APPENDIX.

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APPENDIX
lETTEH FROM GENERAL MÄTimns,
TO
THE COURT OF DIRECTORS OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY.
(referred to in the foregoing letters.)
Honourable Sfrs,
I HAVE the honour of informing you of Ihe fucccfs of vour ariti« -«n the Malabar Coaft. You will have received aJvicfs of the ontfet of the ^Expedition from Bomb:!y, and the general purport of it. On the i2th of December, I failed with-a fiiuiil party.; and tliought proper, of my o\ra accord, -■to land at Rajanumdroog, in prefcrcncc to any other place'—bccaufe, on this part of the Coaft, I had tlie Joiiblc advantage of being, able to fccnre mvfclf until reinforced, and to procurc provlfions, which T could not liave done at Oundaporc, or any place to the Southward, .by re-afon of the numerous gar-dfoiis, and'the vicinity of them (0 the capital. The meafures and difpofitions
A 2	of
lOptbe Gentlemen at Bombay were fuch, that I. could not pläcc any dependence upon being timely rcinforccd from thence, or of having any fupply of provifions. Rajamundroog is on the top of a higli hill, and commands the entrance of the beft river on the Coaft. Wc took it by ftorni. Tlie moment we landed, a Ihort time was taken.-up in .prcpai ingta move towards Onere ; fonwe had notr-" a cooly, carriage, Or bullock, to convey any ftores. The battering cannon, iUlinninition, provifions, &c. were fent by fca ; and the groat additions that Hyder had made to the.fortifications of Onore and fovtificd Ifland, prevented my tnlfring the river with the fmall craft, and obliged me to land every thing tlirongh a heavy furf on the beach, and then to crofs the river to the Northward of the fort,, XheJe impediments were got over and a, practicable breach t being cfFeded, the alTault was made—and the garrifon, confifting of two thou-fand five hundred men, were either killed, drowned, or made prifoners.— Sliortly after this-event, the troops from the Southward, under Lieutenant* Colonel Macleod, were landed at Rajamundroog. To wait for a junftion, would take up much time : fo, that not a moment ihould be loft,T embarked,. and landed nearGundapore, \inder the fire of the Bombay Grab and the Intrepid, and immediately feized a fmall fort that ferved to fccure o\ir ftores. The enemy, were in fight, and fcemcd numerous ; .ibine prifoners that we took, reckoned. Them at twelve hundred Horfe, one thoufand Sepoys, and five hundred Peons. My party was compofed of three hundred and fifty Europeans, fix hundred Sepoys, and four fmall field-pieccs—with which I marched, firft towards the enemy, who drew back, and then I proceeded to Cundapore. They iiicom-, moded my rear very mucli; but being determined to attack the fort, I only afted on the defenfivie, and at feven in the evening got poffeffion of'the fort, and the fevcral redoubts that commanded the river. The grand objed of the-Expedition^ an attack upon Bidanore, remained to be undertaken ; and muclv ferious reflcft'ion it required before the hazardous entcrprize lliould be deter» mined on.—Your Honours will now take a view of the ftate of my army: Non tarriage-bullock, and the few draft not able to diaw eight light fickl-pieces—'
not
not 3 cooly to cany mufcjuet, ammunition or provifioiis—not a tent—and-many Olficcrs, His Majesty's in particular, had not a fingle fervaiit—neither' bullock, or ihccp to be had, the enemy having drove them off. The army, at' tliis time, confifted of about eleven hundred cffctElive Europeans, and three, tlioufand LSep(>ys. The diftanctv from C'jaidapore to tlie foot of the Ghaut is! thirty miles, tlirough a woody couiitry: the enemy's army had been reinforcedy itnd lay in the way. Tha reports of the flrength of the various works that defended the pafs up the mountains, was fuch as gave me but very faint hope of luccefs i and the difliciJty of fupplying my troops with rice, was alnioft of itfclf-I'uificient to deter a pcrfon from the attempt. However, having pofitive orders-to take poffcflion of Bidai\orc, I rcfolvcd to make atrial,, andiflucd direÖIonft for the march. We had not gone iix miles, before the cneray oppofed us in force. We pufht-d forwards ;.and, by thceflcfl: of well-fcrvcd artillery, and the fteadinefs of tiie men, the enemy retired as. we advanced. The fkirmifli coLitiiiued about three hours—after which wc were, left to purfue our route iinnioU-ftiid ; nor did the enemy make any ftand till we were on the fourth day's march, within three miles of the palo—where, the ground being favourable,.they attcaiipted oppcfjtion,, and were, roughly treated, lofing, by the bayonet and Ihot, above tluec hundred men. They were purfucd to a fmall fort, which was immediately abandoned ; and then fied to the firft barrier or entrance of the.pafs. This was a. line, of mafonry that covercd i£ll the opea ground, and was clofed by woods to the. right and left. Upon fix baüion& were mounted fifteen picccs>of cannon ;-.and on the left was a work on a fteep, mountain, with two, twelve pounders- This altogether had too. formidable an appearancc.to attack in frontbut having reconnoitred tlic. right, Mmagincd' that the flank might be turned by afcending,thc hiU through the wood. Early in the morning, two parties were,formed—one to attempt the flank, the other to efcalade the.wall; but the enemy faved us that trouble by evacuating the jjiurc. This was a.happy moment to try the pafs ; for the enemy, by felling tcccs, See. would have thrown fo many obüacles in the way, that the want o£.
provifioii -
provitioii would havtf compelled me to iclinq-ulfh tlic defign. A party was iii-i^aiitly ordered to follow the enemy up the hill, which, with little lofs, gained the fecond barrier, oii which were mounted eleven guns. Fifty of the enemy were killed or taken at this work. Having this fuccefs, I relieved the cxhauftcd by freih detacl>inents, which cxcited emulation, and encouraged the ardour of the Sepoys; for, to the unremitting exertions of this branch of your troops is dne the honour of this day. Buttery after baftery was taken ; and the polTeffion of the fort on the top of the Ghaut, about five in the afternoon, called Hyder-ghur, crowned the whole. At this fort we found mounted thirty pieces of cannon, from twenty-four to four pounders ; and at the different works in the pafs, forty others, from four to twelve.
When we contemplated tlie numerous redoubts and the height of theGliaut, and were told by prifoners tiiat we had drove off fevcnteen thoufand men, including difmounted Cavalry, regular Sepoys, and match-lock Peons, we could not confider the vi£Vory vs-e had gained as due to us—our weak efforts would have been in vain. The progrcfs of your arms is to be aferibed to the Divine Will. In the courfe of tliis war, Providence has been peculiarly bountiful— When we were in want of rice, we were fine to find a fupply left for our ufc by the enemy—when our mufquet-animunition was expended, tlie enemy's magazines furnillied us abundantly—cannon we fecund in every fort, and fuch •quantities of warlike flores, that we are apt to fuppofe that Hyder. fupplied all Jiis garrifons from this Coaft and from Bidanore. Hyderghur is about fourtcea miles from Hydernagur, alias Bidanore, the capital of the Province.
In the night of the day that we gained the Ghaut, I was vifited by Cagtaiu ■Donald Campbell, the fon of Colonel Charles Campbell. He had becu ■wrecked off the Coaft, was feizcd, and kept in irons, until the approach of this army caufcd the Jemadar to releafe him, to employ him as an AmbafTador. His nieffagc was, that the Jemadar having loft his Mafter (Hyder), and being upon ■bad terras with Titpoo Sahib, would willingly put himfclf under the proteftion -•f the Company, provided that the management of the Country was continued
to
fq him. The IJca of getting pofieflioii of the capital and the forts of the Kingdom towards Seringapatam, as well as the very groat advantage I might expeft from his expe lie nee, abilities and influence, with the weak ftate of my army, induced me to clofe with the pvopofal; aad I fesit him a cowl, figiiifyiiig that his power and influence fhould not be leflbncd. This, tho' not drawn with a pc» of a Lawyer, was equal Iti value to the capital of Bidanore. Captain Campbell returned with it, and was to tell the Jemadar that I fhould march iu the morning'.
Not cxpefting the great fucccfs that we had met with by forcing t!ic pafs on tlie main road, I had detached Lieutenajit-Colonel MacleoD to the left, to afcend the Ghaut through a narrow path, in order to attack Hyderghur in the rear. The abfence of tliis detachment, and tlie fatigue of the former day, re-tluced my party to about four hundred Eqrppcans and feven hundred Sepoys j and all my guns were at the bottom of the Ghaut. With this detachment I moved towards Bidanoro, and was within a mile of tlie walls before any fiicfTage came from Captain Campupll or the Jemadar: but having nothing to apprdicnd in the field from the panic-ftruck enemy, we continued our march until the weicome approach of Captain Campbell affurcd me the placc was our pwn.. On entering it, I was pleaf(;d to fee about four hundred of your Sepoys ^hat had l?een taken in the Carnatic, who offered me their fervict'. Upoa vißting tlie Janiadar, I repeated my alTurances, th^t wiille he behaved faitlifully to theCofnp^ny, the management of the Country fhould be continued to him ; and, although the fword muft be in your hands, that he fhould have as much ■power aA4 influence as his Aatiou required, and that you wouldi not refufe fettling upon him very ample allowances. The enemy being in force, and my irpiy much weakened, with other difagreeable matters that occurred, prevented )i)y further adTanca than to take polle0jon of tw-o forts to the Eaftward ; for, being apprchcnfive that (he Killidar of Mangalore would npt deliver up that placc to the Older of Hvat Sa^jib, and confiderlng that/amous fea-port of jnore confequence to your fifTiiirs than acquiring territory beyond t!ie mountains, 1 held myfclf iji rcadincfs to march that way,, and was forccd to lay ficgc to it.
A
A piiifticahlf brcach beiiig made, tlif KiUidar tliought proper to funvii-Jdcr it. Upon this happy event give mo leave to congratulntc you ; for it .jiartJy iocurcsour conquefts from Carwar to Cananore. Tiiere arc two or tlire« .places thiit { h^ve not been able to fumnione; but as thefe gurrilbtis caiuiot «xpe^t any fuccour, they will fall of courfc,
'riius hav-e I given y&ur Hoiiovirs a lliort rccital, from the fiift Unding of ■your arms on the nth of December, to the reduftioji of Mangaloro on the -9th of March in which fhort time a feries of fuccefs ha: attended us that can <iiardly be paralleled. All the enemy's marine has fallen in our hands, among which arc eight fliips of the line, eitlier built or on the ftocks; and five of ■them might be fcnt to fca In a Üiort time. After hiforming you of tlic happy and glorious fucccfs of your arras, it is painfril for me to teH you, that diiTcn* tion in the army, on account of plunder and booty, has ariftin to fiich a height as to tlircaten open mirtiny. I have informed your Honours of the terms that the Jemadar required, and that I in your name granted; und you know ill how peaceabk a manner this capita'l was refigned to you. I am forry to fay, that His Majesty's Officers have been foremoft in the clamours j and that the agents appointed by them have occafioncd mc mudi trouble and anxiety, and a great deal of difcontent throughout the army. I lhall fend you copies of the feveral letters that have pafled, for your determination. They may fup-pole that I have appopriated treafure to my own .life, or bargaiaetl to reftore the private property of the Jemadar to him; or that I ihould agree that lie IbouW call all treafure aiid jewels his private property, to the excluiion of what of right fhould belong to the Honourable Company or the captors. I have only to aiTure your Honours, that I have made no bargain whatever, either public or private, but what was expreiTed-in the cowl fcwt from Hyder-ghur, to which Captain Campbell was witnefs; and as I Iiave frequently mentioned to my friends, that I would not receive a prefcnt of confequencc without the confent of the Honourable Company, I fliall inform you, that on jray firft vifit the Jemadar infifted on making me a prefent of a lack of
rwpees.;
rupees; and when he plcafed to give a donation to the iirmy of two lacks and. thirty thoufand of rupees, %vhicli fum wait! your plcafure, he requcfted I woultf Hcccpt of another lack of rupees. To both of thefc requefts refpcAing myfelf, I replied, that provided your Honours would give me leave, I fhould certainly cnibracc that fortunate raoniein to gain an independence, and fliail wait your orders as to the difpofal of two lacks of rupees. How far niy former and tl»c prefeiit fcrviccs may entitle me to your good opinion, and to your acquiefcence in thus rewarding ine, is left to the gcncrofity of your Honours ; but I beg that you will believe, that, during the courfe of my fervices, every thitig of a fimilar nature Üiall be laid before you.
If it were poflible to fatisfy the avidity of a body of men, this little army fould have a fufficiency of honow and profit to fill the moft greedy; but the iti-iirmities of nature are not to be coiUrouled by rcafon. Avarice of the moft pernicious tendency has pervaded the limits offenfe.and ftcppcd beyond the bounds of duty. The army, not content with acquiring, at the different places that has been taken on the coaft in fhipsof war, naval jlores, niercliandize, &c, &c. and in goods of various kinds at Bidanore, which altogether the Jemadar fays may be valued at thirty lacks of pagodas ^ they feek to deprive the Jemadar of his ipiivate property, under prctcnce of the lawful rights of war; and affumc a llylc and manner in their clamours and united addrelTes, tliat appears intended to force from me what 1 think ought to be prefcrvcd for the public lervice, and for the benefit of tlie Honourable Company. The manner t!iat the fort and city was delivered to the Company, does not autliorlze m.e to touch private property; and the cow] implies a pcrfeft frcurity for all fuch. Would your Honours be plealcd, that by any rap:K:ious aftion of your Commander in Cliief,tliat he or the troops IhouW forfeit the good opinion that may be entertained of tliem from their rapid luccefs, or that the public fcrvice lliould be coiifidered as a fecondary objcfl: ? Our name lias fallen alniofl to contempt; but, as far us lays in iny power, it fhali be rccovcred, if not railed to its foinier cmiuence.
Mm^ahre^ Alarch i6, 17S3.
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