Star.
London, England, 1825-07-04 00:00:00

THE DECCAN rRIZE•AIoNEY.

Some virulent attacks having been made on the
Duke of Wellington, in relation to the Deccan hooky. it
becomes proper to state the real circumstances of that
transaction, so far as his Grace is concerned.
The Pindarrees, a horde of freebooters, under the
protection of the Mahratta Chit fs, Holkar and Sandia,
had made irruptions into our territories. 'co these they
were, no doubt, incited by Holkar and &India. who, as
well as other Maltratta Chiefs, had secretly formed a
conspiracy to expel the English from India. A grand
military plan was therefore formed by the Marquis of
Hastings, in 1817, for the purpose not only of anni-
hilating the Pindarrees, but of putting down all hostile
confederacy throughout India. This plan consisted of
two ;stns. The Marquis of Hastings, with !be Beni at
army. advanced to the Sind, which river he reached oft
the 6th of November, 1817. while the army of the
Deccan (or South) commanded by Sir T. Hislop, ad.
vanced to the Ner budda, which river was crossed on
the 14th of the same month by Sir J. Malcolm, second
in command. Scindia was easily compelled to sign st
treaty, renouncing the Pindarrees ; and these freebooters,
alarmed and indignant at this conduct, fled to Holkar,
who being also is to protect them, they either dis-
persed or threw themselves on the mercy or their con-
querors. Thus the first object of the war was completed
without producing any particular result in the way of
booty ; but it was not so with the second object, Scindia
had at once subscribed to the terms required of him.
Similar terms were offered to Holkar, but refused, and
the battle of Maheidpoor was the consequence, which
forced him to make a treaty placing himself in a sta-e of
dependence on the British poster. Some inferior Chiefs, -
however, still continued in arms, while others volun-
tarily placed themselves under the British protection.
The Pei,hwa of the Mahrattas, who had been for years
carrying on secret negotiations against us, was induced,
in June, 1817, to sign a treaty renouncing communica-
tion with the other native Powers. This treaty he had
no sooner signed than he resolved to 'violate it. On the
sth of November, 1817., he broke out into open hostili- •
ties. The Rajah of Nagpore pursued a similar conduct,
and in the beginning of December of that year it was
found necessary to proceed to extremities against him.
The operations against these two Sovereigns, as well as
those against Holkar, produced the capture of much
valuable property, which forms the booty in question.
Although this property was in point of fact taken in
1818, or 1819 at the latest, yet it could not sore be
collected into one mass, or brought to a common ac-
count. False notions were entertained of what was
booty. Some persons thought that public buildings
were to be valued, and that debts owing long before by
the native Princes were to be exacted, for the benefit
of the captors. Time was required to get over these
difficulties: and then arose a great question, whether
the property which might fairly be deemed booty was
to be divided' among all the British forces in the field, '
or only among the army of the Deccan? This point
was solemnly argued in 1823, and was at length de-
cided 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 individuals
of that army there might be a great 'variety of coadicting
claims, and that some Trustees ought to be appointa4
with power to determine all questions of this nature
which might arise. On the part of the Deccan army,
Sir Thomas Hislop and Sir John Malcolm applied to
the Duke of Wellington to take' on himself that gra•
tuitous and laborious charge. His Grace declared that
his personal wish was to avoid the burthen, but that he
would sacrifice every consideration of that kind to be
of use to an army to whose bravery he was so Mach
indebted. Accordingly, in 1823, the Duke and Mr.
Arbuthnot undertook this office. Many questions still
arose. The object of the Trtistees was to put art end to
them as speedily as possible; and in point of fact they
were drawing to an end, when the complaint of eelay
was brought forward in Parliament. Not a day nor an
hour had the Ti ustees loitered: and we can state it as a '
positive fact, that his Grace, with his own hand, bad
written above 1100 folio poser on the various claims.
This statement, we trust, plain and simple as it is,
will suffice to chew that the charge of delaying the dia.
tribution of the propeity can in no degree attach to the
Duke of Wellington, Those voluntary services hereon
the contrary been most beneficial to the Army of the
Deccan.—Morning Paper.

The Earl of HARWOOD, his family, and suite, ar-
rived on Tuesday evening at Hatewood House, front Undo".
Monday afternoon as a party of convicts were re-
turning on
.shore from the Chatham hulk, where they
had been assisting in setting a mast, while in the boats
one•of the soldiers attending them placed his haud.on
the muzzle of his musket, -and the piece going Of at
the half cock, the ball passed through his hand.
During. three nights last week, the fisherman of Pool
caught upwards of *OO,OOO mackarel, which were sold
,there at three-pence per dozens