Page:The Marquess of Hastings, K.G..djvu/86

78 some gratuitous concessions. The treaty was ratified by the Supreme Government of Calcutta on the 9th December, and the latter awaited this necessary formality from Khátmándu (which was promised on the 15th), to give effect to the conciliatory views which were then to be put into practice.

But the war faction was again in the ascendent in the Rájá's councils. This faction — holding exaggerated opinions of the value of the fortified passes which, guarding the capital, had never yet been approached by the British forces, apprehensive, moreover, lest the proposed peace should result in the complete overthrow of the Gúrkha state and reduce it to a position of dependence and servitude, and having already surrendered the western provinces without hope or means of recovering them — conceived that they had nothing more to lose and much to gain by a renewal of hostilities, and accordingly the ratification of the treaty was rejected, to the extreme astonishment and annoyance of the British authorities. As soon as this became evident, General Ochterlony was forthwith ordered to take the field and a second campaign became inevitable.

Some delay at first occurred owing to the fact that peace was looked upon as certain, and that a spirit of hasty economy had induced the authorities to sell off a large quantity of stores, transport, and other warlike necessaries; it was not therefore until the beginning of February, 1816, that an advance was made into the enemy's country. A large force of