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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
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13. so it was. It was enough. He was not so foolish as to declare war on Tipu immediately, but at once started, notwithstanding the advice of all the timid civilians of Madras - to make preparations for war, in case - as was but too likely - negotiations should be of no avail.
The Conquest of Mysore.
An account of Tipu's persistent course of shuffling in the preliminary correspondence between himself & Mornington would be equally equally tedious & unnecessary. We need only say that the Governor-General at last decided to come himself to Madras, where he arrived on the last day of the year. Final negotiations left Tipu as stubborn as ever, & Mornington's long-enduring stock of patience was at an end. On February 22nd, he issued his formal declaration of war against Tipu. But already on February 3rd, the command had been placed in the hands of General Harris, an able office of fifty-two years of age, who had been ordered to proceed into Mysore. This he accordingly did.* He was [line] *The date of his entry into Mysore seems to be a subject of dispute. Hutton gives March 5th, but a much earlier date - February 11th, - is given in the Dictionary of National Biography.
