12.
ous ruler Tipu Sultan, the son of Haidar
Ali, who had usurped the throne of the ancient
dynasty of Hindu monarchs. Here
too the danger lay in the relations of Tipu
with the French; but the differences between
the positions in Haidarabad or Mysore was
that, whereas in the former case the French
were trying to gain a foothold in that
state, here it was Tipu himself who was
approaching the French, trying to push
forward an alliance with them against
the British. Indeed, by a curious coincidence,
on the same day that Mornington
set foot in India, Tipus emissaries
returned from Mauritius, bringing with
them a small band of French soldiers.
Mornington was well aware of these intrigues,
& saw that the longer they were allowed
to continue the more dangerous
would they become. He was therefore anxious
for war. He had, however, no proof of Tipu's
dealings upon which to found a "casus
belli," until there was published at Calcutta
on June 8th, 1798 a proclamation of the
Governor of Mauritius, which laid bare all
Tipu's offers & requests to him. It seems
strange that Mornington should have
gained knowledge of such importance
through the medium of a newspaper, but
EN