trigue as Tippoo Sultaun has been, we take the earliest opportunity of communicating to the public; not only as an object of curiofity, but of much moral impreffion; as they afford another awful example to the records of ambition, of the inftability of human power, unfupported by juftice or moderation.

Tippoo Sultaun was the son of Hyder Alli, or Hyder Naig-a mere adventurer, who, through one of the furprising revolutions of fortune that so often take place in the world, had rifen from being a common feapoy to become mafter of a confiderable part of the Malabar Coaft; and to be one of the moft confiderable and formidable Princes in the empire of India. This bold adventurer being fenfible that the power of the Eaft India Company was an infurmountable bar to his ambition, worked upon the weakness of the Nizam of the Decan, and partly by threats, and partly by promifes, gained him to renounce the alliance which was between the Company and him, and to join in a war against it. This war continued with various fuccefs for near two years. At one period of which Hyder, by giving our army in the Carnatic the flip, marched at the head of a chofen body of horse within a few miles of Madras, and threw that settlement into the greatest confternation. He was however repelled; but the Company dreading the further power of his arms, and his forming fresh

in 1769, which was foon after concluded upon fimple and equitable conditionsthe forts and places taken on either fide were restored, and both parties were to fit down at the expences which they had incurred. It was alfo acknowledged at that time, in juftice to the character of Hyder, that the war was not attended with any of thofe acts of treachery, or inhuman maffacres, which were fo fre-" quent in the contefts we have had with other powers of the country-but that humanity and good faith were preserved upon all occafions.

TIPPOO SULTAUN his fon appears to have been born in the year 1749, and fucceeded his father when he was about thirty years of age. It is related by Hubbub Oollab and Rajab Cawn (the former his principal Secretary-the latter his favourite fervant, and both well acquainted with the Sultaun's character), that in the life time of his father, he was univerfally efteemed by the Minifters and favourites of Hyder's Court, who had formed the most fanguine expectations of his reign; but from the moment he afcended the Mufnud, these fair appearances began to decline, and his conduct from that period feemed to be directed wholly by the principles of ambition, pride, caprice, and cruelty.

It was in confequence of these principles, that he provoked the late war against the East India Company during the go

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vernment of Lord Cornwallis in 1792; and though the Sultaun's power and refources were much weakened by the treaty of Seringapatam, his resentments were far from being extinguished. Had he contented himself with the quiet poffeffion of his remaining territory, and had been fenfible of the danger of forming a connection with the French. the justice and moderation of the British Government would never have difturbed his tranquillity; but unfortunately for him, the British Governinent was always the object of his hatred; and fince the treaty of Seringapatam, he perhaps never once loft fight of that revenge which is the continual spectre of ambitious minds.

On one occafion, in his Durbar, he declared,

"That a nice sense of honour should be the predominant feature in the character of a King, and that one who had fuf. fered misfortunes from the fuperiority of his enemies fhould never be appealed until he had obtained ample revenge." "That for his part, he should every day seek the moft likely means for effecting the ruin of his enemies; and that his mind was principally occupied in the contemplation of this object" the means I have taken (he added) to keep in remembrance the misfortunes I fuffered fix years ago (alluding to the conquefts of Marquis Cornwallis) from the malice of my enemies, are to difcontinue fleeping on a cotton bed, and to make ufe of a cloth one. When I am victorious, I shall refume the bed of cotton."

Full of this refentment, he began intriguing with the French Government about the year 1796; and it required the moft prudent management on the fide of the Company, to prevent him then from commencing holtilities. The arrival of Bonaparte, however, in Egypt, and the promises he obtained from that enterpril ing defpot, of affittance and fupport, decided him on a war the moment it was in his power to begin it with effect.

When the Marquis of Wellesley arrived in India, he had trong fufpicions of the French correfpondence with Tippoo; which being further confirmed by authentic documents tranfmitted to him from the Cape by Lord Macartney, he immediately remonftrated with Tippoo on the circumstances, to which he not only received evafive anfwers, but the mcit pontive affurances of good faith. In one of thefe letters he particularly declares, "that his friendly heart is difpoled to pay every regard to truth and

justice, and to ftrengthen the foundations of harmony and concord between the two nations."

The further progrefs of this correfpon. dence, and the final refult of it in the capture of Seringapatam, we have already detailed in a former number, under the head of "Memoirs of General Sir George Harris ;" to which we refer. We fhall now present our readers with fome particulars of that fiege not hitherto known, accompanied with anecdotes of the Sultaun, and the manner of his death; which will be found not only curious, but highly expreffive of that restless, ambitious, and enterprifing character.

When Tippoo found himself hard preffed in the fiege of his capital, he cominunicated to General Harris a defire to open a negociation for peace. To this overture the General anfwered by tranf mitting a draft of preliminaries (founded on previous inftructions furnished him by the Governor-General, but subject to be modified by him according to exifting circumstances) requiring, in lieu of forts, which it was then too late in the season to receive, additional hostages-namely, four fons of the Sultaun, and four of his principal Officers, to be selected by Ge neral Harris. Thefe, with two crores of rupees, were to be fent in forty-eight hours to the camp otherwise the General referved to himself the power of extending his demand, even to the poffeffion of Seringapatam."

To this there was no answer; and from this time Tippoo feemed to be determined on defending his capital to the laft. He appears too to have been prepoffeffed with an idea that Seringapatam was impregnable; and this idea was confirmed by the conftant reports of his courtiers, who perfuaded him, till within an hour of the general affault, “That the English would be obliged to raise the fiege from want of provifions, and that the hot bad produced little effect on the walls."-In the morning of the 4th, however, on examining the works himfelt, his natural perception foon difcovered to him the danger of his fituation, but he was determined to abide all confe quences.

When the breach was fufficiently made for the English army to enter, and the Sultaun oblerved that fuch of his own men who were in front had either fled or were killed, and that the forming party was advancing towards him in greater force than he at fuft apprehended, he mounted one of his favourite horses, and proceeded