round throughout the battle, were still near. But Maxwell's exploit speedily led to the silencing of that straggling artillery fire, and to the headlong flight of Scindiah's disciplined infantry, who went off and left ninety pieces of cannon, nearly all brass and of the proper calibres, in the hands of the conqueror.

General Wellesley led the 78th British infantry in person against the village of Assye, which was not cleared without a desperate combat. It was near dark night when the firing ceased.

The splendid victory cost General Wellesley twenty-two officers and 386 men killed, and fifty-seven officers and 1,526 wounded-excluding their regular cavalry, which remained on the other side of the river and had not been engaged, the total number of killed and wounded amounted to nearly one-third of his force. The general himself had two horses killed under him, one shot and the other piked; every one of his staff officers had one or two horses killed, and his orderly's head was knocked off by a cannonball as he rode close by his side. The enemy, who had fled towards the Adjuntee Ghaut, through which they had poured into the Deccan, left 1,200 dead, and a great number badly wounded on the field of battle. Colonel Stevenson, who had encountered some unexpected obstacles, arrived at Assye on the 24th, and was immediately dispatched after the flying enemy, whose infantry was as usual left behind, and abandoned by the cavalry.*

* Wellington Despatches Account of the campaign, by Major

Diron.

DELHI.

A. D. 1803. September 11.

WHILE Wellesley was thus fighting in the south, General Lake continued his advance upon Delhi.

The town of Coel threw open its gates at Lake's approach; but the garrison of Alli-Ghur, the ordinary residence of Perron, and his principal military depôt, made a desperate resistance. On the 4th of September storming parties, headed by Colonel Monson and Major Macleod, carried the place; 2,000 of the garrison perished, the rest surrendered, or fled out of the fort. On the very same day, however, five companies of Lake's sepoys, who had been left with only one gun to occupy a detached position commanding the road through which provisions must be brought up, found themselves under the necessity of surrendering to the enemy. They had been attacked on the 2nd by a cloud of cavalry, commanded by a Frenchman of the name of Fleury. This time the sepoys beat off their numerous assailants; but on the 4th the Frenchman led the Mahrattas back to the attack, and the sepoys, having consumed nearly all their ammunition, were compelled to capitulate. Before the reinforcements sent by General Lake could reach the spot, Fleury and his flying horse had disappeared in the wide country behind the

Jumna.

On the 7th of September Lake received a letter from Perron, stating that he had quitted the service of Scindiah, and now requested permission to pass with his family, his effects, and the officers of his suite, through the Company's dominions to Lucknow. He stated as reasons for his retiring that he had received intelligence that his successor had been appointed, and was already on his way to take his command from him; and that the treachery and ingratitude of his

European officers had convinced him that further resistance to the British arms was useless. The permission demanded was readily granted by General Lake, who, as well as the governor-general, Lord Wellesley, attached great importance to the withdrawing of the very able French adventurer. As Perron began his journey for Lucknow, General Lake, starting from Alli-Ghur, resumed his march upon Delhi.

On the 11th of September the English general received intelligence that the army which had belonged to Perron, and which was now commaded by another Frenchman, had crossed the Jumna from Delhi, under cover of the night, with the intention of fighting a battle for the defence of the ancient capital of the Great Moguls, but which was now the prison of the feeble representative of Timour. His troops were fatigued with a long march, and oppressed by the heat of the day, when they reached their ground of encampment, about six miles from Delhi; and they had scarcely pitched their tents before their outposts were attacked by some of the Frenchman's squadrons. This officer, named Louis Bourquien, had 10,000 men under his command; and he had posted his main body on a rising ground, with swamps on either flank, so that it was only their front that could be attacked, and that front was defended by a line of entrenchments, and a great number of cannon-almost as many as were turned against General Wellesley at Assye.

Lake had only 4,500 men; but there was admirable British infantry among them. By some ingenious movements, he tempted the enemy from their heights and entrenchments down to the plain; and, when they thought he was about to fly from the field, he turned upon them with one short volley, and then with the bayonet. They could not stand the charge; they ran towards their guns, which they had brought down to the plain, and which opened a tremendous fire of round, grape, and chain shot. But another volley, and another bayonet charge drove them from their now exposed pieces; a charge of Lake's cavalry, and some rounds from his flying artillery, completed the débâcle, and the enemy fled to the banks of the Jumna, and beyond that river, leaving behind them 3,000 or 4,000 of their number killed, wounded, or prisoners, sixty-eight

cannon, the whole of their artillery, a great quantity of ammunition, and their military chest.

While it lasted the affair had been very hot: General Lake had his horse shot under him, and three or four hundred of his people were laid low by the grape and chain shot. He wrote to the Governor-General,-"Such a fire of cannon has seldom, if ever, been seen, as that against which our army marched up to within one hundred yards without taking a firelock from off their shoulders. When close up they gave one volley, charged instantly, and drove back the enemy; and then, opening ranks, they let through our cavalry, who did their duty in the most gallant manner."

On the following morning, Lake encamped opposite to the city of Delhi, which, together with the fort, was evacuated by those who had held the Mogul in thraldom. On the 14th of September, Louis Bourquien, and four other French officers who had fought in the last action, surrendered as prisoners of war in the British camp. On the 16th, General Lake paid a visit to Shah Alum, who had long before expressed his anxious wish to avail himself of the protection of the British Government, and this visit was accompanied with processions and pomps of an extraordinary kind. The Mogul, who was now old and blind, and miserably poor, received General Lake as a deliverer, and gave him-which was about all he could give-a series of sounding Oriental_titles. as, "The Sword of the State," "The Hero of the Land." "The Lord of the Age," and "The Victorious in War."

LASWAREE.

A. D. 1803. November 1.

So vast were the resources of Scindiah, that he had been enabled to send seventeen regular disciplined battalions, and from 4,000 to 5,000 horse, to endeavour to gain possession of Delhi, while General Lake was engaged in the siege of Agra.

On the 27th of October, when he had garrisoned and secured his last conquest (Agra), Lake started in search of this new

enemy.

The rains were falling heavily, the roads were in a wretched state, and at some points they were inundated by the enemy, who had cut the embankments of reservoirs; but speed was necessary, and, leaving the rest of his forces behind him, Lake pushed forward with his cavalry alone, marching from midnight on the 31st of October till seven o'clock the next morning, when he found the enemy well posted, with their right upon a stream, their left on the village of Laswaree, and with their front provided with seventy-two pieces of artillery. Lake's foremost brigade came in contact with the Mahratta's left, and drove it in, and penetrated into the village of Laswaree, which has given its name to the battle; but here they were exposed to a terrible fire of cannon and musketry; Colonel Vandeleur fell, and Lake thought it prudent to draw off the brigade.

Other brigades, who had attacked at other points, were also obliged to fall back; but they carried away with them several of the enemy's guns. The infantry and artillery which Lake had left behind had started on their march at three o'clock, and had continued to march with such spirit that they performed twenty-five miles in somewhat less than eight hours, and joined him and his cavalry a little before