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POWERS VESTED IN THE GENERAL.

No persuasions on the part of the English resident, Colonel Collins, could induce Scindiah to quit his menacing position on the south of the Nerbudda. But he was not yet prepared for open hostilities. It was first requisite for him to form an alliance, if possible, with Holkar, and to wait the return of the dry season; for the rains had now set in-a period, from the fullness of the rivers, the least favourable to the native mode of warfare, whilst it never impeded for an instant the movements of the British. He therefore endeavoured to conceal his hostile intentions by every species of dissimulation, and in conjunction with his ally, the Rajah of Berar, sent letters to the Governor-general full of pacific declarations. The object of this was to gain a delay of six weeks, that being about the time which must of necessity elapse before an answer could be received. But the Marquis Wellesley had formed too just an estimate of the value of time on such occasions. He had given his brother the direction and absolute control of all political and military affairs in the Deccan, in the territories of the Nizam, the Peshwah, and of the Mahratta states, subject only in the one case to the Governor-general in Council, and in the other, to Generals Lake or Stewart. He had also entrusted him with full power to make war or peace with Scindiah, Holkar, or the Rajah of Berar; so that not an hour would be lost by the necessity of reference to any distant authority.

Vested with these extraordinary powers, the General acted with his usual promptness and decision. He insisted that Scindiah should immediately cross to the north of the Nerbudda; and, compliance not having been yielded within the time assigned, he commenced hostilities. His first efforts were

The fort and pettah of Ahmednugstronghold of Scindiah in this part The pettah is a very large and wn, surrounded by a wall of stone eighteen feet high, with small basundred yards, but no ramparts to walls being rounded off at the top, of a safe footing. It has several gatehigh buildings in the interior, with ad mud walls of different compounds. their approach perceived the walls and pettah lined with troops, whose the sun, whilst another body was enthe town and citadel. Three columns rmed. The first was directed against to be the weakest part of the wall; to endeavour to blow open the gate;

move against the south-west angle nd was intended more as a feint than . At the appointed signal the first ed to the assault, but could not gain wall, already described as having no eing exposed to a destructive flanking Found towers, was compelled after a

etreat.

by the nature of the walls and the

ge of the Arab mercenaries, the General Fird column, which had hitherto kept -shot, to move to the attack; when ly upon a tower, the assailants carried loss, the greater part of the garrison lled off to oppose the principal assault. one of the scaling-ladders had given eager throng that pressed forward to

e

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OPINION ON THE ENGLISH.

the storm, and the other-for they had only twowas smashed by a cannon-shot; and by this mischance, for a short time, a small but gallant party of three hundred men were left to their own resources. But though the Arabs poured a destructive fire upon them from the houses, and Scindiah's regular infantry attacked them below, they swept the streets till they arrived at the gate marked out for the centre attack; this they immediately opened to their friends without, and the united forces soon became masters of the pettah.

Had the English General delayed the assault for a few hours, till he had sufficiently battered the curtain, his loss would in all probability have been trifling; but the desperate boldness of this measure struck a terror into the besieged, and facilitated the subsequent capture of the fort. That we have not over-estimated the moral effect thus produced is sufficiently evident from the testimony of Goklah, a Mahratta chief, who, in writing to his friends at Poonah, declares: "These English are a strange people, and their General a wonderful man. They came here in the morning, looked at the pettah wall, walked over it, killed all the garrison, and returned to breakfast. What can withstand them?" Nor should we wonder at this strong impression, when even Holkar, in the plenitude of his power, had been defeated here with all his army.

The fort itself now remained to be taken. This, however, which was surrounded by a deep and dry ditch, was particularly strong, being built of solid stone and chunam. It was nearly circular: the bastions were from fifty to sixty feet high, each containing three or four guns from twelve to fifty-two pounders,

directed against the fort and pettah of Ahmednuggur, the principal stronghold of Scindiah in this part of the Deccan. The pettah is a very large and regular native town, surrounded by a wall of stone and mud, about eighteen feet high, with small bastions at every hundred yards, but no ramparts to the curtains, the walls being rounded off at the top, so as not to admit of a safe footing. It has several gateways, and many high buildings in the interior, with narrow streets and mud walls of different compounds.

The English on their approach perceived the walls both of the fort and pettah lined with troops, whose arms glittered in the sun, whilst another body was encamped between the town and citadel. Three columns of attack were formed. The first was directed against what appeared to be the weakest part of the wall; the second was to endeavour to blow open the gate; the third was to move against the south-west angle of the pettah, and was intended more as a feint than as a real attack. At the appointed signal the first column proceeded to the assault, but could not gain a footing on the wall, already described as having no ramparts, and being exposed to a destructive flanking fire from the round towers, was compelled after a severe loss to retreat.

Thus baffled by the nature of the walls and the stubborn courage of the Arab mercenaries, the General ordered the third column, which had hitherto kept out of musket-shot, to move to the attack; when advancing boldly upon a tower, the assailants carried it with little loss, the greater part of the garrison having been called off to oppose the principal assault. Unfortunately one of the scaling-ladders had given way under the eager throng that pressed forward to

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OPINION ON THE ENGLISH.

the storm, and the other-for they had only twowas smashed by a cannon-shot; and by this mischance, for a short time, a small but gallant party of three hundred men were left to their own resources. But though the Arabs poured a destructive fire upon them from the houses, and Scindiah's regular infantry attacked them below, they swept the streets till they arrived at the gate marked out for the centre attack; this they immediately opened to their friends without, and the united forces soon became masters of the pettah.

Had the English General delayed the assault for a few hours, till he had sufficiently battered the curtain, his loss would in all probability have been trifling; but the desperate boldness of this measure struck a terror into the besieged, and facilitated the subsequent capture of the fort. That we have not over-estimated the moral effect thus produced is sufficiently evident from the testimony of Goklah, a Mahratta chief, who, in writing to his friends at Poonah, declares: "These English are a strange people, and their General a wonderful man. They came here in the morning, looked at the pettah wall, walked over it, killed all the garrison, and returned to breakfast. What can withstand them?" Nor should we wonder at this strong impression, when even Holkar, in the plenitude of his power, had been defeated here with all his army.

The fort itself now remained to be taken. This, however, which was surrounded by a deep and dry ditch, was particularly strong, being built of solid stone and chunam. It was nearly circular: the bastions were from fifty to sixty feet high, each containing three or four guns from twelve to fifty-two pounders,