24,000%; to Clive in that capacity, 28,000l.; while, on other heads, his total gain was, by his own account, 160,000l., and in all, cannot have been less than 230,000l. Of the general funds, the first instalment of 800,000l., or eighty lacs, was brought to Calcutta in a triumphal procession of boats from Moorshidabad, and Their total the total amount of payment was 2,200,000l. sterling. amount. The division of the money among the various claimants gave rise to fierce disputes and heartburnings, which are of little value in detail, in the presence of the great fact, that the Nawáb, or Nabob, as he was called, of Bengal, had been seated on his throne by the company's power, that all their losses had been redeemed, that no impediment whatever existed to their trade, and that the French power in Bengal was utterly crushed. The local revolution was more complete than that in the Carnatic conducted by Dupleix; for no one remained to dispute it, and the English remained masters of the situation. Clive had been ordered by the Madras Government to return by April 1757, but that had been impossible. He was now in a position from which he could not withdraw, for he had been appointed President of Bengal.

Events in

During Clive's absence an attempt had been made to gain possession of Madura, which was unsuccessfully attacked in April 1757, by Captain Calliaud, the commandant the Carnatic. of Trichinopoly. While thus engaged, the French dispatched a force to Trichinopoly, which invested the fort; hearing of which, Calliaud left Madura, and by a memorable march, succeeded in evading the enemy's positions and regaining his post, and the French commander retired. Wandiwash, the chief of which refused to pay tribute, was next attacked by Colonel Aldercron; but, on the French advancing, he was forced to raise the siege. Meanwhile, the Mahrattas had arrived, and demanded an arrear of chouth of forty lacs of rupees-400,000l.—which it was impossible for the Nawab to pay; but their claim was eventually compromised for four and a half lacs. The Patán Nawabs, who were now independent of the Soobahdar of the Deccan, and Moorary Ráo, offered to join the English against the Mahrattas; but the Council had the wisdom to decline so irregular an alliance, and for the present the Mahrattas were content. In June, Calliaud renewed Callaud his attack upon Madura, and having breached the fort, Madura, attempted to storm it, but was repulsed with severe loss. As the investment continued, the garrison capitulated; which afterand on August 8 he entered the town, receiving 17,000l. as arrears of tribute. Many other desultory movements and attacks of forts of a minor character followed, both by the French and the English, without any decided result on either side; their forces were nearly balanced in amount, and

repulsed at

Wi s capitulates.

FF

neither possessed the power of striking a decisive blow. This state of affairs was, however, soon to alter.

Arrival of

Lally.

Soon after the declaration of war in Europe, the French Government dispatched the Count de Lally as commander of the Count de the French forces in India, with a fine fleet, in May 1757. Lally had already highly distinguished himself as a soldier, and great expectations arose as to his future success. He took with him his own regiment of Irish, upwards

His Irish regiment.

of 1,000 strong; but the troops suffered severely from fever on the voyage, and the fleet did not reach Pondicherry till

April 1758. He had no sooner landed than he marched for Fort St. David, which he invested. An English fleet, under Admiral Stevens, had, however, arrived at Madras, and joined some ships under Mr. Fococke; and the combined fleet, on April 29, fought an indecisive action with the French, which did not, however, prevent the French from landing troops and stores at Pondicherry, and the siege of Fort St. David was pressed with vigour. It was not well defended, and the ammunition running short, it capitulated on June 1. The Council of Madras now expected that the settlement would be attacked; but it escaped for the present. All the outlying garrisons were, however, as far as possible, called in. If Lally had had funds at his command, he would probably have attacked Madras at once; but he had brought none, and Pondicherry could supply none. An attempt was now made to enforce payment of a bond for fifty-six lacs of rupees-560,000l.—given by the Rajah of Tanjore to Dupleix in 1751; but it failed of effect, as, partly from assistance the rajah received from the English garrison at Trichinopoly, and partly from the arrival of an English fleet off the coast, Lally was obliged to raise the siege and retire. His reputation with the natives had, His violence however, suffered severely, not only from his ill success, but from his cruelty. He had plundered a Hindoo temple of great antiquity and sanctity at Kiveloor, and had blown away some of the Brahmins attached to it from his guns; he had threatened to send the Rajah of Tanjore and family into slavery, and he had forced the people of the country, without distinction, to carry the burdens of his army. The moderation and courtliness of Dupleix were well remembered, and the contrast with these qualities displayed by Lally, had the worst effect among the people.

and cruelty.

If these were not errors sufficient to bring about disastrous results to the French, Lally now committed a greater in recalling Bussy, of whom he was intensely jealous. After recovering his position at Hyderabad, as has been previously

Fort St. David invested,

and capitulates.

Lally's efforts to obtain money.

Lally recalls
M. Bussy.

narrated, Bussy, at the close of 1756, proceeded, with 500 Euro

peans and 4,000 Sepoys, into the Northern Circars. Bussy's pro

the Deccan.

Events at

court.

Here he received pressing letters from Suráj-ood-Dow-ceedings in lah, to advance into Bengal against the English, and he moved up to the north-eastern frontier, to be ready to take advantage of circumstances; and, on receipt of the news of the fate of Chándernagore, he attacked Vizagapatam, the most important of the English factories on that coast, on June 24. The place was not capable of defence, and it capitulated; but before Bussy could enter upon further operations, he was suddenly obliged to marched rapidly upon Aurungabad, where Salabut Jung had been driven to extremity by his brothers, Nizam Ally and Basalut Jung, who had usurped the whole power of the State. In twenty-one days, and by a route little known, Bussy reached Aurungabad, where he found not only the armies of the usurpers, but a Mahratta force, prepared to act as circumstances might require. The French troops with the Soobahdar had protected him from violence, and Bussy's presence restored order. Nizam Ally was induced to the Nizam's moderate his pretensions, to give up the great seal, which was now entrusted to Basalut Jung, and to accept of the government of Hyderabad instead of Berar. But further precaution was necessary; and Bussy, by the assistance of the deputy-governor of Dowlatabad, obtained possession of that fort, one of the strongest in India. A plot was now laid for the assassination of Salabut Jung; but it was defeated, and in a tumult which ensued, the prime minister, who had been the most active in Nizam Ally's interest, and Nizam Ally himself, at once fled to Boorhanpoor. By these masterly operations, Bussy's power was rendered, to all appearance, more secure than ever; but at this juncture the order of recall from Lally reached him, and was the direct cause of his ruin. He might have disobeyed the order, for he was the servant of a native prince, who was in sore need of his services; but, a true soldier at heart, obedience was his first care, and leaving his troops under the command of M. Conflans, he proceeded direct to Pondicherry, and joined Lally in the month of September, just before his expedition to Arcot.

absence.

Immediate advantage was taken of M. Bussy's absence from the Northern Circars, by Anundráj, chief or Rajah of Vizagapatam, who made an insurrection on his own account Effects of against the French garrison, with some success, as Bussy's he gained possession of the place; but he was unable to prosecute this advantage, and was fearful of reinforcements to the French arriving. He therefore applied to Clive, Clive assists who, now at rest in Bengal, was enabled to assist the Raja of

Vizagapatam.

His march on Aurungabad.

him. It was not only possible, he thought, to assist Anundráj, but to drive the French out of the Northern Circars. Bussy had delegated his authority in the Circars to M. Moraçin, the governor of Masulipatam; but he had been summoned to Pondicherry as well as himself, and Lally appointed the Marquis de Conflans to the vacant post. The proposal of Anundráj reached Calcutta in July 1758, but it was Colonel Forde not before September that the expedition could be prepared, and it did not reach Vizagapatam till Oc

Clive sends

into the Northern

Circars.

assist the

tober 20 of that year. It was under the command of Colonel Forde, whom Clive had selected for his especial fitness, and consisted of 500 Europeans, 2,000 Sepoys, and six fieldpieces. After making a treaty with the rajah, and preparations for a march, the allies set out towards Rajahmundry; and on December 3, encountered Conflans, who had with him 500 Europeans, 2,000 Sepoys, with a large park of artillery, and gave him a severe defeat, taking all his guns. Forde followed him up by a forced march to Rajahmundry, but found the place evacuated. On January 28, 1759, the army marched for Masulipatam, but its progress was delayed by Anundráj on various pretexts, and Colonel Forde did not reach Salabut Jung Masulipatam till March 6. Meanwhile Conflans had advances to summoned Salabut Jung, the Nizam, to his aid, by French. representing to him that both the English and Anundráj might be easily defeated. The war, therefore, had assumed a very complicated character, for the aid of Salabut Jung was, doubtless, of a very formidable character. Forde did not, however, lose heart, but opened trenches against the fort. Masulipatam Hardly had this been effected, when his Europeans besieged, broke into open mutiny, demanding not only arrears of pay, but the plunder of Musulipatam should they take it. But on news arriving that the Nizam was only forty miles distant, they set to work in earnest, completed the batteries, and by April 7 had made two breaches in the works. That day the fort was stormed by 346 Europeans and 1,400 native soldiers. There were 500 Europeans in the fort, with 120 pieces of cannon; but the defence had been miserable, and at its capture there were more European prisoners than assailants. Salabut Jung, after waiting at a respectable distance for assistance from Pondicherry, and on finding the French ships had arrived, but had again departed without landing the troops on board, gave up all hope from the French, and turned his attention to the English, in the hope of obtaining their assistance Salabut Jung. in his contest with Nizam Ally. On the basis of the negotiation which now ensued, a treaty was concluded, which in

treaty with

Forde defeats the Marquis de Conflans.

and taken by storm.

Colonel
Forde's

all respects was most important for the interests of the English. Masulipatam, with a large tract of country, yielding four lacs

40,000/-per year, was ceded in perpetuity. The French Masulipatam

English.

were to possess no settlements or factories north of the ceded to the Krishna river, and the Soobahdar engaged not to employ any of them in his dominions for the future. Thus had the power established by Bussy in the Deccan crumbled away, as it were, in the course of a few months; and in a manner power which, though arising from the incapacity of M. de Conflans, almost justified Lally's opinion, that it was delusive and unsubstantial.

Bussy's

destroyed.

CHAPTER X.

OF EVENTS IN BENGAL, FROM THE BATTLE OF PLASSY TO THE DEPARTURE OF CLIVE, 1757 TO 1760.

Jaffer.

Ir was one thing to set up a Nawab of Bengal in the English interest, and quite another to control his actions, and Difficulties to induce him to maintain a tranquil and respectable with Meer government. Meer Jaffier's treasury was utterly exhausted by his payments to the English; and he desired to resort to the usual Mahomedan practice of confiscation and extortion to supply his wants. The persons against whom he had begun these demands were his finance minister, Rái Doolub; the Hindoo governor of Midnapore, the Rajah of Purneah, and Rám Narráin, governor of Patna: and as many rebellions were the consequence. Unable either to effect his purpose, or to check these outbreaks, which it must be confessed had the sympathy of the people, the Nawab applied to Clive, who, on Clive proNovember 25, 1757, arrived at Moorshidabad at the ceeds to head of a small force, and a beneficial result was dabad. immediately apparent in a reconciliation between the Nawab and his minister, who joined his master with 10,000 men. The Nawab and Clive then proceeded to Patna, where a similar result with Rám Narráin followed, and Clive obtained His measures from the Nawáb a monopoly of the saltpetre of the there. province, on fair terms, but not less than could have been obtained from other parties. Thus all the troubles passed off; but there were still apprehensions that Bengal might be invaded by the Soobahdar of Oudh, with whom was a party of French, under M. Law; and the Mahrattas had sent an officer to demand

Moorshi