A History of the Mahrattas v2.c47.17

v2.c47.17

¹ [William Henry Tone, brother of the Irish rebel, Theobald Wolfe Tone, was born in August 1764, near Naas in Kildare. He was the son of a ruined coachmaker, and ran away at the age of sixteen to join the East India Company’s service as a volunteer. He spent six years at St. Helena and then left the service; but rejoined it in 1792, and was sent to Madras the same year. Obtaining his discharge he went to Calcutta, and there was given an appointment in the Nizām’s service by Marigny, the second-in-command of the Nizām’s army. Owing to the quarrel between Raymond and Marigny and seeing no chance of promotion, Tone left Hyderābād and returned to Calcutta, where his good looks, manners and address obtained for him a letter of recommendation to the Pēshwā’s Court. He reached Poona in 1796, in company with Colonel Palmer, the newly-appointed Resident, and obtained a post in Boyd’s corps. In 1801 he commanded 200 native troops in support of Lakwa Dādā and the Bāis at the defence of Sounda, and was forced by Perron to surrender. The latter permitted him to retire to Holkar’s capital, Mahēshwar, and there Holkar provided him with ample funds for his expenses and the restoration of his health. He was killed in 1802 in an action near Choli Māhēshwar, while serving with Holkar. Tone was an enterprising and valorous soldier and was the author of a pamphlet styled *Some Institutions of the Mahratta People*, which was described as ‘both elegant and accurate.’ (Compton, *Military Adventurers*, &c.. pp. 416–19.)]