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XLIX.

1805.

Jan. 21.

CHAP. fire from the rampart on the opposite side. At length, however, they succeeded in passing over; but all their efforts to gain the summit of the breach proved ineffectual. The wall, which was of tough mud, which could not be broken down by the heavy guns, was imperfectly ruined ; the scaling-ladders were found to be too short; and, after sustaining a very heavy loss, the troops were compelled to return to their trenches. A second assault, some days afterwards, met with still less success. The brave men reached the edge of the ditch, but it proved to be so broad and deep that all attempts to fill it up were fruitless; and after sustaining for above an hour a dreadful fire within pistol-shot from the ramparts, the assaulting column was again obliged to retire. An attempt was soon after made by the whole of Holkar's remaining cavalry, and that of Meer Khan, another noted Mahratta freebooter, to cut off a valuable convoy on its way from Muttra to the British camp. The convoy with its covering force was hard beset by an immense body of cavalry, in a village, when the approach of the 27th light dragoons, and a Lake's Desp. regiment of native horse, enabled them to sally out and 23, 1805. totally rout the assailants. Meer Khan's equipage, with iv. 264, 267. all his arms and a complete suit of armour, fell into the hands of the victors.1

Jan. 23.

1 Lord

Jan. 10, 21,

Wel. Desp.

88.

assaults on

which are

The siege was now prosecuted with fresh vigour by the Repeated English army, which, being reinforced by a division five Bhurtpore, thousand strong from Bombay, was raised to twenty thourepulsed. sand men ; while the efforts of the besieged, who were greatly elevated by their former success, were proportionally increased. It was soon discovered that the troops of the Rajah were amongst the bravest and most resolute of Hindostan, comprising, in addition to the remnant of Holkar's followers, the Jats, or military caste of Bhurtpore, who yielded to none in Asia the palm of resolution and valour. After a month's additional operations, the breach was deemed sufficiently wide to warrant a third assault, which was made by the 75th and 76th regiments, sup

Feb. 20.

XLIX.

1805.

ported by three sepoy battalions, under Colonel Don; CHAP. while two other subordinate attacks were made at the same time, one on the enemy's trenches outside the town, and another on the Beem-Narain gate, which it was thought might be carried by escalade. The attack on the trenches proved entirely successful, and they were carried, with all their artillery, by Captain Grant; but the other two sustained a bloody repulse. The scaling-ladders of the party destined to attack the gate were found to be too short, or were destroyed by the terrible discharges of grape which issued from its defences; and, despite all their efforts, the brave 75th and 76th were forced down 1 See ante, with dreadful slaughter from the breach. They were chap. xlvii. ordered out again to the assault, but the troops were so Lake's Desp. staggered by the frightful scene that they refused to leave 1805. Wel. their trenches; and the heroic 12th regiment of sepoys 292, 293. marched past them with loud cheers to the breach.1

§ 30. Lord

Feb. 21,

Desp. iv.

of the

89.

Such was the vigour of their onset, that the brave Indian soldiers reached the summit in spite of every obstacle, and Final defeat the British colours were seen for a few minutes waving on British. the bastion; while the 76th, stung with shame, again advanced to the assault. The bastion proved to be separated by a deep ditch from the body of the place, and the guns from the neighbouring ramparts enfiladed the outwork so completely, that the valiant band, after losing half their numbers, were in the end driven down the breach, weeping with generous indignation at seeing the prize of their heroic valour thus torn from them. The attempt was renewed on the following day with no better success. Feb. 21. The whole of the European infantry in the army, about two thousand five hundred strong, with three battalions of native infantry, were employed in the assault, under the command of Colonel Monson. Such, however, was the height and difficulty of the breach, and such the resolute resistance opposed by the enemy, that all their efforts proved unsuccessful. A small number only could mount abreast, from the narrowness of the ruined part of the

XLIX.

1805.

CHAP. wall; and, as they pushed up, they were crushed under logs of wood, or torn in pieces by combustibles thrown among them by the besieged: while the few who reached the top, swept off by discharges of grape, which poured in by a cross-fire from either side, perished miserably. After two hours employed in this murderous and fruitless contest, in which prodigies of valour were performed on Lake's Desp. both sides, the troops were drawn off; and after six 1805. Wel. Weeks of open trenches and four desperate assaults,

1 Lord

Feb. 21, 22,

Desp. iv.

292, 295.

90.

Reasons on

both sides

for an ac

tion with

the Rajah

of Bhurtpore.

which cost above three thousand brave men, the native colours still waved on the walls of Bhurtpore.1

Although, however, the British troops had, at the close of their long career of victory, met with this unexpected check, yet many reasons concurred to recommend submiscommoda- sion to the hitherto unsubdued Rajah. His territory was wholly occupied by the enemy; his resources were cut off; his stores and magazines rapidly diminishing; and even if he should be so fortunate as to withstand a repetition of the furious assaults from which he had so recently and narrowly escaped, he was well aware that, by the slower but more certain process of blockade and famine, he would in the end inevitably be reduced. On the other hand, various considerations, equally forcible, concurred in counselling an accommodation with the perfidious Rajah to the English government. Though Scindiah had, in the outset of the negotiation, consented to the cession of Gwalior and Gohud, with the adjacent territory, to the Feb. 24. Company, and even signed a treaty in which they were formally ceded to them, yet he had never been reconciled to the loss of the former important fortress; and from the first moment that hostilities commenced with Holkar, it became evident that he was waiting only for a favourable moment to come to an open rupture with the English, or take advantage of their difficulties to obtain its restitution. Troops under his banner had openly attacked the escort of the treasure in Colonel Monson's retreat; the language of his court had been so menacing, the

XLIX.

1805.

conduct of his government so suspicious, that not only CHAP. had a long and angry negotiation taken place with the acting Resident, but General Wellesley had been directed to move the subsidiary force in the Deccan, eight thousand strong, to the frontier of Scindiah's territories. The prince himself, who was weak and sensual, had fallen entirely under the government of his minister and fatherin-law, Surajee Row Ghautka, a man of the most profligate character, who was indefatigable in his endeavours to embroil his master with the British government. Under the influence of these violent counsels, matters were fast approaching a crisis. The cession of Gwalior was openly required, with menaces of joining the enemy if the demand were not acceded to; and at length he announced a determination to interfere as an armed mediator between Holkar and the English, and moved a large force to the neighbourhood of Bhurtpore to support his demands during its long-protracted siege. The conduct of the Rajah of Berar had also become extremely questionable; hostilities, evidently excited by him, had already taken place to Secret in the Cuttack and Bundelcund: and symptoms began Committee, openly to appear in all quarters, of that general disposi- Wel. Desp. tion to throw off the British authority, which naturally Do. to do., arose from the exaggerated reports which had been spread v. 190, 198. of Holkar's successes.1

1 Lord Wel.

iv. 364, 486.

May 1805,

the Rajah

Under the influence of these concurring motives, on 91. both sides, there was little difficulty in coming to an Peace with accommodation with the Rajah of Bhurtpore. The Eng- of Bhurtlish government became sensible of the expediency of pore. abandoning their declared intention of punishing him by the total loss of his dominions for his unpardonable defection, and limiting their resentment to the reduction of his military power and ability to do further mischief; while he saw the necessity of abandoning the alliance of Holkar, and expelling him from his dominions. The terms ultimately agreed to, at the earnest suit of the enemy, were, that the Rajah should pay twenty lacs of

XLIX.

1805.

April 17.

CHAP. rupees, by instalments, in four years; that he should never hold any correspondence with the enemies of the British power, whether in Europe or Asia; and that, as a security for the faithful performance of these conditions, he should forthwith surrender one of his sons as a hostage, make over the fortress of Dieg to the British troops, submit any difference he might have with any other power to their arbitration, and obtain from them a guarantee for his remaining possessions. These conditions appeared to the governor-general and council to be honourable to the British arms, and to provide for the main object of the present contest-viz. the separation of the Rajah of Bhurtpore from Holkar's interests, and the severing of the latter chieftain from the resources which his fortresses and treasures afforded. The treaty was, therefore, ratified Wel. Desp. by the governor-general; and on the day on which it was signed, the Rajah's son arrived in the British camp, and Holkar was compelled to leave Bhurtpore.1

May 2.

1 Lord Wel.

to Secret

Committee,

May 1805.

v. 149, 151,

198, 199.

92.

being ex

Bhurtpore.

As the forces of this once formidable chieftain were Holkar joins now reduced to three or four thousand horse, without Scindiah, either stores or guns, and his possessions in every part of pelled from India had been occupied by the British troops, he had no alternative but to throw himself upon the protection of his ancient enemy, Scindiah, who had recently, under his father-in-law's counsels, appeared as an armed mediator in his favour. He accordingly joined Scindiah's camp with his remaining followers immediately after his expulsion from Bhurtpore. The Mahratta horse had previously reassembled in small bodies in the vicinity of that town, in consequence of the absence of the great bulk of the British cavalry, which had been detached from the grand army to stop the incursion of Meer Khan, who had broken into the Doab, and was committing great devastations. On the 1st April, Lord Lake, having received intelligence that a considerable body of the enemy had assembled in a position about sixteen miles from Bhurtpore, made a forced march to surprise them in their camp; and he was

April 1.

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