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294 CHAPTER XVII.

War in the Upper Provinces – Operations against the French Native Army under Perrou – Storming and Capture of Aleeghur – Surrender of Perrou – Dissolution of his Force at the Battle of Delhi – The British Troops enter Delhi – Pitiable Condition of the Great Mogul – He claims and receives the Protection of the British – Titles bestowed by Shah Aulum on Lord Lake – Agra capitulates to the British – Immense Prize Money – Submission of Cuttack to the British arms – Battle of Laswarree – Destruction of Scindia's Battalions, the "Deccan Invincibles" – Extensive Cessions of Territory made by Scindia – Expedition of the sham Dhoondia Waugh – His Force surprised and cut up by General Campbell – Valuable Booty taken on the Occasion.

While these transactions were taking place in the central regions of Hindostan, the war against Scindia was prosecuted with equal vigour in the upper provinces, under Lord Lake, to whose proceedings we must now revert, as they bore a considerable influence on the speedy termination of the war related in the last chapter.

The principal object of Lord Lake's enterprise was the destruction of a French corps in the service of Scindia, under the command of an officer named Perrou, which was originally raised by an adventurer named De Boigné, and had acquired great celebrity in India. De Boigné is said to have been a native of Savoy, who, after serving successively in the armies of France and Russia, and having, while in the service of the latter power, been made prisoner by the Turks, found his way to Madras, where he became an ensign in the army of the East India Company. He subsequently went to Calcutta, where being furnished with letters of introduction to Warren Hastings, then Governor-General, he proposed to him a project for exploring the countries between India and Russia, which was never carried into effect. He next entered the service of the Rajah of Jeypore, and subsequently that of Scindia,