He
concluded a treaty with the King of Travancore, who was reinforced
by a body of 1200 men. Tippoo then proceeded against him with
an army of 30,000, more than one-third of them cavalry; Colonel
Mackenzie-Humberston repelled their attack, and by a rapid march
regained the Fort of Panami, which the enemy attempted to carry,
but he defeated them with great loss. He served under General
Matthews against Hyder Ali in 1782; but during the operations of
that campaign, Matthews gave such proofs of incapacity and injustice,
that Colonels Macleod and Humberston carried their complaints to
the Council of Bombay, where they arrived on the 26th of February,
1783. The Council ordered General Matthews to be superseded,
appointed Colonel Macleod to succeed him in command of the army,
and desired Colonel Humberston to join him. They both sailed from
Bombay on the 5th of April, 1783, in the "Ranger" sloop of war; but,
notwithstanding that peace had been concluded with the Mahrattas,
their ship was attacked on the 8th of that month by the Mahratta
fleet, and after a desperate resistance of four hours, captured.
All the officers on board were either killed or wounded, among
them the young and gallant Colonel Mackenzie-Humberston, who was
shot through the body with a four pound ball, and he died of the
wound at Geriah, on the 30th April, 1783, in the 28th year of his
age.
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