The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-24 00:00:00

SCIYDIA AND lIOLKAR.

At a time when these almost forgotten names are
likely to become ai familiar as they were in the
days of L tke and Wellesley, the following extract
from a rtceut number of the Wellinfuton, Gazette
rn•ty nut be uninteresting :
" The most powerful of the modern families were
those of Holkar and Scindia. The founder of the
former was the nephew of an officer of the court.
When about 7 years old he was marked out for dis-
tinction by a prodigy that might have been related
of a Greek or Roman hero. A snake was seen fan-
ning him withits hood, while he slept on the ground
unconscious of the presence of so datigcrous a neigh-
bour. When still young ho was taken to the capi-
tal by his uncle, and ho gradually rose to a high po-
sition at the Pcshwa's Court. Readopted in coursa
of time another Holkar, and the families continued
to rise in fame and importance. They obtained a
Jaghir e, or military fief, and their capital was In-
dore, in the province of Malwa, which ultimately
became divide I between the Poshwa, Roltiar, and

Scindia.
" The Scindia family were of skill more humble
origin : Ty -apa, their founder, was a Khettnutgar,
or personal atendant of the great' Bagi Be.o, so
called to distinguish him from a successor in the
Peshvreship who will figure in the subsequent ner-
retive. Like the first Holkar, Ty apa was raised
to power and then defied his benefactors. But the
military charaAer of the Pesh was was not yet ex-
tinct, and the first Sciudia was overpowered by their
troops, and Ives at last assassinated while on a
campaign. His de,:ceniants inherited his warlike
and Criet °Aching spirit, and seized the government
of Ougein, the ancient capital of the Sing of Mal-
wa. The jealousy of these two great families
seemed inextinguishable—Rome and Alba, Athens
and Sparta, were not more bent on mutual exami-
nation, and the wars of the Holkars and Scindias
would furnish to history an episode as exciting as
those of York and Lancast:T. A singe defeat
produced but a slight impression—the slaughter
of a chief served but to inaugurate the reign of a
more energetic successor. The Holkars seemed
utterly overthrown in the great battle of 1797, as
fierce and brilliant a deed of arms as Bannockburn
or Crecy- ; bat seven years afterwards Jeswnnt Rao
Holkar was knocking at the gates of Imperial Delhi.
" The Girkwar was another chief of importance;
the first who bore the title contributed to establish
the fame of the Mahratta arms, and received valu-
able gnints in Jaghire. He afterwards asserted his
independence, and seized the maritime province of
Guzerat, which at the time of our narrative still re-
mained in his family. Another potentate was the
Raja of Berar, whose ancestor had received Berar,
in Jahite. but had converted it into a separatJ
State, and acknowledged only the political autho-
rity of the Peshwa. Thus there was no less than
five distinct rulers in the Mahratta country, each
with his own capital and his own court. Holkar and
Scindia were incomparably the most influential,
and. the Peshwa was perhaps the weakest of all,
though all called him their superior. The legal
fictions of this peculiar people were carried into the
empire itself, where, after Sciudia,'s arms had placed
him at the head of affairs, the Peshwa was styled Va-
guel ul Mutuluk, or Regent under the Emperor; the
conqueror himself was the Peshwa's deputy, and
M. Perron, commander-in-chief of Scindia, called
his troops the imperial army, and himself the sub-
ject and servant of the Great Mogul.
" Mons. Perron was the second European wbo
had commanded Mahratta forces ; the first was
n
Mons. de Boigue, a native of Savoy, who diatecid-
plined. the army of Madaji Scindia, ad attrac
many foreigner., especially Frenchmen, to the ser-
vice. His army consisted of 38,000 infan_ try,
8,000 cavalry, and 270 iron and brass gnus. Mons.
t of France. To
Perron was a naS
otivecinclia and
csoum
jmeictted the care of his
him Dowlut R
a
northern provinces, while hohinaself remained near
Poonah to overawe hisnomnia
fnia:xst?r,
ns rival i th.e P. eshit w.
ana.
Holkar followed the example o n inv.g
orfS
Europeans to his'service, buta.tulide star
r on elihtlit/
brighter than hist
allvias the north-western frontier of India, in_
eluding Delhi and Agra. He seems to have been in
every way worthy of the trust. He did his utmost
to favour French influence, and to purge the army
of English officers, yet an English author wrote,
Gen. Perron, a French officer of great experience
and consumate abilities, both as a statesman and a
soldier, top r eseuts Dowlut Rao Scinda in Hindostan,
and is invested with the most full and absolute autho-
rity over every department of the Government, civil
and military ; this power he exercises with great
moderation, and at the same time with a degree of
judgment and energy that evince very superior
talents.'
" Could all the five chiefs have understood their
national interest, and united under a common head,
or formed a stanch anti-European alliance, the con-