Holkar hitherto had eluded all attempts of General Lake to bring him to battle ; but at length, having encamped his army under the walls of Deeg, in the province of Agra, with several ranges of batteries before :hem, to the depth of two miles, he resolved to wait the attack of the British. The attack was made with complete success. Holkar's regular infantry and artillery. were nearly all destroyed ; and after a short but vigorous siege, the town surrendered to the British.
In order that he might have time to collect his scat tered troops, Holkar persuaded the Rajah of Bhurtpoor to embrace his cause. As the reduction of this fortress was deemed an object of great importance, General Lake sat down before it ; but the defence made by the garrison proved most obstinate. They repulsed with great slaugh ter the assaults of the besiegers ; so that in the course of the siege the loss of the British exceeded that which they had sustained in any three of the greatest battles they had fought in India. At last the Rajah sued for peace, which was granted him, on condition that he paid to the Bri tish 20 lacks of rupees, five immediately, and the remain de• by instalments.
Notwithstanding the defeats which Holkar had sustain ed, and the desertion of nearly all his allies, he still perse vered in the war ; hut he conducted it more like the chief of a band of marauders, than the general of an army. In his last campaign he entered the British territories to the westward of Delhi. Lord Lake immediately marched at ter him, but on the approach of the British tie fled ; and his flight was uninterrupted and most rapid, till he reached the banks of the Beyah, in the Punjab, when, being reduced to the utmost distress, he solicited peace from Lord Lake. The treaty was ratified on the 6th of January 18)6, by which lie gave up all claims on Koonah and Bundcicundi and the districts north of the Chumbul ; the latter, how ever, were afterwards given back to him.
Before Ho!kar was finally overcome, Lord' Wellesley had left India. We have briefly related the military transactions which took place during his government ; but it will be also proper to advert to those changes in the British possessions in India which he effected without the aid of war.
In November 1801, all the frontier provinces or °ode were ceded to the Company. The reason assigned for this was, that the British possessions might be come a barrier between the dominions of the %izicr of Oude and any foreign enemy. On the 25th of July 1801, the civil and military government of the Carnatic was given up to the British, on condition that they should pay the debts of the Nabob, and allow him an annual sum, equal to one fifth of the revenues of the Carnatic.
At the period of Lord Wellesley's departure for England, the allies of the British were more secure, and their ene mies less numerous and formidable, than they had ever been before. Of the former, the Soubhadar of the Decan
was the most important ; and he had been placed in a situa tion of security, by the reduction of the Mahratta chiefs, and by maintaining within his territories a subsidiary Eu ropean force. The sovereign of Mysore was now friend ly to the British, instead of being one of their most invete rate enemies. The two Presidencies of Madras and Ben gal were connected by the conquest of Cuttack ; and this conquest, together with the territories which the British now possessed in Guzerat, Malabar, and Canara, rendered them the masters of nearly all the sea coast from the mouths of the Ganges to those of the Indus.
In Ilindostan proper the influence of the French was completely destroyed ; the incursions of the Mahrattas in to it had been effectually checked, and were not likely to be soon renewed ; as by the territories ceded to the British in the Dooab, and on the right banks of the Jumnah, as well as by the protection which the British gave to those small states which stretch from the mountains of Cumaoun to Bundcicund, the British provinces were defended from the encroachments of the Mahratta chiefs.
On the 31st of December 1805, during the administra tion of Sir George Barlow, a new treaty was concluded with Scindiah, by which that chief gave up all claims on the countries of Boondcc, Surredce, Dhoolpoor, Barrec, and Rajah Keriah.
During the administration of Lord Minto, the only events of importance which occurred in India were, the reduction of Java, for an account of which see JAVA ; the renewing of the British protection to the Seik chiefs on the north-west of the Jumnah, and the south of the Suticge, thus strengthening and extending the frontier of ;he British territories in Hindostan ; and the protection af forded to the Rajah of Bcrar from the attacks of Meer Khan, a chieftain of Malwah, and a noted pindarec, or freebooter.
\Vr have already mentioned the grand divisions of Hin dostan, into North Hindostan ; Hindostan Proper ; the De can ; and the South of India ; and the boundaries of the whole, as well as of each division. We have also mention ed, that this article will be confined to Hindostan proper, the Decan, and the south of India ; referring the reader, for information respecting Northern Hindostan, to the articles CASHMERE, NEPAUL, BOOTAN, TIDET, Ste.
Taking Hindoatan in the largest acceptation of the term, ,ts area comprehends about one million geographical square miles, or an extent equal to the whole of Europe, with the exception of Denmark, Norway, Lapland, Sweden, Rus sia, and Poland. Hindostan proper is equal in size to France, Italy, Germany, Bohemia, Hungary, Switzerland, and the Netherlands ; and the Decan, and the south of India, are about equal to the British islands, Spain, and Turkey in Europe.