F10195_0026

9.
Haidarabad: the first Treaty.

Probably, on his arrival in India Haidarabad
was uppermost in his mind. Here the chief
danger lay in the French power. The army
of the Nizam, fourteen thousand strong,
was officered by Frenchmen, & it was
with reason believed that communications
were passing between them & Tipu Sultan
of Mysore. Until shortly before Morningston's
arrival, this force had been ably
commanded by a M. Raymond. This
man had, however, just died, & the command
had fallen into less able hands.
The Governor General saw the advantage
that would be gained by replacing this
French influence by British, & accordingly
he resolved that negotiations should be
carried on with the Nizam. His choice for
the carrying out of this difficult task
fell on two young officers, James Kirkpatrick
& John Malcolm, the latter of whom
was sent to Haidarabad as assistant
resident. The choice was a wise one. So prudently
& quickly was the business carried
on, that on September 1st, when Mornington
had been little more than four
months in India, the Nizam signed a
treaty by which all the Frenchman in
his army were to be dismissed & the
troops which they had commanded dis-