The Press.
London, England, 1858-08-14 00:00:00

fittr a t ur t.

supplementary Despatches and Menwranda of
Field Marshal Arthur Duke of Wellington,
Edited by his Son, the Duke of
Wellington. Vol. 11. London : Murray.
THE second volume of the Duke's supplementary
letters, despatches, and memoranda embraces a
period of eighteen months, commencing with the
6th of June, 1800, and terminating December
11th, 1801. The first communication is ad-
dressed to Lieutenant-Colonel Maclean, in com-
mand of the British troops in the Nizam's ser-
vice, and relates to the projected campaign
against Dhoondia Waugh, a Pat'han adventurer.
That restless and turbulent chieftain had formed
the design of establishing an independent king-
dom, and assumed the imposing title of Sovereign
of the Two Worlds. Originally a leader of
banditti, he fell into the hands of l' ippoo Sultan,
by whom, after being forcibly converted to Ma-
hommedanism, he was intrusted with a military
command. Ile continued, however, to incur that
tvrant's displeasure, and on the capture of
geringapatam was found in prison and heavily
ironed. Liberated by the misplaced humanity of
the conquerors, he made use of his freedom to
collect a body of mounted marauders, by whose
assistance he made himself master of several
places of importance. Detachments of British
troops were immediately put in motion to arrest
his further progress ; and, after a series of
disasters, Dhoondia was compelled to flee for his
life into the Mahratta territory. Here he was
plundered of everything he possessed, and for a
time was utterly forgotten. Encouraged, how-
ever, by the weakness of the Peishwa's govern-
ment, he soon emerged from obscurity, and
gathering together a hand of followers, seized
upon several forts. Elated by these successes,
and burning to avenge his thriller discomfiture
and flight, Dhoondia earnestly applied himself to
oreanize a confederacy for the expulsion of the
English from Southern India. The discovery of
these intrigues induced the Governor of the
Madras Presidency to despatch a sufficient force
under Colonel Wellesley to crush the bold ad-
venturer before his power attained to more for-
midable dimensions. The campaign that ensued
was of an arduous and trying character, owing
to the long and incessant marchings- in pursuit of
an enemy who sometimes covered upwards of
fitly miles within the twenty-four hours. It was
not until the 10th of September that Dhoondia
was finally brought to bay at Conahgull, where
his force was entirely routed and dispersed, and
his own body found among the slain. In some
respects Dhoondia's proceedings in this cam-
paign form a striking parallel to those of the late
Koer Singh of Jugdespore, and the result of
Colonel Wellesley's experiences, as stated in a
letter to Colonel Sartorms, might be applied with
advantage in the operations now going on in
Western Behar :

The result of my observations and considerations upon
the mode of carrying on war in jungly countries is just this,
that as long as the jungle is thick, as the enemy can conceal
himself in it, and from his concealment attack the troops,
their followers, and their baggage, the operations must be
unsuccessful on our side. You propose, as a remedy, t.o
move in small compact bodies in different directions, in
order that the enemy might have no mark, might be in
constant fear of falling in with some party, and might lose
confidence. 1 agree in opinion with you that your remedy
might answer some purposes for a body of troops which
could move without baggage or incumbrances of any kind ;
I say only some purposes, beenuse their success would nut
be complete; our troupe cannot move to all parts of the
Jingle as the Nairs can, and it might always be expected
that at some place or other our detachment would get into
°Serape. nut as we know that no troops can move without
baggage to as to answer any purpose for which an operation
might be undertaken, and as that mode of carrying on the
war will avowedly not answer where there is baggage, we
Must look fe- some system the adoption of which will
enable us to bring on in safaty that necessary evil. I know
of no mode of doing this excepting to deprive the enemy of
his concealment by cutting away the lower part of the jungle
to a considerable distance from the road. This, you say, is
a work of time; it is true it is so, but it must be recollected
that the labour of every man turns to account, that the one.
rations, however long, must in the end be successful, and
we shall not have to regret, after a great expense of blood
and treasure, that the whole has been thrown away, and the
the desultory operations are to be recommenced in the
fdlowing season, as has been the case hitherto, and as will
always be the case until some such mode of carrying on the
war with security to the followers is adopted.
In another respect, also, Colonel Wellesley's
example might be followed with great benefit to