LAKE, GERARD, FIRST VISCOUNT LAKE, the second son of an ancient family, was born on the 27th of July 1744. Having entered the army at the early age of fourteen, he made his first campaigns In the Seven Years' War. He served afterwards in the American War, in Holland with the Duke of York in 1793, and having attained with credit to the rank of general, was appointed to the chief command in Ireland during the rebellion of 1797-98.
In 1800 he was sent as commander-in-chief to India, during the Marquis of Welles]ey'a government. On the breaking out of war with Scindiah in 1803, General Wellesley being charged with the conduct of affairs in the Deccan, Lake himself took the field in the north of Hindustan. On the 28th of August he crossed the north-western froutier of Oude into the Mogul territory, and after taking by storm the strong fort of Aligliur, arrived within six miles of Delhi on the 11th of September. The 3lahrattas, in superior force, offered battle in defence of the city, and Lake led his troops at onco to the attack.
The enemy's position was strong, and a repulse seomed likely to ensue, when Lake, by a well-conducted feint of retreat, lured the Mahrattas from their intrenchmente, and then resuming the offensive won the day by a brilliant and deci-ira charge. He entered Delhi the next day, and the Mogul emperor, Shah Allum, the nominal sovereign of India, old and blind, who had been but a puppet in the hands of the Nab rattas, gladly passed into the mere decent and secure guardianship of the British government. Lake next marched upon Agra, which was
taken after a stout resistance. A fresh descent of the Mahrattas recalled him towards Delhi ; and on the 1st of November he won Another well-fought but decisive battle near the village of Laswaree. By this series of successes the whole of Scindiah's possessions north of the Chumbul River fell into his bands, and in reward General Lake was raised to the peerage (September 1st, 1804), by the title of Baron Lake of Delhi and Laswaree, and Aston•Clinton lu Bucks.
In 1804-5 Lord Lake again took the field in the same part of India against Holkar. In these campaigns ho was less uniformly and brilliantly successful : still he had reduced Holksr's power to a low state when the arrival of the Marquis Cornwallis as governor-general substituted a peaceful policy for that system of conquest which Lord Wellesley had so energetically pursued. Lord Lake returned to England in September 1807, and was immediately created a viscount (October 31st). He died on the 20th of February 1808.