The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-07-30 00:00:00

THE PINDARRIES.

A short time since we presented our readers with
• very copious and interesting narrative of the Pitt-
darries—their origiu—state of society—numbers—
efficiency to war—and their mode of conducting
military or plundering excursions. In their late
irruption into the Company's territories, it appears
from Papers laid before Parliament. that their
numbers exceeded '20,000 men, for the most part
admirably mounted, and well equipped for service.
From li:Jeit and manners they ale extremely active
ill their plundering, and so rapid in their movements,
KR to render it quite impooible to be overtaken by
the British troops. They are exceedingly fero-
cious, and are regarded with the utmost horror by
the natives of those parts of India exposed to their
depredations. This is strongly exemplified by the
following extracts from the dispatches laid before
Parliament .

Memoranda relative to the Piuderries:—Prepared by Mr.
Jeuktus, the Itevideut at the Court of the Rajah of Defer,
to the year 1812.
The Pindarriei are commonly considered to be
divided into two great bodies, culled SciudiaShattee,
and Volker Shadier, according to their former de-
pendance no three chiefs respectively. These dtri•
sinus, aid Kb merely minimal, are observed iii the
three following accounts of their numbers, and the
lauds they hold. The that of these accounts rather
refers to there situation list year; but as it is more
particular thin the tithes. with regard to their in-
ternsl organisation and composition, I give it first.
After stating the three accounts which I have ob-
tensed from three separate sources, I will entleavuior
to blend the rest of my information in one succinct
and general memoir, and offer such remarks us
occur to me on the foregoing dui:mueslis.

Fl Pc'T ACCOUNT.
Geotral Staleateut of tbe lagheers belJ by the Piadarries at
11141 of NIL

Cheetoo and the Ranjuna hold lauds to the Rupees
eunouut of

Dust Malmmed 1,95.111►
kurreem Miami

Total of the revenues of the &Willa Shahee.. 19,57.1100

Hollow Shahce:
Huikar's Poidarrirs held rountry from Holkar alone;
but this itecustut does out atenlitat the •alue.
Names of the Chiefs and Numbers of the Piudarrice.
Seindia Shabee : Harm infantry. emu.
Cheetuo • 7,955 .... 1,000 .... 4
Dust Mahound 5,430 .... 400 8
K omens Klmou
Loehr Buidish .

Total of the Seimlia
18,605 .... 6,540 ....

liadhar Shehee:
Tookleo ... 2.000 Soo 5
lau Bunnell 9,00 1,000
SAW, 1101311111, •ul 11ekm-
J114.f Khan% - •• • •
lin.lsr Belau*
111 ..... h Hutherkah 750
&imams, eon of 11.atteca ISO

Total liulkar Sim We.. 20,716 .... 10,1411 .... 3$

sEcoND AccouNT.
AlAract or the Forms rnd 1411V1111r“ of the rtudarriell, ae
stated in the Sccuittl

Horse.
niter% of the &inch& bailee
Utast Sli4lire 7,000

Tuts Hut se 116,500

Popery.
Revemort of die Stiodis Sha
Dui* ll.hooit.l 1,08.4100

Total of the Yogiteero and Lauds bchl by 110
Seeothat Mabee 11.96000
&remits of the llolLar Shehee 1,40,006
Tet.t: of as Rceeuveo of :hot PArties 3,33,004

A true return or the actual 'lumber of the troops
in the service of any native state can seldom be ex-
pected, even in the most authentic records of its mi-
litary department. I doubt if the PrinCe binned'
could give more than a very rough guess of the
state of his forcer. at any particillur tnoment ; in-
deed, the system of deception was, from the Coin-
mender of an army down to a jetivii4dar of live
horse, in so great a degree, as to render ocular de-
monetration the only satisfactory evidence un such
subjects.
When General Malcolm was in Scindia's camp
in 1804, he estimated the Pindarries then with
Scindin, at 10,000, no doubt abating ranch of the
numbers stated to him. Oat of the; number the
General observed, about 6,000 were admirably
mounted, and very superior both in the quality of
the men and horses. The rest were of a very PA..
rior description, many hating onlytattoos°. This
estimate, it is to be observed. could Hot have iu-
eluded Holkor's Pindarries. I have not the docu-
ments to refer to which represented the accounts I
bad of the Pindarry force whilst I was rn Sciedia's
camp. In the month of September, 1809, I for-
warded a statement to Government, making the
number of Pindarries of Scindia's at,d Holkar'e
parties, amount together to 24,550, winch was by
much the lowest estimate I had procured. I then
thought it probable that they might have about
14,000 good horse. 111 November, 1811, when the
Poidarries came down to Nugpore, the body which
windrow' up within view of the Residency could not
have been less than four or five thousand, judging
from the ground over which they extended, and the
apparaut depth of their ranks. This body, too, was
Ito doubt composed only of the beat of the horse
which came on the expedition, and they certainly
appeared of a very good description; but they were; •
by all accounts of that time, not a very large pro-
portion of the number of the Pindarries. I remem-
ber, about the patine • , Hiking Jesonnit Rio t
what force of good horse he understood the Put•
diaries could bring into the field, :mil he ineettioned
about 12,000. He also NMI 111. a they were esti- •
Mated at about eo,ooo of all sorts. The third ac-
count here given makes the good horse mmuutit to
6,800 only; and, upon a calculation, that to every
two fighting. men there are dee honorees, or mere
plunderer% the whole are estimated at 23,800 ;
hat this distinction is of the lass consteptence, as
long as a great part of the Whores are armed with
piker, and so well mounted as to snake matches of
a lengths, and for a continuance, beyond what any
troops but the Martian's of former times have per-
haps ever done in Wis. The calculation, too, is
of a very loose nature, and world lead to an over-
charged estimate of the total number of the Pity-
dames, wiles. we summer which. 'hay be die case,
that tilmost every one in their camps who has a tattoo
to ride, is considered as o Pindarry.
The principal drawbacks on the in of the
numbers of the Pindarries since 1804, would be
the casualties of the war with and the
great lon of horses and of men which the uucom-
mon distance of their plundering excuosioue must
have entailed. It is not unlikely, too, . that many
of the adventurers may have left the Pindarries
after Kurreem's defeat. Cheetuo, who, wince that
time, has been serving with Scindia's troop% would
probably clear his own roily from all foreigners, it'
obedience to ticitidia's orders; and the natural con-
sequence of ill success would lead to many deser-
tions from the parties attached to Kurreetn, at
least of the extraneous part of his followers.

From ull recounts I hive. ever heard, I should
be inclined to consider. the third account, which
maker the good horse, or lighting body a tttt t egst the
l'iiidarries, amount to 6,R00, as rather below than
above the tiotli; although, judging of this account
in the same manner aii experienceshews yoo mutt lit
general judge of nattveatatetneuts in such niatter%
the contrary conclusion would be eunsidered safe,
to this statement, according to the iiiteotion of the
person who furnished it, %nu are only to include
Loth horses lend wen of the most superior decrip-
tom. By the authors of the other statements, one
of whom is a 'pewit-writer with the Rajah's only its
Pollopinal, and the oilier a prr.inii in NSillwr,', who
is well qualified to judge iu ruck subject', 8 or
10,000 excellent borne are represented as being
swor the truth. •

The Pirirkarry infantry are scarcity word, men-
tiormig, since the dispersion of the forces of Karr-
term. I bear that Clteetoo bas two or three Euro-
peans with ins guns.
The origin of the Pindarries is invotr..d in some
obscurity; all thin seems to ram to be certain is,
that they air of Rubins!' or .'utter extraction; but
that the earlier ancestors of the principal and
the tribe in &tiers,. were formerly settled as the
districts *hoist fiejapore, in the Deccan.
Ott the dissoluisuir of the last Nlaltonseitan dy.

• P‘mies.
11mist,r ..f t!iv Rtj of I.l.rar.

nestles of the Deccan, under whom th-y resin io
have been employed,.they entered into the servo..
of the Illarhattas. Tt.tir enirrloymetit i* said t••
have bees„ to accompany the Biter tier Wallah i• r
quarter.master general), to go mit with toragh
parties, and to moist en supplying the bazars w lit
grain 1 besides perforating other serviers hf
plundering body suited to the maxims of a preda.
tory warfare..
In their plundering expedition. the best of the
horse forth covering patties, and ought not to • rn-
'barns' themselves with spoil; II Sprolsihitimi, pro.
highly. much disregisnled. This burly is 'mended
to he ready on MI alarm, to collect at any remit,
in order to lace and amuse an enemy, whilst the
oplundariog parties are oinking nW with what lb. v
may have collected. Tue principal chh is sehmtra
in person accompany these expeditious, but remain
in their
,casitouthents, settling in their stead some
of their most confidential clielas • to conduct the
operations, and keeping tip x regular corninntiic:.
lion with the different parties by means of linear-
robs, ionietiturs disguised as fakeer' and- goo.-
sirens t, and of fakeers mid gorrsaseena in their
Pay. Throughout India, indeed, vagabonds of
this description are generally eithilnyed as spies;
and their mendicant profession and wandering life,
with the respect they receive and the access dirt,
obtain intro camps and lawns; render them well cal-
culated for their irrnfessihn.
It remains In speak of their chief., and to de.
as rrrll as isv information will enable stir,
the usual stations of their durralis and families re•
spectively.
seetoo Clieetoo, or Sirldon, is said to have
kern the sort of a pito 4, purchased in a period of
famine by 1)oohlile NlA'', then a cue ttttt on horse.
matt in the durralt of Burnam who had at comp,..
used Madajee Seindia an an expedition to no.buti.
He was first noticed and promoted by the present
Rajah of Serer, in whose service Burrito was en.
tenanted at the period of an expedition against
Hnuengaborl, about the year 1797. An early en.
sully appears to have sulo.aird between Clieetoo and
Kurreem, insomuch as to have 'caused in attempt
to be made by Citeeroo to get Kurreem aral his
brothei Herroo assassinated. Hector) was whinnied
in the ittempt, Cheeton was at that time with
Reesali, a Pindarry Chief of Seindia'a parry, theta
stationed at Asseeighor, who protected hith in the
business. and a battle between the parties of K Ufao
mem amid Reezah is said to have been the coolie-
quenee. lit 1805 Cheeton got the title of Newaith
Koinaul Mahoinmed blhoaton Kurreem Jiiiigh,
from Scindia. His seizure in 1807, and release in
1811, are well known.
Cheetoo is represented to be a matt of shout fifty
years of age, of middle mature and nropoitions, of
a complexion called " aussrelalt," neiiher very dark
nor very fair, an oval face with whiskers, knit tau
limit on his head ; he sometimes wears short Mar.
Nitta drawers, Called " ghoorgliers," and suave.
times the Mosstilittair's long drawers, but always a
tuition iis the Pill tall fashion.

He has n ion named Mahommod Piumah,
to be nimbi twenty yeah; of age. of nearly the incon
stature, complexioil, dress and .appearance as 114
father, but lean in his person.
2. Kurreeth Kitson is the Son of Sheer Khali.
who, and his two brotheis. Sunnily Khan and
Shusneheer Khan. were the sons of !twist KI
Sheer Khan had another Poll besides Kurreem.
named Ijreroo; Summit Khan had a a... 1 11ZI MCII
Suodut Khan, who is in the service of Holkar; and
Shumalieer Khali* sun, Hoo.sein Khan, is now a
common horseman in the durrah of Dust Matioined.
Linnet from a Dispatch from Mr. Datcyll to the fila.:ras
Secretary, dated 16th March

I this morning obtained posture intelliornce that
the Pindarries appeared yesterday afternoon before
the village of Nara.arugpettah, the reUilence of oue
of the priescipsl reminders in this district, and of
the arrival at that place of the second human'', 3(1
regiment native infantry, uuder the command of
Major Pepper.
The 2d regiment light cavalry bus not vet reach-
ed Guntoor, and 1 therefore conjecture that Major
Walker ha• been apprised of the route of the ma-
rauder., and has marched directly in pursuit of
them.

Their ►poliutions in this neighbourhood are mark.
ed with the most savage burberities ; every village
which they have pillaged contains victims of their
fury, and a few hamlets only hive escaped their
destructive page.
About 50 persons whom they wonnded have
already repaired for medical aid to Dr. Haines, the
surgeon attached to the Court; ■nd the kind and
unremitted attention which they niiiverAally receive
from him. merits the highest commendation.
I. last night walked into the village of Guntoor
for the purpose of observing the oho which the
arrival of a military force had produced on the
minds of the inhabitants.

found their fears had in some measure stk..
sided, hut the distress occasomed by the despoils-
tiou of their property, and the barbarous lurks of
their &Milted a picture of the ino4t
consummate misery I ever recutirct to have ails
nesscd.

Extroet from n Dior-Itch from Mr. flatten to the Madras

tircreetiy, dated 181 h March, IBIS. --
It is exccednigly difficult to (Mimi) correct in-
formation rewectiog the uiovement of the 1111 b.
Fonder*. 'Flay tomtit with eatntlishing• rapidity,
mid their ravages have inspired the people %soh bo
great * degree of terror that few will venture to so-
protich them. Success increwire the ataitirdi revs-
city of their manners. De vartetion. and
death, are the horrid concomitants of tneir
An iiiiitence of that heroic resolution wlnNi ax.
cite* the adeniratinn of man, in.vs moc'i e..ever Ilse
horror it ociiiiaous may be reouscoatit to the Irri•
togs of I Amoy, has just come to aoy Allowlralgrs

• fonwrite salves, arloyteJ by their mast•rt,
t The lame c•riasti sect of liouduo c,krerc
t A t,ihe of kiiroula potatasiug a liri;t tertitary to 148
64'10411.4rd ut the Juana,