formed a fecond line with his troops, with a body of horse to cover each flank. From this order the first line of the English troops, with the villages, would have fecured his front, and his wings only would have been left extended; fo that the eneiny muft firft either have broken through the English, or have fuffered a fevere fire upon their flank in coming round to attack him; but, regardless of all this, he crowded his whole army in a confufed multitude on the right; nor could the moft preffing and repeated folicitations induce him to alter his pofition, or to form his troops in a more distinct order; but there they remained, a body of 15,000 men, with a front of fcarce 200 yards, in a tumultuous heap; and to this inflexibility had he very nearly facrificed both himfelf and people.

The enemy came on with great fpirit, though with much irregularity, and in many feparate bodies, after the Eastern manner of fight ing. In appearance they directed their principal effort to the left of the English, having stationed one large body there in the beginning, and now pushing on another to fupport them. To give fome check to this effort, the artillery was or. dered a few paces in front; and being directed to the left, a few difcharges effectually repreffed the ardour of their approach on that fide. Unable to ftand fo hot a fire, they divided; fome filed off towards their own right, but the most part kept ftill inclining, under cover of fome banks and ditches, more and more towards the left of the Englifh, till at last they got quite round into their rear. There they remained for fome time; for an object of much more importance now diverted all attention the other way.

The enemy had long defcried the

young Nabob, from the number of horse, elephants and standards with which he was furrounded. Their motion to the left appeared only to amufe the English; while, led on by their most refolute commanders, they bore down the best and bravest of their troops against the young Nabob. This being obferved, all the artillery was ordered to be drawn up on the right, which, together with five or fix large cannon in front of the Nabob, fired brifkly as the firft body of the enemy came on, in a long and deep column; but four guns breaking down after a few difcharges, by the roughness of the ground, and the Nabob's cannon being quickly deferted, it produced little effect. Both fides were now clofely engaged-the enemy by the Nabob with great refolution-they charged in a tumultuous manner, horfe and foot indifcriminately mixed, and with variety of wea pons; arrows, pikes, fwords, match. locks, &c. In about ten minutes the Nabob began to give way. The enemy preiled on, while the Nabob only acted on the defenfive.

At this critical juncture, Major Caillaud ordered up a battalion of fepoys from the right, and led them on to fuccour the Nabob. The fepoys marched steadily, and drew up within forty yards of the enemy's flank. They poured in one well-levelled fire, and then a fecond; after which they pushed on with their bayonets, and fo much difconcerted the enemy, already confufed enough in making the attack, that they recoiled upon each other, and part immediately fled. The Nabob's horfe, recovered by this feafonable relief, galloped in amongst them at the initant of their confufion, and difperfed the reft; none of them ever attempted to rally, and the whole plain was as clear in half an hour as if no enemy had

been

been near it. But while they were thus repulfed in front, the party which at firft had advanced on the left marched round to the rear, unobferved in the heat of the battle, and plundered the English camp; but most of the baggage, elephants, camels, &c. were recovered in the purfuit, which the approach of night prevented continuing beyond two or three miles. The action lafted near four hours. A very inconfiderable number fell on either fide, but the rout was complete. The English loft a few fepoys only, and they took feventeen pieces of cannon. Of note among the flain were an uncle of the young Nabob's, and the two commanders of the Shah Zadah, who led-on the attack. The young Nabob himself received two wounds in his face and neck with

arrows.

Very little, if any advantage whatfoever, was derived from the victory at Seerpore, further than ftriking the enemy with a momentary fright; nor did even their apprehenfions fubfift for any length of time. The young Nabob, conceiving his wounds, though light fcratches, of a moft dangerous tendency, immediately after the battle retired to Patna, and would neither purfue the Shah Zadah himself, nor fuffer part of his horfe to march with Major Caillaud, who impatiently and inceffantly urged him to it, and offered, with any addition to his own fmall body, to folHow the Shah Zadah, and, while his troops were fcattered, in amazement at their late defeat, and with out a head, to drive him from the province. Through jealoufy, anxious left the reputation of Ma. jor Caillaud fhould increase to the extenuation of his own, or unwill. ing to crush an enemy at once, whom he was certain he could always reduce with the help of the

English allies; an enemy, too, by whofe exiftence alone he retained the power he then poffeffed, and the large army he then commanded; or from fome fuch finifter motives, he abfolutely refused to let the Ma. jor have a fingle man. Thus were thofe precious moments loft, from the neglect of which have fprung all the mifchiefs which have fince enfued. Major Caillaud ordered his troops to encamp between Patna and the town of Bar. The Nabob efcaped to Patna, and buried himfelf in his zenana.

The night of his defeat, the Shah Zadah filed to the town of Bar, ten miles only from the field of bat tle. The two following days reftored to him the greatest part of his diffipated forces, whom their own terrors, more than the reality of the danger, had difperfed. Upon recollecting his fpirits, encouraging thofe of his people, and upon a review of his army, he found his affairs very far from being as yet in a defperate condition. Not many of his forces were miffing; there was no enemy very near him; he had the fame refources as before, and the country was as open to him as ever. Moved by thefe confiderations, he refolved immediately to undertake fome fudden enterprize, before any fufpicion could be formed of his lofs being fo foon repaired, or the truth of his defigns be dif covered. Among the many expedi ents which prefented themfelves, he fixed on one, which, at the fame time that it evinced the propriety of his judgment, and fhewed that he did not want talents to improve a happy opportunity, had every probable appearance of fuccefs; and was cer tainly the likelieft means, if not to complete his views, at least to improve the nature of his circumftances: And experience would have proved the truth of this, had the

fame

fame fpirit which infpired the thought, accompanied him in the execution of it.

The young Nabob, having af forded his enemy all the leifure he wanted, and at last fatiated with his pleasures, thought it was now time to obferve what the Shah Zadah had been doing. Accordingly he joined Major Caillaud with his army on the 29th of February, and made a flow march or two towards Bar; but his furprife was great, when he was informed the Prince was in the field again, and not at Bar, but had made two forced marches beyond him towards Bengal. Major Caillaud had long before predicted to him the poffibility of this manœuvre; but he remained utterly incredulous, nor ufed any precautions to prevent fuch an attempt; and, when convinced of the truth of it, only wondered how fuch an amazing circumftance could happen.

The enemy, having made two forced marches with intention to enter Bengal, to which they had been often invited by many diffaf fected Rajahs, (particularly Caudim Huffein Khan, the Rajah of Purneah, who had again revolted,) obliged the young Nabob to make all imaginable hafte after them, and, if poffible, to prevent their progrefs. Major Caillaud marched his troops directly towards the river, and embarked them on board the boats which at that time accompanied the army, and left the young Nabob and his force to make what expedition he could after them. The Nabob was obliged to exert himself on this occafion; and luckily, on the third day, the enemy, as their route lay by the river fide, were by the English and the Nabob's horfe overtaken. The Shah Zadah, from this inftance, perceived at once the impoffibility of his marching into Bengal by the direct road

which leads along the banks of the Ganges; becaufe the English, by means of their boats tranfporting them down the river, could at any time poffefs themselves of the paffes, which are the entrance to Bengal on that fide; by which means, as the young Nabob would remain in his rear, he would be fhut up between two armies. Yet, far from being deterred: by this obftacle, he perfevered in his refolution, and, on the 8th of March, changing his course, directed his route over that af femblage of mountains which limit the Nabob's dominions to the fouthward, from a country north-east of the Deccan, and as yet but little known to us. His forces now. confitting of light horse only, unincumbered by artillery or heavy baggage, he easily gained twò or three marches on the Nabob. Where ever he went, there was a neceffity for keeping as close to him as poffi ble. Major Caillaud and the Nabob, therefore, continued to follow him, and he led them through a country ever before deemed inacceffible to an army, for the number of clofe thick woods and narrow paffes, which confiderably retarded their progrefs, and rendered their movements extremely difficult. The paffage of one pafs, in particular, detained the Shahi Zadah fo long, that the English troops arrived, on the 22d of March, on the ground which he had quitted but two days before; the regularity of their march hav ing carried them through in a much shorter time. The interval, likewife, fpent in these transactions, forwarded the advices to Moorfhe dabad, and enabled the old Nabob to collect an army, fuftained by two hundred Europeans, detached to his affiftance from Fort-William, and to march out for the prefervation of his capital. From this time till the

THE grain and fruits which are common to the Peninsula, are found in Ceylon.

Of rice there are four kinds, three of which are cultivated on the mountains, and do not require continual inundation. That this nutritious and wholefome article is not fuperabundant in the kingdom of Candy, arifes from the imperfections of its government. If its growth were properly encouraged, this country, inftead of having recourfe to Bengal for fupplies, might be enabled to export large quantities of this grain.

The cocoa trees are very numerous within the district fubject to the British government, and from whence the coafts of Malabar and Coromandel are fupplied with fpirits diftilled from their fruit. In Candy this tree cannot be cultivated, from the great number of elephants which inhabit the woods, and are forbidden to be deftroyed by order of the king.

The areka tree is feen in every part of the ifland, and a clandeftine trade is carried on with the Candian country, in the nuts which it yields. Thefe, with fuch as are produced in the part fubordinate to the British government, form a confiderable branch of commerce.

This tree finds an enemy in the government of Candy, which difcourages its cultivation; but the foil is fo favourable to its growth, that it may be faid to flourish, in

VOL. 2,

fpite of the elephant that tramples on it, and man who neglects to preferve it.

The coffee which is produced here, approaches in flavour to that of Moka.

Though the quantity of Sugarcane planted at Calitura is very fmall, and is only employed to procure fpirits, it is fufficient to prove, that, if this neceffary article were encouraged, it might be produced in fufficient quantities to fupply the demands of the ifland, and fuperfede the neceffity of importing it from Bengal and China. The natives, however, draw a fmall portion of faccharine juice from the buds of the tree called kitoul (the carriotta of Linnæus), the pith of which is but little inferior to the age of the eaftern ifles.

The pepper plant flourishes here; but its fruit is not equal to that of the Moluccas. At the fame time, it may be confidered as an important article of commerce.

The cardamum grows only at Matura, and a few other parts; and is inferior to that which is produ. ced on the coaft.

Though the cultivation of the Sweet potatoes is very fimple, the quantity produced is not more than fufficient for home confumption.

The margora or agederac (melia of Flora Zeylanica) is confidered as one of the most valuable plants that Ceylon can boaft of. It is esteemed as an admirable fuccedaneum for the B

quin