refift it in the fame manner, and to adhere to baron Ehrenfward; alfo, that he was afterward informed by Liljehorn, and Ehrenfward in confidence, of what was intended against the king on the 9th and 16th of March. The Secretary of Protocoll, John von Engeftrom, against whom fufpicions of a knowledge and participation of this crime have arifen, has only acknowledged that he, in the evening of the unfortunate Friday, was with lieutenant-colonel Liljehorn, and there heard, that to gain a reformation in the fituation of politics, a great misfortune was impending, which count Ribbing was to effect; about which Engeftrom made no farther enquiry; and that he, by defire of major-general Pechlin, who told him there would probably be a revolution that night, was out walking about to see if any thing would hap murder; but major-general Pechlin, who, in confequence of the circumstances which have appeared against him, is arrested, has hitherto continued to deny the whole. Thure Stenffon, late baron Bjelke, who, in confequence of what appeared of his being a participator in this crime, was called on by the police to be heard, has poifoned himfelf; and as he, during his pains, acknowledged himself to have been privy to, and a participator in the murder of the king, and that he had been guilty of fuicide to avoid the punishment which threatened him, the court of juftice have, therefore, by a fentence on 24th of March, ordered, that his dead body should be taken by the common executioner to the gallows, and there buried, which was done accordingly, Hitherto the royal court of juftice have continued the examinations of the criminals, and the counfel for the profecution has given in his final pleading against Anckerftroem; but as to the reft, it depends on those reasons and circumstances, to the farther conviction of the criminals, who have participated in the murder of the king, which are expected from the police in confequence of the fearch it has made, and is ftill making. Stockholm, April 10, 1792. PROGRESS of the WAR in INDIA. ADVICES from earl Cornwallis, of the 29th of October 1791, brought by the Queen Indiaman, ftate the reduction of feveral important hill forts, which had been already known to the public, through other channels, but had not yet been officially communicated. His lordship, after mentioning his preparations to enable the confederate forces to recommence offenfive operations with vigour and effect, thus proceeds: As all other preparations would have been ineffectual, unless fufficient fupplies of provifions could have been fecured, not only for the fighting men, but also for the valt multitudes of followers that muft unavoidably attend the different armies, I fpared no pains to perfuade as many as poffible of the native carriers and grain dealers, commonly called Benjarries in this country, to attach themselves to our camp; and it gives me pleasure to inform you, that my endeavours have been fo fuccefsful, that many thousands of that useful clais of people, and a large portion of them perfons who have hitherto been in the fervice of Tippoo, are now engaged to employ themselves in collecting and tranfporting provifions for our confumption, by which means the wants both of the foldiers and the followers are at present fupplied, in a great abundance, and at as cheap a rate, as can ever be expected in a large army in this country. 'I had long wifhed, though I have till lately been prevented by other objects, to reduce the hill forts of Rymenghur and Nundy Droog, the former at the distance of about forty-five miles north-eaft, and the latter about thirty miles north of Bangalore, as being of the utmost confequence for giving confidence to our Benjarries, and for rendering our communication with our fupplies to the northward of Bangalore perfectly fecure; and I determined to avail myself of the interval between the difpatch and the return of one of our convoys from Amboor to make the attempt. A corps was accordingly detached with artillery for that purpofe under the command of major Gowdie, and found no great difficulty in obtaining poffeffion or of Rymenghur; but, upon proceeding to Nundy Droog, the means of refiftance at that place appeared fo formidable, that I judged it expedient to fend a confiderable reinforcement both of troops and guns; and likewise thought neceffary to take a pofition with the main body of the army to the northward of Bangalore, to deter Tippoo from making any attempt to interrupt the fiege. The fteepness and ruggedness of the hill on which the fort is built, and two walls of masonry, at the distance of about eighty yards from each other, with cavaliers and towers, with which the only acceffible part of the hill is fortified, prefented no very encouraging objects to the befiegers; and after having, with fome lofs of men and exceffive labour, conftructed a battery of eight enbrafures on the afcent of the hill, within lefs than 500 yards of the wall, and brought into it four heavy guns, and four twelvepounders, the outer wall proved to be of a ftrength and thicknefs fo much beyond all our calculation, as well as our experi ence in all the other hill forts that we had feen in this country, that practicable breaches were only effected in it, after a moft inceffant and uncommonly well-directed fire of fix days. I had taken a position, with our own and the Mahratta army, about fixteen miles from the fort, from which I received frequent reports of the progrefs of the attack; and, having been fully acquainted with all the obftacles that had been encountered, as well as with the pofitive refufal of the killedar to liften to any terms for its furrender, I not only accepted of general Medows' handfome offer to take the command of the belieging corps on the 17th, but I likewife thought it expedient to approach with the whole army very near to it on the morning of the 18th, in the expectation that our appearance would tend to intimidate the garrison. After examining the breaches, I directed that they should be affaulted at the rifing of the moon on the following night, for which general Medows made the moft judicious arrangements; and, by the gallantry of our troops, and the irrefolute defence of the enemy, the affailants having not only carried the breaches, but alfo forced the gate of the inner wall, it was attended with complete fuccefs, and on our fide with very inconfiderable lofs. 'The garrifon confifted of about 700 men, feveral of whom were killed in the affault, but by far the greateft number efcaped over the precipices at the back of the fort, and the first and fecond killedars and the Buckthey were made prifoners. The place itself is of great value in feveral points of view; and as it is one of Tippoo's ftrongest hill forts, the mode in which it was acquired may prove of great future utility to us, by rendering the gar rifons of others lefs obftinate in their de fence.' From his lordship's return of the killed and wounded in this attack it appears, four Europeans were killed, and thirtyfeven wounded; and thirteen natives were killed, and fifty-nine wounded. The above advices were published in the London Gazette Extraordinary of Friday the 18th of May; and, on Sunday the 20th, a fecond Gazette Extraordinary announced farther advices from the fame quarter, brought by the Deptford Indiaman. Earl Cornwallis, in a letter dated Camp at Sevendroog, December 26, relates the capture of the fortrefs of that name. "I fhall neither trouble you,' fays his lordfhip, with a defcription of this formidable fortrefs, the lower wall of which embraces, at a confiderable height on the afcent, an immenfe mountain, or rather rock, but which actually confifts of two diftant forts, feparated from each other by a deep chafm acrofs the top of the mountain, and to the western fort there is no accefs, except by one narrow path, that leads to it from the northern fide; nor fhall I enter into a detail of the particulars of the fiege, which, though attended with almost incredible labour, in cutting roads and communications, and in dragging the guns up the precipices, on which it was neceffary to conftruct the batteries, was pushed on with the utmost vigour and expedition; but fhall content myself with mentioning, that having had reason, on the 20th inftant, to expect, from the thattered appearance of the two walls of the eastern fort, that the breaches in them would foon be practicable, and it being utterly impoffible that troops could find their way among the rocks and precipices to afcend the face of the hill in the night, I directed that all the batteries fhould continue to fire inceffantly during the remainder of that day, and from day-break the following morning, and that lieutenant-colonel Stuart fhould immediately make a difpofition for affaulting the place in the forenoon. The fire of the artillery had every effect fect that I could wifh; and lieutenantcolonel Stuart having made a moft judicious difpofition for the affault, the troops mounted the breach of the lower wall, from lodgements that had been made near to it, upon a fignal which was given, at ten o'clock; and the good order and determined countenance of the European genadiers and light infantry, who led the affault, ftruck the enemy with fuch aftonishment, and fo thoroughly ftupified them with terror, that although they were pofted in great numbers in fituations, from which they might have done much execution before they could have been diflodged, it foon appeared that they were totally incapable of making the leaft refiftance, and by that means the troops, without encountering any other difficulty but that of the ruggedness of the paths and the exceffive fteepness of the afcent, not only gained the fummit of the eaftern hill, but thofe of the right divifion alfo purfued the fugitives to the gates of the wefern hill, to which the fire of our artillery had not been directed, and there mixed and entered with them. The Pettah, and a chain of fmall detached forts, at a fhort distance from the fouthern fide of the hill, being commanded by the upper works, were immediately abandoned upon the appearance of our troops on the fummit of the mountain. The garrifon, at the beginning of the fiege, confifted of about 2,000 men, from which there had been confiderable defertions before the day of the affault. On that occafion, although I had fent two battalions early in the morning from the camp of the main army to endeavour to intercept the runaways on the oppofite fide of the mountain, by far the greateft number efcaped over different parts of the extenfive circuit of the walls, leaving only between two and three hundred killed and wounded, among the former of which was the fecond killeder, and the firft killedar and a few of the principal officers pri foners. pa 'On our fide we were fortunate to a degree, which, perhaps, can hardly be ralleled in hiftory; only feventeen men, officers included, were killed or wounded in carrying on the approaches and in the conftruction of our batteries, one of which was within 250 yards of the wall: and I had the fingular gratification to acquire a fortrefs of mestimable value to the public interefts, and which has hitherto been confidered over all India as impregnable, without having to regret the lofs of a fingle foldier in the affault. I 'Being perfuaded that the garrifons of the neighbouring forts would be impreffed with great terror by the fall of Sevendroog, I loft no time to avail myself of their confternation. Captain Welin, of the Bengal infantry, who was pofted with three native battalions and a large body of the Nizam's horfe, at a confiderable distance on the left of the pofition of the army, was accordingly ordered to march with two battalions, before day-light, on the morning of the 22d, to the fort of Ramghire, fituated about thirty miles from Banga. lore, on the great road leading from that place, by Anapatam, to Seringapatam; and lieutenant-colonel Stuart was directed, after leaving one native battalion in Sevendroog, to march, with the remainder of the corps under his command, on the morning of the 23d, to invest the strong hill fort of Outradroog, which lays about twelve miles to the north-west of Sevendroog. Although captain Welsh was furnished with no means whatever to reduce the fort of Ramghire by force, he, by his address and judicious management, not only fucceeded in alarming the killedar of that place and his garrifon, and inducing them to capitulate on the forenoon of the 23d, but also obtained, in like manner, poffelfion of the adjoining fort of Sevenghire, on the morning of the 24th. At Outradroog we were equally fuccefsful, and with circumstances much more brilliant. 'The afternoon of the 23d was employed by lieutenant-colonel Stuart, and by the engineers who had accompanied his detachment, in reconnoitring the place; and he refolved to attack the Pettah on the following morning. 'A detachment was accordingly formed for that purpofe, under the command of captain Scott, of the Bengal infantry, and on its march toward the fort, about nine o'clock in the forenoon, it was met by a Bramin, who faid that he came out, with affurances from the garrison, that notwithstanding the refolution of the killedar to the contrary, they were determined to furrender. The great ftrength of the place rendered the overture highly acceptable; and lieutenant-colonel Stuart immediately fent back the Brain with offers of advantageous terms, both to the garrifon and the inhabitants, provided they would admit the troops without refiftance, and he gave them two hours, from ten o'clock, to confider and to come to their final dẹcifion, 6 The The guns of the fort having, however, to me; but I have understood, from a fhort letter that he contrived to convey to major Cuppage, that the terms were, that the garrifon fhould retain their baggage and private property, and be allowed to proceed to Madras, on condition of the engaging not to ferve against Tippoo during the war. continued to fire frequently during that interval, and lieutenant-colonel Stuart having likewise seen other reafons to induce him to believe that the offer of furrender had been only a feint, in order to gain time on the part of the garrifon, the affaulting party was held in readinefs; and no perfon having come out of the fort at the expiration of the two hours, captain Scott was ordered to advance, under cover of the fire of fome fix-pounders, to efcalade the Pettah, with an additional inftruction to make an attempt upon the fort, in case evident marks of confusion or irrefolution fhould appear among the enemy. The troops, upon ascending the ladders, found that the Pettah had been abandoned; but, having difcovered clear figns of confternation among the enemy upon the walls of the fort, they proceeded with their ladders to affault them with an ardour and confidence that the recent fuccefs at Sevendroog could alone have infpired, and met with a feebleness of refiftance which could only be accounted for by the strong impreffion of terror which the fall of that place had made upon the minds of their adverfaries. Six different high walls of masonry, upon the afcent of a hill of an uncommon fteepness, were fucceffively and rapidly carried; and nothing could have more ftrongly marked the panic of the enemy and our aftonishing good fortune, than that, although their fire during the affault was confiderable, two foldiers only belonging to the 72d regiment were flightly wounded by it. The garrifon confifted of about fix hundred men, near an hundred of whom were killed or wounded in the heat of the affault; a number of the remainder perished in attempting to escape over the precipices on the oppofite fide of the fort, and the first and second killedars, with a few of the other principal men, fell into our hands unhurt.' Lord Cornwallis next mentions the lofs of Coimbatore. My apprehenfions for the fafety of Co. imbatore proved, unluckily by the event, to have been too well founded; for major Cuppage, having failed in an attempt to raife the fiege, lieutenant Chalmers was obliged to furrender the place, by capitulation, to Kummer ul Dien Khan, after a gallant defence of twenty-eight days. I have not yet feen a copy of the capitulation, which, I conclude, lieutenant Chalmers has been prevented from fending It appears, however, that not even the prefent unfavourable aspect of his affairs is fufficient to induce Tippoo to put a restraint upon the natural perfidy of his difpofition, for he has violated the capitulation, and has brought up lieutenant Chalmers and all the garrison to Seringapatam, where they are now in confinement.' A letter from the prefidency of fort St. George, mentions, that, in addition to the preceding important fucceffes, we had captured Darampowry, Pinagra, and Gurrumcandah; that a party of Tippoo's horfe had made an irruption into the Carnatic, but without making any material impreffion in that country; and that, on the movement of fome troops from Madrafs, the enemy had retired with great precipitation to the fouthward. Thefe advices add, that after the capture of Pinagra, an attack was made on Kiftnagerry, of which the following account is given: On the advanced guard coming to the ground, a body of troops, between 5 and 6 hundred, with standards, were obferved, drawn up in good order between the fort and the detachment, but withdrew on the approach of our line. This circumftance gave colonel Maxwell reafon to fuppofe that the Pettah had not been deferted, and determined him to attack it during the night. The fituation having been reconnoitred in the afternoon, and the difpofition for the attack made, two parties moved, in different directions, at midnight. The walls were efcaladed to the right and to the left at the fame inftant of time; and in fifteen minutes the pettah and the lower fort, which had been defended by two hundred regular troops and a large body of peons, were completely in our poffeffion. Such of the fugitives as efcaped attempted to gain the rock. They were clofely puifued by our troops, and for fome time there was great reason to hope they would enter the upper fort together; but the difficulty and length of the afcent, added to the neceffity of purfuing with regularity, prevented it. The gate was fhut jutt as the leading files of the flank com ever, panies reached it. The probability, how of fuccefs, was still so great, that it was determined to apply the fcaling ladders, which, unfortunately, during the purfuit, had fallen much in the rear, and before they could be brought up the enemy had recovered from their confufion, and hurled, without intermiffion, from the rock above, fhowers of immenfe ftones, which nothing could refift. The ladders and thofe who carried them were inftantly swept away, and a retreat became inevitable. The troops, in defcending from this perilous fituation, preferved the greatest regularity. A gun, which had been placed on the road, was fpiked, and the lower fort and pettah fet on fire before day-light by our troops. The cafualties of the detachments were unavoidably numerous; lieutenant Forbes, of the 74th regiment, died of his wounds; lieutenant Lamout, of the fame corps, in confequence of a wound, fell over the precipice, and was killed; and five other officers were wounded. Three Europeans and one native were killed, forty-feven Europeans and feventeen natives wounded, and three Europeans were miffing. The detachment continued for fome days longer in the Baramhaul, after which it re-afcended the Ghauts, and joined the army on the 2rit of November, having reduced feveral finall forts in its way.' Lord Cornwallis, upon its arrival, expreffed his thanks, in general orders, for the fervices it had performed, and declared, that "He confidered the spirited and judicious attempt, which after furprising and carrying the pettah and lower fort, was made upon the upper fort of Kitnagherry, as highly honourable to all the officers and foldiers who were employed on that occafion, and justly deferving his warmeft applaufe." But the most important part of these advices, is Lord Cornwallis' notification to the prefidency (as follows) of Tippoo's overtures for peace, and his answer there unto: Sir Charles Oakeley, Bart. &c. &c. &g. SIR, I enclofe copies of the letter that I received from Tippo Sultan, and of my anfwer, which latter was given in concert with Hurry Pant and Meer Allum. I have to request, that you will direct copies to be tranfmitted to Bengal, and, by the first opportunity, to the court of di rectors. Sir John Kennaway informed me, in a FROM TIPPOO SULTAN. Received January 13, 1792. At this time, with a view to strengthen the friendship, and remove the difagreements, between the Ahmeedy Sirkir, the company, his highness the Nawaub Afoph Jah, and the Peshwa, and to cultivate the ties of intimacy between these four Sirkars, a confidential and experienced man belonging to this Sirkar will be deputed to your lordfhip, in order that, by negotiation perfonally with every one, the displeafure of the mind may be done away, and a reconciliation with each other (which is for the good and quiet of mankind) may take place. If this meets with your lordfhip's approbation, be pleased to notify it, that the above-mentioned perfon may be friendship may be renewed. fent to a place appointed, and the ancient Dated 12 Jemmadie ul Owal 1206 Heree, or 7th of January, 1792. TO TIPPOO SULTAN. Written the 16th of January, 1792, after recapitulating the letter received the 13th of January. It is well known, that, after having made every conciliatory propofition in my power to prevent this war, I was forced, by the dictates of honor and good faith, to have recourfe to arms, to fave one of the company's allies from destruction; and I have ever been defirous to inake peace as foon as proper compenfations can be received for the injuries and loffes that have been fuftained by the company, and by thofe allies with whom it is connected in the strictest bonds of confederacy. But with what confidence can a negotiation be carried on with a man, who not only violates treaties of peace, but allo difregards the faith of capitulations during war. |