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406 private understanding that while the contest lasted he should not quit his capital. Scindia manifested the most violent opposition, first to the English entering his dominions at all, and then to the terms attached to that movement; nor was it till Lord Hastings from one quarter, and General Donkin from another, were each within a day's march of his frontier that the treaty was reluctantly signed.

Similar treaties were also extorted, through dread of the stupendous armaments that were now sweeping through the country, from other Mahratta chiefs; and especially from Ameer Khan, a leader of Patan bands, who has been characterised as "one of the most atrocious villains that India ever produced." But while these new engagements of amity were in course of formation, the relations of peace previously subsisting between the British Government and one of its native allies were about to receive a shock.

Raghojee Bhoonsla, the Rajah of Berar, who had invariably resisted every attempt to subsidise him, died in March, 1816; but his son being in a state of imbecility, the Governor-General placed Appa Sahib, his cousin, on the musnud, on condition of his accepting a subsidiary force of six battalions of our Sepoys, and a regiment of native cavalry, for which he was to pay seven and a-half lacs of rupees per annum; engaging at the same time to keep on foot a contingent force of his own of 5,000 men, and to allow this force to co-operate with the English in putting down the Pindarries.

But when Appa Sahib was, as he thought, firmly fixed on the guddee, he began to look with dislike on his English auxiliaries, and cast about how he could best get rid of them. He was led to enter into that confederacy against the British power which was formed among the Mahratta chiefs in consequence of the Pindarrie war; and was observed to carry on an active correspondence with the Peishwa, while the latter was maturing his plans of aggression. Mr. Jenkins, our