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"Colonel the Hon. A. Wellesley to Lieut.-General Harris.

"MY DEAR SIR,

Camp, 7th April, 1799. "Since I returned home, I have received a report from the outposts in Sultaunpettah, that some infantry had passed this evening in the same direction in which the cavalry passed this morning; and there are some persons in this camp who say they saw guns pass likewise.

"I have not yet received a report from my picquets in my front; when I do, I will let you know what it is.

"At all events, I am prepared for him, if his attack is directed against this flank of your line, whether it be made by day or by night. I do not intend to relieve the outposts until after it is ascertained whether or not he intends to make his push here: if he does attack us here, he will probably attack the outposts at the same time; and, in that case, we must depend upon your line for the support of our posts. "I am, my dear Sir," &c.

"Colonel the Hon. A. Wellesley to Lieut.-Colonel Harris.

"MY DEAR SIR,

Camp, 7th April, 1799.

"The field officer of the day was at the picquet in my front till sunset; saw cavalry pass, but no infantry or guns.

"I am, my dear Sir," &c.

The operations of the siege were pushed on with all practical expedition. Seringapatam was not fortified according to the principles of European science, but there were bastions connected by lofty straight walls of great strength and thickness. The north-western angle was selected as the chief point of attack. As the siege advanced, Tippoo made fresh overtures to General Harris, but these were rejected. Subsequently to the commencement of the war, circum

stances had come to the knowledge of Lord Wellesley, which made him decide on the utter subversion of the power of the Sultan. The sentence of deposition, therefore, had gone forth against Tippoo and his dynasty, and General Harris would listen to no terms short of unconditional submission. The following letter will show that Colonel Wellesley took his full share of the labours of the siege :

"Colonel the Hon. A. Wellesley to Lieut.-General Harris. "MY DEAR SIR, 7 A.M., 3d May. "We did all our work last night, except filling the sand-bags, which could not be done for want of tools: I shall have them filled in the course of this morning, and there will be no inconvenience from the delay, as it was not deemed advisable last night to do more than look for the ford; and it is not intended to do any thing to it until the night before it is to be used. Lieut. Lalor, of the 73d, crossed over to the glacis, I believe, on the left of the breach. He found the wall, which he believes to be the retaining wall of the glacis, seven feet high, and the water (included in those seven feet) fourteen inches deep. It is in no part more so, and the passage by no means difficult. Several other officers crossed by different routes, but none went so far as Lieut. Lalor. All agree in the practicability of crossing with troops. The enemy built up the breach in the night with gabions, &c., notwithstanding the fire which was kept up upon it. It was impossible to fire grape, as our working party was in front of the five-gun battery, from which alone we could fire, as we repaired the other.

"Lieut. Lalor is now on duty here with his regiment; but if you wish it, he will remain here to-night, and try the river again.

"I am, my dear Sir, &c.

"I have not heard any thing of the 12-pounders ordered to a new situation by the general orders of yesterday."

On the 3d of May, the breach was reported to be practicable, and preparations were made for the assault on the day following. In order to avoid exciting the suspicions of the enemy, the troops were stationed in the trenches before daybreak, though the time chosen for the attack was the hour which succeeds mid-day, when it is the uniform custom of natives of warm climates to indulge in a siesta. Experience had shown that the besieged were always more vigilant during the night than in the sultry period of noontide heat.

The storming party, under command of Major-General Baird,* consisted of 2500 Europeans and 1900 native infantry. This force was divided into two columns. The right was commanded by Colonel Sherbrooke; the left by Licut.-Colonel Dunlop. Each of these divisions was headed by a forlorn hope; that of the right, under Lieutenant Hill of the 74th, and that of the left by Lieuten

ant Lawrence of the 77th. Colonel Wellesley remained with his brigade in the advanced trenches, prepared to support the assault whenever his assistance might be required.

At one o'clock, the silence that reigned in the trenches was broken by the voice of Baird:-" Come, my brave fellows," he exclaimed, "follow me, and show yourselves worthy of the name of British soldiers!" The columns were instantly in motion; this breach was carried after a short struggle, and the British colour was planted on the summit of it, by a brave sergeant of the forlorn hope, whose name was Graham. The left column encountered a more vigorous resistance. Traverses had been cut, and the enemy defended them successively with the most determined bravery. The assailants were checked in their progress, and in all probability all their efforts to advance would have been unavailing, had not a narrow opening, left for the passage of

We shall gratify thousands by giving here the admirable Inscription (written by Theodore Hook) on the obelisk erected on the Hill of Tammy-Haslle, by Lady Baird.

IN HONOUR AND TO THE MEMORY OF

GENERAL SIR DAVID BAIRD,

BART., G.C.B. & K.C.

THIS COLUMN WAS ERECTED

A.D. 1832.

TO INDOMITABLE COURAGE IN THE FIELD,

HE UNITED

WISDOM AND PRUDENCE

IN THE COUNCIL.

A BRAVE BUT GENEROUS ENEMY,

HIS VICTORIES WERE EVER TEMPERED BY MERCY:

AND WITH HIS ARDENT LOVE OF GLORY

WAS BLENDED

THE TENDEREST CARE FOR HIS GALLANT AND DEVOTED FOLLOWERS.
THE DETAILS OF HIS PUBLIC SERVICES ARE RECORDED

IN THE ANNALS OF HIS COUNTRY:

HIS PRIVATE VIRTUES ARE EMBALMED IN THE HEARTS OF HIS FRIENDS.
HONOUR AND DUTY WERE THE GUIDING STARS OF HIS DESTINY:
PIETY AND CHARITY THE LEADING CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS MIND.
HE FELT NO JEALOUSIES. HE HARBOURED NO RESENTMENTS.
HE KNEW NO GUILE.

IN THE LAND OF HIS FATHERS

HE AT LAST FOUND

REPOSE AND HAPPINESS IN DOMESTIC LIFE;

FORGETTING THE CARES AND TURMOILS OF HIS EVENTFUL
AND BRILLIANT CAREER:

AND IN THE EXERCISE OF EVERY SOCIAL AND CHRISTIAN VIRTUE,
HE DIED BELOVED AND LAMENTED,

AS HE HAD LIVED

HONOURED AND RENOWNED.

the workmen, been fortunately discovered. By this, the traverses were flanked, and the enemy was driven from them with great slaughter. It was here that Tippoo fought, and by his presence animated the courage of the troops. He was a brave man, whose virtues and vices were alike barbaric, and it is impossible, we think, not to feel some interest in his fate. We are sure, therefore, our readers will thank us for the following extract, from the admirable letters of

Sir Thomas Munro.

"His repulse at Seringapatam seems to have discouraged Tippoo so much, that he gave very little interruption to the march of the grand army. As it approached, he fell back, and shut himself up in his capital, placing his dependence upon the siege being raised for want of provisions in camp, and upon his holding out till the Cauvery should fill, and make the carrying on of any farther operations against it impracticable. He seldom went to his palace during the siege, but spent most of his time sitting behind a cavalier, or visiting the ramparts. He did not go towards the breach, the state of it was concealed from him by his principal officers; but one of his servants, impatient at hearing the false reports brought to him, called out to him that there was a breach, and that it would soon be practicable. This intelligence seemed to rouse him, he resolved to see it with his own eyes; and therefore, on the following morning, which was that of the day previous to the assault, he went early to the spot; he viewed with amazement the condition in which it was, he shook his head, but said nothing; he returned to his old station behind the cavalier, where he remained sullen and buried in thought, as if conscious that his doom was now fixed, seldom making any inquiries about what was doing, and driving away with an angry answer whoever came to ask him for orders. Bigot as he was, his apprehensions rendered him superstitious enough to induce him to invite the aid of Hindoo prayers and ceremonies to avert the evil which threatened him, and to call for a Hindoo astrologer to draw a favourable omen from the stars. With a man of this description he spent the last morning of his life; he desired him to consult the heavens. The man answered, that he had done so, and that they were unfavourable unless peace was made. He was ordered to look again,

Tippoo

but returned the same answer. gave him money, and desired him to pray for him, and then drank water out of a black stone as a charm against misfortune.

"When the assault commenced, he repaired to the outer ramparts; but being driven from them, he fell as he was returning into the body of the place, in a passage under the inner rampart called the Water-Gate, his horse falling at the same

time; and his palankeen being thrown down, the road was choaked up, and almost every soul in the gateway slain. Though he had got a wound in the leg, and two or three balls in the body, he was still alive, and continued in this state above an hour. One of his servants, Ragoo Khan, who lay wounded beside him, asked his leave once or twice, when parties of soldiers were passing, to discover him, but he always commanded him to be silent. At last a soldier who was passing in quest of plunder, and at whom it is said he attempted to cut, shot him through the head: the ball entered the right temple, and passed through the left jaw. It was for a long time thought that he had concealed himself in the palace; and while parties were searching it to no purpose, in order to put him to death for the murder of nine Europeans who had fallen into his hands on the 5th of April, the Killedar reported that he had been seen lying in the Water-Gate. As it was now dark, a party was sent with lights to search for him. After dragging out a great number of bodies, he was at last found half naked: he was known by his long drawers, and by some marks about his person. He was drawn from amidst a heap of slain, among whom his legs were twisted, and carried to the palace, where he was laid on a palankeen, and exposed to view all next day, in order that no doubt might remain of his death; and in the evening he was buried with military honours in the cypress garden, by the side of his father. With him fell at once the whole fabric of his empire, for the very means he had taken to strengthen it hastened its downfall."

After the capture of Seringapatam, Colonel Wellesley being the next for duty, assumed the command within the city. It need scarcely be stated, that he exerted his utmost efforts to prevent pillage, and excess of every kind. Cowle* flags were displayed in every quarter of the town, and Colonel Wellesley went himself to the houses of

Cowle means truce, amnesty, protection.

the chief inhabitants with safeguards. Several of the soldiers were executed for plunder, and the example was most salutary in its consequences. In

a few days order was restored, and the inhabitants regained their confidence. We give several letters written at this time.

"Colonel the Hon. A. Wellesley to Lieut.-General Harris.

"MY DEAR SIR,

Ten A. M., 5th May. "We are in such confusion still, that I recommend it to you not to come in till to-morrow, or, at soonest, late this evening. Before I came here, General Baird had given the treasure in charge to the prize agents. There is a guard over it, and it appears to be large.

"As soon as I can find out where the families of the great men are, I will send guards to take care of them. At present I can find nobody who can give me any information upon the subject. I have here now the 12th, 33d, and part of the 73d, and the 2d of the 5th, 2d of the 9th, and 2d of the 7th. These troops ought to be relieved this day as early as possible by two regiments of Europeans and three of sepoys.

"I am, dear Sir, &c.

"There are some tigers here, which I wish Meer Allum would send for, or else I must give orders to have them shot, as there is no food for them, and nobody to attend them, and they are getting violent."

"Colonel the Hon. A. Wellesley to Lieut.-General Harris.

"MY DEAR SIR,

Half past twelve.

"I wish you would send the provost here, and put him under my orders. Until some of the plunderers are hanged, it is vain to expect to stop the plunder.

"I shall be obliged to you, if you will send positive orders respecting the

treasure.

"I am, my dear Sir," &c.

"Colonel the Hon. A. Wellesley to Lieut.-General Harris.

"MY DEAR SIR,

66

Seringapatam, 5th May, 1799. Things are better than they were, but they are still very bad; and until the provost executes three or four people, it is impossible to expect order, or indeed safety.

"There are, at this moment, sepoys and soldiers belonging to every regiment in your camp, and General Stewart's in the town.

"It would surely be advisable to order the rolls to be called constantly, and to forbid any people to leave camp.

"For a few days likewise it would be very advisable that the officers of the army should suspend the gratification of their curiosity, and that none but those on duty should come into the town. It only increases the confusion and the terror of the inhabitants. Till both subside in some degree, we cannot expect that they will return to their habitations.

"I am, my dear Sir, &c.

"I hope the relief is coming, and that I shall soon receive orders respecting the treasure."

"Colonel the Hon. A. Wellesley to Lieut.- General Harris.

"MY DEAR SIR, Seringapatam, 6th of May, 1799. "Plunder is stopped, the fires are all extinguished, and the inhabitants are returning to their houses fast. I am now employed in burying the dead,

which I hope will be completed this day, particularly if you send me all the pioneers.

"It is absolutely necessary that you should immediately appoint a permanent garrison, and a commanding-officer to the place; till that is done, the people will have no confidence in us, and every thing must be in confusion. That which I arrange this day, my successor may alter to-morrow, and his the next day; and nothing will ever be settled. A garrison, which would be likely to remain here, would soon make themselves comfortable, although it might be found convenient hereafter to change some of the corps first sent in : but these daily reliefs create much confusion and distrust in the inhabitants; and the camp is at such a distance, that it is impossible for the officers or soldiers, or sepoys, to get down their dinners.

"I shall be obliged to you, if you will order an extra dram and biscuit for the 12th, 33d, and 73d regiments, who got nothing to eat yesterday, and were wet last night.

"In hopes that you will attend to my recommendation to send a garrison in to-morrow, I will look out for a place to accommodate one or two battalions of Europeans, and three or four of sepoys.

In pursuance of the recommendation contained in the preceding letters, General Harris appointed a regular garrison for the captured city, and bestowed the command on Colonel Wellesley. The duties he was thus called on to perform were of a very complicated and delicate nature. The complete overthrow, not only of Tippoo's government, but of his dynasty, and the dispersion of all the public authorities, left him without subordinate functionaries, and made it necessary that he should regulate the details of every department. The office, therefore, was one evidently of the highest trust and responsibility; and though Colonel Wellesley's appointment led to a remonstrance on the part of Sir David Baird, who considered himself to possess a preferable elaim, yet there can be no reason to doubt that General Harris, in appointing Colonel Wellesley, was influenced not only by the purest motives, but the soundest judgment.

Shortly after this period, a commission was appointed by the Governor-General, consisting of four members, Colonel Wellesley being

one.

The arrangements for the removal of the family of the late Sultan were particularly confided to Colonel Wellesley. "The details of this painful, but indispensable measure," wrote the Governor-General in his instructions, dated 4th of June,

"I am, my dear Sir," &c.

1799, "cannot be intrusted to any person more likely to combine every office of humanity, with the prudential precautions required by the occasion, than Colonel Wellesley; and I therefore commit to his discretion, activity, and humanity, the whole arrangement, subject always to such suggestions as may be offered by the other members of the commission."

Subsequently to the partition of the Mysore territory, Colonel Wellesley was appointed to command those portions of it which became subject to British authority. The command was an independent one, for he received orders direct from the supreme government, and made his reports to the same quarter. In forming arrangements to secure the internal tranquillity of the ceded districts, Colonel Wellesley had full opportunity of displaying the sound judgment which always distinguished him. He availed himself, whenever practicable, of the knowledge and experience of Tippoo's former functionaries, by re-appointing them to their offices; maintaining over them, at the same time, the strictest vigilance. Under his superintendence, the comfort and prosperity of the people of the ceded provinces visibly improved, and his mild, firm, and impartial administration of their affairs, forming, as it did, a striking contrast to the tyranny under which they had formerly suffered, secur

The members of the commission were Lieut.-General Harris, Colonel Wellesley, the Hon. H. Wellesley, and Lieut.-Colonel Barry Close-Captain Malcolm and Captain Munro were appointed secretaries,

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