been prosecuted. It must be confessed, moreover, that it was a dubious policy to restore to power a bitter foe, thus enabling him to resume a hostile attitude which eventually compelled Lord Mornington to crush for ever the despot's arrogance[1].
Cornwallis was of opinion that he had effectually curbed Tipú's power of disturbing the peace of India, a mistaken idea, of which subsequent events showed the fallacy. The restoration of the lawful Mysore dynasty does not appear to have been contemplated, nor would the captive Rájá have been able to main-
- ↑ It was about this time that the Sultán gave his sanction to the publication of certain encomiastic effusions about himself, which are sufficient evidence of his vanity. The following are extracts from one of these productions: –
'When the Rustam-hearted King rushed forward on the charger of his anger, then did the hearts of the English lions quake with fear.
'The flash of his sabre struck the army of Baillie like lightning: it caused Munro to shed tears, resembling the drops from the clouds.
'On Lang's heart was fixed a stain, like that of the tulip: Coote was made by this calamity to lament.
'When the Maráthás behold the army of our King, the dread thereof causes them to flee like deer.
"The Firingi (European) and Nizám-ul-Mulk pass night and day together, trembling with fear of our King.
'The Hajjám's (meaning 'barber' in derision for Nizám) army flees through dread of thee, as the hunter does when he beholds the lion.
'Compared with him Hátim was a miser; Socrates, Hippocrates, and all the sages of the earth appear before him like ignorant children; Mars dwindles before the valour of our King to a mere infant.
'Owing to the justice of this King, the deer of the forest make their pillow of the lion and the tiger, and their mattress of the leopard and panther.'
