The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-07-05 00:00:00

bECCA PRIZE-aioNEr.

Some vinttent attacks having been made in the oppose
tion prints and elsewhere on the Duke of Wellington, In
relation to the Dream booty, it becomes proper to Hats
Vie real aircuinstancts of that transaction si fir tl his
Onsee is eleinnerned.
The Pindartes, a horde of freebooters, Undo dill pads
Section of tltt Mahritta Chiefs, Holkat and had
'*ale irrupiloni into our territories. to these they Wei
**doubt incited by Holkar and Scindit, Whey At Well 111
tither Mahratta Chiefs, had secretly itinnala.ll join.
%pinny to expel the Englikh from India. A tul'
litary plan wis, therefdre, formed by the fsra.7fZlll of
Hastings, tit 1817, for the purpote, slot only bf Anil&
bring the Pindareer, but of putting down all
confederacy throughout India. This plan ditiaistsid of
two parts. The Kollin of Hastings, with the
army, advanced to the Sind, whbit river he resebedtelig
nth of November, 1811, while the army of the Metall or
'South) commanded by Sir T. Hislop, advanced to the Nes
budtla, which river was crtnned on the 14th of to same
month by Sir J. Malcolm, second in eornmand, !kindle
wet easily compelled to sign a treaty, renouncing the Pins
dimes; and these freebooters, alarmed and insbgnibt tl
this contract, ?led to Holkar, whiti; being also unable id
protect them; they either dispersed, dr threw theisistivell pn
the mercy of their conquerors. Thus thte hest object Of the
war was completed without producing any partieulbt tee
suit in the 'way of . booty. But It was dot so with the
second object. Scintlia had at once subscribed to the WWI
required of him. Similat terms were offered to Holkltri
but refined, and the battle of Maheitlpont slit
contequence, which forced hied to make a treaty, plitejt*
! him in a state of dependence ott the British power, - ISorbd
infeilor Chiefs, however, still contintied Ih WA, While
inhere voluntarily plated themselves under the ma* pro-
tie ion. The Peishwa of the Mahrattaa, who bad been far
years carrying on secret negotiations against us, was itsdneed
in June 1317, to sign si treaty renouncing comnintrientiott
with the other native Paver,. This treaty he had no
sooner signed than he resolved to violate it On the bell
tlf Noitmber, 1817, he broke out Into open hostilltiet. Tbe
Rajah of Nagporc pursued a similar conduct, and, tit the
Leginning of December of that year, it was fdtind heettoosty
to proceed to extremities against him. The OilltratiOns
against these two Sovereigns, as well as those sweet Ho; •
kar, produced the capture of much valuable peoporty,
which faun the booty in queation,
Alt/long!) this property was, in point St fact, Olsen lit
1818, or 1819 at the latest, yet it could 111/t soon be eel.
lected into one mass, or brought to a cod:noon actionni.
False nodbns were entertained of What was booty, Seine
persons tbbught that public buildings were td be valued,
and that debts owing long before by the natite Prided)
were to be exacted, for the benefit of the carom Time
was requited to get over these difficulties ; and thentliotte
a great question, whether the property which might fairly
be deemed booty was to be ditided among all the litritisit
forces in the field, or only among the artily of the Deccan.
This point was solemnly argued in 1823, and was at length
decided in favour of the latter army.
Thus far the Duke of Wellington . had nothing to do
with the case ; but when 'it was decided that the army of
the Deccan should alone share the booty, it came next to
be considered that among the indivitholi. of that army
there might be a great variety of Moulding Chinn, abd
that some trustees ought to be appointed, let t pourer to
determine all qtiestions of this nature which mien arise.
On the part of the Deccan army, Sir Thomas Bitlop and
Sir John Malcolm applied to the Duke of Wellington to
take on himself that gratuitous and laborious charge. His
Grace declared that his personal wish was to Rebid the
barthen, hut that he would sacrifice every considerathm of
that kind to be of use toast army to whose bravery he was
so much indebted. Accordingly, in 1823, the Duki and
Mr. Arbuthnot undertook this office. Many quiratious
still arose: The object of the trustees was to put on end
to them sit speedily as possible; and, in pdint oTfeet, they
were drawing to an end, when the complaint of delay Wit
brought forward in Parliament. Not a day nor in hour
had the trustees loitered ; and we can state it as a positive
fact, that his Grace, with his own hand, had written okays
1100 folio pdges on the various claims.