strong position south of the river Taptee, between Songhur and Surat, with the design, as opportunity should occur, of annoying the enemy in that quarter.

On the eastern side of Hindostan, lieutenant colonel Campbell, of the 74th regiment, was entrusted with the command of a selection of veteran troops from the armies of Bengal and Madras, consisting of 5216 men, which was destined for the conquest of the province of Cuttack, part of the territories of the rajah of Berar; and, for that purpose, was assembled at Ganjam, in the northern circars. If this acquisition were made, the only maritime territory of the Mahratta states on that side of the peninsula, would be secured from all intercourse with the French; a strong barrier added to the Bengal frontier; and the intercourse of that government and Madras secured from interruption.

The main body of the Bengal army was assembled under the commander in chief of the British forces in India (general Lake) at Cawnpore, in the north-western frontier of the province of Oude, amounting, it its various details, to 10,500 men. In support of this force, 3,500 troops were assembled at Allahabad, and for the purpose of invading the district of Bundelcund; about 2,000 men were also collected at Mirzapore, to cover the city of Benares, and to guard the passes in that quarter; and various measures of defence, which our limits will not allow us to particularise, were adopted to protect the whole frontier of the British dominions in Bengal and Bahar, from Mirzapore to Midna

pore.

The operations of general Lake embraced a most important branch of the war; namely, first, the destruction of the power of general Perron, established on the banks of the Jumua; secondly, the extention of the British frontier to that river, with the possession of Agra, Delhi, and a sufficient chain of ports upon the right bank of the Jumna, for the security of its navigation ; thirdly, the protection of the person of the emperor Shah Aulum ; fourthly, the establishment of an alliance with the petty princes, beyond the right bank of the Jumna, from Jeynagur to Bundilcund; and, lastly, the annexion of that province to the dominions of the company, in order the more effectually to cover the rich city and province of Benares from the power of the Berar rajah, and the other Mahratta chiefs in that quarter.

In the mean while, the government of Bombay were ordered to seize on those ports in the Guzerat, which belonged to Scindiah, the operation of which would exclude the confederated chieftains from the whole coast of the western side of the peninsula.

Such was the masterly disposition of the British strength in its castern empire, and such the comprehensive system of hostilities by which the marquis Wellesley prepared to support the just rights of his country, and finally establish its perma nent power and influence in India*.

It may here also be proper to mention, that on the 6th of August, the very day on which general Wellesley was apprised of colonel Collins having left the camp of Scindiah, the nizam breathed his last, and was P3 peaceably

August,

peaceably succeeded by his eldest son, Mirza Secunder Jahjah, as soubahdar of the Deccan, who ascended the musnud on the following day. The preservation of tranquillity at Hydrabad, at this important crisis, must be ascribed, principally, to the position of the armies of general Wellesley, and colonel Stevenson, and of the force under general Campbell, at Moodgul.

Having thus laid before our readers the disposition of the several armies, the plan of the campaign, and its ultimate objects, we shall, in the following chapter, detail the more active operations of the field, and carry them along with us through a brilliant scries of events, finally crowned with victory and triumph. CHAP.

he fortified town belonging to which, was, on the same day, attacked and carried by escalade. On the 10th, batteries were opened against the fort, and, on the 12th, it surrendered at discretion. The possession of this fortress at once secured the communication with Poonah, and afforded a depôt for supplies of provisions and military stores. Immediately upon its capture, general Wellesley proceeded to take possession of the districts dependant thereon, yielding an estimated annual revenue of 634,000 rupees, and placed them under the management of a British officer. General Wellesley then put a respectable garrison into Ahmednughur, and moved towards the Godavery river, which he crossed on the 24th of August. On the 29th, he arrived at Aurungabad.

In the mean time, the confederates had entered the territories of the nizam, by the Adjuntee Pass, with a large body of cavalry, having passed between colonel Stevenson's corps (which had moved eastward towards the Badowly Ghaut) and Aurungabad, and reached, unmolested, a small fort called Jalnapore, the capital of a district of the same name, about forty miles east of Aurungabad; but they no sooner heard of general Wellesley having entered that city, than they immediately advanced to the southward and eastward, with the intention, as it was believed, of crossing the river Godavery, and advancing to Hydrabad. In this project, however, the enemy was frustrated by the judicious movements of general Wel. lesley, who continued to proceed to the eastward, along its left bank, which measure obliged him to return to Jalnapore, and afforded the Bri

tish commander means to cover two valuable convoys in the road to the army, from Moodgul.

During these operations, colonel Stevenson returned from the eastward on the 1st of September, and / the next day attacked and stormed the fort of Jalnapore, from whence the enemy had previously retired to the northward. For several successive days, this officer endeavoured` to force the confederates to a general action, but without success. His spirit and activity were, however, amply rewarded on the ninth, in the night of which he succeeded in surprising and beating up their camp.

The united chieftains now determined on a change in their operations, and moved northward towards the Adjuntee Pass, near which they were joined by a detachment of regular infantry, under the command of M. Pohlman, and of M. Dupont, consisting of 16 battalions, with a large and well-equipped artillery, in the whole amounting to 10, 400 men. The whole of their force was now concentrated between Bokerdun and Jafficrabad.

On the 21st of September, the divisions under general Wellesley, and colonel Stevenson, being united at Budnapore, it was determined that they should move, separately, towards the enemy, and attack him on the morning of the 24th: with this view, the two corps marched on the 22d, colonel Stevenson by the western route, and general Wellesley by that of the cast, round the hills between Budnapore and Jalna. Early on the morning of the 23d, the latter division reached Naulnair, at which place intelligence was received, that the combined force of Scindia and Bhoonsla

were

were encamped at about six miles distance from the ground which general Wellesley intended to occupy.

With that decision and promptitude, which have ever distinguished general Wellesley's military exploits, he immediately determined upon attacking the enemy, without waiting for the junction of colonel Stevenson's corps on the following morning. Had he acted otherwise, the confederate chieftains, in pursuance of the defensive system they had adopted, would probably have withdrawn their guns and infantry in the course of the night of the 23d, and thus have eluded a general action, which was so much to be desired. The measure of attack, therefore, was directed by prudence as well as courage.

Having provided for the security of the baggage and stores, general Wellesley moved on towards the army of the confederates, which he found encamped between, and along the course of the two rivers Kaitna and Juah, towards their junction. Their line extended east and west along the north bank of the Kaitna, which was steep and rocky, and impassable for guns, excepting close to the villages. Their right, entirely of cavalry, was posted near Bokerdun, and extended quite to their infantry, encamped in the neighbourhood of the fortified village of Assye. The British army had marched 14 miles to Naulnair, thence to the enemy's camp was six; thus it was one o'clock in the afternoon before it came in view of the combined army of the confede

rates.

Although general Wellesley's line of march brought him in front of the right of the enemy, he deter

mined on attacking its left, where the infantry and guns were posted. He, accordingly, moved round to the left flank, covering the British column of infantry by the British cavalry in the rear, and by the Mysore and the peishwa's horse on the right flank.

The British army crossed the Kait. na, at a ford beyond the enemy's left, and were immediately formed in two lines of infantry, with the British cavalry as a reserve in a third, in an open space between theKaitna and the Juah, where these rivers run nearly parallel. The peishwa's and the Mysore cavalry were stationed to the southward of the Kaitna, on the left flank of the British troops, and kept in check a large body of cavalry which had followed, though at a respectful distance, general Wellesley's route from the right of their own position. The first line consisted of the advanced pickets to the right, two battalions of Sepoys, and the 78th regiment ;-the second, of the 74th regiment and two battalions of Sepoys;-and the third, of the 19th dragoons, with three regiments of native cavalry, the whole amounting to about 4500 men. From the most accurate calculation that could be made, the enemy consisted of between thirty and forty thousand, of which a third was commanded by European officers,) and a train of more than one hundred pieces of ordnance. Under this vast disproportion of force, the engagement began.

When the enemy discovered the intention of attacking him on the left, he changed the position of his infantry and guns, from the line along the Kaitna, and extended it from that river across to the village

of