held, or the reliance that was the Rajah was nearly overwhelmed placed on their inoffenfive character, that these grenadiers were led by their officers, upon a fervice fo fingular and alarming, without ammunition. Major Pop ham, upon fome intelligence of this fatal error, and perhaps of the appearance we have mentioned, dispatched another company of fepoy's, with ammunition, to fupply and reinforce the first party; but thefe found the place already fo entirely blocked up by armed men, and all the avenues fo choaked by multitudes of people, that they found it impoflible to make their way through fuch a crowd, determined as it was not to admit their paffage. with terror, at the commencement of the tumult, expecting his life to be the immediate forfeit to the rafhnefs of the people, He was, however, carried off by his attendants during the confu fion, through a wicket, on the garden fide, which led to the river; and the banks being there very fleep, he was let down into a boat that conveyed him to the other fide, by a number of turbans tied together. The tumultuous crowd who effected his refcue, and who feemed to be equally deftitute of judgment and leaders, looked to nothing farther than his mere efcape, and followed him across the river, in the fame diforder that they had before paffed. Lieutenant Birrel, who led that company of fepoys, which brought up the ammunition, as the crowd, decreafed, pufhed on to the palace, where he had a smart fcuffle, in which about 30 of his men were killed or wounded, in clearing it of a party of the rioters, who had loitered behind the main body. Major Popham arrived foon after with the remainder of his detachment, which had been encamped at about two miles diftance: but he had only the mortification of beholding the mangled bodies of his dead and wounded foldiers, without its being in his power to take any vengeance of the authors of the maffacre. It feems probable that the appearance of this party, ferved greatly to increase the rage of the already inflamed multitude; who perhaps consider them as conveying, or being the intended executors of, the final doom of their prince; for the attack of the grenadiers in the fquare, inftantly commenced on their arrival. Thefe being deftitute of their usual means of defence, were little capable of withstanding the weight and fury of the outrageous multitude, who burft in like a torrent on all fides upon them. The unfortunate party were almoft in an inftant cut to pieces; the wounded being left in a condition lefs enviable than the flain, The three British officers are faid to have fold their lives dearly; The Rajah, in his manifefto, as they were found covered with well as in feveral of his letters to wounds, and lying almoft fide by the governor general, attributes fide. 82 fepoys were killed on the whole outrage and mischief the fpot, and 92 defperately that happened, to the unparalwounded. leled infolence of an inferior of 4 It may be cafily conceived, that ficer belonging to the refident, who who having been formerly in his own fervice, and being discharged for fome mifdemeanor, owed him a grudge on that account, and feized this opportunity of his diftrefs, to treat him in the most contumelious manner. That the indignation of his people being excited to madness, at feeing their prince treated in fo fhameful a manner, and by fo contemptible and unworthy a wretch, a quarrel arole between them and the fepoys, in which, many being killed on both fides, the iffue was, at length, fuch as we have defcribed. Had any fcheme of offence or refiftance been at all formed, or even in the contemplation of the Rajah, or without any fuch pre. vious fcheme, had he only poffelled common powers of political forefight and enterprize, he could not have miffed the opportunity which was then prefented, of ftriking an almoft decifive blow to the British interefts in India. The governor general, with about 30 English gentlemen, and a large but defenceless train, were lodged in a fort of villa, which was enclosed in the fuburbs of Benares, and known by the name of Mahdooda fs's Gardens, their whole guard confifting in a handful of fepoys, not exceeding 50 or 60 in number; fo that it was not only in the power of the prince, but even without his appearance in it, or the aid of the military, of any tumultuous affembly of the people, to have cut them off without difficulty. It required no great facacity, nor much political obfervation to enable the Rajah to perceive, that the die was already irrevocably caft, that the means of accommodation were for ever done away, and that the moft apparently defperate, were then the only prudent measures. Whoever then reflects upon the defperate ftate of the English af. fairs at that time, will eafily con. ceive that the immediate effects of fuch a blow, given at fuch a feason, and fcattered as their forces were throughout every part of that vaft continent, muft, in the nature of things, have been nearly irrecoverable. It is a matter of no fmall furprize, and was no less fortunate to the governor general, as well as to the company, that the armed multitude who had refcued Cheit Sing, and who were estimated at not less than 2,000 men, inflamed as they were by fuccefs, and flufhed in blood, had not, inftead of following the Rajah, without any object in view, across the river, proceeded directly to Mahdoodafs's gardens. Their not doing fo fufficiently indicates, that the outrage at the palace was the mere a&t of the moment, without any previous concert, and without their being under the guidance of any bold or violent leaders. The Rajah, inftead of vigorous council and bold refource, feemed entirely to fink under the late act, and his apprehenfion of the confequences. Wanting refolution to determine upon the course he fhould purfue, whether to place his truft in the hope of accommodation, or to commit all to the fortune of arms, he hefttated between both, and did nothing. In fuch a state of uncertainty and trepidation, it was natural to a weak mind, to place [B] 2 all all fafety in diftance from the fcene of danger, and to trust to time for the recovery of that fortune, which was already loft. He accordingly fled from Ramnagur in the middle of the fame night, taking with him his effects, fuch troops as were there, and fuch of his family as were prefent; the palace being left in the cuftody of its own final ftationary garrifon. With thefe the. Rajah fled for shelter and refuge, to Lutteefpore, one of his ftrongest fortrefies. Neither the late bloody catastrophe, nor the imminent danger to which he was perfonally expofed, feem to have produced the fmal. ft effect upon the firmness or refolution of the governor general. He procecded immediately to adminifter the affairs, and to difpofe of the government of the country, as if nothing untoward had happened, and that neither refiftance or danger were yet to be apprehende. On the very following day, he appointed Our faun Sing to the adminiftration of the revenues and government of the country, until (as he fays in his narrative) it fhould be ditermined to whom the zemindary might legally belong, and, who might be in a capacity to receive it. This act was immediatly published by proclamation through the city of Benares; and meffengers were difpatched with no lefs expedition, to convey circular notices of the event to all the landholders throughout the country. At the fame time, to fupport meafures fo unexpe&ed and afto. mithing to the people, and to pre ferve the public tranquillity under their immediate operation, he dispatched immediate orders to Capt. Mayaffre, who lay in the city of Mirzapore, with the refidue of Major Popham's detachment, and to a battalion of fepoys from Col. Blair's garrifon at Chunar, to advance without delay to the capital. He likew fe fent orders to Dinapore, for a regiment of fepoys to proceed from thence, with no lefs celerity, to Benares. It will be here neceffary, for the better comprehenfion of feveral fucceeding circumftances, to take fome notice of the fituation of thofe cities, particularly of the two firft, which lay within the Rajah's government. They both lie up the Ganges, to the fouthweft of Benares, in the direct way to Illahabad, and to other parts of the Nabob vizier's dominions. Mirzapore, is an open city; its diftance from Benares, by a direct line across the country, appears to be under forty miles; but by following the winding courfe of the river, that would probably be more than double. Chunar lics about mid-way between both; and is the capital of a confiderable territory of the fame name. This is a very important fortress, from its commanding one of the principal paffes on the Ganges; and has been accordingly garrifoned by the English ever fince the war with Sujah Ul Dowlab, in the year 1764; it being retai ed as a curb upon that prince and his fucceffors, and not upon the country of Benares, of which it compofes a part. Dinapore Les in the oppofite direction to thefe cities, cities, being a great way down the river, in the Bahar country. The precautions taken by the governor general were fully neceffary, for the form began now to gather amain; and that in a degree with refpe&t to violence, and acceleration in point of time, which he feemed little to have apprehended. He had received intelligence, on which he relied, that Ramn ger had been abandored, as we have already flated; bt knowing the difaffection of the people, the difficulty of the approaches through fuch a town, and confidering at the fame time, the fatal confequences of a repulfe in the prefent ftate of things, be very prudently abftained from hazarding Major Popham's finall corps upon any intelligence, and wited for the arrival of the expected fuccours to make the attack. But on the fecon day after the Raj h's fight, when recollection had fome little time to operate, Ramjeewaun, a domeftic, and confidential chief of the family, arrived with a body of armed men, for the fecurity of Ram nagur. This unexpected circumftance, prefenting a face of action till then unthought of, neceffarily demanded new measures, and new difpofitions with respect to the coming fuccours. Orders were accordingly difpatched to Chunar for two mortars, Major Popham having traced a fpot on the thore, directly oppofite to Ramnagur, from whence it was expected they would play with fuch advantage, that the clumiy ftrength of the palace could not long withstand their effects, and that the town itself would be rendered too warm, to afford any longer protection, either to Ramjeewaun's par y, or to the refractory inhabitants. Orders were likewife fent to the troops cu their way from Mirzapore, under Capt. Mayaffre, and to the battalion from Chunar that they fhould proceed directly to Ramnagur; the fricte injunctio s being at the fame time laid on the officers who conducted thefe corps, that they thould not hazard or at empt any thing, nor even commit oftility; but that, halting at a fafe diftance from the town, they thould keep their troops cl fe and entire, until Major Popham had taken his meafures and the command. Thefe inftructions were particularly enforced on Mayaffre, who being the fenior othcer, was to command the wh le. united body, until the arrival of Popham. All thefe precautions were rendered fruitles, and the deigu not only fruftrated, but the enterprize marked with heavy lofs and difgrace, through the intemperate ambition, vanity and rafhnels of Mayaffre. That officer, intoxicated by command, hoping to establish a high military reputation, without regarding the propriety or rectitude of the means to be employed in its attainment, and defpiting an enemy of whom he had no knowledge, marched on directly, at the head of the united corps, notwithstanding the remonftrances of the other officers, and without re onnoitring the place, or looking for information, to the attack of Ramnagur. The event was fuch as the nature of the act merited; and had the author alone paid the forfeit, [B] 3 the the cataftrophe might have been confidered, as an act of retribution, juft. His own divifion confifted of four companies of fepoys, one of artillery, and a company of French rangers. Aug. 20th. These, and the Chunar battalion, he foon involved in the narrow streets and winding lanes of the town, where they were fired upon in all directions, and flain in heaps by a fafe and unfeen enemy. Captain Doxat, who commanded the rangers and led the attack, was himfelf, with 23 of his men, almoft inftantly killed, befides a number wounded. The Chunar battalion led by Captain Blair, which bravely attempted to fupport the attack, was not much longer in action, when 57 men lay dead, and 41 were wounded. The whole lois of the feveral divifions before they could get clear of the town, amounted to 107 killed, and 72 wounded. Captain Mayaffie had the good fortune not to furvive the difgrace. The retreat was conducted by Captain Blair in a manner which gained him much applaufe; and prevented the eager purfuit of the enemy which was continued to within four miles of Chunar, from producing any great effect. Nothing more unfortunate could well be fuppofed to happen, in fuch a ftate of affairs, than this lofs and difgrace. War, was in effect, from thence declared, and the whole country was inftantly in motion. A fuccefs, that carried fo brilliant and flattering an appearance at its opening, could not but give confidence to the Rajah's councils, and infpire all orders of the people with hope and refolution. The governor general found him felf at once unexpectedly plunged again into a ftate of danger, fcarcely inferior to that which he had fo recently efcaped. He met it with a confidence in his fortune, which is in a great measure peculiar to thofe, who have been accuftomed to encounter great difficulties, and to triumph over them. Orders were written, and difpatched in multiplied copies to the different military stations, within reach, for the moft fpeedy affiftance; to the minifter at the Nabob vizier's court, for a fupply of treasure; and to Colonel Blair, for an inftant reinforcement from Chunar, But the whole country was already in arms against the company; and the communications in every quarter interrupted; fo that of the numerous meffengers difpatched upon this arduous occafion, very few reached their deftination; for being amazed and confounded at a fcene of danger to which they had been hitherto ftrangers, they were either detected and made prifoners through their awkward fears and confufion, or not daring to make the attempt, fecreted the difpatches. In the mean time, on the very day after the defeat of Mayaffre, fuch preparations were making at Ramnagur for an attack upon the governor general in his quarters, that his departure from Benares not only became a matter of ne. ceflity, but liable to no fmall difficulty and danger in the accomplishment. His quarters, in Mahdoodafs's Gardens, were fituated in the heart of the fuburbs of Benares, confifting of many detached buildings within one large enclosure, and the whole furrounded in fuch a manner by houfes |