of Assye, on the right of the British army: a second line was formed nearly at right angles, to the rear of the enemy's first line, with its left towards the village of Assye, and its rear to the Juah river, along the bank of which it extended in a westerly direction from Assye. General Wellesley immediately attacked, and the British troops advanced under a heavy fire from the enemy's guns, the execution of which was terrible. The British artillery had opened upon the enemy at the distance of 400 yards, but finding that it produced little or no effect, and that it could not advance on account of the number of men and bullocks that were disabled, general Wellesley ordered the whole line to move on, leaving the guns behind at the same time colonel Maxwell, with the British cavalry, was ordered to cover the right of the infantry as it advanced. By this prompt and spirited movement, the enemy was compelled to fall back on the second line, in front of the Juah. In the advancing, the right of the British first and second lines suffered severely from the fire of the guns on the left of the enemy's position near Assye. The 74th regiment was so thinned by the dreadful cannonade, that a body of the enemy's cavalry was tempted to charge it; but was charged in turn, by colonel Maxwell, and pushed, with great slaughter, into the Juah river. At length, the steady advance of the British troops completely over-awing the enemy's line, it gave way in every direction, and the British cavalry, who had crossed to the northward of the Juah

river, charged the fugitives along its bank with the greatest effect. At this moment several of the enemy's guns, which had been carried, but could not be secured on account of the weakness of general Wellesley's army, were turned against his rear by individuals who had been passed by the British line, under the supposition that they were dead, and who had availed themselves of this artifice, (of throwing themselves upon the ground, often practised by the native troops of India,) to continue, for some time, a very heavy fire; nor could it be stopped till the commander in chief took the 78th regiment and the 7th of native cavalry, to effect this object. In this operation the general had his horse shot under him. The enemy's cavalry also still continued unbroken. Just then a part of the enemy's infantry, which had again formed, on a charge of the British cavalry,* gave way, and retreated, leaving 1200 men dead on the field of battle, the whole country covered with the wounded, and in the possession of the victors 98 pieces of cannon, their camp equipage, seven standards, a great number of bullocks and camels, and a quantity of stores and ammunition.

The loss to the British army was, on this occasion, very severe, it amounting to about 600 killed and 1500 wounded. The action continued for more than three hours, during which the enemy's infantry fought with the most determined courage, and their artillery was served with the utmost precision, steadiness, and effect. Throughout the

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whole of this severe and brilliant action, the conduct of general Wellesley evinced a degree of ability, prudence, and undaunted bravery, seldom equalled and never surpassed; while the exemplary order, firmness, and alacrity of the troops under his command, compelled an enemy of more than six times its number, to fly before them, and abandon the whole of their guns, stores, and ammunition to the conquerors.

Colonel Stevenson with the corps under his command, from several unforeseen impediments, did not join general Wellesley till the evening of the day of battle; and was immediately dispatched in pursuit of the flying enemy.

On the 8th of October, general Wellesley received a letter from one of Scindiah's ministers, requesting that he would dispatch a British officer to the enemy's camp, to open a negociation for peace; with which the British general refused to comply, as the letter had no direct reference to the authority of either of the confederate chieftains; and because the presence of a British officer in the camp of the confederates, would, at that juncture, raise the spirit of their troops, and prevent their dispersion, as it might be represented by the enemy to be an attempt of the British government to sue for peace: at the same time he expressed his willingness to receive, with every mark of honour and respect, any person duly empowered by the direct authority of Scindiah, or the rajah of Berar, to propose terms of peace to the allied powers.

The confederates, with the remains of their broken army, now moved to the westward, along the banks of the Taptee, with a view to take the route towards Poonah; in consequence of which, general Wellesley determined not to descend the Adjuntee Ghaut, but to regulate his movements by those of the enemy.

But colonel Stevenson was directed by him to continue his route to Boorhampore, and Asseerghur, the latter a hill fort of great strength, and denominated the key of the Deccan.

While general Wellesley was thus engaged, the most severe blows were received by the confederate chieftains, from the successes of the other divisions of the British force, in their operations against the provinces of Guzerat on the western, and of Cuttack, on the eastern sid of the Indian peninsula.

In conformity to the general plan of the campaign, a proportion of the Bombay army had marched to the Guzerat, whence lieut..col. Woodington, with a strong detachment, consisting of the 96th regiment and a proportion of European artillery and native infantry, marched on the 21st of August from Baroda, and arrived before Baroach on the 23d, of which fort the investment immediately took place. A breach was reported to be practicable on the 29th, and the assault was given at three o'clock in the afternoon. The enemy opposed a vigorous resistance to the attack of the storming party, but were soon compelled to retreat, and to abandon the fort, which was carried with inconsiderable loss ou

the

the part of the assailants; that of the enemy was nearly 600 in killed and wounded. Together with the town and fort of Baroach, the captors obtained possession of the district of that name, which yields an annual revenue of eleven lacks of rupees. After this important service, colonel Woodington proceeded to reduce the district of Champaneer, the only territory remain ing to Scindiah in the province. Little difficulty ensued in the accomplishment of this design, and the judgment, spirit, and courage displayed by the Bombay army in the Guzerat, at the same time that it bereft the enemy of the whole of his possessions in that province, reflected the highest honour on its state of discipline, and its gallant leader. Nor was the progress of the British arms in the province of Cuttack less distinguished by merit or success. The total number of troops destined for the reduction of this province, amounted to 4916 men, of which number 3041 formed the main body, which was to advance from Ganjam, under the command of licut.-col. Harcourt, of the 12th regiment of foot, and who was appointed to the general command of all the forces employed upon this service, (colonel Campbell, for whom it was originally designed, being incapacitated by illness from assuming it.) Five hundred Bengal native volunteers were on their way, ander captain Dick, to reinforce colonel Harcourt. A second detachment of 521 native volunteers, four field pieces, and a proportion of artillery-men and stores, were to embark from Calcutta, under captain Morgan, on the 13th of September, and to occupy Balasore, a place belonging to the rajah of

Berar, situated on the coast of the bay of that name, aud distant about 25 miles from the river Subanreeka, which forms in that quarter the barrier between the British territories and the province of Cuttack. Eight hundred and fifty four men were placed under the command of licut.-col. Ferguson, at Jelasorc, a town situated on the English side of the Subanrecka, 20 miles from the sca; and was designed to form a junction with the force at Balasore, when the state of the intermediate country, and the progress of the main division from - Ganjam, should afford a favourable opportunity; and 1300, of which 800 were Sepoys, and 500 Bengal native volunteers, remained at Midnapore, a military station in the British dominions, 45 miles north of Balasore, to supply the troops at Balasore and Jelasore, and at the same time to protect the company's territories against the incursions of the rajah of Berar's predatory cavalry.

On the 14th of September, the troops under the command of colonel Harcourt, took possession of Munick patam, a town in the Bhoonsla's territory, and on the 18th, encamped at Jaggernaut, where the Bramins of the celebrated pagoda at that place, put it under British protection. After leaving Jaggernaut, colonel Harcourt received little molestation on his rout, from the encmy's troops, and he took possession of Cuttack without any opposition. The detachment under capt. Morgan was equally successful at Balasore and Sooring, a post 20 miles to the southward of that town, both places being taken possession of with little or no loss, on the 21st of September, and the 1st of October.

Co

Colonel Fergusson with his reserve, moved from Jelasore on the 23d of September, reached Balasore on the 4th of October, and on the 10th, proceeded to the southward, to form a junction with colonel Har

court.

The storming and capture of the fort of Barabuttee, was the last exploit of colonel Harcourt in the Cuttack. This fort is of strength, and has only one entrance by a narrow bridge, leading over a wet ditch 20 feet in depth, and varying in breadth according to the situation of the bastions, from 35 to 135 feet. On the morning of the 14th of October, a battery of one 12 pounder, 2 howitzers, and 2 six pounders, opened its fire upon the fort, about 500 yards from its outward gate; by eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the enemy's guns were silenced, and most of their defences on the south face were destroyed, where they now promised well for an assault, and lieutenant colonel Clayton was ordered to storm the fort. The party sent on this service, in passing the bridge, were exposed to a heavy but ill directed ire of musketry, and forty minutes elapsed before it succeed. ed in blowing open the wicket, the remaining part of the gate being strengthened with great masses of stone; having forced this obstacle, although obliged to enter singly, and experiencing considerable resistance in forcing 2 other gates, the British troops were completely victorious, and obtained possession of the fort, which was immediately abandoned by the enemy, whose loss was considerable. This success, brought with it the whole province of Cuttack under the British

dominion, an object, the value of which we have already stated, but which was considerably enhanced by having taken place at such a momentous period of the war. By this conquest, the communication between the supreme government_at Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, general Wellesley, and the residents at Poo. nah, and Hydrabad was opened; and the whole line of coast from the mouth of the Hooghly, to Pondicherry, under the protection of a British flag, presented a hostile front to the fleets of France, with which country the war had just been renewed in India.

Having thus brought into one point of view all the transactions connected with the military operations against the confederated armies in the Deccan, and those in the provinces of Guzerat, in the western, and Cuttack on the castern side of India, it will now be our pleasing task to revert to the transactions in the northern Hindostan, and to exhibit the result of the operations entrusted to the personal direction and command of general Lake, the chief in command of the British troops in the peninsala. The variety and importance of the objects to which that great officer's exertions were to be exclusively directed, both in a military and political point of view, induced the governor-general to invest him with full discretionary powers, to conclude upon the spot, whatever arrangements might appear to be necessary for the accomplishment of that plan of operations, with the execution of which he was entrusted.

Vested with this high authority, the commander in chief moved from the station at Cawnpore, on the 7th

of

of August, 1803, and arrived in the neighbourhood of Coel,* with the main body of the Bengal army on the 28th. On his march thither, he received advices from the British plenipotentiary to Scindiah, informing him of the rupture with that chief, by the termination of the negotiation: on this intelligence, general Lake considered himself warranted, as well as from the tenor of the governor general's instructions, to en. ter the territories of that chieftain, on the 29th, in order to attack M. Perron's army, then encamped at a short distance from the fortress of Ally Ghur. This position of the enemy, was particularly advantageous. His front was completely covered by an extensive swamp, which, in some parts is not fordable; his right was protected by the fort of Ally Ghur, and his left by some villages, occupied by parties of his troops. M. Perron's force was estimated at about 15,000 horse, of which from four to five thousand were regular cavalry.

General Lake having determined on turning the left flank of M. Perron's force, the British troops were formed into two lines, and advanc. ed to the attack supported by the infantry in three and four lines, as the confined nature of the ground would admit. The excellent front displayed by the British cavalry, and the determined countenance of the whole army, so completely overawed M. Petron and his troops, that they retreated with such rapidity, as to preclude the possibility of charging them with any effect. This precipitate retreat, although at the moment, a source of vexation and disappointment to the com

mander in chief, was yet, in its consequences, eminently beneficial to the British interests, as M. Perron's military reputation received a shock from the events of that day, which it never recovered, and which was eventually, the cause of the loss to him, of the confidence of his troops; the defection of many of his best officers; and finally, of the disor ganization and dispersion of the French corps in India: at the same time that the reputation of the British troops, and of their undoubted superiority, increased in the same proportion, in the opinion of the native powers as that of M. Perron and his boasted troops had diminished.

It

The commander in chief, in consequence of the action, being in possession of Coel, encamped to the northward, between that town and the fort of Ally Ghur, to the reduction of which he immediately applied himself. This place, one of the strongest in India, has singular advantages; it has a broad and deep ditch, with a fine glacis, and the country being, for a mile round, perfectly levelled, is exposed in every direction to its guns. has only one entrance, which is very intricate, and over a narrow causeway, under which the enemy had commenced mining; but fortunately had omitted to construct a drawbridge, and thus the assailants were enabled to pass the ditch on the causeway, and immediately to attack the body of the place. General Lake having made many attempts to induce the governor M. Pedron, to surrender, but in vain, ordered a storming party, under the command of the honourable colonel Monson,

on