for the proclamation soon found its way to Calcutta; but as it concluded by offering encouragement to the subjects of France to enter into the service of Tippoo Sultaun, on terms to be fixed with his ambassadors then on the spot, it is likely the governor thought a full development necessary to encourage the plan in view of raising men.

Tippoo Sultaun, therefore, having actually concluded these offensive and defensive engagements with France, then our enemy; having permitted the French troops to land publicly at Mangalore, and having thus collected by their aid a force openly destined to carry those engagements into effect; having also applied to the directory of France for a more powerful force, destined to the same end; and having also declared that the delay of the meditated blow proceeded from no other cause than his expectation of receiving further aid from the enemy; the Earl of Mornington conceived himself perfectly justified in asserting that the Sultaun had most flagrantly violated the treaties existing between him and the Company, and that he had actually committed an act of direct hostility and aggression against the British government in India.

In addition to this, the governor general had received undoubted intelligence that Tippoo had for some time previous been entirely employed in military preparations, in perfect conformity with the hostile spirit of his engagements with our inveterate enes my; that the greatest part of his army was in a state of equip ment for the field; and that a considerable portion of it was ac tually encamped under his personal command.

All this, however, was in direct opposition to the communica tions from Tippoo himself; for he had not then attempted to allege even the pretext of a grievance against the British go vernment; and even in his letters to Sir John Shore, now Lord Teignmouth, whilst his ambassadors were actually at the Isle of France, nay, dated on the very day on which the French force landed at Mangalore, he declared that " his friendly heart was disposed to pay every regard to truth and justice, and to strengthen the foundations of harmony and concord between the two na

tions;" and he concluded with expressing a desire that Sir John would impress Lord Mornington with a sense of the friendship and unanimity so firmly subsisting between the two states. Lord Mornington was fortunately not to be cajoled by these pacific declarations; but considering the act of Tippoo Sultaun's ambassadors, ratified by himself, and followed up by the admission of a French force into his army, as equivalent to a public, unqualified, and unambiguous, declaration of war, he determined on an immediate attack upon his capital, as demanded by the soundest maxims both of justice and policy, and as the best and surest means of frustrating the execution of his unprovoked and unwarrantable projects of ambition and revenge.

The departure of the large force destined for Manilla, it was afterwards ascertained, would have proved a signal to the watchful vengeance of Tippoo to invade the Carnatic, even without waiting for the aid of a French force, the assistance of which did not appear necessary to him during the contemplated absence of such a considerable portion of our army.

The whole proposed plan of operation became, therefore, necessarily changed, and the Madras army, under Lieutenant General Harris, was concentrated at Vellore, in the Carnatic: but, from the unavoidable delays in providing the necessary equipments for so large a force, it was not in a condition to begin its march before the 11th of February, 1799. The contingent of the Nizam, amounting to about 6,000 of the Company's troops, under the command of Colonel Roberts, and subsidized by his highness, together with the same number of his own native infantry, marched from Hyderabad, under the command of Meer Allum Bahauder, and had arrived at Chittoor, even before General Harris was ready to march from Vellore.

In order to give the Nizam's force the utmost respectability, the commander in chief not only strengthened it with some of the Company's battalions, but appointed the 33d regiment to join it, giving the general command of the British force thus serving to Colonel Wellesley.

This arrangement, which was highly pleasing to Meer Allum,

added greatly to the confidence of his troops, and tended much to render them essentially useful.

Colonel Wellesley had thus under his command the whole of the Nizam's detachment, forming the reserve of the army, and comprising his own regiment the 33d, the 11th, part of the 2d and 4th, two battalions of the 1st Bengal regiment, two brigades of artillery, the Nizam's infantry commanded by Captain Malcolm, and the cavalry of the same prince commanded by their own native officer, Meer Allum. Along with these he had a distinct staff; and the cavalry alone amounted to 6,000 men; the whole army under General Harris being returned 36,959 fighting men, all well equipped, amply and liberally supplied, excellent in discipline, and never surpassed by any army ever formed in India, in the skill and ability of the officers in all departments.

It must be confessed, indeed, that the expedition was begun under untoward circumstances, for the cumbrous baggage and numerous attendants on the Nizam force, as well as that of the European troops, the immense quantity of public stores and provisions, the long train of ordnance, with above forty thousand Benjarres, formed altogether such a host as not to admit of being covered by the effective force; so that if Tippoo had employed his powers, with the military skill which he was supposed to possess, he might, without hazarding an engagement, by desultory skirmishes, distant cannonades, and other hostile movements, have so harassed the infantry, and weakened the cavalry, that a great part of the baggage, stores, and ammunition, would probably have fallen into his hands, and the army have thus been greatly impeded in its march to the place of destination, particularly as the rainy season was then near setting in.

The commander in chief, Lieutenant General Harris, having determined to advance to Seringapatam, by the route of Talgautporam and Cankanelli, the march commenced at daybreak on the 10th of March, 1799. The cavalry were in advance, the baggage on the right, and the detachment under Colonel Wellesley, which had marched by the left, moved parallel at some distance on the right flank of the army.

Even on the first day's advance, the enemy began to annoy them. Parties of their horse were in all directions, and were not only active in burning the forage, and destroying the villages, but had even the audacity to attack Colonel Wellesley's rear guard, consisting of a company of Sepoys. Of these twenty were killed upon the spot, and Lieutenant Reynolds, and thirtysix wounded; but the commanding officer taking prompt steps, they were immediately repulsed.

On the 19th, after a fatiguing march through a country full of jungles and defiles, intelligence was received that the army of Tippoo had advanced to Allagoor, a village near Sultaunpettah; and on the 28th, the left wing and the cavalry having encamped close to a pass about seven miles from Cankanelli, the right were advanced to Arravully, and Colonel Wellesley's division took up its ground at some distance in the rear.

On the 23d, after securing several posts and passes of importance, the right wing of the cavalry marched from Achil, and encamped at Sultaunpettah, the left wing and the battering train advancing to Achil, while Colonel Wellesley, with his detachment, marched from Cankanelli, and encamped in front of the army, and the village of Allagoor, from whence the Sultaun's army had retired. Early on the morning of the day, as the colonel and his advance approached Sultaunpettah, a cloud of dust to the westward evidently denoted that the army of Tippoo was then in motion, and it afterwards appeared that it had just quitted its position on the westward bank of the Maddoor river, and had encamped at Mallavelly. As the movements from this date led to an action in which the colonel had an opportunity of greatly distinguishing himself, we shall notice them more minutely from the observations of an eyewitness.

Pursuing their march, the right wing, the cavalry, and the detachment under Colonel Wellesley, halted on the 25th of March, and were joined by the left wing and the battering train. On the 26th the whole moved in compact order, and encamped five miles to the eastward of Mallavelly. This gave Tippoo an opportunity of executing part of his intentions; for the spies, on

their return from his camp, positively asserted that he had declared his intention of attacking them "as soon as they ventured out of the jungles," or thick forests through which they had to pass; and his having waited some days encamped on the banks of the Maddoor appeared to confirm the truth of their reports.

The ground taken up by the army on the 26th was open, and easily to be seen from the adjoining heights; and the enemy's advanced parties, amongst which were some elephants, soon appeared upon a distant ridge. From thence, after reconnoitring the British encampment for a considerable time, they retired, and in the evening fourteen or fifteen guns were seen in motion; the whole of which circumstances seemed to point out that the Sultaun was preparing for the execution of his threatened attack.

On the 27th, therefore, at daybreak, Colonel Wellesley's division was ordered to move parallel to the left, but at some distance, so as to cover the baggage, and to be in readiness to act as circumstances should require; whilst the main body of the army marched from its left flank on the great road leading to Mallavelly. Major General Floyd commanded the advance of the whole, having under him all the piquets; together with five regiments of cavalry; he approached within a mile of Mallavelly. but was there obliged to halt, in consequence of discovering a numerous body of the enemy's cavalry on the right flank, whilst their infantry remained on the heights beyond that place.

He was convinced that this was Tippoo's grand army; and having reconnoitred his position, discovered some guns moving towards the right of the enemy's line, as if with the intention of occupying a ridge which enfiladed the low ground on the eastern flank of the village. He immediately concluded that these guns were intended to open upon our line whilst passing this ground; and having given the proper information to the commander in chief, measures were immediately taken for an instant attack, in order to frustrate his plans.

Colonel Wellesley, with his division, was directed to attack the Sultaun's right flank, whilst the piquets, under Colonel Sherbrooke, supported by the right wing of the main body, under