a supply from without-constant desertion from within, Mr. Thomas called a council of war, who proposed an unconditional surrender; which he, however, indignantly opposed.

For three days no grain had been served to his troops-the most dismal aspect pervaded every thing, when, to complete his distress, the whole of his out-posts deserted.

The enemy were now making preparation for a general assault. At the moment of receiving this mortifying intelligence, Mr.Thomas discovered the last stack of his hay in flames, which it afterwards appeared, was a preconcerted signal between the enemy and the traitors in his own camp.

Shortly after advice was brought that Shah Tab Khan, who commanded in George Ghur, his strongest post, had already mounted his horse, attended by his people and all their effects, and was preparing to leave the fort with an escort of the enemy then under the walls.

Mr. Thomas could not prevent this evil. His only dependence now was on the attachment of a regiment, 700 strong, which had formerly been commanded by the gallant Mr. Hopkins*, who unfortunately fell in a former attack. These during the late severe service were reduced one-third :-" These (says Mr. Thomas, in the bitterness of his anguish)" were the only men who stood true to my interests."

But of their valour and fidelity he could no longer avail himself: they were entirely without provision, and his only alternative, now,

Attended by his cavalry, he left the camp about nine in the evening; soon after he fell in with a detachment of the enemy, who made a vigorous attack upon his party, and his disheartened escort, deprived of their accustomed spirit, gave way on all sides; leaving him, with a few followers, to fly for his life. The enemy continuing to pursue him, he was obliged to make a circuitous route; and though Hansi was not more than 80 miles distant from George Ghur, and he had to travel 120 miles, which journey he performed on a favourite Persian horse, within 24 hours.

Having arrived at Hansi, Mr. Thomas's first care was its defence, which he entrusted to his faithful Rajepoots. Two pieces of artillery were all that remained in the fort fit for service; but the enemy having been dilatory in their approach, Mr. Thomas had time to cast and mount eight additional cannon.

At length the enemay, having possessed themselves of the walls of Hanzi, began the siege.

The Rajepoots, reduced in number to 300, were stationed within the fort; and the remainder of his force consisting of about 900 men, were distributed for the defence of the city and the outposts; Mr.Thomas took his station in the fort.

The troops ordered to the outposts had scarcely taken possession of them, when they delivered them up to the enemy, and the fort and city was left to the defence of a handful of men.

An assault was then made. On

the

the entrance of the enemy into the town a desperate conflict ensued. Three times the enemy were repulsed with loss; but numbers prevailing, Mr. Thomas, at length evacuated the town, and took shelter in the fort.

Of his whole force, 700 only remained. The enemy erected batteries and besieged the fort. In this situation his Mahommedan troops, in want of money and provisions, made offers to Mr. Perron to join his party, on condition of payment of arrears, and a reward for their treachery.

Mr. Perron, to avoid bloodshed, and conscious of the unwearied intrepidity of his opponent, informed him of the treachery going on in his garrison, and advised him to be on his guard.

"Considering," therefore, concludes Mr. Thomas, "that I had entirely lost my party, and with it the hopes of at present subduing my enemies, the Seiks, and powers in the French interest; that I had no expectation of succour from any quarter, Luckwa having gone to Joudpore; that if hostilities continued, my resource in money would have failed; in this situation, I agreed to evacuate the fort, and the necessary arrangements being completed, I stipulated for a battalion of seapoys to escort me to the English frontier, where I arrived in the middle of January, 1802."

Not long after his arrival on the British frontier, Mr. Thomas inspected his affairs, and found the wreck of his fortune barely sufficient to ensure the comforts of life in his native country, whither he proposed to retire. He was proceeding to Calcutta, with this intention, when death arrested his

progress near the military canton ments of Berhampore, 22d August, 1802, in the 46th year of his age. He was interred at that place, where a monument is now erecting to his memory.

NOTE.-Mr. Thomas, while at Hansi, offered his services to the British Goverment to advance, and take possession of the Punjaub, and give up his army to the direc tion and control of the English. This was his patriotic language on the occasion :

By this plan I have nothing in view; but the welfare of my king and country. It could not be concerted soon enough to be of any use in the approaching conflict; (his dispute with_the_Mahrattas,) therefore it is not to better myself that I have thought of it. I shall be sorry to see my conquests fall to the Mahrattas; I wish to give them to my king, and to serve him the remainder of my days; and this I can only do as a soldier in this part of the world."

Mr. Thoras was tall and handsome in his person, upwards of six feet high, and proportionally strong. He had acquired an habitual clevation of head, which gave him a martial air; his countenance was marked with that intrepidity of character which rendered him so conspicuous.

To sum up his character, he was, though hasty and impatient in his temper, open, generous, charitable and humane:-gentle and inoffensive in his manners, and possessed of a natural politeness. And his self-taught acquirements in the Indian languages, were a proof of the cultivation, of which his mind was susceptible, had it been im proved by a regular education.

A Sketch

ABOUT the year 1728, Nizam ul Muluck, Soubahdar of the Deccan, and father to the present Soubahdar, sent Peer Mahomed, a Patan, with an army to dispossess Abdul Russul Khan, Nabob of Sirpy, who, determined to come to action with his competitor, assembled all his forces, and took the field. Futty Naik, a remarkable good soldier, com manded at this time 1000 Peons, and 100 horses, in his service. An engagement between the rivals ensued, in which, both the Nabob and Futty Naik fell; the corpse of the latter was carried about 100 miles, to Colar, the place of his nativity, and there interred with great ceremony: a mosque has been since raised to his memory, according to the custom of the Mussulmans. After his victory, the Patan was received into Sirpy, and acknowledged Nabob of that country without opposition.

Futty Naik left two sons and a daughter; the eldest, then a man, was called Sabas Naik, and the other, Hyder Naik, a boy about ten years old; the daughter was afterwards mother to the present Salla Mecan; the eldest son, and an uncle engaged themselves in the Rajah of Mysore's service, and Hyder for some years was removed from place to place, wherever his relations happened to serve; but so unfortunate was he, that though the Mussulmans in general are at great pains to teach their chudren to read and write, he could do neither, owing to the low circumstances of his

friends, or his own idleness, but to the latter it is rather to be imputed.

Caursoore Nunderaws, father-inlaw to the Rajah of Mysore,as well as his general and duan, was one, among many other commanders, who had assembled with the troops of their several princes to join the standard of Nazir Jung, on his entering the Carnatic, (in the year 17 50,) against his nephew, Muzapha Jung, who had been in that country endeavouring to raise an army to put himself in possession of the Soubahs of the Carnatic, which he claimed, under the will of his uncle, Nizam ul Muluck. Hyder Naik at this time was about 28 years of age, and being at the head of 50 matchlock Peons, and five horsemen, offered his service to Nunderaze, which was accepted: in the course of the following three years he raised 500 seapoys, and 100 horse, armed the former with European firelocks, to which he afterwards added two field pieces, which he by some means became possessed of.

In the year 1754, Hyder Naik, in an action where Major Lawrence commanded, observing the baggage guard of the English army quit their station, and that the Tanjore cavalry were drawn up on the right flank to defend it, he detached a body of his horse to amuse the Tanjoreans, and with the remainder, gallopped round to the rear, fell upon the enemy, and amongst other things, seized 35 carts, laden with arms, ammunition, and baggage, belonging

belonging to the English officers. The major found it impossible to rectify this mistake in time, or recover the baggage which was carried off. Hyder would never consent to give up the disposal of his people or arms to the Rajah of Mysore, excusing himself by saying, that he and they were the Rajah's soldiers, ready at all times to sacrifice their lives in his service.

About the year 1755 he was detached with 3000 foot, 1500 horse, and four guns, against the Pollygars, near Trichinopoly, and had address enough to get several of their chiefs into his hands, extorted upwards of ten lacks of rupees from them, and afterwards delivered them prisoners to the Rajah, to whom he paid half the money, reserving the other five lacks for himself.

Gopaulhurree, a Mahratta general, with 1000 seapoys, and 2000 horse, in the year 1760, blockaded Bangalore, in order to add that place to several very considerable conquests he had formerly in the Mysore country. The Rajah, unwilling to trust his dominions to the uncertain event of war, had agreed with the Mahratta chief, that for 50 lacks of rupees he should rest contented with his former acquisitions and leave the country. Notwithstanding this argument, Hyder Ally proposed to go against him, at the head of his army, and persuaded the Rajah to consent to it: he accordingly marched with 10,000 scapoys, 20,000 matchlock Peons, and 5000 horse: the Mahrattas met him near Chenapatnam, where he fought and defeated them. In this action the Mahrattas lost 300 men. He found, however, that it was impossible to put an end to the war; for the enemy were no sooner dispersed and broken, than their cavalry were

again united and ready for action: the Mahratta general also seing no likelihood of making new conquests, agreed with Hyder to give up all he had before taken for the 50 lacks, and return home. The forts were delivered up accordingly, and garrisoned with the Rajah's troops, but on payment of the money, Hyder stopped 15 lacks for the expence of the war, to which the Mahratta was obliged to consent, it being then too late to right himself. Upon this success, Hyder got the title of Bahauder, and was confirmed general of the Mysore army, in room of Nunderauze, the Dewan: he did not, however, consider himself secure so long as that man continued in power, and by his uncommon art and address created such an enmity between the Rajah and Nunderauze, that the latter turned the guns of Seringapatam upon the palace: he was, however, persuaded by his brother to forego this violent measure, retire to the fort of Mysore, and content himself with the country annexed to it; whither he retired, and immediately took possession. In about six months his brother died, at Seringapatam, and soon after, Hyder, with the Rajah's consent, marched against Nunderauze, when, after a seige of three months, it was agreed that the fort should be given up to the Rajah, and in lieu thereof, the Dewan have the grant of Konour, a place 28 coss to the west, but of much less value than the district about Mysore. Hyder, now both prime minister and general, thought himself firmly established, and exercised unlimited authority, which scon made the Rajah jealous, and apprehensive of his future designs, who brought over to his interest Kondana, whom Hyder had placed over his person as a spy, and who bad

been

been principal manager to Hyder: the Rajah and Condana suddenly arose, and turned the guns of the town upon his quarters so smartly, as to disconcert Hyder, who fled to Bangalore, with the utmost haste, attended by only seven of his friends, leaving his wife and family behind. Shortly before this confederacy, thinking himself secure, Hyder made considerable detachments from his army, and among the rest, sent a principal sirdar, Muckton Saheb, (whose sister he marred) to Pondicherry, with 5000 scapoys, and 3000 horse. He was now immediately ordered to make forced marches from Pondicherry, and join him at Bangalore, in the hope of being first in the field, but Rajah Bautbye, a Mahratta chief, with 4000 seapoys, and 7000 horse, whom the Rajah had entertained, for 15 lacks of rupees, arrived before him. Konderao had also raised 5000 seapoys, and 3000 horse, with which he joined the Mahrattas, and marched to intercept Mukton Saheb; they found him at Anchetty-durgum, 12 coss from Bangalore, where he was obliged to take post, and defend himself: Meer Phuzalla Khawn had just before come from Boodeecotta to Bangalore, with 50 seapoys, 10 horse, and his elephant, and entered Hyder's service. This man undertook with 1500 scapoys, and 500 horse, to join Mukton Saheb, and escort a quantity of provisions and ammunition to him: he accordingly joined him, but lost in the attempt 50 seapoys, and 10 horse, and all his provisions and stores.

A month had now elapsed, and Hyder's affairs in a most unfavourable situation, when the Mahratta general received accounts that their Nana, or king, was either dead, or dying, and being tired of the war, VOL. VI.

was persuaded, perhaps, with the assistance of money to return to his own country. Konderao not thinking it prudent to keep the field with his small force, threw some of his people into Kistnageery, Caverypatnam, and other places in that part of the country, and with the remainder returned to Seringapatnam, whither he was followed by Hyder, who took some small forts in his way, but for want of provisions was obliged to march to Nunjevdagadah, where he found it impossible to proceed, the country people were so averse to his government, and unwilling to supply his army: thus circumstanced, he left his camp, and with ten horsemen, went to Nunderauze, fell at his feet, wept, and acknowledged his former bad treatment of him, begged forgiveness, and entreated his assistance. Nunderauze was so well satisfied of his repentance, and that he had no other designs but to be re-established as a Duan, that he promised him his interest and influence, if necesssary to effect his re-establishment, even so far as to take up arms in his behalf. They both immediately proceeded to the army, and found Konderao again in the field; they engaged, defeated him, and plundered his camp, after which, several of the Rajah's troops entered Hyder's service, at the instance of Nunderauze, who published manifestoes, assuring the Mysore Bahauders, that his friend, Hyder Ally, had no design against his government, and

that all his aim was to be received Duan as before, urging them, by every suggestion, to acknowledge and support him; in consequence of which, Hyder possessed himself of all the country round, and having no further use for Nunderauze, sent him back to Conour, and set down with his army before Seringapat§ B

nam,