would inform me of all that he knew relating to its contents. He caused his brother to read it to him twice; and after manifesting some surprize, observed, that he had no doubt of being able to satisfy me perfectly on the subject of any request. He begged to be heard with patience; and then proceeded to state the persons who were present on new year's day, when the Parsee writer waited on the Peishwa, to lay before him the usual gifts from the Residency; solemnly averred that the writer, after using the customary expressions of compliment on my part to the Peishwa, returned from the Durbar, and that there could be no doubt as to the accuracy of this statement, as it would be confirmed by the numeNous persons who attended the Durbar on the occasion. Gopaul Rao then adverted to the intimate friendship which had subsisted between the honourable company and the Peishwa's father; descanted on the solicitude always shewn by his Highness to preserve that friendship unimpaired; called God to witness that whenever the Parsee writer had spoke openly to him, whether during Colonel Palmer's residence at this station, or since, it was merely to convey his wish, that this Sircar should unite in a close alliance with the British government, the same as his Highness the Nizam; and then request ed permission to take a copy of the extract, which he said filled him with astonishment. I acquiesced in his wish on this point, and observed, that if the Peishwa's public agents were allowed to attribute representations to me which had never issued from my lips, I could not possibly preserve any confi dence in relation to this court, nor could any communications on public subjects be attended with any desirable effect; that, in or der to obviate the ill effects of misrepresentation, I had at my first interview on public business, declared my intention to avoid the use of a medium in communicating on subjects of any conse quence; that if any person belonging to the Residency had conveyed information to him of the kind stated in the letter read by Munkaiser, it would have been only proper in him to have referred to me on the subject, or at least to have sent me some intimation in reply. To the whole of this he entirely assented; confessed that groundless statements relative to the conduct of public men, were ungentleman-like and highly culpable; dwelt on the principles which had guided his own conduct, from the earliest period at which he had been employed to converse with the Bri tish Residents at this court; and then observed, that as the contents of the letters stated to have been read by Munkaiser were utterly void of truth, he conceived it to be no small support to his character, that my name had been implicated. Gentlemen in station, he said, under the British government, acted on principles of union and harmony, being free from the influence of those passions which might place them at variance; that accordingly their views and actions being open, direct, and candid, it could not be expected that they should possess an adequate acquaintance with the various modes of procedure resorted to by individuals employed under the native courts; that it was but too evident that men in office under the native powers were were frequently actuated by sinister motives; that he could not positively say that Suddasheo Munkaiser was his enemy, although when he reflected on circumstances which had arisen at different periods, he might be warranted in regarding him in that light. 3. He then touched on the causes of Fulkir Ool Dien's removal from Poona, the chagrin that he must naturally sustain in consequence, the asperity of his feelings towards those to whom he attributes the loss of his station, his intimate connection with the court of Hydrabad, but particularly with a party at that Durbar, which was averse to the Poona state, and envious of the friendly relations which the Feishwa preserved with the British government; of this party he enumerated the members, placing Azeem ul Omrah at its head. Azeez Oolah, he observed, had been long Resident at Hydrabad; the degree of intimacy he had formed with Azeem ul Omrah he could not determine, but certainly it was not going too far to say that Azeez Oolah was more attached to his Highness the Nizam's, than to the Peishwa's government.Continuing on this strain for some time, he at length impeached the feracity of Azeez Oolah, put the question whether, considering Munkaiser's discretion and experience, it could be probable that he would disclose such information, were he even possessed of it; and afterwards, assuming an air of pleasantry, affected to doubt whether I really believed that Suddasheo Munkaiser had read a letter to the effect attributed to him. vindicate the reputation of Azees Oolah; I maintained that he was a person of consideration and worth; that he had been long confidentially employed by the British government; that his behaviour on every occasion demonstrated that he was deserving of being vested with the most important trusts; and that if I had not placed implicit belief in his report, I should have judged the present interview unnecessary. Gopaul Rao replied that he was not ignorant of the confidence which the British government had long reposed in Azecz Oolah; that nothing could be farther from his thoughts than to controvert the grounds of my belief on any subject; at the same time he would refer it to me, whether varying opinions were not frequently extertained respecting ciraracters charged with political trusts. case, he said, he would wish to advert to merely in the way of conversation: The conduct of my predecessor, he observed, was just, upright, and correct, and yet it was no secret that it had been the fashion at Hydrabad to inculcate the idea that he had felt some partiality towards this state my public conduct, he said. would be as just and correct as that of my predecessor, and that being thus similarly constituted I might possibly become the object of similar insinuations. I replied, that what he had mentioned respecting Colonel Palmer had never come to my knowledge; and that I could not feel any apprehension respecting any consequence that could result from the conduct he had particularized. A 5. I here recurred to the purpose for which I had requested 4. Here I judged it proper to the meeting; repeated that I held |