Wellesley formed his army in two lines. The infantry were in the first; the cavalry in the second, and supporting the right; while those of Mysore and the Mogul were on the left, and parallel with that of the enemy, with their right advanced to press the left of the latter. The moment the lines were formed, the whole advanced into action with steadiness and ardour; and those heroes of Assaye, the 74th and Seaforth Highlanders, were among the first to distinguish themselves. The general writes thus: "The 74th and 78th Regiments were attacked by a large body (supposed to be Persians), and all these were destroyed."

Scindia's cavalry, some wearing steel skull-caps with plumes and cheek-plates, and chain-mail to the knees, charged the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment, which was on the left of our whole line, and which signally repulsed them. On this, the whole front of the enemy wavered, broke up, and gave way in disorder, leaving thirty-eight pieces of cannon, with all their ammunition, in our hands, together with elephants and baggage.

Our cavalry pursued them for several miles, and cut down great numbers. The Mogul and Mysore cavalry joined in the pursuit, and added greatly to the slaughter, under a brilliant moonlight. "The troops conducted themselves with their usual bravery," says General Wellesley; "the 74th and 78th Highland Regiments had a particular opportunity of distinguishing themselves, and they have deserved, and received, my thanks." On this day Major Campbell led the Scots Brigade (old 94th), Captain Beauman the artillery, and Captain Burke the guns of the subsidiary force.

Our loss in killed and wounded was only 346; but that of the enemy was great, and never fully ascertained. Vithel Punt, who led the cavalry of Berar, was killed; and Gopal Bhow, who led those of Scindia, was wounded. "If we had had daylight an hour more, not a man would have escaped." †

Wellesley now proposed to besiege the loftilysituated and grand-looking fortress of Gawilghur, in the hilly district of Berar, and from the high round tower of which, above the Putteah Gate, can be seen the vast extent of country traversed by the windings of the Purna and Tapti. It crowns a stupendous rock, and consists of a complete inner fort fronting the south, where the rock is most steep, and an outer fort covers this work to the north and westward. Its garrison now consisted of 5,000 hardy Rajpoots and Gosains. The ascent to the southern gate is steep and difficult; that to the *** 'Despatches-Gurwood's Selections." + Ibid.

northern gate was extremely narrow and everywhere exposed to musketry; yet it was preferred to the other. Colonel Stevenson, who had equipped his corps at Aseerghur for the purpose, was to push the siege, while Wellesley was to cover it. By the 12th of December, 1803, after having heavy ordnance and stores dragged laboriously over mountains and through ravines, the colonel had two batteries ready to divert the attention of the garrison, by breaching the wall near the southern gate. By the evening of the following day the breaches in the walls of the outer fort were reported practicable, and the escalade was then detailed for the next day, at ten o'clock a.m.

The 74th Highlanders, with five companies of the Seaforth, and the 1st Battalion of the 8th, under the orders of Colonel Wallace; five companies of the Seaforth, with the 1st Battalion of the 10th, under Colonel Chalmers, were told off for this service; and seventy pioneers, with crowbars, hatchets, and saws, were to accompany each detachment.

The stormers were to consist of the Scots Brigade in three divisions, under Colonels Kenny, Desse, and Major Campbell; while the advanced party was to consist of one sergeant and twelve select volunteers from that regiment so memorable in war since the days of James VI. of Scotland.

At the appointed hour, the stormers flowed upward, like a human surge, against the rugged breaches, and, under Captain Campbell, the light company of the Scots Brigade planted ladders against the wall at another point, fought their way, and burst open the gate to admit the supports, while the walls were being taken elsewhere. The garrison, which consisted of regular infantry that had escaped from the battle of Argaon, and were all armed with the Company's new muskets and bayonets, fought with vain but resolute valour, for the capture of the great mountain castle was com pletely effected, with the loss of only 126. In it were found seventy-two pieces of ordnance, 2,000 stand of British arms, and 150 wall-pieces, that threw balls varying in weight from eight to sixteen

the homeward-bound fleet, consisting of sixteen East Indiamen, under Captain Dance of the Camden.

Together with this valuable squadron were eleven country ships, and the whole came close to the enemy when off Pulo Aor, a small island eastward of Malacca. It is high, covered with trees, and is the point of departure for ships bound to Canton, and for which vessels generally steer on the homeward voyage.

Captain Dance, a good seaman, put his ships' heads towards the squadron of Linois, which consisted of the Marengo and Belle Poule (seventyfours), the Suffisante (forty-four), a corvette and brig, of twenty-eight and eighteen guns each respectively. Four of our best Indiamen he sent on to reconnoitre, and then formed his line of battle in close order, under easy sail. As soon as Linois' squadron could fetch the wake of ours, they put about, and by sunset were close astern of the India fleet; but no attack was made, as when night fell Linois hauled his wind. Lieutenant Fowler, of the Royal Navy, who was a passenger with Captain Dance, volunteered to go in a fast-sailing vessel and keep the country ships on the lee-bow of the fleet; which, by this judicious arrangement, remained between them and the enemy. Lieutenant Fowler, having executed this duty, returned, bringing with him a number of volunteers from the country ships to serve at the guns: "a noble proof," says Captain Brenton, "of the public spirit of our sailors."

The Indiamen lay to, in line of battle, all night, with cannon shotted and the crews at their quarters. By daylight on the 15th, they hoisted their colours and offered battle, which the enemy did not accept; but by nine a.m., the former filled and stood towards them bravely. At one p.m., Captain Dance, perceiving that Linois intended to attack and cut off his rear, signalled for the whole to tack and engage in succession. The Royal George, Captain Timmins, led, followed by the Ganges and Camden, all under a press of sail. Formed in a very close line, the French opened their fire on the headmost ships, which did not return a shot till they were as near as they could get, for the French -even their two seventy-fours-had a great advantage in superior sailing. The Royal George bore the entire brunt of the action, but before the whole squadron could engage, Linois hauled his wind, and bore away eastward, under all the sail he could spread. Captain Dance threw out the signal for a general chase, which was continued for two hours, till finding that the foe was leaving him far astern, he desisted.

The conduct of the Company's officers and men

on this occasion displayed an admirable instance of the British naval character. "To say that Linois was deceived by the warlike appearance of our Indiamen, and the blue swallow-tail flags, 'pavillon à queue bleu,' worn by the three largest ships, may save his courage at the expense of his judgment. 'An Indiaman,' says the Count de Dumas, has often been mistaken for a ship of the line;' but when did the Count de Dumas ever hear of three British ships of the line lying to, to await the attack of a force so much inferior?”*

Captain Nathaniel Dance was knighted, and received from the Bombay Insurance Society £5,000, with a sword valued at 100 guineas, and swords of similar value were given to Captains Timmins and Moffat.

Not long after this, Captain Henry Lambert, when in command of the Wilhelmina, an old Dutch-built frigate of thirty-two guns, and of a most unwarlike aspect, when off the east side of Ceylon, fell in with a large frigate-built French privateer, whom he engaged with equal fury and obstinacy for more than three hours, when both ships were so utterly disabled that they separated; nor was Lambert, a very young but brave officer, able to renew the conflict, as he was inferior to the privateer in point of sailing.

But greater events than these were, ere long, to be inaugurated on shore, for notwithstanding the decisive victories of Sir Arthur Wellesley and Lord Lake, a new war again broke out. Jeswunt Rao Holkar, during the late contest, had not only promised to join the confederacy against the British, but had concluded a treaty, through the Rajah of Berar, with Scindia; yet, though Holkar had promised everything, he performed nothing, for we are told that truth never abode in the palace or under the tent of a Mahratta chief. By the tide of recent events, Holkar had been violently expelled from Poonah, and, as yet, no friendly arrangements had been made with him.

There is reason to believe that he secretly rejoiced at the vicissitudes which had befallen the other two confederates, by whose weakness he thought now to augment his own power. He had greatly strengthened himself while they had been courting their own destruction, and now he suddenly assumed an attitude calculated to excite alike suspicion and alarm.

The rise and progress of his family were curious features in the Indian history of the eighteenth century.

They were sudras of the Dungar (or Dhoongur) shepherd tribe, and took their name from their native village of Hohl, on the river Nura, * "Naval History," vol. iii.