The march of an army, under the command of Nundi Raj, agreeably to the request of Muhammad Alí Khan, Suráj ud dowla, towards Nuthur Nuggur, otherwise called Trichinopoly, and the display of that innate courage in the course of the expedition, which marked the character of the Khan; in the year 1160. H.

After the murder of his father, and that of Násir Jung, Muhammad Alí Khan Suráj ud dowla, Wala Jah, the son of Unwar uddín Khan, the martyr, sought refuge in Nuthur Nuggur, or Trichinopoly. With the intention, therefore, of rooting out the power of Muhammad Alí Khan, Hussain Dost Khan, otherwise Chunda Sáhib Nayut, (who, by the assistance of the French of Pondicherry, had wrested the whole of the province of Arkat from Hidayut Mohi uddín Khan,) now advanced boldly to attack Nuthur Nuggur; having with him a few French troops and his own force amounting to about six thousand horse, and twelve thousand foot, and besieged that fort, throwing up batteries, and maintaining a continual fire on the city.

Suráj ud dowla, reduced to extremity, was like a lamp, the light of which glimmers and dies at the approach of morning. He, therefore, wrote to the ministers of the Mysore government, stating that, if they would now assist him in his necessities, and conquer his enemies, he would, after his foes had retreated, and the Souba had been reduced under his authority, consign to their charge the fort of Trichinopoly and its dependencies. He also sent for aid to the governor of the Port of Deona Put­tun, an Englishman, and assigned him a monthly allowance; and promised him a Jageer;* and by this means obtained from him a number of European soldiers.

Seduced by the flattering prospect of obtaining a fertile rich country, and greedy of gain,* Nundi Raj, the minister of the Mysore Raja, associated himself with Morar Rao, and other Poligars; and, having expended a great deal of money, he, with his treasury and artillery, and an army of seven thousand cavalry, and ten or twelve thousand foot, marched towards Trichinopoly. The Raja of Mysore, however, was not consenting to this move­ment; but, nevertheless, his Dulwai or Prime Minister, with great labour persisted, and carried to the besieged Khan, (Muhammad Alí,) money and supplies of all sorts; indeed, all the aid he required.

Hydur Alí Khan was present in every engage­ment, in conjunction with the troops of Suráj ud dowla, and displayed the greatest valour; he also made several night attacks on the French troops, and on those of Chunda Sáhib, with great success. His Kuzzaks,* who were under the command of Gházi Khan Bede, were likewise appointed to sur­round and plunder the camp of the French and they captured and brought thence arms, tents, and cattle; and, in one of these night attacks, by their enterprize and bravery they took two guns from the advanced guard of the French. By these actions Hydur Alí established himself a name above his compeers.

The assassination of Chunda Sáhib, at length took place in the Dulwai Munduf, (Mundup) where he had formerly sworn on the Korán not to molest or injure Munka Rani, the wife of Trimul Náík, the Chief of Madhura, who then had charge of the government of Trichinopoly, and to whom, after he had drawn her into his snares by oaths and treaties that he would offer her no injury, he not only broke his promise and oath, but, moreover, violated her person, and caused her to be put to death in a most barbarous manner.* In conse­quence of his death, the French withdrew to Pon­dicherry, and Suráj ud dowla remained successful and master.

He now, however, with great artifice, abandoned his agreement with the Mysorians; and, instead of sending the money, that is pay, which was due to the troops for six months, he sent messages and apologies. Astonished at the Khan’s duplicity and villainy, Nundi Raj was also ashamed of his own imprudence in the business; he therefore gave orders to commence the siege of the fort, and Hydur Alí, and his other officers, immediately made an attack on it. The wily Khan, however, after the breaking up of the Trichinopoly treaty, or agreement, sought the friendship and aid of the French, and sent for a number of soldiers of that nation to his aid. He likewise sent to Pondicherry, to purchase warlike stores, as cannon, muskets, powder and shot, and to procure able gunners, and other Frenchmen whom he entertained in his service.

The siege lasted three months, and in that time Kumtoo Sáhib, the half brother of Hydur Alí, was slain by a cannon ball. At length, the besieged Khan planned a deep scheme; he sent to Nundi Raj, to request he would despatch some confidential officer, with a party of troops, to garrison the fort, to whom the keys should be delivered up, and that he himself would then retire to take possession of Arkat, under the aid and protection of the English.

Supposing, from this message, that the spell, or witchery, of his prudence and valour had made a proper impression on the serpent-like Khan, Nundi Raj, joyfully despatched his brother or near rela­tion, Gooti Gopal, with Venkut Rao Burki, Khoob Sáhib, Syud Budduni Dukkuni, and Umr Singh, Jamadárs, with a detachment of about two thousand foot, and seven hundred horse, giving them strict orders to provide for the security of the fort and its dependencies.

When these people had reached the gate of the fort, a key was sent to them; but the day being considered very inauspicious by the Hindoos, and also the hour unlucky, they for that reason made excuses, and would not receive the key; but an agreement was made that it should be delivered up to them the next day, and the party went back. Suráj ud dowla was extremely well pleased at this arrangement, as he had thus fulfilled his promise and engagement. The next day, therefore, the same party returned to the fort, and with great cheerfulness entered it. As soon, however, as they were in, Gooti Gopal and the other officers were sent for separately, under pretence of speaking to and consulting them, and were imprisoned, and the arms of their followers being seized, some of them were confined, and some turned out of the fort. The gates were then closed, and a few shots were fired into the Mysore camp.

Nundi Raj was very grieved and angry at this treachery, yet, at the same time, he was entirely at a loss to know what he should do to remedy his misfortune, at length, however, yielding to fate, he followed the advice of Hydur Alí, and, returned towards Sutti Mungul; foiled and ashamed that after all his exertions, he had lost the chance of possessing so rich a country as Arkat, and had thrown away 3,000,000* of pagodas to no purpose.

The Raja of Mysore, also, being offended at these operations, had not sent any pay for the troops for nine months; and, this causing great distress in the camp, Nundi Raj halted at the town before mentioned, being ashamed to return to the capital.

About this time, Balajee Rao Nana,* the chief of the Mahrattas at Poona, for the first time made an incursion towards Mysore, after taking posses­sion of the Souba Sura, to the chief of which, Nawaub Dilawár Khan, he gave the Purguna of Kolar, in Jageer, leaving the Souba in charge of Bulwunt Rao. Finding that Hydur Alí was absent from the country of Mysore, he proceeded without fear, and, meeting no opposition, laid the whole of the country waste, and placed strong garrisons of his own troops in all the forts, and took permanent possession of them.

The Raja of Mysore, seeing the enemy in great force, and that they had seized all his towns and villages, excepting his capital, Bangalore, and Makri Droog; also that, by the pride and mismanage­ment of the Dulwai, Nundi Raj, his own troops were confined to the neighbourhood of Trichinopoly; and that, however often he wrote informing him of the desolation of his country, and the plun­der of his Ryuts, and ordered him to return to his succour, Nundi Raj still refused to comply before making his own arrangements; and, lastly, seeing that all pertaining to the government was falling into confusion, he, (the Raja) overwhelmed with difficulties, and disordered in his senses, at length, purchased the forbearance of the Mahrattas, by paying a krore of rupees to them; but, although they with their troops returned to Poona, still they did not withdraw their detachments or garrisons, and officers, from the towns and forts of Mysore; but, on the contrary, increased their number. They, moreover, plundered and laid waste the country, so cruelly and effectually, that to this day some towns are not repeopled.