The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1805-08-23 00:00:00

R_~~ l` i 4 '~' INDIA. ON THE BRITISH DoMINION IY THE EAST-IN DIES, AND THE PREsENT STATE OF THAT CuUNTRY. [Cnnelud•d fmm our Parer of Eeiterday.) How soon, amid the general fermentation, may not such a critical moment again supervene! And, should France be able to avail herself of it, and to Bend a considerable body of troops to join the forces of the valiant Nlahrattis, the vast peninsula on this side the Ganges, which a century ago was subjeel to the Great Mogul, may, perhaps, throw off the yoke of the English more speedily than it was subjeCted by them. The fortune of its inhabit ants would not indeed be improved, if, taking advantage of the moment of confusion, the French were to succeed in establishing their dominion ; and the situation t.f the country, instead of being ameliorated, would be made worse. But the proud edifice, elected be tile Governors Clive, Hastings, Cornwallis, and Wellesley, is menaced from another quarter. The decline of discipline, the luxury of the East, the prodigious accumulation of riche , . and the want of patriotism in the new English Na bobs in the East Indies, have already loosened the ties with the Mother Country ; and a continued to leration of the present system of oppression and ex tortion affsrds abundant reason to apprehend an internal insurreetion, independent of all exterior co operation, if the advancing evil be not speedily checked. Thus, this ever-memorable Colossus, unparalleled in the history of colonies, totters on various sides. Instead, however, of increasing its internal strength, the English still continue to add to the extent of their power in the East Indies. Since the destruetion of the Empire of Mysore, once so formidable to the East India Company, only one nation has ventured to dispute with the EngUsh the exclusive possession of the beautiful peninsula on this side the Ganges. The Mahrattas are slistinguisl , ed arrring the inhabitants of Hither India for this erraordinary preservation of their freedom, and attraa the attention of the lover of history, whose investigations, nevertheless, encoun ter considerable obstacles in the obscurity of their origin. T'ne Mahrattas, or more properly Maharattors, that is, the Great Rattors, belong to the warlike tribe of the Rasbitts, which hold the second rank among the casts of India, and form a species of no bility. For ages their name was utterly unknown. Driven by the Moguls from the provinces of Hin dustan, in which they had nettled, they sought an asylum in the mountains extending from Surat to the latitude of Goa, and there established several petty States, which, though at first independent of each other, were, in process of time, united into one state. Their chief re,ided at Sattarah. The generality of the nation employed themselves in agriculture, the breeding of cattle, and partly in manufaaures, while those, for whom these peaceful occupations had no charms, exercised the business of plunder. Tbis inclination to support themselves by depredation became epidemic. It soon seized the whole nation of these mountaineers, and in the seventeenth century the Mahrattas appeared to be nothing but a horde of banditti, who subsisted by plundering the rich commercial caravans. l'hey, however, confined themselves to these petty enterprices, till the celebrated conqueror, Auringzeb, attempted to compel the Hineloos to embrace the Mohammedan religion, and the latter called to their assistance the filabiAttaii, who now became acquaint ed with their strength. This epoch opened to them a new field. They were seen pouring like torrents from the mountains, nn diminutive horses, but which were robust, indefatigable, sure-footed in the worst roads, and accustomed on a march to subsist only on the grass which their riders cut dawn for them by the ..vay. A turban, a girdle which con cealed their nakedness, a wretched cloak, which hung over their shiitilders by day, and at night served them for a bed, were the only cloathing of these h .rsernen. 'Their provisions consisted of a small bag of rice, and a leathern bottle filled with water. They had no other weapons than a sabre, but which had such an excellent edge, that, in comparison to them the European sabres, according to the expression of the Malirattas, were 1. fit for nothing but to cut butter.' These wild hordes were united by the Rajah Se vngi, a cruel, faithless man, of the tribe of the Bons wino, who appeared to have been destined by na ture to become one of the most LF inguished of free-botters. Fortune favoured him ; he mtin:ained himself against the immense power of Auringzeb, which was unable to molest him is the mount tins, became one of the most considerable flames of In dia, and Insnded iu Kunkan, along the coast tow ard Bombay, and in the interior mountainous re gions. an extensive kingdom, which, at his death, t•• ttiSO, hr -‘1 to his descendants. • in the s, clue', with the but ti:e Mahtattas tun- or tinued to extend the mselves, and at length bacilli* so formidable, as to overthrow the dominion of eh* Great Mogul. They are now the only natiatic ble of making head against the English, in the insula of Hither India, and they would be still x dangerous to the colossal empire of Britain it East Indies, were their political constitution susc hie of a more intinute union. But their which would be extremely formidable in the had of one chieftain ruling over the destinies of 400,000 warriors, is divided among several princes. With respell to its internal organisation, the state of the Alabrattas has, therefore, been compared to the Ger man empire. The parallel, however, is not perfedly corred, because the Peishwah, who resides at Poonah, possesses no right of sovereignty, and is, in fad, only the first officer of state in the whole confederacy. The extent of the territories of the Nlahrattas, which cennoi be stated with accuracy. is computed at 34,000 geographical square miles ; and the revenues of the different Princes, cellettive ly, are supposed to exceed 120 millions of rupees. Among these M.tbratta Princes, the English have not a more dangerous enemy than Jeswunt Row Holkar, who, notwithstanding the frequent checks he has experienced, has, hitherto, always appeared again on the field of battle with renovated strength. He is originally an usurper, and of a rigid, cruel dis position; but, at the same time, very adive, vigilant, dextrous, and crafty. Since his last war with Scin deah, and the troubles which have broken out in his own family, he has lost the greatest portion of his revenues, that amounted, at least, to eighty lacks of rupees. He now receives from his own states scarcely ten, but he knows how to increase them by extorting contributions from such distrkis as he can surprise ; he is almost always engaged is war, only to obtain money, and is insatiably avaricious. His camp is his residence, and his troops are the sources of his revenue. Holkar is now the only sovereign in India, capable of opposing any resist ance to the English : he may be conquered, and his power annihilated, but he will never suffer himself to be overreached by them. The English are well acquainted with his charaeter, and, accordingly. they have never been willing to acknowledge him as a sovereign, but have always treated him as a robber. Their object in the war which they are at present waging with him appears to be to expel him from the East Indies, and to set up the weak Radji Rao in his stead, by which their dominion over all India would be firmly consolidated. But the English can never consider themselves the quiet possessors of these vast colonies, as long as Holkar and Amp Khan are in existence. Amyr Khan, the most upright and confidential of Holkar's officers, is an interesting phenomenon, on account of his military talents, the pnrity of his morals, and his influence over Holkar. Ile is un commonly brave, magnanimous, and liberal to rn fusion, and all his undertakings ale impressed with the charaier of greatness. A Pau' corps, which is sometimes considerable, is under the command of Amyr Khan, and it is he who appears to dire& the military operations of Holkar. Ile has distinguish ed himself in many battles, and has been seen, at va rious times, to over-run different parts of India as a fri ebooter. He seems to be particularly attached to this method of making war, which he perfeely derstands : he always arrives secretly and unexped edly in the midst of the countries he intends to ra vage. He has, hitherto, never been compelled to fight a battle, the issue of which was at all doubt ful. In the present war, he advanced from the shores of the Diemna to observe the motions of Lieutenant-Colonel Monson. and availed himself with such dexterity of the moment to attack him, that he compelled that Officer to retreat nearly 500 miles; a success which is almost entirely to be ascribed to Amyr Khan. He is more solicitous to obtain glory than wealth gold has no charms for him, and his liberality often reduces him to such a situation, that he is obliged to have recourse to the purse of his friends. He loves Europeans, but they would not find their account with him, if they were intent only on colleding rupees. The fullest confidence may he placed in his word, which he has maintained, even under very critical circum stances, against the express will of Holkar. He has preserved the ljves of European prisoners, whom the latter had ordered to be dispatched. On another occasion, a neighbouring sovereign repaired, pro teded only by his word, to this Mahratta Chief. The latter afterwards resolved to detain him; but Amyr Khan opposed his design with such spirit, de claring that the moment he committed such a vin. lotion of confidence. he himself would be Holkar's enemy, that the latter suffered the Indian Pi ince to depart. These charaeters of the two remaikable oppo nents of the English in the East Indies, are taken fr..m the Monisrur, which, by the communication of several English official dispatches, %%Inch fell into the hinds of Rear-Admiral Linois, has diffused a new light on the rate of this beautiful peninsula, so till, side the Ganges. A statement. of the results dew intelligence, contained in the intercepted let-. tees, will not be unacceptable here, as all that the English Government thinks proper to communi cate, relative to the East Indies, ought to be re gal ded with as much suspicion as, in former times, the Roman accounts of the war with Carthage. History can no more credit the statement of one party than the judge : the tribunals of both are sub ject to the same laws. According to the abovementioned dispatches, the finances of the East India Company would sink to a very low ebb, if the war with the Mahrattas were to continue for three years longer. The very successes of the English arms are rather detrimental than advantageous, as none of the late acquisitions is sufficiently productive to defray the eapeness it has occasioned ; and the extension of their conquests already begins to emb• - the Governor-General. Ihe Company has, in p aticular, hurt the feelings of the natives by the disgraceful treatment of the Nlogul Emperor. This Prince is descended from the celebrated family of Timor, which is venerated all over the East ; and though his power is but a mere shadow, his sovereignty is, however, univer sally acknowledged. The English Company itself is indebted to his beneficence for its constitutional dominion. Shah Ahlum, as the great grandson of Aurinweb, anl as a dipta descendant of Tamer lane, has an indisputable right to the Mogul throne. The Company likewise owes him 20 millions ster ling ; a sum far exceeding the amount of its dispos able capital. In the hands of the Mahrattas the Great Mogul was not a dangerous instrument ; but the progress of the French pat ty, which was forming in I lindostan, had given a new turn to his situation, and this unfor tunate Prince might very essentially have promoted the designs of the French government. The objet of the latter, after ►he conclusion of the peace of Amiens, was nothing less than to found a political and military state on the ba-is of their Indian pos sessions, and to strengthen and extend it by every possible conneltion with the native princes, by in tt igues, and all the means of a systematic spirit of plunder. The introduction of French adventurers into the Indian armies for the purpose of improving their discipline, gave the French author ity and influ ence over those states. and realised, in the best and earliest manner, the design of founding an inde pendent territorial and military power in the midst of a foreign state. Every one, who is acquainted with the real state of the British power in the East Indies, must know that the Northwestern frontier of Hindostan is the weakest point of that prodigious Empire. If the power of Dowlot Row Scindeah were to receive any considerable addition, or to be immediately united with a French force, the natural situation of his country would give hirn great advantages in any attack on the settlements of the Company. A con siderable part of this territory was ceded to a French officer, named Perron, who succeeded M. Deboigne in the command of the regular infantry of Scindeah. Perron made it an independent state, whose armed force amounted to 39,050 men. He obtained the sovereign power over a distriCt, whose annual revenue arrrAinted to nearly two millions sterling ; and, in his own name. concluded treaties and alli ances with several small states. Thus the concur rence of various extraordinary and irrevocable cir cumstances, the imbecility of the personal charac ter of Scindeah, the rapacity of his Ministers, the treachery of many of his Generals and officers, who found it their interest to draw of his attention from the affair of Hindostan. to those of Decan, and the late convulsion of his power by Holkar, contributed to the formation of an independent French state in the point adjoining to the weakest frontier of the Company's possessions. England averted, by a successful war, the blow that menaced her dominion in the East-Indies. 1 he energies and the resources of Scindeah, and the Rajah of Berar, were circumscribed within narrow limits ; the dangerous French establishment under Perron was annihilated, and the territory belong ing to him was united with the British possessions ; the Emperor. Shah Alum, was snatched from the influence of France, and the acquisition of the port of Baroach, and other harbours of Scindeah, which opened to him and his French General a communi cation with France, and afforded the French an easy entrance into the Mahratta states, sealed the security which these military operations gave to the proud colonial edifice of the English. Scarcely had this cloud passed .sway, when a new storm obscured this quarter of the horizon. The above-mentioned Mahratta Prince, Jeswunt Row Holkar, at the head of 100,000 men, supported by an artillery, under the direetion of French Officers, declared war against the English, who 'bought it would be no difficult task to overcome and espel him. tie commenced operations in the manner of the Mahrattas, who never seek to obtain a firm foot ing, hut endeavour, by the swiftness of their caval rv, to surprise, to fatigue, and to harrass their ene my, on his march. Success crowned 1 folk is en- terpriset, as ling as he "adhered to this kin: "s w trine. Rut when, induced by this ,ta.:zr,i be lid ostAined, ht ventured, contrary to the s Nice of friends, and well-informed military to ( 17 , the English in a regalar battle, It: wAs ilvzrpsre,,l by the superiority which his oppnelt. del ire,' ( I " the advantages of European discipline. On the 13th of last Novemher, Gruel Frrie defeated the main body of the inf.& rry and it of the Mahratta Prince, coin-n.41.1:1 ay liTna;• Duda ; and Holkar, who Limitlf h id: I Cie ci. valry, was not more fortuntti thin ha g-n e ,„: Lord Lake dispersed it after a decisive engarv., , took by storm the fortress of Deis on the 431,', December, and pursued the remainder of the tive Mahrattas to the very walls of the firtress Berpore, which he invested, and soon hoped to himself master of. Thus the genius of 17.11.41', once more dissipated the impending ding w , ~;. as liolkar will scarcely be able to recovr t'iii :, plete defeat, the Company no loi.ger has sr, : enemy to fear among the princes of India. With so much the more adivity, hinw,•ve r , revr enemies, and the evils generated wit!.in it: ONO tom, undermined the foundations of ti,i' empire. as the one hand, u ibridiel aro e?ance, luxury, and boundless prodigality ; on the other, the utmost wretchedness, penury, and oppression. L'.l7. ury is, in general, attended with cons quences to the poorer classes ; but here nothin: compensates for the painful contrast. Every this:: seems calculated to prevent the natives from aspinnz to a hither degree of civilisation and orinb-ace.— It the Indian is excluded from all participatisr. commerce ; if he is not permitted to navigate : • seas which wash hi.; coasts ; if the avarice , otherwise prodigal rulers suppressed the adris institution for the acquirement of the Asiatic : guages, at Fort William in Calcutta, which had ready produced such excellent fruit, and ?reserittd means of promoting the instriklion of the natiq; of these enchanting re:;ions ; if t,ine tenths of t!,,, nation are condemned to hognish in poverty; if oppressive vassalage and thvastations cnnott boundless plains, situated under the mildit climat; watered by plenteous streams. and blessed with un paralleled fertility, into barren d:sarts; can we exped of human nature, that the Indian should cherish ia his bosom attachment and Is)ve to his rulers ? Many scenes on the banks of the Gan.•:s r.-nevr the pain- ful remembrance of the hi t.iry of the foendatioa of the Spanish coloaics in Mexico and Peru. It is a melancholy observation, and humiliating to huma nity, that the polished Europeans have communi cated to 'the natives of the other portions of the globe, nothing but misery aad calamities physical and moral. Should other colonies remain to be dis covered, they would soon furnish subjeds for simi lar pidures to some new Raynal. THE BRITISH PRESS. LONDON, FRIDAY, AtiousT 43. An overland dispatch from India was yesterday received at the India House. The letters and p.i pers of the latest date which it has brou . lht are cf the ‘:.l April, from Madras, and of the 18:1), from Bombay. They do not contain any new intelli gence from the grand army, nor do tl,e) conarra the report in circulation yesterday of the conclusim of a peace with HOCK AR. This report was probably grounded upon the sarguine expetations expressed in some of the private letters recently received frees the Marquis WELLESLEY. The reduSion of B!surt• pore is, no doubt, an event upon which we may presume ; but even though it were accomplished. it would not necessarily ioduce a peace wish Ho;.Kr e. That Chief would still remain in plssJssion of the forts of Charnble, Ware, and others capable of opposing a formidable resigance. The followieg shipping intelligence was received by the overland dispatch : Th, Brunswick, Captain J 1... Grant, whiJi, by spri•girtj a leak, was obliged to leave the first divii:un of the C a fleet, and boar away for Bombay, had safely arrived there—al.d had been unloaded and gone into Duck. The Derwin', Adderley, and Skie.ton elate, Narita:Os wsnat Bombay, the 4th March. The Ocean, hf`Tagort ; Iluddart, Eaußeld ; Monet, Lynch ; and I.r.rd Keith, Ram ,;e, arrived at Nfa I,IIU C ;th I.4bruiry, and sailed from thence. fur R:ssgal, au tha eth /larch. T4lll Baring, ; I. 'rd liawkaabury, Trmb dl; an 4 Aivley Cantle , Marintovii ; were eanp!oyed in carrying RICO from Madre to Gar pin, from whence thivv wets thipatched under convoy of Ili, Majesty's ship Wilhelnatua, Capt. WAtt, on the 6th of M4fell. The %Vorceiter, Copt %Vow!, wiled from Mod.“ otti the I Ith of Ma ch, fa the M., isbar Coon, soak rev wt. for His Ma;e•oty's Rettimenot. The United Kmsdnm, Captain Nils, hasini landed kV tressnse at Madras, sailed from thence en the 6th of March for f1e.,g.,1, where A was e• re I stet would be deemed t. 3 nee* Season. The Ttc•a flamburgh Mails, due on Sunday and Wednesday, arrived yesterday, with letters and papers to the 17th instant. The latest accounts • ' dons. an eztensive F:ngdc 1630 s be trAs.switteki to Tiseae. it is true. met. fats sE tin isacr.vot ig;Aus ( 71 V AS ' cf .1 differvi and A h is s Id tine gicji4 the & contr q tl..r vat I tr.opi firer, yl iitt: ernb., those con , f 'el, • i r; a'a•: trop Asir .it Thy of wcn Trn:' 171 This bay hr. 'lO 1 Oil Wh F, Crl Oh all pl,