A History of the Mahrattas v2.c53.17

Language: English

v2.c53.17.1

Peace was no doubt of the greatest importance to British India at this period, but the power of the Mahratta chiefs was completely broken : the Peishwa, however inimically disposed, had as yet acquired no authority, and the Marquis Wellesley, without renouncing any advantages, would have soon been enabled to effect every arrangement for securing a long if not a permanent tranquillity ; but the protracted warfare and the popular clamour in England against his administration, arising chiefly from temporary embarrassments and a sudden accumulation of debt, began to influence the opinions, not only of the proprietors and Directors of the East India Company, but of the British Ministry.¹ The return of the venerable Marquis Cornwallis² to India was solicited by the highest authorities, as if the salvation of that country depended on his presence. He arrived in Calcutta on the 30th July, and on the same day assumed charge of the government. He showed, almost from the first act of his administration, that he disapproved of the system of defensive alliance conjoined with a subsidiary force, and evinced so great an eagerness to put an end to the war with Holkar, and to accommodate the differences with Sindia, that, had the power of these chiefs and of Rughoojee not been completely broken, it would probably have ensured a prolongation of hostilities, conducted with all the energy and activity of Mahrattas in success.

v2.c53.17.2

Lord Cornwallis was willing to overlook the outrage committed by Sindia on the British Resident, to give up Gwalior and its dependencies, and to make some provision for the Rana of Gohud from the disposable territories on the Jumna. To Holkar he proposed to restore the whole of the territories conquered from him during the war. He greatly disapproved of the treaties of defence and guarantee entered into with the petty Rajas of Joudpoor, Jeypoor, Bhurtpoor, Macherry and Boondee. As to the first, the Raja of Joudpoor having refused to ratify the treaty which his wukeel had made with General Lake, of course no agreement with that state existed. With regard to the second, the Raja of Jeypoor had not fulfilled the conditions of his agreement, and the Marquis Cornwallis at an early period had directed him to be informed that it was considered as dissolved; but the Raja’s subsequent conduct had in a great degree retrieved his previous neglect. With respect to the other three, the Governor-General proposed, as an inducement to their renouncing the alliance, to make over portions of the territory conquered from Sindia south of Delhi, and on the west of the Jumna, which river he intended should form the south-western boundary of the Company’s possessions in that quarter, and by this means exempt the British Government from all obligation to guarantee or defend the territory so assigned from the attack of Sindia or any other potentate.

v2.c53.17.3

In conformity with these sentiments, instructions were forwarded to Lord Lake on the 19th September; but, before their official transmission, Lord Lake, apprised of the pacific course of policy which the new Governor-General had determined to pursue, seized an opportunity, consequent to Ambajee’s appointment to the administration and to the dismissal of Shirzee Rao, to draw proposals from Sindia, —an important advantage in most negotiations, but particularly so in the present case. To the overtures made Lord Lake replied that he could listen to no proposition until the Resident was released, a preliminary to which Sindia now readily consented; and Lord Lake, in anticipation of the wishes of the Governor-General, had submitted, previously to the receipt of his instructions, a plan for the adjustment of differences with Sindia. In consequence of this favourable state of affairs, and the evils he conceived likely to result from abandoning the connexion with the petty states and permitting the Mahrattas to regain a footing in the northern provinces, he delayed acting upon the instructions, and represented the reasons by which he was guided.