I. CHAP. vour, therefore, from accounts later than those which could be had in the former parts of this work, to set forth the true state of facts, that the reader may, from the evidence laid down, be enabled to form a juft conclufion. 1756. Surajah fucceeds to the nabob'fhip of Bengal. The year one thoufand feven hundred and fifty-fix, from which date we commence the prefent account, was marked by the death of the nabob of the three provinces, Bengal, Bahar, and Orixa. He was fucceeded in his government by his grandson Surajah Dowlah, who, before that time, had obliged his officers to pay him homage as fcubah, or viceroy. As both the French and English had, before this time, found means to engage themselves as auxiliaries to the natives in their quarrels with each other, they were already become fo formidable, that their former allies were in fact their subjects; and it only remained to be known whether the French or English were to be victorious, in order to ascertain which were to be masters of the country. In this fituation, therefore, it is no wonder to find the Indians inconftant and treacherous, or to find the Europeans often quarrelling with their allies, and ready to pull down to-day those whom they had set up yesterday. At this time, however, the French were much fuperior in wealth and extent of territory to the English. By a conditional treaty, concluded in one thousand feven hundred and fifty-five, between M. Godcheu and Mr. Saunders, the French were to continue, until returns could be had from Europe, in the poffeffion of all the provinces they had acquired by their intrigues in the Decan and Carnatic, the revenues of which amounted to near a million fterling; while thofe belonging to the English scarce afforded a tenth part of the fum. Thus insured of the poffeffion of fuch valuable territories for at least eighteen months, they had an excellent opportunity of furnishing themselves with resources for carrying on war, in cafe the treaty fhould not be ratified by their refpective courts; and this advantage was undoubtedly more than fufficient to balance the fuperiority of number in the British troops, which exceeded thofe of the French by a thousand men. On the acceffion of Surajah Dowlah to the nabobfhip, Mr. Drake, prefident at Calcutta, fent him a letter of conCharacter gratulation, defiring, at the fame time, his favour and proof the na- tection in behalf of his countrymen. This was readily promised, and even more favour than had been fhewn by caufe of his enmity his grandfather; but, in a fhort time, either from fome to the Eng. difguft at the English, or a jealoufy of the growing power of the Europeans in general, other meafures were adopted. bob, and According to Mr. Ives, this nabob "was a compound of CHAP, temerity, cruelty, ambition and avarice: he was particu- I. larly incenfed at Mr. Drake, on pretence of his having afforded protection to fome of his offending fubjects;" though it is more probable that his real motive was a defire of plunder. Surajah Dowlah having, under pretence of marching into the Puhumeea country, raised a great army, intimated his difpleasure to the governor of Calcutta, on account of his beginning to put the fortifications of that place in a proper ftate of defence. Though this was no more than what was abfolutely neceffary, on account of the great likelihood there was of a war betwixt France and England, the nabob threatened an attack in cafe the new works were not inftantly deftroyed. With this unreasonable demand, the governor and council promised to comply, though the event fhewed that they meant nothing lefs ; as they continued to exert themselves to the utmoft in order to ftrengthen their fortifications, applying first to the French, and afterwards to the Dutch, for affiftance, in cafe they fhould be attacked by the nabob. 1756. cates the As neither of these powers chofe to give any affiftance, He takes Calcutta was attacked on the 18th of June, and furrender- Calcurta, ed at difcretion in three days. The nabob affured Mr. and fullHolwell, the governor of Calcutta, on the faith of a fol- prifoners dier, that no harm should be done to the English. In the in the evening they were commanded to go to a place where the Black Hole. foldiers were confined for trivial faults in the ftocks. Not knowing the meaning of this, it only afforded them diverfion for some time; but at last they were commanded by a party of the nabob's guard into the Black Hole, a prison only eighteen feet long and fourteen wide, with only two boles, barricaded with iron bars, to admit the air or light. The effects of this confinement were pathetically defcribed by Mr. Holwell the governor, who was confined along with the reft. And, as a detail of this kind, extracted from Mr. Holwell's publication, has already been given, we shall here only obferve, that out of one hundred and fifty people confined in this dungeon at eight in the evening, only twenty-two remained alive next morning. refolved on. By this horrid piece of cruelty, the vengeance of the Eng- War lifh was thoroughly aroufed. A plan of operations was against him immediately concerted, the execution of which, was com→ mitted to Admiral Watfon and Colonel Clive. By reafon of the monsoon feafon coming on, however, it was not till the 14th of December that they could arrive at Fulta, an inconfiderable village, to which the inhabitants of Cal 1756. necdote of à failor. CHAP. cutta had fled, and where they were reduced to the necef I. fity of performing the most fervile offices, or even depending on the benevolence of others, in order to preserve their exiftence. They were crowded together in the moft wretched habitations, clad in the meaneft apparel, and had been infested for five months with diseases incident to the cli mate, from the intemperance of which, they had not been able to fecure themselves. Three days after the admiral's arrival, he wrote a very fpirited letter to the nabob, which was soon after followed by an attack upon a fort named Bougee Bougee, ftrongly built, with a wet ditch round it. This fort was stormed by a single failor, after a breach had Curious a- been made, of which fingular tranfaction Mr. Ives gives the following account: "During the tranquil ftate of the camp, one Strahan, a common failor, having his fpirits elevated with grog, ftrayed by himself towards the fort, under the walls of which he imperceptibly got. Having proceeded thus far undifcovered, he took it into his head to enter at a breach which had been made by the cannon of the fhips; and having luckily got upon the bastion, there difcovered feveral Moor-men fitting on the platform.. Having flourished his cutlafs, and fired his piftol, he cried out, "The place is mine," on which the foldiers inftantly attacked him. Strahan, however, defended himself with aftonishing refolution; but his cutlafs being cut off about à foot from the hilt, he muft have foon been overpowered, had not two or three other ftraggling failors come to his affiftance. Their huzzas roufed the whole detachment, who had been fent afhore to storm the place in the morning; and the foldiers, rushing on to the attack, foon made themselves masters of the place, without any material loss, excepting only captain Dougal Campbell, who was unfor tunately killed by a ball from one of his own party.Strahan, the hero of this expedition, was threatened with chaftisement on account of his contempt of difcipline; on which he replied, that "if he was flogged for this, he fhould never take a fort again as long as he lived." Had he been capable of promotion, however, the admiral intended to have raifed him to the rank of boatswain; but his behaviour, both before and after this action, was fo irreguIar, that this was found impoffible. Some years after, Mr. Ives' accidentally met him, and was informed that he had been in every engagement with admiral Pocock; that, in confequence of a wound he had received, he was become a penfioner to the cheft at Portsmouth. He then acted as failor in one of the guard-fhips at Portsmouth, and declared, that his highest ambition was to become cook of one of his CHAP. majefty's capital fhips." I. 1757 Jan. 1. Great fuc From Bougee Bougee, the English commanders directed their operations against two other forts, one of bricks, and the other of mud; which, being likewife eafily reduced, they next proceeded to Calcutta itself. This too fubmitting, almoft without refiftance, they fixed upon ceffes of Houghley as the next object of their military operations. the EngThis was a very large and opulent city, belonging to the lish. nabob, fituated on the river about thirty miles above Calcutta. Setting fail for this place on the 5th of January, they arrived before it on the 9th, and having cannonaded it till twelve at night, a practicable breach was made. Two attacks were then formed; fifty men went to the main gate, and kept a conftant firing, while the principal force entered privately at the breach, and, with very little refiftance, took poffeffion of the city and fort, the enemy going to the place of the false attack, and then running away through one of the gates. The reduction of Houghley was followed by the burning of feveral granaries and storehouses belonging to the nabob. Paffing through the village which contained thefe, they received intelligence of a body of the enemy encamped behind it. Without being in the leaft difmayed, however, they marched into the village for about a mile and an half, and then returning, fet fire to the houses in their rear. A faint attack was made by about five thousand of the enemy, but they were easily repulfed; and fuch was the panic into which the Indians were thrown, that they allowed three failors, who had by chance been left behind, to fet fire to a number of villages adjacent, and to join their companions on a raft, without cutting off their re treat. fon and the The nabob now incenfed at the rapidity of the English Correfpon conquefts, determined to overwhelm their handful of dence beforces at once, by his innumerable multitudes. Previous tween Adto any act of hoftility, however, he fent a letter to Admi- miral Watral Watfon, acquainting him, that he had written an an- nabub. fwer to his laft, which had not been received: he complained of Mr. Drake, for receiving his fubjects who had absented themselves from his court, and faid, that for continuing this practice he had expelled him his country; nevertheless, he ftill profeffed himself defirous of peace, and `affured him, that if the English would behave themselves like merchants, they might depend on his favour and protection; but concluded, with telling him, that " if he imagined, that by carrying on a war he could establish a trade CHAP. in his dominions, he might do as he thought fit." In re1. turn to this, the admiral reproached him with the affair at n Calcutta, and asked, how he could reconcile with justice, 1757. the deftruction of fo many innocent men, for the fake of one pretended guilty perfon? The nabob recriminated. "You have taken and plundered Hougley," fays he, "and made war upon my fubjects; thefe are not actions becoming merchants." Nevertheless, he still profeffed a defire of treating, and promised to restore all the Company's factories, and to allow them to trade on the fame footing as formerly. "If the English," fays he, "who are fettled in these provinces, will behave like merchants, obey my orders, and give me no offence, you may depend upon I will take their loffes into confideration, and adjust ma ters to their fatisfaction. You know how difficult it is to prevent foldiers from plundering in war; therefore, if yoụ will, on your parts, relinquifh fomething of the damages you have sustained, by being pillaged by my army, I will endeavour to give you fatisfaction, even in that particular, In order to gain your friendship, and preferve a good understanding for the future with your nation. You are a Christian, and know how much better it is to accommodate a difpute than to keep it alive; but, if you are determined to facrifice the interefts of your company, and the good of private merchants to your inclinations for war, it is no fault of mine. To prevent the fatal confequences of fuch a ruinous war, I write this letter." The nabob having fent off his letter, advanced immediately with his forces, without waiting for any answer. The whole number of perfons attending him, were not fewer than eighty thoufand; while his opponents, including Afiatics as well as Europeans, did not amount to two thoufand two hundred. Before any engagement took place, the nabob defired a conference. Two gentlemen were accordingly fent; but they, finding that his intention was only to amuse and gain time, returned without effecting any thing. Colonel Clive then went aboard Admiral Watfon's fhip, and was fupplied from the fleet with four hundred feamen. They landed at one o'clock in the morning, and about four, the army marched to attack the nabob's camp. The intention was to have feized his cannon, amounting to about forty pieces, and attacked his headbob's camp quarters; but when day-light appeared, there arofe fo thick a fog, that they could not fee three yards before them, fo that they miffed their way; however, they killed great numbers of the enemy, with the lofs of about fifty of their own, according to Mr. Ives, though other accounts make The na ftormed. |