have learnt my arrival on the fhores of the Red Sea, with a numerous and invincible army, wifhing to deliver you from the yoke of the Englih. I take this opportunity to tef tify my defire for fome news relating to your political fituation, by the way of Mufcatti and Morea. I wish you would fend to Suez or to Cairo, an intelligent and confidential perfon with whom I might confer. The Moft High increase your power and deftroy your enemies.”

This letter must have been highly gratifying to the Sultaun, who had already, in the end of 1797, difpatched two ambassadors to the French government in the Mauritius, or the Ifle of France, with whom he had already maintained a fecret correfpondence. They embarked at Mangalore, and arrived in that inland towards the clofe of January, 1798. They were received by the government with every circumftance of diftinction and respect; and, during their continuance on the island, were entertained at the public expenfe. They propofed to levy men to any practicable extent, ftating their powers to be unlimited, with refpect to the number to be raised in the name of Tippoo Sultaun.

A proclamation was iffued by the governor-general of the Ifle of France, in February, ftating that an embaffy had arrived at the Ifle of France, with letters from Tippoo Sultaun, addressed not only to the government of that ifland, but to the executive directory of France, propofing to conclude an offenfive alliance with the French, to fubfidize and to fupply whatever troops the French might furnish to the fultaun, and to commence, against the British power in India, a war of VOL. XII.

aggreffion, for which the fultaun was declared to be fully prepared, waiting with anxiety the moment when the fuccour should enable him to fatisfy his ardent defire of expelling the British nation from India. The proclamation concluded by offering encouragement to the fubjects of France, to enter into the fervice of Tippoo Sultaun, on terms to be fixed by the ambaflador then on the fpot.

The ambaffadors from Tippoo, on the feventh of March, embarked on board a French frigate, with a force raifed in the name of Tippoo Sultaun, amounting to about 200 men, inclufive of feveral officers, and arrived at Mangalore on the twentyfixth of April.

At the fame time that Tippoo was careful to augment his own European eftablishment, he laboured by all means alfo to increase that of the Nizam of the Decan, although in confederacy with the Mahrattas and the Englith. A plot was concerted between the fultaun and certain French officers, for gradually raising the European force in the army of that prince, above his controul, and for bringing over to the fide of the Myforeans this force, together with as many of the native troops as might be induced, according to the manner of the Afiatics, to join the party prevailing at the moment. The natural indolence of eaftern fovereigns, acting in every thing by delegation, and the mode of fubfifting the army by allotments of land, and not by the disbursement of money from a treafury under their own infpection, co-operated to facilitate confpiracy; and above 10,000 Europeans, French and others, were incorporated, and began to take the lead, in the army [F]

of

of the Nizam, when this circumftance was difcovered to lord Hobart, governor of Madras, by colonel Halcot, an officer commanding the military force in one of the company's eftablishments in the northwestern parts of the prefidency of

Madras.

About the fame time that the British government, in India, were informed of the correspondence between Tippoo and the French, and the plot carried on in the army of the Nizam; they learned alfo, that an embafly had been difpatched to Zemaun Shah, a very powerful prince of Tartarean origin, and the Mahometan faith, on the northern frontier of India, the fovereign of Cabul, the ancient Bactria and Candahar, the object of which embaffy was, to encourage that prince in his long-threatened invasion of India.

The kingdoms of Candahar and Cabul are both extenfive and populous. They comprize all the countries fituated between the river Indus and the fouthern extremities of the Caspian Sea, and between the eastern confines of Perfia, and great Bucharia, or the country of the Ufbeck Tartars, befides Lahore, and the celebrated province of Cafhimire. Ahmed Shah was the founder of that empire, for fo it may juftily be called, and of the illuftrious family, or dynafty, of the Abdallahs. Zemaun Shah, the prefent king, emperor, or abdallah, was the lineal defcendant of Ahmed.

The natives of Candahar have always been reckoned amongst the moft hardy men of Afia. The exact population of Zemaun Shah's domiions has not been ascertained. But it is an undoubted fact, that he

can bring into the field at lea 120,000 fighting men. Zemaun Shah, therefore, a Mahometan prince, naturally allied to Tippoo Sultaur, by religious opinions, habits, and that good-will which ufually fubfifts between fovereign powers, divided by the dominions of a common neighbour, or which is the fame thing in politics, enemy, was a natural and formidable fee to the British empire in India. A new barrier had, of late years, been added to that of the Mahrattas, by the rife and progrefs of the Seiks, a nation bound together by a common religious fyftem, which preferibed every thing that was to be done in every eventual cafe, like the ancient Jews, or the lords of the congregation, on the breaking out of the reformation in Scotland. But the internal wars, inceffantly carried on between the Seik chiefs, might difable them from making a fuccefsful refiftance to the king of Candahar and Cabul, notwithstanding their implacable enmity. The cunning and fluctuating politics of the Mahrattas were not to be relied on. That nation, besides, as well as the Seiks, was torn to pieces by inteftine commotions.

Zemaun Shah naturally occurred as a powerful ally, and one not difficult to be gained, to fo inveterate and active an enemy to the English as Tippoo Sultaun. A fecret correfpondence between thefe Mahometan princes was accordingly found, after the deftruction of the latter, in his palace of Seringapatam.

This correfpondence commenced before the war between Tippoo and the English, which terminated in 1792; and the same hoftile and ambitious views marked it to its clofe. In a paper, dated

March

March, 1796, we find various inftructions to the ambaffadors fent by Tippoo to the king of Candahar, relating to their conduct and deportment in their miffion: their fuite, their expenfes, the prefents to be made to the chief officers of that prince, and the ceremonies to be obferved at their audience, or reception. On thefe particulars Tippoo appears, according to Oriental ideas of the importance of old cuftoms, to have laid great ftrefs: "When the minifter fhall fend for you, you will repair to Cabul, and take up your refidence at the place which he may point out. At your interview with him, you will carry the letter and khelant (honorary drefs) with you, and prefent them to him in trays; you will cach prefent a huzzur of five achmedies, and, according to the cuftom of that government, you will pay the proper compliments, and, if it fhould be cuftomary to fit down, after waiting a little, and receiving the commands of the vizier, you will do fo; fhould it, however, be cuftomary to stand up, you will remain ftanding; then, taking the letter and drefs from the trays, you will place thefe at fome diftance in front of the vizier, and after the refpects and compliments of the Sircar Khoodatlaud, in the manner prefcribed among the followers of the faith, you will make many profeffions of friendship; obferving, that all true believers are brethren; but you will pay at the fame time due attention to the refpective ranks of the parties. After having converfed together, you will reprefent that " you are Syuds, the defcendants of Fatimah" that you have

1

repaired to the prefence of his highnefs, and are ready to obey his commands; and that you entertain hopes, through his means, to be honoured with permiflion to pay your refpects to his majefty.

"You will addrefs yourselves to him in this manner, and having, through the vizier, obtained admiffion to the prefence of his majefty, Zemaun Shah, you will place on the trays the letter, the drefs, jewels, and the faddles, and then prefent them in the manner which the vizier may defire, and agreeably to the cuftoms and etiquette of the court: you will alfo, according to the eftablished forms of that court, offer the proper compliments, and ftand up, with your hands folded together. When you fhall receivė an order to fit down, you will feat yourselves accordingly, or whatever may be the etiquette of the place, you will be careful to obferve it.

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Having thus paid your court, through the vizier, in the manner which is proper for ambassadors, you will reprefent, that you, having come a diftant journey from the exalted prefence, have prefented yourfelves before his majefty; that many affairs of importance have been intrufted to you, which, at his leiture, you would reprefent to him."

In another paper there are two plans of co-operation between Tippoo Sultaun and Zeman Shah, which the ambaladors of the former were inftructed to propofe to the latter. The first project was, that his majefty fhould remain in his capital, and fend one of his noblemen, in whom he had confidence, to Delhi, with an army. That this

perfon,

perfon, on his arrival there, fhould make the necefiary arrangements, and, after depofing the infirm king, who had reduced the faith to the prefent ftate of weakness, felect from among the family, fome one properly qualified for the government. That this perfon fhould remain one year, for the purpose of fettling the country, and, taking with him the chiefs of the country, who are Raja-poots, and others, direct his ftandard towards the Deccan; fo that the Brachmans, and others on the road, might come forward, and prefent themselves to him whilft Tippoo himself, from his quarter, with the aid of God, would raise the ftandard of holy war, and make the infidels bow down under the fword of the faith. After thefe fhould have been facrificed to the fword, and no longer exift, the remaining infidels would be nothing. Afterwards, the fettlement of the Deccan might be concluded in any manner that might be naturally agreed on.

The fecond plan or project, propofed by Tippoo Sultaun to Zemaun Shah, was,

That if none of his majefty's noblemen should be fufficiently in his confidence, or equal to the undertaking, and if his majefty fhould be entirely at his eafe, with refpect to his country and government, he fhould proceed in perfon, to Delhi, and, having made the neceffary arrangements there, establish one of his confidental fervants in the office of the vizier, or minifter, and return to his own capital. The perfon, who might be felected for the office of vizier, fhould be a man of addrefs and enterprize: that remaining a twelvemonth with his army at Delhi, be might be able to retain, under

fubjection, the chiefs of the neighbouring country. The fecond year his majefty fhould fend, alfo from his capital, a fmall army, as a reinforcement: fo that the vizier, appointed by his majefty as abovementioned, might proceed with the chiefs of Hindoftan towards the Deccan. Should thofe infidel Brachmans direct their power to that quarter, the hands of the heroes of the faith, in that part of the world, fhould, by the grace of God, be raised for their chastisement. It would be proper to enjoin the vizier acting on his majefty's part, that, after their extirpation, a place fhould be fixed for rendezvous, where to meet with the Tippoo Sultaun, that the proper means might be adopted for the fettlement of the country. The ambassadors of Tippoo were inftructed to make propofals to Zemaun Shah to the above effect, and to requeft him to determine on whichfoever of the two plans he might prefer, and this being done, furnish them with a written engagement, accordingly, under his majefty's hand and feal; if his majefty fhould be pleafed to give both of them permiffion, and have the goodnefs to fend a confdential perfon with them, they were to repair to the prefence of their fovereign, and having allo obtained from him an engagement in writing, correfponding to the inftrument above alluded to, they were to return with the confidental perfon above-mentioned, to the fence of his majesty. But that, fhould his majefty defire one of them to remain with him, one of them fhould continue in attendance accordingly; and the other proceed with his majefty's confidental fervant, to the Deccan, and return

1

pre

with the writing from thence to the prefence of his majefty."

A letter was at the fame time fent to Zemaun Shah, by the fultaun himfelf. After invoking the Deity and Mahomet, as ufual, in the correfpondence of perfons of their rank, he thanks God that he had the fatisfaction to hear that his majefty, the ornament of the throne, the promoter of religion, and the deftroyer of heretics and oppreffors, employed his whole time, and exerted every faculty, in the fupport of the enlightened religion. The report of his majefty's piety, he faid, had afforded him inexpreffible fatif faction and joy. In return for this, pear a hundred thoufand followers of the faith, nay more, affembled every Friday (the fabbath of the Muffelmen) in the mofques of the capital, and, after the particular forms of prayer, put up particular fupplications that the Almighty would render his majefty, the defender of the faith, fuccefsful and victorious. Your majefty, Tippoo proceeds, muft doubtlefs have been informed, that my exalted ambition has for its object a holy war. The fruit of this juft defign has been, that in the midft of this land of heretics, the Almighty protects this tract of Mahomedan dominion like the ark of Noah, and cuts fhort the extended arm of the abandoned heretic. The report of your majefty's zeal and piety render me, and all the followers of the faith, most anxious to open a perfonal and direct communication of fentiments with your majesty; but the obstacles to this are fully apparent to your majefty; and therefore upon the principle (as laid down in the law), that it is fufficient that two perfon's fhould have the honour to fee the

new moon, in order to establish its actual appearance, the respected Meer Hubbeeb Oolla and Meer Mahomed Rezza, who are among the highest in rank in the Khoodadaud Sircar, and are worthy of admiffion to the prefence, are now fent as ambaffadors to your majesty's Imperial court, with letters, which (according to the faying, " a letter is half a meeting,") may be confidered as an invaluable fubftitute for perfonal communication. In order that I may be gratified, not only by obtaining accounts of your majefty's profperity, fuccefs, and glory, but enjoy the pleasure of feeing your majefty, as it were, by fubftitution; and that the foundations of friendship and attachment, which are productive of benefits, both fpiritual and temporal, may be ftrengthened and improved; and alfo, that the perfons above-mentioned may have the honour to reprefent to your majefty my fentiments upon fome important fubjects, and the circumftances of the enfeebled condition of the faith in the regions of Hindoftan, which I have intrufted to their verbal communication. But befides this, I would propofe; if it meets with your majefty's approbation, that two perfons of rank may conftantly refide at your majefty's court, to be the channel of correfpondence, and the means of improving mutual harmony and attachment.

Under the facred exhortation, "Beflow presents among one another." I beg leave to fend, by the perfons above-mentioned, a few of the articles of this country, as is due among those who are connected by the ties of religion: I-confidently truft, that your majesty will grafify me by accepting them, and [E 3]

honour