Star.
London, England, 1819-01-02 00:00:00

" I have stated these two cases before I touched
upon that of the Peishwa, because they will strongly
elucidate the necessity of the conduct held towards
that Prince, if Prince be not a title unfitly applied to
an individual so filthily stained with perfidy. Our
endeavour to screen his reputation by throwing the
whole guilt of the Guyckwar Minister's murder on
Trimbuckjee Dainglia, when the Peishwa himself
was not less actively implicated in it, was so per-
versely met by him, that throughout the year 1815,
we discovered the intrigues of his highness at almost
every Court in India, to stimulate combinations
against us in revenge for our austerity towards his
despicable minion. They were thought to be the
effects of an acrimony which would soon subside,
and much importance was not attached to them.—
On finding, however, that they were continued,
judged it right to apprise the Peishwa that I was
acquainted with the transactions. This was done in
the gentlest manner ; and the intimation was coupled
with a profession that I ascribed those practices to
the inchilgence of an inconsiderate spleen, which he
would chasten in himself the moment he reflected on
its real nature. It was added, that in the confidence
of his being solicitous to retrace his steps, I was
ready, on the profession (.f such a dispo6tion on his
part, to obliterate the remembrance of all that had
passed, and to invite his fullest reliance on my per-
sonal efforts to maintain his welfare and dignity.—
His answer was a protestation of never ending grati-
tude for the gentle tone in which I had roused him
to a sense of the track into which he had uninten-
tionally slitidoa, and which could have led only to
his ruin. Ile charged his agents with having ex-
ceeded his instructions, which, nevertheless, he ad-
mitted to have been indefensible, but which he would
expiate by a strict fidelity to the engagements exist-
ing between us, now confirmed anew by his most
solemn asseverations. Very shortly after we detected
him in the endeavour to collect an army, under the
pretence of quelling a rebellion, headed by Trim-
buck.iee, to whom a constant remittance of treasure
was made from the Peishwa's coffers, as we knew by
the most accurate information of every issue. We
were then constrained to anticipate this incorrigible
plotter. We surrounded Wm in his capital, and
obliged him to submit to terms which preserved the
ancient appearances of connexion, but deprived him
of much strength, should he hazard future machina-
tions. At the same time, what we imposed waii only
a filament of nn article in the treaty of Basseim, by
wl.kh he was obliged to keep up for us an auxiliary
force of StY.K) horse. Not QM of them had ever been
retained for us ; and the money which should have
furnished them went into his Highness's private trea-
sury. But we noW req.tired that districts yielding
revenue to the requisite amount • should be put into
our hands for the levy and maintenance of the ca-
valry in question, according to the usual custom in
the Mahratta States, of assigning lands to Sirdars,
for the subsistence of a specified number of troops.
This force, though it would be the Peishwa's for
every purpose of service while friendship existed be-
tween us, would go into our scale (since we were the
paymasters) should his Serene Highness venture to
break with us. He did, you arc aware, venture to
break with us, but you possibly may not have sus-
pected how beneficial that precipitate step was for
us. Had he not done so, the conspiracy to which he
had given a substance and shape much beyond what
we had conceived, might have burst forth upon us
at an unprovided moment, with mischievous concur-
rence of exertion. The Peishwa trusted to wide co-
operation. The sanguinary desire of macsacreing
Mr. Elphinstone, made him over hasty in breaking
forth, though he had no doubt but that Scindia and
Ameer Khan were already in the field against us.—
The pledges-of reciprocal support, settled in 1815,
are whati have stated, against Scindia, in the ear-
lier part cif the recapitulation, The Peishwa, when'
lie resorted to arms, was not informed that Scindia
and Ameer Khan had already been reduced to nut..
litr. They had been put out of the question. But
I lolkar and the Rajah of Nagpore had yet the power
of moving. When, after their defeat, they were
asked what could lead them to the extravagant act
of attacking us, with whom they were in bonds of
plighted amity ? each pleaded the order of the
Peishwa as not to be contested. Ilolkar's Ministers
acknowledged their spontaneous petition to be taken
under the wins of the British Government ; but
urged, the Peishwa is our maste.• ; and what be
commands we must obey.' fhe Rajah of Nagpme
being, after his last seizure, charged to his face, by
one of his former Ministers, with ingratitude in
making those attempts against which he (the Minis-
ter) had used absolute supplications, answered, that
the conduct of the British Government towards him
had been an tuivaried stream of benefits conferred ;
that there never had been -a transient dissatisfaction,
but that it was his duty to fulfil every direction from
his superior the Peishwa.
44 When the Peishwa, seduced by the invitation of
the Rajah of Nagpore, then at liberty, and filling
tfie Musnud, advanced with his army to the Wardui
but on his arrival there, instead of finding the Nag•
isdearmy ready to join him, learned that the plot
been discovered, and that the Appa Saheb was
a prisoner, the impossibility of ruing back to his
own dominions was apparent. lhe disposal of them
was then to be considered. I have sliewn that there,
could not be a Peishwa admitted. To raise any of
Bajee Row's family to the Throne with another ap-
pellation, would have been a delusion.
" The indefeasible character of the Peishwa and
chief of the Mahratta armies, would have been 'as-
cribed to the individual, in despite of any barriers of
form which we could establish. A corresponding
embarrassment hangs .upon us with regard to Hol-
kar, and the State of Nagpore. The exertions made
by Holkar chewed to us the dangerous impolicy of
leaving that State in a condition to be ever again
troublesome. It has on that account been dismem-
bered of two-thirds of its territory. The greater pro-
portion of those lands have been transferred to the