“ Our fmall body, fluihed with fuccefs, immediately proceeded
“ with the bayonet, and never flopped till they gained the fum-
“ mit of the Ghaut, under a heavy cannonading all the way.”
B e d n o r e . Bednore, the great objedt o f the fatal expedition, Hands on the
vaft plains o f the fame name, at about nine miles diftance from
the edge o f the Ghauts. It is the prefent capital of the country,
but fince it is come into poffeffion of Ayder Alt, the name is
changed, in honor o f him, to Ayder Nager, or the royal city of
Ayder. In the hiitory of Ayder, i. 83 *, as a place of uncommon
fplctidor, beauty, and magnitude, with ilreets two leagues in
length, every houfe in the centre of a luxuriant garden, filled
with trees, and watered with limpid ftreams. It was the capital
R a n a B i b d a - ° f the ancient kingdom of Canbara, and was called Rana Bid-
LURA' dalura. Ayder poffefTed himfelf o f this place, and the whole of
I t s H j s t s r v . the rich province, by the following accident. The fon of thé
reigningQueen of Canbara fled to Ayder, imploring his proteilion
and his affiftance to put him in poffeffion o f his kingdom, which
his mother kept from him in a moil iniquitous manner. Ayder
acceded to his petition, marched againft the ufurprefs, defeated
her army, and, in the end, reconciled the contending parties. She
received Ayder with every mark o f refpeit, and even lodged him
in the royal palace. Under this mafk fhe, in concert with her
huiband (for fhe had married a fécond, a Brahmin) determined
on his deftruition by the moft horrid means, that of blowing him
up in the palace with gunpowder. A fubordinate Brahmin dif-
* By M. M. D. L. T..(de la Tour) General of ten thoufand men in the Mogul empire,
and formerly commander in chief of the artillery of Ayder Ali, and of a body of European
troops in the fervice of that prince. His work is not in the higheft efteem.
covered
covered fhe plot : he appeared before Ayder in prefence o f the
Queen, the King, and whole court, and charged the confpirators
with their crime. The trial commenced on the fpot, the charge
was proved, the Queen and her huiband put to death, and the
king confined. Poffibly the complaint o f the fon was uncon-
ftitutional, for the throne o f Canhara is faid to have always been
filled with a female, who had thé privilege o f marrying whom
Ihe pleafed, but exempted herfelf from the cruel rite o f burning
with the body o f her huiband, in the manner that the affectionate
fpoufes of her fubjcits were accuftomed to do. Ayder S e i z e d b y
Alii feized on the kingdom, and all the immenfe treafure of the
capital; but, what he thought o f more importance, was a line o f
coaft, which flattered his ambition with the hopes o f becoming
as invincible by fea as he had hitherto been by land.
F r o m the time o f the ftorming Onore, the General’s conduit
was totally altered. He grew irrefolute refpeiting his proceedings
» paid no attention to the plan he was to execute by the
orders o f the Prefidency, and negleited every communication
with them. Before this, he was held in high eftimation, as an
officer * and a man. He remained a long time in a ftate of de-
fpondency. At length, situated by a paffion before latent, he
fuddenly took the refolution o f performing the fervice he- was
appointed to. He alcended the Ghaut, in the manner related.
He appeared before Bednore, at that time wholly defenfelefs. It B e d n o r e
was then governed by Hyat Saib, a perfon of confummate abili- EENDERED-
lities, and firm fidelity towards his mailer. He refleéted on the
* Hon. Charles Grevile, Britiih India, iii. p. 843.
impoffibility