who was either unable, or, as was strongly suspected, disinclined to command the exertions of his subjects for this object. The English leader, however, by his own activity, and the assistance forwarded from Bombay, was at length enabled to put his troops in marching condition.
As the conduct of the native rulers became daily more suspicious, the Governor-General, to avoid the delays of communicating with Calcutta, invested his brother on the 26th of June not only with the supreme military command in the Mahratta territories, but with the decision of the question of peace or war. General Wellesley, therefore, instructed Colonel Collins urgently to demand from Scindia an explanation of his present menacing attitude, and to solicit his retirement into the interior of his own dominions; but Scindia temporised as usual, while, at the same time, it was understood that he was issuing orders to his officers to hold themselves in readiness to act on the shortest notice. Further negotiations took place with Scindia and the Rajah of Berar with similar results, till the 3rd of August, when the Resident concluding that the sole object of the allies was to gain time, at once quitted the camp, and from that period the British Government was to be regarded as at war with the confederate chieftains.
On this termination of the diplomatic intercourse of Colonel Collins with Scindia and the Rajah of Berar, General Wellesley gave immediate orders for the attack of Scindia's fort of Baroach, and issued a proclamation explaining the grounds upon which it had become necessary for him to commence hostilities against the combined Mahratta chiefs. The force under his immediate command at this time consisted of 384 European and 1,347 regular native cavalry; 1,368 European and 5,631 native infantry. In addition to these numbers were a few artillerymen, between 600 and 700 pioneers, 2,400 horse belonging to the Rajah of Mysore, and 3,000 Mahratta horse. Nearly 1,800 men, European and native, with some Bombay Lascars, and a small park of artillery, were left
