The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-21 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

MEMOIRS AND CORRESPONDENCE OF I
rHE MARQUIS WELLESLEY. By Robert
Rouiere Pearce, Esq. 3 Vas.
These memoirs, though not arranged in the best
manner, nor distinguished by much ability in writing,
are, however, of great value, as they embody the prin-
cipal events in the life of a most distinguished statesman,
and furnish many useful letters and documents necessary
to form a just estimate of thz, vast services which the
Marquis Wellesley rendered to his country. With the
exception of his illustrious brother and the immortal
Nelson, it would be difficult to find any one who did so
much to raise the character of England, or who achieved
such important victories. Mr. Pearce begins from the
beginning., and gives ample details of the Wellesley
family, its antiquity, and even royal descent, for he
traces it to one of the Kings of Ireland, the character
of the first Earl of Mornington, father of the Marquis,
his great love for music, and many other circumstances,
with which the curiosity of the reader will be much gra-
tified. Till we read these volumes, we were not aware
that the family name was so lately changed as during
the administration of Lord Mornington in India, and
that when the Duke went out to that part of the world,
he was called the Hon. Arthur Wesley. The follow-
ing brief but interesting letter places the matter beyond
doubt, and it is curious to observe that the qualities fur
which Wellington has been distinguished through his
long career, attracted so early the attention of the Mar-
quis Cornwallis. It is a simple letter of introduction
from a former Governor-General of India to Sir John
Shore, who preceded the Earl of Mornington in that
high station :
" Dear Sir—l bog leave to introduce to you Colo-
nel Wesley, who is Lieut.-Colonel of my regiment ;
he is a sensible man and a good officer, and will, I
have no doubt, conduct himself in a manner to merit
your approbation.—l am, &c.,—CORNWALLLIS."
It thus appears that Col. Wesley left for India a consi
derable time before the Marquis was appointed Gover-
nor-General. These memoirs embrace the public life
of the Marquis from his first appearance in the Irish
House of Lords till his appointment as Lord-Lieutenant
of his native country ; but by far the most important
part of it relates to his Government in India. At the
period of his appointment, the year 1797, the British pos-
sessions in India were in a most defenceless, and conse-
quently, dangerous condition. French influence was all
powerful at several of the courts of the native princes,
and espeeially at Hyderabad and Nizam, as well as
throughout the greater part of the Mahratta territory.
Tippoo Saib was plotting against England—he was in
constant correspondence with French agents, and even
the Government at Paris—he was enlisting French
troops into his service, and the Marquis Wellesley (then
Lord Mornington) had every reason to believe that is a
very short period after his arrival, India would be
invaded by a French army, His Lordship, with the
usual decision of his family, resolved at once to defeat a
project which involved the tate oflndia ; and India, owing
to the parsimonious system lately adopted, was but little
fitted for a contest with Tippoo Saib and the other discon-
tented nabobs, aided by French reinforcements. Welles-
ley, however,would see no difficulties; he resolved to rouse
the sleepy officials appointed by the India House, and
announced that nothing short of depriving Tippoo
Saib of the power of doing mischief could afford
the British Government security against his de-
signs, as well as those of the French Directory.
When the fact was made known to General Harris,
then Governor of Madras, it created the utmost con-
sternation. The bare idea of the renewal of war with
Tippoo filled the members of that Government with ap-
prehensions, and several of them protested in the
strongest terms against the proposition to assemble an
army on the coast of Coromandel; even the Commander-
in-Chief, Lord Harris, shrunk at first sight from the
enterprise, but, like a good soldier, answered—" On my
part, your Lordship may depend on my following your
instructions implicitly." Remonstrances, however, were
still urged by the timid ; and difficulties for money, and
men, and everything, were pointed out ; but the noble
Governor-General could see no " lion in the way;" he
saw that victory was within his reach, that the strength
of England was equal to the task, and notwithstanding
Tippoo's 700 elephants, 6,000 camels, 300,000 fire-locks,
200,000 swords, 2,000 pieces of cannon, and a regular
aerny of 100,000 men, with 40,000 irregular infantry,
he resolved to lose not a moment in bringing the affair
to an issue. With that view, he began with Nizam ;
induced the ruler of that territory to admit, in place of
2,000, 6,000 subsidiary British troops into his pay,
and compelled him, by great tact and daring,
to disband the whole French corps as soon
as the British troops should arrive. Eleven
thousand men laid down their arms on promise of pay,
and future employment, and the French officers com-
manding them were delivered up to the British com-
mander, who sent them, with all their property and
arrears of pay, to France. Tho result of this great
negotiation raised the spirits of the officials at Madras;
Marquis Wellesley began to be regarded as a man of some
ability, and its effects were visible on the rulers of the
neighbouring states. Tippoo, however, still held out, and
endeavoured, by deceit and lying, to protract the contest
till he could be assured of speedy assistance from France.
That the Governor-General was determined to anti-
cipate, and he accordingly gave directions to General
Harris to put his army in motion and pursue Tippoo
Sultan to his last retreat. In the short space of two
months the war was brought to a close, and a kingdom
yielding an annual revenue of more than a million
sterling was transferred in full sovereignty to the East
India Company. In nearly all his other measures for
the better government of India, the Marquis was equally
successful, yet the directors and he never acted cor-
dially together. He had reason also to complain of want
of support from the Board of Control, at the head of
which was Henry Dundas, afterwards Lord Melville. In
a letter to Lord Castlereagh, dated 1805, he states
the difficulties he had to contend with in these words:—
" The motives of the conduct of my personal enemies at
the India-house are sufficiently evident; and my expecta-
tions from that quarter are rather disappointed by any
transient and momentary gleam of justice and reason, which
may acidentally appear in the general tumult of personal pre-
judice and vindictive fury. But from your Lordship I con-
fidently expect more comprehensive views of policy and early
justice. Perhaps my long habits of familiar acquaintance
with the affairs of this country may render objects clear and
distinct to my comprehension, which may require explana-
tion and illustration for the information of others. My
situation, however, is, under such circumstances, become
most painful, and indeed dangerous—exposed to the most
severe responsibility and pressed by the constant and urgent
necessity of acting for the security of this vast empire, upon
the view of local exigencies, with limited means of exertion,
with a certainty of the most indefatigable counteraction from
the India-house, and. with a doubt
.of timely, effectual, or
direct support from the Crown."
In adver,ing to the conduct of the directors he uses
different language, and his provocation must have been
great, for with this exception he speaks mildly, and
generally favourably of almost every person about
whom he writes. He appears to have been a man of a
most amiable disposition, with a mind totally inaccessible
to envy, jealousy, or personal hatred. The following
extracts, however, will show that he could resent perse-
cution, and also that he preferred the interests of his
country to the favour of ,the Lords of Leadenhall-street :
" TO LOUD VISCOUNT CASTLEREAGH.
"'Fort William, Ist March, 1804.

" ' My dear Lord,—.

"' I request your Lordship to be assured of the deep sense
which I
entertain of your honeurable conduct towards me.
It is unnecessary to repeat to your Lordship my utter con-
tempt of any opinions which may be entertained by
Mr. "• *4** and the Court of Directors, or to apprise you
that I expect every practicable degree of injustice and base-
ness from that faction.--I have the honour to be, &c.,
" 'WELLESLEY.'
"Lord Wellesley speaks in a still higher strain of asperity
and anger in a subsequent part of the same letter (19th of
June, 1804):
" 'Your Lordship may be assured that I entertain a just
sense of the sentiments of public and private honour from
which your conduct towards me has proceeded ; and that I
rely with the most entire confidence upon your Lordship's
justice and public spirit to frustrate the vindictive profligacy
of the Court of Directors, and to expose to the view of my
Sovereign and my country, in the most distinct and per-
spicuous manner, the motives, principles, conduct, and re-
sult, of every branch of my administration in India. My
sincere and anxious hope is, that every point of difference
between me and the Court of Directors may be fully ex-
plained to Parliament and to the public. Nor can your
Lordship and Mr. Addington, by any act of friendship,
afford me a protection so grateful to my feelings, or so ad-
vantageous to my character, as by a full disclosure to Par-
liament of every act of my administration, and of every
proceeding of the Court of Directors, since I have had the
misfortune to be subjected to the ignominious tyranny of
Leadenhall-street. lam induced to hope that I shall be en-
abled to relinquish the service of my honourable employers
in the month of January or February next. Tour Lordship,
however, may be assured, that as no symptoms of tardy re-
morse displayed by the Honourable Court, in
present
of the faith and honour of my very worthy and approved
good masters, or protract my continuance in India for one
hour beyond the limits prescribed by the public interests, so
no additional outrage, injury, or insult, which can issue from
the most loathsome den of the India-house, will accelerate
my departure, while the public safety shall appear to require
my aid in this arduous station.'"
The rest of the work is occupied
in
ehilepayrli Nia-mithendtegtaaiTles
on the assistance which the Marquis
to his brother while commanding in the Peninsula, his
administration of Ireland, and a brief account of his
latter days.