An account of the arrival from Bengal of the Governor-General, Earl Cornwallis, Bahadúr,— the Commander-in-Chief of the English army, and his confederacy with Nizám Alí Khán, and the Mahrattas. Also, the march of the confederates to attack on all sides, and root up the power of the Khodádád (the Kingdom of Mysore,) and the conquest of the Forts and Towns of the Bala­ghaut. Also, the Battles fought between the army of the Sultán and those of the confederates with other events of the year, 1206, Hijri.— A. D. 1791.

THE maritime intelligence department of the English government now reported to the Com­mander-in-Chief of their army, the march of the Sultán to the country of the Karnatic Payan­ghaut, that the whole of the province had been swept by the tempest of desolation;— that the troops of the victorious army had occupied it on all sides, and that General Meadows, after some exertions, from the want of provisions and other stores, being without resource, had returned to Madras;— that if the enemy were not soon expelled, there was great danger of a general rebel­lion in that country, and that it would then quickly pass out of the hands of the English government.

About this time, also, Aboo Kasim Khán, called also Mír i Alum, the embassador of Nizám Alí Khán, who had been sent to Bengal previously, by the policy of Mushír ul Moolk,* the prime Minister of the chief of Hydurabád, to stimulate and incite the Commander-in-chief of the English army to the destruction of the Khodádád state, finding every thing favourable to his views, exerted himself to the utmost, and the Commander-in-chief, or rather the Governor-general wrote to the Nizám of Hydurabád, and the Chief of Poona (the Paishwa) recommending their conquering, and then dividing amongst them, the whole of the Balaghaut provinces, and then despatched orders to prepare military equipment, and collect troops to the Governor, &c. of Madras;— he himself making preparations at the same time.

The Nizám and Mahrattas who were looking out for an invitation to seize and plunder the wealth and territory of those who had no friends to assist them, in conformity to the suggestion of the Governor-general, with one accord assembled their troops and made all necessary preparations for war. The English officers too, in collecting their stores and muni­tions of war, each being separately appointed to his work, made all things ready with great labour, and Colonel Read, the Darogha of the intelligence department, who was appointed to the command of Amboor Gurh, with great address, and by the liberal distribution of money, sweet words, and kind actions, brought over to his side the whole of the Poligars of the Balaghaut, who from the oppres­sion and cruelty of the late Nawáb, and the tyran­nical character of the Sultán had abandoned their own country, and had sought refuge in the towns of the Karnatic Payanghaut; such as the Poligar of Gungoondi Pala; the sons of Bhyreh Koor, the Poligar of Chuk Balapoor, Pud Naír, the Poligar of Vinkut Giri Kote, who was residing at Charkul; Shunk Rayel, or Rawul, the Chief of Punganoor, and besides these, the Poligars of Khut Koomnír, Mudun Pulli, Anikul, Oonkus Giri, Cheel Náík, &c. all being dispossessed of their lands, received written assurances of protection, and were despatched to their own districts on condition they should collect and forward supplies of forage and provisions to the English army; and they also received authority to retake or recover (by any means) their own districts and Talookas;— and, notwithstanding the severe restrictions in the Bala­ghaut, where without passes from the heads of dis­tricts, a man was not permitted to go from one town to another, he Colonel Read, obtained maps of the whole of the country, by sending clever spies and able moonshis at great expense, dressed as merchants into that country, and by their agency or mediation, also, several chiefs and officers of the Sirkar Khodádád, having been brought over to his interest, he sat waiting the arrival of the Governor-general, and although a certain Syud Imám, previously private intelligencer to Colonel Read, who was residing at the capital (Puttun) had obtained employment in the Sultan’s service; still, he wrote and despatched correct intelligence on all subjects, continually to Colonel Read, and he also had assembled a number of traitors to his aid; when all at once the dish of his detection and shame appeared from beneath the blanket, (in allu­sion to some Persian custom, or game, apparently,) for his treachery by reason of some correction he had given to a boy, his servant, or slave, was pub­lished to the world; and at length certain of the Sultán’s faithful servants seized him and his boy, and brought them before the presence, and detailed all the circumstances of his treachery; this doomed man, therefore, fell under the heavy displeasure of the Sultán, and he was asked by him, what have you been doing?— “If you tell the truth you may by that means save your life for a time.” In these difficulties this foolish man made up a story with truth and falsehood intermixed, and wrote the names of several officers who had leagued with him in his treachery, and presented them to the Sultán, and according to this list of names, fifteen persons, such as Lall Khán Bukhshi of Punganore; Mír Nuzzur Alí, Mokubdár, and his brother, and Ismael Khán Risaldár, &c. were seized and given over in charge to the executioner, and after the proof or establishment of the secret intelligence writer’s guilt (Islám Khán’s) the Sultán asked him, “how he who had eaten his salt could have acted so treacherously, and what punishment he thought such conduct deserved?” The culprit, however, returned no answer, and the Sultán then said, “send this gentleman* with the rest of his companions;” and he was also put to death.

Another person also, named Imám Uddín, a news writer, who had been employed in the same work and who resided at Kolar and Nundi Gurh, hearing this news at night, fled from that place to Kurumpaut, depending on Sautgurh. Still, how­ever, notwithstanding the disclosure of all this treachery, and the execution of his hired depen­dants, Colonel Read did not abstain from his intrigues and projects. As soon as intelligence, that the troops, provisions, and stores were all ready, reached the Governor-General, he immediately with five thousand Bengal Sipahees, and two thou­sand Europeans, embarked on board ship and sailed to Madras, and after remaining there a month, he marched, accompanied by twenty-four regiments of Native Infantry; six thousand Europeans, and three thousand regular cavalry, and with great dis­cipline and order, arrived at Rai Vellore, en route to the conquest of the Balaghaut.

In the meantime, the Sultán while he remained encamped near Turwadi, had entered into some negotiation with the French of Pondicherri for aid and support when his spies brought him intelligi­gence of the march of the Governor-General. In consequence, therefore, of this report, Muham­mad Khán Bukhshi was detached with a large body of troops, and marched by the route of the Chun­guma Ghaut to Tripatoor,— the fort of which was garrisoned by one hundred English Sipahees, com­manded by an European officer, and three hundred foot, belonging to the Poligar of Kalistri, under the command of Ankupa Naír. This fort, there­fore, Muhammad Khán closely surrounded, and thus endeavoured to block up the road of escape to the garrison. The officer in the fort and the Naír, however, after counting the stars all night, before sunrise next morning, evacuated the fort and took the road to Amboor Gurh. Muham­mad Khán’s horse, however followed them close, and fell in with them near the foot of the hills of Jowadi Pala, and at one charge defeated them.

The officer and the Naír were taken prisoners, and the horse returned. At this time, Nizám Alí Khán, with forty thousand horse and twenty thou­sand foot, accompanied by his most trusty Amírs, and his sons Alijah, and Sekundur Jah, marched from Hydurabád and encamped at Pankul, and he thence despatched his Amírs with a large force in advance to conquer the possessions of the Sultán. The Commander-in-chief of the English army had effected the passage of his army by the Ghaut, or pass of Moglievinkut Giri, and had posted detach­ments in the towns of Morewakul,* Kolar and Huskote, and marching on had arrived at Kishen Rajpoor, which is three kose from Bangalore;— when the Sultán receiving intelligence of his progress, made a forced march to stop him.