124
T h e G e n e r a l
POISONED.
A l s o o t h e r *
K ind of P oison,
T h e General was confined at Seringapatam ; where he was
not fuffered to linger long. Various are the accounts given of
the manner of his end, but the moft probable is, that it was
by poifon. Numbers o f his officers fuffered in the fame manner,
in different places, and died in the greateff agonies. His
brother, who unfortunately returned from his journey to Goa,
and a Mr. Weldon, were taken into the jungles, and had their
throats cut. Numbers of the unhappy men, fated to die by
the poifonous draught, abftained from food for many days, till
defpair and hunger compelled them to take the fatal draught.
Others, who by delay made the executioners impatient, had the
poifon forced down their throats. My pity is fufpended for as
many as might have been guilty o f thé barbarity at Annam-
pour, was it poffiblethey could have been acceffary to the favage
fury of their troops, ftained in every part of the, expedition
with flaughter, cruelty, fraud, rapine, and avarice -5.
I t is evident that the feverities exercifed by Ttppoo, after this
vi£tory, was ¿ire the determined refolution of inflicting a juft
puniffiment ; but, unhappily, he included in it the innocent, as
well as guilty. After his defeat of Colonel Braithwaite, on the
hanks of the Coleroon, how different was his conduct ; he con-
fidered Matthews as the fordid adventurer, Braithwaite as the
generous enemy, and treated him and the wounded captives
with a humanity that ffiewed his coolnefs, and capacity of di -
tinguifhing between the one and the other.
I am uncertain what the poifon was; probably a vegetable,
* Annual Regifter, 1783, P '91,
in
in which India is extremely fertile; fome fpeak of the
juice of the Milky hedge, Euphorbia Tiraculli, Syft. PI. ii. 438.
OJJifraga ladlea, Rumpb.Amb. vii. 62, tab. xxix. Comm. hort. i.
27, tab. xiv. This emits moft copioufly a milk of fo cauftic a
nature, as is likely to produce a moft agonizing death. The
juices o f other Euphorbia are very deadly, as are thofe of the
root o f that beautiful flower the Gloriofa Superba, Syft. PI. ii. 49,
Lilium Zeylan. Comm. hort. i. 69, tab. xxxv. In one place I find
another unintelligibly mentioned, under the title of the milk
of the coco nut buffi *.
I n o w purfue the event of the complaints laid before the
Prefidency o f Bombay, by the feceding officers. Their information
appeared well founded. Matthews was ordered to be
fuperceded, his misfortune being then unknown. Macleod was-
appointed to fucceed him in the command, and Humberjlon
and Shaw to ferve under Macleod. The fequel is tragical. The :
new officers, on April 5, failed in the Ranger floop of ten guns,.
Lieut, Omen commander, to be landed for the purpofe o f joining
the army. On the 7th they fell in with the Mahratta fleet,
a powerful fquadron, which attacked them, without the left
notice. Major Shaw was ffiot dead, the General, and Col. Humberjlon
through the lungs, and feveral other officers killed or
wounded. After a defence, far too obftinate againft fo very
fuperior a force, the furvivors ftruck, and were carried into Ghe-
riab; the Governor difowning any knowlege o f the peace,
which had aitually been proclamed a very few days before. Such
* Lieut. Hubbard’s Letter,