drawn from the meeting of military offi. cers, at which It was determined to abandon all further progress of the expedition. Sir Richard Strachan acknowledges that he wrote the letter, with an impression that the country would be very much dissatisfied that more had not been done; and he thought it was due to himself, and to the navy, to state to the admiralty, that they were desirous to go on, or that they had taken all the measures necessary to do so. Sir Richard still regrets, that, brought up to the point of attack on the evening, the people having been worked up to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, they should have been under the necessity of retiring; and though, from what has since happened, in consequence of the sickness of the army, he is convinced, that the measure which was adopted by the commander in chief was the wisest which could be pursued; he still thinks, that we ought to have attacked Lillo and Liefkenshoek, which might have opened the field to some farther enterprise. In the course of his evidence, Sir Richard Strachan states, that on the 24th of August, he dined with Lord Chatham; at which time his lordship did not express any doubts about going on. On the 25th, Lord Chatham first spoke of retiring; mention ing the increased force of the enemy, the advanced season, and the sickly state of the troops. The army was just then beginning to be sickly; and Sir Richard says, that Lord Chatham seemed to hins that he wish ed for some letter from him on the subject. Accordingly, on the next day, Sir Richard wrote to his lordship, proposing an attack spon Lillo and Liefkenshoek, with a view of opening a field to farther enterprize. On this point, Sir Richard appears to have been extremely sanguine. Had these forts been taken, the fleet (or a part of it) might bave passed, and it might then have been discovered, whether the works at Antwerp could prevent them from going forward to attack the French ships above that town. The military officers, with whom Sir Richard Strachan conversed, thought less favourably of the proposal. The plan which it was Sir Richard's wish to adopt for the attacks of Lillo and Liefkenshoek, was, to lighten two ships of the line, and to place ore against each of these forts; while a third and fourth ship should attempt to force the boom. In this enterprize, both the navy and the army must have lost many men. In case of failure, the fleet sould not have returned without a shift of ertion was made by Commodore Owen to prevent reinforcements being thrown into Flushing from Cadsand previously to the 4th of August; but the wind and weather were particularly unfavourable at that time, and part of his flotilla was otherwise enployed. On the Sth day Sir Richard Keats was examined; and, of the naval witnesses, his evidence, next to that of Sir Richard Strachan, was the most important. Sir Richard Keats had a conversation with Lord Castlereagh on the 24th of July, the day before he received his or ders to proceed off Walcheren; in the course of which, after noticing the unusually bad weather at that season of the year, he observed to his lordship, that if the fleet of the enemy at Antwerp was considered the great object of the expedition, he hoped they should not find themselves involved in the siege of Flushing, or the operations in Walcheren; but that they should proceed on to the ultimate object without delay, Lord Castlereagh rather beard what Sir, Richard Keats had to say, than appeared desirous, as he thought, of questioning him particularly on the subject. Sir Richard knew that Antwerp was the ultimate object of the expedition; but he was uninformed of the intended platt of attack. He was present at the conLiefkenshoek, with Lord Chatham, Sir versation on the subject of Lillo and Richard Strachan, &c, on the 26th of August. Could the boom have been forced, he saw no possible good that could have resulted from it, except Lillo and Liefkenshoek could have been taken.-It would have been impossible for the fleet to pass up the Scheldt, unaccompanied by the army; and, in the event of the army retreating, the return of the ships must have been greatly dependent on the winds, the channel being in some places so narrow as to render it impracticable to tide it down. On the 14th of August, Sir Richard Keats had one 20 gun ship, ten sloops, seven gun-brigs, one rocket ship, three divisions of gun-boats, and thirty flatboats, armed with carronades, in the West Scheldt. His force, at that time, was not sufficient to justify him, had wind, otherwise than by tiding it down the the army been ready, to enter upon any operations. Scheldt. Lord Gardner, who was also examined on the seventh day, deposed that every ex (To be continued.) 296 INDIA. THE importance of every occurrence connected with the British interests In the East, must render any apology unnecessary for the length of our details on that subject. In the unfortunate disputes in this country, between the civil and military authorities, it cannot but have been observed, that the conduct of the latter has been generally condemned. The letter of Lord Minto, while it justifies the proceedings of the governor and council, shews, that a discontented and refractory spirit exists among the army, and that this ap pears to be pregnant with more dangerous consequences than could reasonably have been expected to arise from the nature of the objects in dispute. But it cannot admit of a doubt, that there has been some just cause of complaint, besides, for the great irritation which has appeared, among such a large body of men, distinguished as they are by a high sense of honour, and shewing, as they have done, in their deliberative acts, the most marked respect for all the rules of military subordination, Whatever may be the nature of these grievances, they have been sedulously concealed from the knowledge of the public. Any opinions, therefore, which have been formed on such imperfect evidence, must be liable to error. The discontents which have broken out in India have, it is said, long been foreseen by those best acquainted with the state of our establishments in that country, and in particular with the relative situation of the civil and military servants of the company. The officers serving in that country have frequently complained that the fatigues and privations they had to undergo did not receive an adequate remuneration. The hardship of their situation has been considered to be aggravated, when compa red with the facility with which the persons in civil employments acquired a sufficient fortune to induce them to return to their native country, at a period sufficiently early to enjoy the fruits of their labour. But all these hardships, whether real or imaginary, will not justify the des, perate extremity to which certain of the officers have carried their measures, in order to obtain redress. They had seduced several regiments of sepoys to join them, and had appointed military committees for organizing their force, and for corresponding with the other branches of the Indian army. The chief committees were formed at Hyderabad and Seringapatam. We lament to find several officers of rank and reputation among the chief leaders of this mutinous combination. Col. John Bell, of the artillery, Colonel Robert Munro, of the 1st battalion 15th regi ment native infantry, Colonel O'Reilly, Major Storey, Captain Hugh M'Intosh, of the 1st battalion 8th regiment native infantry, and about 20 lieutenants and ensigns of these two regiments, appear to be most deeply implicated. In Au gust last, Captain M'Intosh seized the command of these two battalions, and intercepted an escort with treasure belonging to the Company, to a considerable amount, between Chittledroog and Seringapatam, and was carrying it to the latter place, when he was overtaken by the 35th king's regiment, a body of Mysore horse, and some other native troops; a severe action ensued; when the insurgents were totally defeated and dispersed, and Mackintosh was wounded and taken prisoner. Lieu. tenant Best died afterwards of fatigue, but all the other officers, we are told, reached Seringapatam. This defeat so intimidated the insurgents, that they have since all surrendered prisoners. Sir George Barlow quitted Fort St George in the beginning of August, and accompanied the King's troops to the field; they consisted of 11,000 effective men, and had been reinforced by seve ral corps of native infantry. The Governor General, Lord Minto, arrived at Madras from Bengal on the 11th September, accompanied by Mr Edmonstone, his Secretary. All appre hension had ceased of any further bad consequences from this mutinous spirit. The following official orders have been published on this subject: General General Orders by the Right Hon. the Governor General in Council. Fort William, July 20, 1809. The Right Hon. the Governor General n Council has received private but authentic advices, that orders having been issued by Major-General Gowdie, the officer commanding in chief on the coast, to Lieutenant-Colonel Innes, commanding at Mazulipatam, directing the embarkation of one or more of the detachments of the Madras European regiment, on board his Majesty's ships, for the purpose of serving as marines, the officers of the station were induced to entertain the erroneous supposition that the object of those orders was to separate, and finly, to disperse that regiment-a design which the Government of Fort St George has formally disavowed-and, under the influence of this misapprehension, declared their resolution to resist the exe cution of them: That Lieut.-Colonel Innes having manifested a determination to enforce them, the officers of the garrison proceeded to the barracks, and, by personal representation, succeeded in seducing the troops from their duty, and in obtain ing from them a promise of support: That Major Storey, the next in command, who was then in the cantonments, proceeded to the garrison, and having endeavoured, with out success, to induce Lieut.-Colonel Innes to depart from the obligation of his public duty, by abandoning his resolution to carry into effect the orders which he had received, adopted the extreme measure of placing that officer in arrest, under the charge of European sentries. The Governor General in Council has deemed it necessary to apprise the army of Bengal of an event so deeply interesting to the feelings of every loyal subject, and especially of those who have the honour to bear a military commission. The Go vernor General in Council has received, with sentiments of the deepest affliction, the intelligence of the excesses into which the officers of the station of Mazulipatam have thus been gradually led by the effects of the late prevailing agitation in the army of the coast. He trusts, however, that this unhappy event will afford a serious and salutary warning of the danger to which the combined interest of the public and the army must ever be exposed, by the first and slightest departure from the established principles of military discipline on hand, and on the other, of a just subordi. nation to the laws of their country, and to the legitimate authority of the state. one The occurrence of this afflicting event, combined with the agitation which unhappily prevails among the officers of the arApril 1810. my of Fort St George, renders it the duty of the Governor General to proceed without delay to that presidency, in the hope of being enabled successfully to appeal to those sentiments of loyalty and attachment to their King and their country, which his Lordship in Council yet confidently ascribes to the general body of the officers of the coast army, whose zeal, fidelity, and professional achievements, have hitherto been the theme of just and unqualified applause, and, by an accurate knowledge of all the circumstances which have attended the late agitation, to devise such means as may best tend to avert the impending dangers of anarchy and insubordination, and re-esta blish the foundations of public security and national prosperity in this important branch of the British empire. N. B. EDMONSTONE, Chief Secretary to the Government. GENERAL ORDERS. Fort St George, August 18. The Governor in Council has received intelligence that the troops at Chittledroog, consisting of the first battalion of the 6th and 15th regiments of native infantry, seized, in the latter end of July, the public treasure at that station, deserted the post intrusted to their care, and in obedience to orders which they received from a Committee who have usurped the public authority at Seringapatam, marched, upon the 6th instant, to joiu the disaffected troops in that garrison, plundering the villages in their route. The British Resident, and the officer commanding in Mysore, prohibited, in the most positive terms, the advance of the troops from Chittledroog, and demanded from their European officers a compliance with the resolution of the Governor in Council, of the 26th ultimo, by either declaring that they would obey the orders of Government, according to the tenor of their commissions, or withdraw, for the present, from the exercise of authority. The officers having refused to comply with the requisition, and having persisted in advancing towards Seringapatam, it be came unavoidably necessary to prevent, by force, their entrance into that garrison. In the contest which ensued, a detach ment from the British force, under the command of Lieut. Colonel Gibbs, aided by a body of Mysore horse, and one battalion of the 3d regiment of native infantry, entirely defeated and dispersed the corps from the Chittledroog. During this affair a sally was made by the garrison of Seringapatam, on Lieut.Colonel Gibbs' camp; but was instantly driven back by the piquet, and 5th regiment of cavalry, under the command of Captain Bean, of his Majesty's 25th dragoons, in charge of that regiment. Nearly the whole of the rebel force was destroyed, while one casualty only was sustained by the British troops; Lieutenant Jefferies, of his Majesty's 25th light dragoons, having zealously offered his services to carry a flag of truce, which LieutenantColonel Gibbs, anxious to prevent the effusion of blood, was desirous of dispatching to the rebel troops, was slightly wounded, in the execution of that duty, by a volley fired under the express command of an European officer. While the Governor in Council participates in the feelings of sorrow that mast have been experienced by the British for ces, in acting against the rebel troops, and deeply laments the unfortunate, but imperious necessity which existed for that proceeding, he considers it to be due to the conduct of the British forces to express his high admiration and applause of the zeal, firmness, and patriotism which they displayed on that most distressing occasion. Their conduct affords a further proof of the superior influence in their minds of the principles of virtue, honour, and loyalty, over every other consideration, and eminently entitles them to public approbation. Lieutenant Colonel Gibbs, Lieut.-Colonel Adam, Major Carden, Captain Bean, and Lieutenant Jefferies availed themselves of the opportunities offered to them, on this occasion, of serving their country. The Governor in Council is also happy to distinguish the zeal and loyalty displayed by the 5th regiment native cavalry, the 1st battalion 3d regiment native infantry, and the Mysore troops, who all manifested an eager desire to perform their duty. The Mysore horse, on one occasion, put the column of the Chittledroog troops to flight, and took two guns and both the colours from one of the battalions; a memorable proof of the weakness of men acting in the worst of causes. That a body of British officers should deliberately disobey the orders of their Government; seize the public treasure under their protection; abandon the post intrust ed to their charge; march to join a party of men in open opposition to authority; plunder the dominions of a British ally; and finally, bear arms against their country, must excite grief and astonishment; but the conduct of these officers, in urging the innocent men under their command, who had the most powerful claims on their humanity and care, into the guilt and danger of rebellion, constitutes an aggravation of their offence that cannot be contempla ted without feelings of the deepest indigna tion and sorrow. The Governor in Council is very far from wishing to aggravate the misconduct of these deluded and unhappy men; but he earnestly hopes, that the example of their crimes and their fate will sull impress on the minds of the officers, who have joined in their plans, a sense of the danger of their situation, and the propriety of endea vouring, by their early obedience and future zeal, to efface the deep stain which has been cast on the honour of the Madras army. In announcing to the native troops the distressing event described in this order, the Governor in Council must express his concern, that any part of the native army should be so far deluded by misrepresentation, and so lost to a sense of the obligation of fidelity, honour, and religion, as to act against the Government which has so long supported them. The general order of the 3d instant, and the conduct that has been observed towards the native troops at the Presidency, the Mount, Vellore, Trichinopoly, Bellary, Gooty and Bangalore, must convince the whole native army of the anxiety of Government to promote their welfare, and save them from the dangers into which they were likely to be plunged. The Governor in Council still places the greatest confidence in the fidelity and zeal of the native troops, and is convinced that they will not willingly sully the high reputa tion which they have so long enjoyed, by joining in the execution of plans that must end in their disgrace and ruin. The Governor in Council trusts the unhappy fate of the Chittledroog battalions, who allowed themselves to be engaged in opposition to their Government, will have the effect of prevailing on any other part of the native army from suffering themselves, under any circumstances, to be placed in a situation adverse to their duty and allegiance. The Governor in Council avails himself of this occasion to express in the most public manner, his high sense of the zeal, moderation, energy, and ability, displayed by the Government of Mysore, and by the British Resident and Commanding Officer, during the transactions that have recently occurred in that country. The British Resident and the Commanding Officer in Mysore did not permit the adoption of coercive measures, until every means of expestulation and forbearance had been exhausted, and until they were compelled to embrace the alternative of employing force, in order to prevent the most fatal evils to the cause of their country. The The Governor in Council requests, that the Honourable Mr Cole and LieutenantColonel Davis will be pleased to accept the expressions of his highest approbation and thanks, for the moderation, firmness, and ability, which they manifested on this unprecedented and distressing occasion. A. FALCONAR, BY GOVERNMENT. Fort St George, Aug. 9. 1809. The Governor in Council having taken into consideration the whole of the transac tions that have occurred to the garrison of Mazulipatam, and being satisfied that the part borne by the men in those transactions is to be entirely imputed to the misrepresentations and seduction of their European officers, is pleased to proclaim a full pardon to the European non-commissioned of ficers and privates, and to the native commissioned officers of the garrison of Mazulipatam, who were concerned in these improper proceedings. The Governor in Council entertains a confident persuasion, that this act of lenity will produce a proper effect in the minds of these men, and induce them to manifest in future that fidelity to the Government which constitutes the first duty and highest praise of every soldier. GENERAL ORDERS BY THE HONOURABLE Fort St George, August 12, 1809. The course of proceedings followed for some time past by the officers of the Honourable Company's army at this Presi dency, has obliged the Government to adopt the most decided measures for the preservation of the important interests committed to its charge. These proceedings may be stated to have commenced with the transmission to the Government, by the late Commander in Chief, of a memorial addressed to the Hon. the Court of Directors, dated January 1809, and signed by a large proportion of the Company's officers. Although that paper exhibits claims of an ungrounded nature, and contains observations equally improper and unjust on the orders of the Hon. the Court of Directors A. FALCONAR, Chief Secretary. and the Government, the Governor in The Governor in Council prohibits the march of any body of troops from the garrison of Mazulipatam, without the orders of Major-Gen. Pater, commanding the northern division; and directs, that any troops who may have marched from Mazulipatam without due authority, shall return forthwith to that station, on pain of being considered to be in a state of rebellion to the Government. GENERAL ORDERS BY THE VICE-PRESI. DENT IN COUNCIL. Fort William, Aug. 22. 1809. The Hon. the Vice-President in Council has been furnished with copies of the let ters addressed to his Excellency the Commander in Chief, by the officers of the several corps quartered at Muttra, Kurnaul, and Agra, and to the General Officer commanding at Chumar, by the officers of the different corps quartered in the province of Benares, expressive of their loyalty and at tachment to their King and country, of their allegiance to the Government established by the constitution in this country, and on their entire disapprobation of the spirit of sedition and revolt, by which a part of the army of the Presidency at Fort Council was induced to permit it to pass without the serious notice which it appeared to demand, by a confidence in the discipline of the army, and a persuasion that the objectionable passages in the memorial were inadvertently and unintentionally introduced. The subsequent conduct of the Commander in Chief forced the Government to vindicite its authority, by a signal example of punishment. It was well known to the Company's officers, that the whole of this proceeding was referred to the supreme Government, and the authorities in Europe; that it would receive from their wisdom a decision conformable to the soundest principles of reason and justice; and that its discussion could not belong to the cognisance of the army, who are precluded from becoming a deliberative body. Not |