series, presenting as it did a complicated drama of all the elements of military strife, energy, and adventure; and combining, as it were, in one battle-field, our most numerous and most powerful enemies, to be crushed and overwhelmed by the united efforts of the three presidencies – "a war," it has been justly remarked, "that witnessed an unprecedented number of sieges, an unprecedented number and complexity of movements, and some of the most remarkable forced marches that were ever made in any country."[1]
Lord Moira had no sooner brought to a happy termination one of the quarrels bequeathed to him by the pacific policy of his predecessor, than he found it essentially necessary to grapple with another of a more complicated nature; to understand the merits of which it will be necessary to cast a short retrospective glance at some events which occurred before he assumed the reins of government.
Among the causes which were likely to disturb the peace of the country, after the termination of the first Mahratta war, were certain differences between the Peishwa Bajee Rao, and the Guicowar, or sovereign of Guzerat, which partly arose out of the former connexion between those princes; and the British Government, by the treaties concluded with both, was bound to arbitrate upon their claims. It was, however, obviously desirable that this authority should not be exercised, except in case of absolute necessity; and that the native powers should be afforded every opportunity of settling their differences by negotiation between themselves. Some attempts to effect this object were made by the Guicowar's vakeel at Poonah; but they were counteracted by the intrigues of Trimbuckjee Dainglia, one of those unprincipled adventurers naturally generated in the atmosphere of a despotic court.
The origin of Trimbuckjee was very low, his earliest employment under the Peishwa being that of a menial
- ↑ Macfarlane's "British India."
