PREFACE.

I HAVE been induced to publish the following volumes from a conviction that the documents contained in them would not only illustrate the character of LORD CORNWALLIS, but would also throw much light upon the history of his times. His military and political career extends from 1776 to 1805, and embraces many most important events. He was engaged in the American War from 1776 to 1781, and during the last two years held an independent command in the only quarter where active operations were carried on. He was twice Governor-General of India. During his first administration, which lasted from 1786 to 1793, he was engaged for upwards of two years in the Mysore war, and promulgated his revenue, judicial, and police regulations, which, with some modifications, are still in force. throughout the Presidency of Bengal. To him was entrusted the duty of effecting that most important but difficult measure the Union between Great Britain and Ireland; and a little later he was charged with the task of restoring tranquillity to Europe by completing the peace of Amiens.

Even if the limits to which a preface must be confined permitted me, I should not be disposed here to discuss the conduct and measures of Lord Cornwallis; nor, indeed, have I thought it fit to enter at all on that subject, but I have been satisfied with printing his own letters and despatches, with some of those addressed to him, either interesting in themselves or necessary to explain the context. To these I have added occasionally a few paragraphs or pages when the narrative appeared incomplete.

The great length of many of the documents has compelled me to print in an Appendix most of the military despatches from America and India, and numerous other important letters and

minutes. Among these will be found the details of the surrender of York Town, and the papers relating to the Zemindar settlement, which are peculiarly interesting.

With respect to the orthography, I have, in the letters, retained that of the several writers. In those parts of the work for which I am responsible, I have, in regard to the spelling of Indian proper names and words, followed the advice of those whose opinions are of very high authority; and as many of the Indian terms may not be familiar to English readers, I have added a short Glossary.

My principal labour has been to furnish short biographical notes on the various persons whose names occur in the letters and despatches. These I have endeavoured to make as complete and accurate as I could.

But among the many thousand dates given numerous errors have, I fear, crept in. Some have been corrected in the errata prefixed to each volume, others have doubtless escaped detection. Nor can I implicitly rely on the works to which I have referred for such information, as, most certainly, many inaccuracies exist in them. For instance, Collins's Peerage, the Gentleman's, European, and Scots Magazine, each give a different date for the death of Lady Mary Danica Three, at least, of these, perhaps all four, are wrong, though the Magazines were published within one month of her decease, The books which I have consulted are far too numerous to be particularised here-Annual Registers, Magazines, Peer Biographical Dictionaries, French and German as well as English (the latter being by far the most imperfect), Encyclopedias, individual Biographies, and an immense number of Memoirs, Pamphlets, &c., &c., relating to those times. The MSS. to which I have had access are:

1st. The family papers now at Audley End, comprising:-1. A collection of those relating to the American War, for the most part imperfect, but tolerably complete for the years 1780 and 1781. 2. An almost entire series of papers connected with the first Indian administration of Lord Cornwallis, including upwards of two hundred confidential communications between the GovernorGeneral and the Secret Committee, the Court of Directors, and Mr. Dundas (none of the latter having ever before been pub

lished), and above a thousand private letters addressed to Lord Cornwallis. 3. The whole of the despatches written from Amiens, with the exception of about the last ten. 4. Originals or drafts of letters written by or to the different members of the Royal Family. 5. Some miscellaneous papers of various dates.

2ndly. More than four hundred letters written between the years 1782 and 1805 to my father, with whom Lord Cornwallis kept up the closest correspondence, broken only when they were in daily, or almost daily, intercourse. These contain his private sentiments, as communicated to an intimate friend, and are very interesting.

3rdly. The papers at the India House, consisting of more than nine hundred volumes, freely placed at my disposal by the kindness of the Chairman and the Court of Directors; and of the Secret Despatches, for the use of which I have to thank Mr. Vernon Smith, the President of the Board of Control.

4thly. The documents in the State-Paper Office. Some belong to the Secretary of State for the Colonies; others, perhaps the most material, relate to the Union, and to these no person had previously been allowed access. I am, therefore, under great obligations to the several Secretaries of State-Lords Clarendon, Panmure, and John Russell, and Sir George Grey, under whose control these papers were-for permission to examine and copy the papers belonging to their respective departments, either in the State-Paper Office or in Downing Street and Pall Mall.

5thly. The papers preserved in Dublin Castle. To these I obtained unrestricted access through the kindness of the Earl of St. Germans, during his Lord-Lieutenancy. Though a large number of valuable documents still exist, many have been irretrievably lost, owing to the neglect of former years; but the whole collection is now well arranged.

A letter appeared in the Athenæum' of Feb. 1859, stating that within the last few years, many confidential and secret papers deposited in Dublin Castle, had been destroyed by order of the Irish Government. It is true that from the neglected state in which, for a length of time, these papers had been left,

many were lost, or inadvertently destroyed. But no intentional destruction ever took place.

In 1841 all that remained were most carefully arranged, and every measure is now adopted for their future preservation.

The above statement is made on the best possible authority.