Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 35.djvu/412

 stipulation in the former treaty for the cession of the islands so alarmed the Persians that neither Malcolm's tact and good humour nor his lavish presents and somewhat supple diplomacy could overcome their reluctance, and the point was not insisted on. The treaties, though signed by Malcolm and Hadjee Ibrahim, were not formally executed by their respective governments, and some doubt remained as to their binding effect. The treaties themselves were never actively put in force, but the impression produced on the Persian court and policy by Malcolm's first mission was undoubtedly salutary. He returned by way of Baghdad, in order to impress an anti-Gallic policy upon its Turkish governor. He quitted Baghdad on 31 March, and after a dangerous voyage through the Persian Gulf arrived at Bombay on 13 May. The mission, though disapproved by the court of directors, had been conducted to Lord Wellesley's highest satisfaction. Malcolm was at once summoned to Calcutta to undertake temporarily the private secretaryship to the governor-general, and, after encountering an almost fatal storm on his passage, reached Calcutta early in July, and proceeded in August up the Ganges with Lord Wellesley on his tour of investigation into the affairs of Oudh. In the winter he was hastily despatched to Madras on a confidential mission to induce Edward Clive [q. v.], lord Clive, afterwards earl of Powis, the governor, and other officials not to return home, but to hold various posts in the presidency for a further term, and so to secure, what their expected successors would oppose or mismanage, the application to Madras of the new revenue and judicial regulations. Although this arrangement obliged Malcolm to forego his own appointment to the Mysore residency, which had been promised and all but formally given to him, he executed his task with fidelity and address, and returned without complaint to his post of acting private secretary in March 1802. His influence with Lord Wellesley was great; he was spoken of as ‘Lord Wellesley's factotum and the greatest man in Calcutta,’ and in August 1802 he was again chosen to go on a special mission to Bombay. He travelled by way of Hyderabad and Poonah in order to confer with the residents at those courts in view of coming changes affecting the nizam and the peishwah. Between Poonah and Bombay he was detained for a couple of days a prisoner by a local chief, who had seized and fortified the Bhore Ghaut, in anticipation of an immediate conflict between Holkar and Scindiah. He reached Bombay on 10 Oct. There he had to deal with a grave difficulty arising out of the recent murder of Hadjee Khalil Khan, the Persian ambassador, by some British sepoys who had quarrelled with the ambassador's attendants. Malcolm satisfactorily settled the disastrous business, and despatched Lieutenant Charles William Pasley [q. v.], acting-resident at Bushire, with conciliatory missives to the Persian government. His letters produced the desired effect, and the shah was easily appeased for the murder of his ambassador on the receipt of a substantial indemnity. Malcolm returned to Calcutta in December, and expected immediately to proceed to take up his appointment as resident at Hyderabad.

But at this juncture the expected Mahratta war broke out. While Malcolm was still at Bombay, Holkar had defeated Scindiah and Badjee Rao near Poonah. On 31 Dec. 1802 the company allied itself with the peishwah by the treaty of Bassein, and operations began for the restoration of Badjee Rao to his capital. Malcolm left Calcutta in February 1803 and joined General Wellesley's camp at Hoobly on 19 March. He found himself able to work cordially and effectually as political agent to his old friend Wellesley, but he was much harassed by severe and repeated attacks of dysentery and fever all through the summer, and was further embarrassed, in face of the ambiguous and menacing attitude of the Mahratta chiefs, by the undefined character of his own powers. He was officially only resident at Mysore, but actually representative of the governor-general himself at the headquarters of General Wellesley. On the outbreak of war with Scindiah in August 1803 he was so ill that he was reluctantly obliged to proceed to Bombay, leaving Mountstuart Elphinstone as Wellesley's political assistant, and did not return to camp till the middle of December. He thus, to his great regret, missed being present at Assaye and Argaum. Though his health had again broken down, he at once plunged into the negotiations for peace, and the treaty of peace, which was signed on 30 Dec. by the representatives of the company and of Scindiah, was drawn up in conformity with his recommendations. He then was despatched to Scindiah's camp at Boorhanpore to conclude a supplemental treaty, and was presented to the maharajah on 12 Jan. 1804. The negotiations proceeded very slowly, and the treaty was not concluded until 27 Feb. After the conclusion of the treaty he remained some time longer in the camp of Scindiah, engaged in negotiations for the delimitation of the several possessions to be held under it, by Scindiah, by the lesser feudatory chiefs, and by the com-