1757

the number loft at this encounter amount to three times CHAP. that number. Mr. Grofe ftates them at two captains of I. the company's forces, feventeen private foldiers, twelve feamen, and ten feapoys killed; with fifteen feamen, and fifty foldiers and feapoys, wounded. On the part of the enemy, he tells us, that there were one thousand three hundred killed and wounded, among the former of which were twenty-one officers. The nabob alfo loft four elephants, five hundred horses, and three hundred draughtbullocks, which agrees pretty well with the account given by Mr. Ives.

cluded,

Though the English had not, in this engagement, been attended with all the fuccefs they could with, yet the nabob was fo alarmed, that he inftantly retired about ten miles from his former fituation; and, as the colonel feemed to threaten a fecond attack, kept his troops under arms all night. Certain intelligence, however, being now received, that war had commenced betwixt the French and English, it was no longer the intereft of the latter to be at variance with the natives. Immediately after storming his camp, therefore, a letter was fent by the admiral to the nabob, in which he offered him, for the laft time, propofals of peace. The nabcb, equally weary of an unfuccefsful contest, fent a letter inclosing the articles of a treaty, which Peace conwas concluded on the 9th of February. These were, 1. Feb. 9. That the English Eaft-India Company should enjoy, without any difpute, the rights, privileges, and immunities allowed them by the king, or Great Mogul. 2. That all goods paffing and repaffing through the country by land or water, with English orders, fhould be exempt from any tax, fee, or impofition. 3. All the factories feized by the nabob fhould be returned; and all monies, goods, and effects, be restored or accounted for. 4. That the English fhould have liberty to fortify Calcutta as they thought proper. 5. That they fhould have liberty to coin their own imports of bullion and gold. 6, and 7. That this treaty fhould be ratified with mutual oaths, figning or fealing; and, on these conditions, that a mutual peace and good understanding should take place.

The peace now concluded was, as ufual, of very fhort Caufes of duration. The reafon affigned by the English for the fub- a new fequent quarrel, was, that the nabob began to aflift the quarrel. French with men and money. Immediately after the conclufion of the treaty, however, he fet off with all expedition for his capital, perhaps a little fhy of his new friends, from the dreadful report he had heard of Admirał

CHAP. Watfon's lower-deck guns, carrying balls of thirty-two I. pounds, which had been fhewn to his ambaffadors.

Chander

nagore ta

English.

the Eng

lifh.

The Indian war being thus happily ended for the pre1757. fent, the next object which naturally prefented itself to the view of the English commanders, was the reduction of the ken by the French power in that country. An attack upon Chandernagore would inftantly have been refolved upon, had not the French earnestly requested that a neutrality might ftill be observed betwixt the two nations in India. But this pacific profpect foon vanifhed, on its being fuggefted, that the government at Chandernagore, as fubordinate to that of Pondicherry, had not power to conclude a treaty without the confent of their principals. The fort and settlement at Chandernagore was therefore attacked and carried, notwithstanding the nabob's endeavour to prevent it. The arguments he made ufe of were conveyed in the following Complaints Words: "You have sent me an agreement not to disturb of the na- the tranquillity of my dominions; but it now appears that bob against you have a defign to befiege the French factory near Houghley, and to commence hoftilities against that nation. It is contrary to all rule and cuftom, that you should bring your animofities and differences into my country ; for, it has never been known fince the days of Timur, that the Europeans made war upon one another within the king's dominions. If you are determined to befiege the French factories, I fhall be neceffitated, in honour and du ty to my king (the Mogul) to affift them with my troops, as you feem inclined to break the treaty fo lately concluded betwixt us. Formerly the Mahrattas infefted thefe dominions, and for many years harraffed the country with war; but, when the difpute was accommodated, and a treaty of peace concluded, they never broke, nor will ever deviate from the terms of the faid treaty. It is a wrong and wicked practice, to break through, and pay no regard to treaties made in the most solemn manner. You are certainly bound to abide by your part of the treaty ftrictly, and never to attempt to be the occafion of any troubles or disturbances in future within the provinces under my jurifdiction."

To this the admiral replied in the following terms Had I imagined that it would have given you any umbrage, I fhould never have entertained the leaft thoughts of disturbing the traquillity of your country, by acting against that nation within the Ganges; and am now ready to defift from attacking their factory, or committing other hoftilities against them in these provinces, if they will confent and agree to a folid treaty of neutrality; and

I.

17576

if you, as Soubahdar (Viceroy) of Bengal, will, under CHAP. your hand, guarantee this treaty, and promife to protect the English, from any attempts made, by that nation, against our fettlements during my abfence. I am perfuaded, you have heard of no people in the world, who pay a ftricter regard to their word, and to the faith of treaties, than the Englifh. I have ratified the late treaty between you and the English with my hand and feal; and I now repeat my affurances, made in the prefence of God and of Jefus Chrift," &c.

Notwithstanding all this folemnity on both fides, however, it was not long before a quarrel took place. The nabob, influenced, it is faid, by the French, charged the admiral with a defign of attacking his dominions, as foon as he should have driven out the former. The admiral denied the charge, and the nabob seemed fatisfied, and determined to give the French no affistance; only he told him, that as the van of the king of Delhi's army was advancing towards his dominions, he would march to Patna to meet them, promifing, at the fame time, that if the admiral would fend him affiftance, he would pay the troops a lack of rupees monthly, while they remained with him. To this, the admiral returned for anfwer, that he would most readily give him affistance, provided he would allow him to take Chandernagore, that he might not leave his enemies behind him; as, before that was done, he had no fecurity of the English factories being in fafety. The end of their correfpondence, and what encouraged the English commanders to attack the French fettlement, was the following paffage of a letter from the nabob: "My forbidding war on my borders was, becaufe the French were my tenants, and, upon this affair, defired my protection; on this, I wrote to you to make peace; and no intention had I of affifting or favouring them. You have understanding and generosity; if your enemy, with an upright heart, claims your protection, give him his life; but then you must be well fatisfied of the innocence of his intentions; if not, whatever you think right, that do."

As this paragraph feemed to imply a confent that Chandernagore should be attacked, the British commanders immediately proceeded to the execution of their enterprise ; and having met with their usual good fuccefs, they dif patched a letter to the nabob, acquainting him with what they had done, and requesting that there might be a continuance of friendship and good correfpondence with him. To this, and feveral other letters, the admiral was not able to obtain any anfwer, until, at laft, he received a com plaint, that the English had plundered some of his territo VOL. V. C

I.

June 13.

CHAP. ries, and, that a demand had been made to deliver up Colligant, as belonging to one of the diftricts of Calcutta. This was replied to by the admiral: the nabob promifed $757. fair, but was always complained of for not putting his promises in execution; and, in the mean time, both parties prepared for coming to extremities. On the 13th of June, the nabob fent the following, which was his last letter to the admiral: " According to my promises, and the agreement made between us, I have duly rendered every thing to Mr. Watts, except a very fmall remainder. Notwithstanding all this, Mr. Watts, and the reft of the council at Caffimbuzer, under pretence of going to take the air in their gardens, fled away in the night. This is an evident mark of deceit, and of an intention to break the treaty. I am convinced, that it could not have happened without your knowledge, nor without your advice. I all along expected fomething of this kind, and, therefore, did not recall my troops from Plafley, expecting fome treachery. I praife God, that the breach of the treaty hath not been on my part," &c.

In excufe for what happened afterwards, Mr. Ives makes the following obfervations on the nabob's conduct; "By the letters, as well as by a multiplicity of facts, it is eviObferva dent, that Surajah Dowlah, from the time of his figning

tions on nabob's conduct.

the the

us,

with treaty had fhewn himself but little inclined to abide by any of its articles. It was, indeed, intended by him, to lull us into fatal fecurity. He was very liberal in his promifes, but always took care to put off the perfor mance of them, and, that, upon fuch trifling pretences, as demonftrated his ill intention towards us. His pofitive orders at first, that we should not befiege Chandernagcre, ftrongly indicated his attachment to our enemies; though, after we had taken that place, he put the beft face upon it he could, and pretended, that he was not difpleased with our fuccefs. We were not ignorant, however, that he had ordered a body of near two thousand men to the affistance of that garrifon, who might have greatly obftructed, if not defeated, the fuccefs of our enterprize, if we had not found means to prevent their acting. It is certain, that a French corps, under the command of M. Law, was protected by him, and even in his pay; and that he had invited M, Buffey, with the French army, to enter Bengal against us. Befides these inftances of his ill difpofition towards us, it is to be remarked, that although four months were elapfed, the material points of the treaty were not fulfilled; and even his folemn engagement, to reftore to the com pany, the villages, which, of right belonged to them, was evaded, without framing any excufe for fuch an atrocious.

1

1

I.

1757.

breach of faith. The English, in this fituation, faw no CHAP. other remedy for their prefent grievances, nor any other method to prevent the fatal blow of extirpation, which was to be expected on the arrival of the French army, than by oppofing openly, the man who was thus planning the ruin of the company's affairs, and only waited the return of the fquadron to the coaft of Coromandel to effect it."

with Meer

Jaffier con

For thefe reafons, it was refolved, that the English fhould affume the character of abfolute mafters of the country, and manifeft their power by dethroning the lawful fovereign, and fetting up an ufurper. This, however, would not have been easily effected, had not feveral of his grandees already entered into a confederacy to depofe him, This confpiracy is excufed by Mr. Ives, on the footing, "that he had difplayed the feverity of his nature, in fo many inftances, as to ftrike an univerfal terror; and his inconftancy and ficklenefs was fuch, that no perfon could think himself fafe while near him, and in his power." The neceffity of a revolution is faid to have been fuggefted by colonel Clive, and the execution of it was left to him and Mr. Watts, who had been the company's agent at Muxadabad. The perfon who afpired to the nabobfhip at this time, was Meer Jaffer Ally Cawn, who had married the fifter of Aliverdy Cawn, Surajah's grandfather and Treaty predeceffor; and him it was, now determined, by the English council, to fupport. It being neceffary, however, cluded. that Mr. Watts fhould not be cbferved to have any frequent correfpondence with Meer Jaffier, he employed Omichund, a black merchant, to negociate the matter. This agent being infatiably avaricious, infifted, that he hould have five per cent. of all the nabob's treasures, eftimated at about eighty millions fterling, and could not be prevailed on, to accept of a lefs reward for his treachery, than thirty lacks of rupees, otherwife, he threatened to reveal the whole to the nabob. The principals, unwilling to lofe the benefit of his negociations, and, at the fame time, determined not to comply with fuch an exorbitant demand, framed two treaties, in one of which, it was stipulated, the Omichund fhould receive the reward he demanded; but the other, and which was the real one intended to be kept, did not even mention his name. Both thefe treaties were figned by all the parties concerned, admiral Watfon alone excepted, who could not be prevailed upon, put his name to an engagement he did not intend to keep. The moft material articles of this treaty were, 1. That no more French fhould be allowed to fettle in Bengal, Bahar, and Orixa; and all the factories and effects of thofe already there, fhould belong to the English. 2. In

to