1768.] THE FIELD DEPUTIES. "A list of criminals was then produced, and against the name of each, an enormous fine appeared. The conduct of Hyder Ali's affairs was marked by great precision; for every purpose there was a distinct provision. Among other establishments, nicely contrived, so as to contribute to the great machine of his government, was a department of torture. To this the offenders present were immediately consigned, till their guilt should be expiated by payment of the sums in which they were respectively mulcted, and orders were issued for taking similar proceedings against those whose fears kept them away."* He resorted to a still more perfidious measure to punish the disaffected Nairs of Malabar. The author just quoted says, "It was intimated to them that their Mysorean lord was tired of his conquests in Malabar, which he had hitherto found a source of charge rather than profit; and if he were reimbursed the expenses incurred in their attainment, he was ready to abandon them, and that it was his intention, that the territories of those who refused to contribute to that purpose should be transferred to those who acceded to the proposal." The consequence of this artful threat was, that no one risked forfeiture, and the officers of Hyder returned from Malabar laden with spoil. It was now the August of 1768, and Hyder's absence in Malabar had not been turned to due account by the Company, whose government at Madras had organised no efficient mode of gaining intelligence, and were unable to apprise their officers of where Hyder actually was. Thus the rumour went about, that he was playing a double game; one of his plans was to lure our troops into his territory, and starve them all to death by enclosing them in a desert; the other that he would burst into the Carnatic and give all to fire and sword in their absence; and these stories made Smith, who could not march fifty miles in any direction without supplies, loth to advance. The Madras Council urged a concentrated effort in the direction of Bangalore, but Smith, who was not in the best of humours, urged that in the *Thornton. 123 barren territory around it he could by no means provision his army, and that the better mode of proceeding would be, to occupy, in the first instance, the fertile districts on the frontiers of Mysore. Obstinate in their new functions, the Council would not surrender their own ideas; but, to seem to defer to Smith's opinion as a soldier, they resolved to adopt his plan in a certain sense. They ordered him to advance on Bangalore, and to detach a force under Colonel Wood to occupy the frontier. This was making matters worse than ever, by dividing in two an army already too small for the first enterprise, and, to complete their folly, they sent to the army two members of Council, as field deputies, who were to act in concert with the presidency, and control the movements and plans of the commander-in-chief. The presence of functionaries such as these, disgusted alike the officers and soldiers, and we are told that "from the moment of their arrival in camp, the spirit of the army seemed to evaporate." In a letter to Colonel Smith, Lord Clive expressed in strong terms his views of the weak conduct of the officials, who, at Madras, seemed disposed to ruin everything. "Whoever may have been to blame, no impeachment can be laid against you," wrote Clive; "I need not enter into reflections upon the fundamental errors of the war. For the honour of the nation and of the Company, I wish they could be for ever buried in oblivion, or at least, remembered only by ourselves, to warn us upon any future occasion. The measure of sending field deputies has been justly condemned by everybody. Gentlemen in the civil service may be very properly employed out of the presidency in the collection of the revenues; but nothing can be more absurd and pernicious than sending them to a camp, where they can only embarrass and obstruct plans and operations they do not understand." Nevertheless, though thus trammelled, Colonel Smith's forces took the field, and a body of the Bombay troops came to strengthen his operations, by falling upon Malabar and the principality of Carnara (Hyder's recent conquests). They then marched down to the western coast, and captured Mangalore, Onore, and other places, thus drawing Hyder in their direction. This enabled Colonel Smith to reach the vicinity of Bangalore, and overrun the fertile country near the frontiers. He then moved north to intimidate Nizam Ali, and quicken his negociations for peace; and after accomplishing that end, he turned his steps southward to Kistnagherry. This town and fortress are in the district of the 200 men who had been disciplined in the European that on a certain night they would arrive under their own native officers. At the given time, they were seen ascending the steep winding way to the fortress, led by Captain Mathews, an Englishman, who was not only attired, but painted like a native, and thus they were admitted into the heart of the place. By daybreak, says Thornton, the mask was thrown off, and the fortress was in our possession. Baramahal, situated on a perpendicular rock seven hundred feet high, and thus inaccessible to manner-two complete companies, in fact—and escalade; but Colonel Smith reduced it, after a four months' blockade, on the 2nd of May. Under Colonel Wood, the other division of the army, by an incredible career of rapid service, reduced all the other forts in and about the Baramahal, including Salam-below-the-Ghauts, Tingrecotta, Darampoory, 120 miles westward of Pondicherry, Ahtoor, Namcul, Errouad, an ancient fortress of the Naiks of Madura, Devicotta, Satimangulum, with its great temple dedicated to Vishnu, Coimbatoor, a well-built town on the Cauvery, Aravacourchy, Darampooram, and Dindigul, a fortress on an enormous granite rock, 400 feet in height, and on two sides completely unscalable. On its highest summit is a Hindoo temple, and in its northern side a deep cavern inhabited by Mohammedan his troops close to the glacis. Meanwhile our main dervishes. But unfortunately the retention of these captures, from the slenderness of our forces, and poverty of the material of war, proved an impossibility. Campbell's next movement was on Colar, a Mysorean town enclosed by a mud wall, and defended by a stone fortress, amid gardens in the highest state of cultivation. Against this place he was compelled to make regular approaches, and it was surrendered at discretion, after he had carried body, advancing in the same direction, reached the town of Arlier in time to hear of the fall of the former place, from which Campbell was ordered to march back to headquarters. Colonel Wood, under the belief that there were A few other operations succeeded, and the army only three practicable passes into Mysore, guarded moved to Oosoor, which, after a brief siege, fell these, but the enemy eluded him by penetrating on the 11th of July. Still Colonel Smith was others, for he and his officers were alike ignorant destitute of cavalry, he was hampered by the of the country, and the duty and precaution field deputies, and, worse than all, they were of procuring trustworthy guides, which the nabob accompanied by a Chevalier St. Lubin, as privy should have done, occurred to none. Thus councillor and guide. "He ultimately proved to Colonel Wood lost, to Hyder, all the conquests be a mere impostor, but was, in the meantime, he had made, and the latter having at his com- believed, on his own assertion, to have lived with mand large bodies of active cavalry, contrived so distinction at Hyder's court, to be intimately to bewilder that officer, as to leave him no chance acquainted with his plans and resources, and to of a well-concerted plan, while the natives were have extensive influence among his officers, native always betraying or surrendering even the strongest and European." * of our captures without firing a shot. On the 8th of June, Colonel Donald Campbell, commanding the advanced column of the British army, laid siege to Mulwagul, a strong place, where he expected great resistance; but it was betrayed to him by the native governor. A brother of Mohammed Ali had married the sister of this official, and the former being Foujedar of Arcot, had appointed his brother-in-law to exercise under him the fiscal administration of Trinomalee. The principal was removed from office, and the dependant, to avoid giving up his accounts to Mohammed Ali, went over to Hyder. Desirous of a change, he now offered to betray the fortress, on condition that his accounts should be deemed as closed. To this Mohammed agreed, but though the killedar was thus false to his trust, it chanced that the soldiers of the garrison were not. To obviate the difficulty, the killedar informed his chief officers that he had succeeded in obtaining An agreement was now made for Morari Rao to join us with a select body of his own troops, and, preceded by an advanced guard, on the 4th of August he joined the army at Oosasta with about 3,000 Mahratta horse and 2,000 foot; but on the same day Hyder entered Bangalore with the light troops of his advanced column. He heard of the junction of the Mahrattas with Colonel Smith, and knew well the locality of their camp, for his spies were everywhere. Morari had been urged by the colonel to encamp within the advanced pickets of our army; but replied, with a confident smile, that he knew how to manage Hyder, and pitched his tents a mile to the right. The Mysorean leader formed a plan to penetrate into the Mahratta camp, and on the night of the 22nd of August, two infantry columns, with 6,000 horse and some elephants, set out with this intent, and with special orders to bring the head of Morari * Beveridge. 1768.] DEFEAT OF THE MYSOREANS. 125 Rao to Hyder, who was to remain in reserve with | receiving an accidental wound, tore up the chain the main body, to support the attack or counteract by which he was picketed, and seizing it with his any movement on the part of Smith. But Morari trunk, he swung it madly aloft and around him, had his corps of spies as well as Hyder, and was and while rushing wildly through the camp, he quite aware of the coming event. He gave strict dashed with it at the advancing cavalry of Hyder. orders that none of his cavalry were to mount, These, supposing that the Mahrattas were charging but that each man should remain stationed at his them, recoiled and rushed over their approaching horse's head. His further orders were, that they infantry supports. All then became confusion and were to be on the alert, and attack all mounted dismay, which the sudden breaking of dawn, and men, without waiting for any password or counter- the flashing of the British bayonets as they got sign. This had a fatal result for Captain Gee, under arms, completed. The Mysoreans fled, after Smith's aide-de-camp, who, on riding into the losing 300 men, while the Mahrattas lost only Mahratta lines, was instantly cut down. eighteen. The cavalry of Hyder were followed so closely by his infantry, that the Mahratta camp would have been assailed in force, but for a curious episode. The battle-elephant of Morari Rao, irritated by The London papers of the time state that Hyder had more than 400 French officers in his army, who were incessantly instructing his troops in the European system of discipline. CHAPTER XXIV. NARROW ESCAPE OF COLONEL WOOD'S ARMY AT MULWAGUL.-ANNIHILATION OF NIXON'S HYDER, probably weary of this profitless war, made overtures for peace. He actually proposed to cede the Baramahal and pay ten lacs of rupees; but these overtures were rejected by the field deputies, who had no limits to the extravagance of their demands. The negotiations were finally broken off about the end of September, 1768, and the strife, which had never been entirely suspended, was renewed with more bitterness than ever. About this time, too, as if to make make matters worse, the presidency, dissatisfied with Colonel Smith, because he had dared to treat their deputies' opinions in war with little respect, and because he had not taken the strong city of Bangalore, recalled that brave and able officer to Madras, entrusting the entire command-always, however, subject to the absurd and benumbing influence of the deputies to Colonel Wood; and soon after, the fatal effect of this change became painfully apparent. These deputies from the Council, arrogant, ignorant, self-sufficient, and over-ruling, took it upon them to draw forth the British garrison which occupied the fortress of Mulwagul, and placed therein a company of the people of Mohammed Ali, who sold the place to Hyder, precisely as the previous Mohammedan killedar in his service had sold it to the nabob. "Colonel Wood's strategy proved very deficient, and Smith's superior military talent was by this means, and the pompous interference of the field deputies, rendered nugatory." On finding the place betrayed, Wood resolved on its recapture, as he had been too late to attempt its relief on first hearing of its danger. He easily won the lower fort, but an attempt to gain the upper by a night escalade failed,-though it was very nearly successful through the bravery and presence of mind displayed by an English officer named Brooke. On the 4th of October, the following day, Colonel Wood perceived a body of light troops in motion, as if about to throw a convoy into the place, and he set out with two companies with a field-piece to reconnoitre. He had not the least idea that Hyder's army was in his immediate vicinity, and allowed himself to be lured two miles from his camp, when he suddenly saw a body of at least 3,000 horse, and a column of infantry, with a powerful artillery, taking up ground to cut him off. Flight alone remained to Colonel Wood, who now exhibited more presence of mind and skill than was his wont. He abandoned his gun, formed his two companies into a grand-division square, and fell back, firing from every face of it, till he was joined by a battalion under Captain BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE PAGODA OF THE EAGLE'S NEST, NEAR CHINGLEPUT (MADRAS PRESIDENCY). Desperate was the struggle that now ensued, for Hyder's force, increased by fresh columns, made a hot and fierce pursuit, while his wellhandled artillery came rapidly up to the front, and every step made the ground, over which our people had to retreat and fight, more and more rough and severe. It "consisted of a congeries of granite rocks, or Obliquely to the right, and in rear of the situation in which the advanced troops were engaged, was a small oblong hill, skirted at its two extremities with an impenetrable mass of such stones, but flat, and covered with earth at the top to a sufficient extent to admit of being occupied by more than one battalion; the rocky skirts of this hill extended in a ridge of about 300 yards towards the plain of |