120 THE CIMBRICAN MAID.* SWEET maid of Cimbrica, soft be thy sleep! No wintry tempests across thy head sweep! For enough of the storm and the tempest blew round thee, Ne'er to assail thee more, Let every other to silence be won! Pure as thine eyes, when uplifted to heaven, With their last beams, to ask if thy love were forgiven; Such as fond memory wears, When o'er the tomb of the sainted she bends. White and unsoil'd be the soft fleecy snows, Melting, when pity glow'd Into a love pure as heaven's own gleams. Fare thee well! Fare thee well! Cimbrican Maid! On her cold, pulseless breast, From each conflict at rest, grave Nor Denmark's, nor feeling's, nor suffering's slave! * From the Wanderer of Scandinavia,' vol. ii. p. 314. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE BRITISH POWER IN INDIA. No. IX. THE Nuwaub of the Carnatic and the English rulers at the Madras Presidency had each in their pecuniary difficulties already frequently cast an eye on the treasures of the King of Tanjore; for, not accurately considering his circumstances, they always persisted in believing him a wealthy prince. He had been included as an ally of the English in the treaty concluded with Hyder Ali in 1769; but as this honour was conferred upon him merely to prevent his being regarded as the ally of Hyder, for whom he was suspected of entertaining a treacherous preference, there seemed to be no reason why the Nuwaub and the Company should not extort from him as much money as possible. Their claim was founded on the protection they had afforded the Rajah, in common with all the Zemindars of the Carnatic, during the late war; and this was strenthened by the fact that the Rajah had actually presented, to the former Nuwaub, the sum of eighty or a hundred lacs of rupees at a time. The Court of Directors commanded the Presidency, therefore, to further the designs of the Nuwaub to the utmost of their power; but at the same time to take good care that whatever sums should be obtained, were conveyed to the coffers of the Company in liquidation of the Nuwaub's debts. As the Rajah of Tanjore, who prayed for some abatement, or at least delay, in the demands of the Nuwaub, had been included in their treaty with Hyder Ali, the Presidency feared that any attempt to enforce their demands with arms would involve them in a new war with that prince, for which they possessed not sufficient treasure. Under these circumstances, the Select Committee determined to slight the advice of the Directors, and abstain from violence. In the month of February 1771, news reached the Presidency that the Rajah was about to march against the Marawar chief of Sanputty; and as the Madras Government regarded this as an infringement of the treaty subsisting between the Nuwaub and the Rajah, they immediately wrote to induce the latter to abandon his design. He maintained, however, that the district belonged to him, and that moreover the Nuwaub had formerly acknowledged this, and only requested him to delay the recovery of it until after the expedition against Madura. He therefore persisted in his intention. As soon as his answer was known, the Nuwaub, and Sir John Lindsay, (the King's Plenipotentiary,) most earnestly urged the Presidency immediately to commence hostilities against him; but many motives restrained them. In the first place their funds were scanty, and they at the same time apprehended an attack from the Nizam, and from the Mahrattas. The Nuwaub, they suspected, was actuated by mere ambition; but as it was to be feared that the representations of Sir John Lindsay would prejudice them in England, if they remained inactive, they made some show of warlike preparation, but secretly determined that nothing but absolute necessity should force them into war. In the meanwhile they investigated the pretended rights of the Rajah on the Marawar district, and found that in fact he had no other than that by which they themselves enjoyed their pre-eminence in the country-the right of the strongest. From various considerations, the Presidency at length came to the conclusion that an expedition against the King of Tanjore was advisable, and made known their readiness to undertake it; but the Nuwaub now betrayed an unaccountable reluctance, and feigned great apprehension of the Mahrattas. The harvest, however, being now over, and the principal portion of the grain laid up in the different ports, little fear could be entertained of a Mahratta army, which would find much difficulty to subsist itself in the country. Still, as the Nuwaub evinced no inclination for war, they were content to desist, and attempted what could be effected by negociation. But nothing was effected this way, and war ensued. Before entering on it, each party endeavoured, in case of conquest, to secure the country of Tanjore to itself; but at last the Presidency consented that the Nawaub should obtain possession of it, on paying to the Company ten lacs of pagodas. Matters being thus settled, the army marched towards Tanjore in September 1771, and encamped before it; but the Rajah soon lost courage, and not only agreed to pay his arrears of tribute to the Nuwaub, and relinquish his claim on the Marawars, but likewise to defray the expenses of the expedition which had been undertaken against him. This arrangement he entered into with Omdut ul Omrah, the Nuwaub's son, who was at the head of the expedition; but when the terms were communicated to the Presidency they were not approved. It seemed to the Madras Government, that nothing short of the surrender of the fort at discretion, should have satisfied the Omrah; and they directed that the fort of Vellum, which had been taken during the expedition, should not be evacuted until further instructions. They anticipated that the Rajah would be unable to be punctual in fulfilling his engagements; which actually happened; and this being pronounced a breach of treaty, he was required to make his peace with the Company, by giving up the fortress of Vellum, and the districts of Coiladdy and Elangad, and he complied. The affair of Tanjore was not yet concluded, when the Nuwaub applied for the Company's forces to subdue the two Marawar Polygars. The Governor and Council, although they confessed, in their letter to the Directors that they considered the war unjust, adding that justice and good policy are not often related, made no scruple to render the Nuwaub the assistance he required, though they deferred commencing hostilities until after the rains. The army, accompanied as on the previous occasion by Omdut ul Omrah, the Nuwaub's son, marched from Trichinopoly in May 1772; and on the 28th of the same month arrived before Rammadaporam, the capital of the greater Marawar. A very few days put them in possession of this fort; and before the end of the next month, they had reduced the two districts, killed one of the Polygars through criminal negligence after they had concluded a peace with him, and made the other, a minor twelve years old, prisoner. Having reduced the chiefs, they proceeded to exercise the most arbitrary authority over the people, and provoked them to take up arms; and the means by which they were attempted to be subdued, were distinguished by nefarious cruelty. Encouraged by these successes, the Nuwaub now meditated the entire reduction of Tanjore, and, although the Madras Government confessed that the Rajah had done nothing to justify an attack upon his country, they engaged to second the desires of the Nuwaub, from a conviction that it was dangerous to permit a man so deeply injured as the Rajah had been, to remain in secure possession of a sovereignty in the heart of the province. On his part, the Nuwaub was to defray the whole expenses of the war, and pay the Company for 10,000 sepoys, instead of 7000. It was resolved that peace should now on no account be concluded with the Rajah, unless it were found impossible to vanquish him; and the Nuwaub agreed to purchase of the army the plunder of Tanjore, should the place be taken by storm. These preliminaries settled, the army began its march from Trichinopoly in the beginning of August 1773. When the allies arrived before the city, the Rajah despatched a letter to the English commander, exculpating himself from the charges laid against him by the Nuwaub, and entreating to be still honoured with the Company's protection. He forgot or dissembled the fact, that the Company never protected any one unless with the design of plundering him at a convenient opportunity; and that its servants cared little whether he was guilty or innocent, provided it could be proved that he was weak. His letter, therefore, was disregarded, and the operations of the siege were carried on with the greatest vigour. Having, about the middle of September, effected a considerable breach in the walls, it was expected that an assault would be attempted the next morning at day-break; but the English remained in their camp till the heat of the day became intense, and the garrison had chiefly retired to repose, when they advanced silently to the assault and easily carried the place; and the Rajah and his family fell into their hands. He was forthwith dethroned and imprisoned; and the Dutch, who had purchased from him the sea-port town of Nagore, were informed, that he had never any right to alienate the dependencies of his superior, the Nuwaub, and that, therefore, they must restore the town to its lawful sovereign. As an army advanced to explain this doctrine of feudal tenure, the Dutch were not in a condition to argue the matter, and retired. The Nuwaub agreed, however, to reimburse the Dutch the money they had advanced to the Rajah, on condition that they would consent to return the lands and jewels they had obtained of that prince. When the news of these events arrived in England, in March 1774, the Directors made no remarks upon them, but, preserving an unbroken silence for nearly a whole year, proceeded, in the spring of 1775, to elect a new Governor of Madras. The Court of Directors declared for Mr. Rumbold; but a Court of Proprietors immediately afterwards reversed their decision, and chose Lord Pigot. This nobleman, a former Governor of Madras, had returned to England in 1763, but was now ambitious of again visiting the East, in the hope, it is said, of rivalling the reputation of Clive. As soon as Lord Pigot's party gained the ascendancy at the East India House, the proceedings of the Madras Government were vehemently condemned by the Company's Courts. The dethronement of the King of Tanjore was the annihilation of Pigot's own acts, which, in 1762, had by treaty given him security for his throne. Independently, therefore, of any love of justice, which, though a Company's Governor, he may be supposed to have felt, he had other causes of resentment against the enemies of the Rajah, and burned with impatience for the opportunity of displaying his anger. Under the influence, as it appears, of this nobleman, the Court of Directors now condemned the conduct and policy of their servants at Madras, and, to account for having formerly bestowed praise upon the same acts, accused them of having transmitted home ambiguous and imperfect despatches. At the same time a series of regulations was framed for the guidance of their conduct: they were directed, first, to provide for the security of the King of Tanjore and his family, and under certain conditions to restore him to his dominions; and, secondly, when the affairs of Tanjore should be completely settled, to form a committee of five members of council, to make an inquiry into the state of the Northern Circars, and to let on leases the lands of those provinces. They likewise regulated the manner in which the Nuwaub should thenceforward hold the jaghire lands which he rented of the Company. Lord Pigot re-entered upon his office as Governor of Fort St. George in December 1775. According to the orders of the Directors, he was to proceed immediately with the restoration of the Rajah to his dominions; but it was agreed that these orders should' previously be made known to the Nuwaub in the least offensive |