y of the committee, was now sent to
negotiate with the enemy. The first demand made was the surrender
of Rugoba; which the committee would have agreed to, but Rugoba had
privately arranged to surrender to Scindia. The next demand was
that the committee should enter on a treaty, for the surrender of
the greater part of the territory of the Bombay Government,
together with the revenue of Broach and Surat. These terms were so
hard that even the craven committee, who were entirely responsible
for the disaster, hesitated to accept them.

Cockburn was asked whether a retreat was wholly impracticable, and
he declared that it was so. Captain Hartley protested against this
opinion, and showed how a retreat could be managed. His opinion was
altogether overruled, and Mr. Holmes was sent with powers to
conclude the treaty--which, however, the committee never intended
to observe.

Scindia took the principal part in arranging the details,
superseding the authority of Nana Furnuwees, the Peishwa's
minister. Scindia's favour was purchased by a private promise to
bestow upon him the English share of Broach, besides a sum of
forty-one thousand rupees as presents to his servants.

For their share in this miserable business Mr. Carnac, Colonel
Egerton, and Colonel Cockburn were dismissed from the Company's
service; and Captain Hartley was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
colonel. The Governor of Bombay refused to ratify the treaty, on
the ground that the officials with the expedition had no power
whatever to enter into any arrangement, without the matter being
previously submitted to, and approved by, the Government.
Fortunately, at this moment a force that had been despatched from
Bengal, under Colonel Goddard, to support Rugoba was nearing the
scene of action; and that officer, learning the danger to which
Bombay was exposed, took the responsibility and, marching from
Hoosingabad, avoided a body of twenty-two thousand horse, which had
been despatched from Poona to cut him off, and reached Surat
without encountering any opposition.

This welcome reinforcement materially altered the situation, and
Bombay lay no longer at the mercy of the Mahrattas. There was now
Goddard's force, and the army that had fallen back from Poona and,
what was still more important, Scindia had by his secret convention
deserted the confederacy; and it was morally certain that neither
the Peishwa nor Holkar would send his forces against Bombay,
leaving to