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officer, at Ackbarpour,* and driven from their ground; though not before they had plundered a great part of the European baggage. They were foon obliged to cross the Jumna, which they paffed at the ford of Culpee, where they made a ftand; but after a short action were wholly difperfed. The Vizier had invited the Mahrattas into Oude, without making any provision for the payment of their fubfidy; and, fearful that this failure might prompt them to commit an outrage on his perfon, or create tumults in his army, he never joined their party.

The affairs of the Vizier had now fallen to a low ebb; he had loft the greater part of his country, his army was thinned by desertions, and he was without a treasury, or an ally. After the battle of Buxar,† full of alarms and despondency, he had retired into Rohilcund, where he solicited an asylum for his family, and the affistance of the Rohillas, Hafiz Rhamut received him with hospitality, and the respect due to his rank he afforded him every domestic conveniency, but earnestly advised a peace with the English, as the certain medium of retrieving the defolated states of his fortunes. Deftitute of every resource for maintaining a war, and dif

In May or June, 1765.

+ Justice to a character, already distinguished in Hindoftan for liberality and valour, calls on me to note in this place, the name of Ahmed Khan Bunglish, the Navaub of Furruckabad; who when urged by Colonel Munro, after the action of Buxar, to affift in completing the overthrow of Shujah-ud-Dowlah, who had ever been the avowed enemy of his house, faid that his honour forbid him to carry arms against the vanquished,

mayed

mayed by ill fortune, the Vizier at length refolved to throw himself unreservedly on the clemency of the English. He difpatched Monfieur Gentil, a French gentleman, to the English camp,* to obtain an actual knowledge of the difpofition of his enemies. This agent delivered to the commanding officer, an addrefs from the Vizier, couched in a tenor far different from his former letters. He obferved, that the animofities which had arifen between them, must be attributed to the difpenfations of Providence: that of this he had now manifeft witness by the events which had been produced, and that he was determined to commit himself to the juftice of the illuftrious English chiefs, conftant and unchangeable in their friendfhip. In the conclufion, written by himself, he fays, "I regard not "wealth, nor the rule of dominion: your friendship and favour are "all I defire. I will, please God, foon be with you; when you

may do that for me, which you may think beft." Lord Clive, who at this time had arrived in Bengal, was empowered by the Government, in conjunction with General Carnac, to negotiate with the Vizier and having met him at Allahabad, in the month of Auguft, 1765, a treaty of peace was finally concluded. The fubftance was, That there fhould be a perpetual treaty of peace between the contracting parties. That in the event of the dominions of either being invaded, a military aid fhould be furnished by the

Nudjef Khan was employed also by the Vizier on this occafion to negotiate with the English; but that officer was more feriously engaged in accomplishing his own purposes, than in procuring terms for his mafter.

other

other.

That the Vizier is not to receive Caffum Ali, Sombro, or

any English deferters into his fervice.-That Corah and Allahabad be ceded to the King.-That Bulwunt Sing be continued in the zemindary of Benares, which is to be confidered a fief of the Subahdary of Oude:-And that Chunar-Ghur, a fort in that province, be given up to the English. That no duties be collected on the merchandize of the Company, in any part of the country of the Vizier. That all fuch fubjects or relations of the Vizier, who may have assisted the English during the late war, be pardoned; and, That this treaty remain in force with the defcendants of the Vizier.

Thus was Shujah-ud-Dowlah restored to the poffeffion of his dominions by the victorious English, after having been reduced by their arms to the verge of ruin. The terms granted to him breathe a liberal heroic spirit, and conspicuously distinguished the mind from which they fprang. The memory of the Indian hero, ill merits the stain impreffed on it by Mr. Dow, who fays, "Shujahud-Dowlah, was ftill poffeffed of wealth, and the virtue of the conquerors, was by no means proof against temptation."

.

— But it

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is a fact fupported by the pureft authority, that Lord Clive obftinately rejected every offer of gratuity, made to him by the Vizier. Exclufive* of the articles of the treaty, a private agree

ment,

• The act of reinftating the Vizier in his dominion, not only contributed to exalt the character of the British nation, but was strictly confonant to the principles of found policy.

ment, entered into by the contracting parties, ftipulated, on the part of the Vizier, a payment of fifty lacks of rupees to the English Government, for defraying the expences of the war; as the English at this period, did not oftenfibly interfere in the administration of the Bengal provincial affairs; which on the death of Meer Jaffier had devolved on his fon Nuzzum-ud-Dowlah.

THE treaty entered into with Shujah-ud-Dowlah, was executed by this prince, on one part, and on the other by the fubahdar of

policy. It evinces also a forefight which is grievously verified in the events of fucceeding times. Lord Clive, in his letter to the Company, fays, " Our reftoring to Shujah-ud-Dowlah, the whole of his dominions, proceeds more from the defire of not extending the Company's territorial poffeffions, than the generous policy of at"taching him for ever to our interefts by gratitude; though this has been the apparent, and is by many thought to be the real motive. Had we ambitiously attempted to "retain the conquered country, experience would foon have proved the impracticabi"lity of fuch a plan. The establishment of an increafed army must have been added "to your lift, and more chiefships appointed. Acts of oppreffion and innumerable "abufes would have been committed, which, at fuch a distance from the prefidency, "could neither have been prevented, or remedied; and must infallibly have laid the "foundation of another war. Our old privileges and poffeffions would have been en"dangered by every fupply we might have been tempted to afford in support of the "new, and the natives must have finally triumphed in our inability to fuftain the "weight of our own ambition."-In India, it is to be noted, donations are presented to men of power, or those who are supposed to influence them, for perfonal protection, and for the fecurity or acquifition of property. A rejected offer is the established signal of displeasure, and either indicates its infufficiency, or that fome more adequate reward has been already preferred. Shujah-ud-Dowlah was at firft alarmed at the conduct of Lord Clive, whose refufal of any gift was conftrued into a difpofition inimical to his interefts. But this prince beheld the foldier's magnanimity with admiration, when at the conclufion of the treaty, he received, in token of friendship, a ring of moderate value.

VOL. I.

U

Bengal,

Bengal, in conjunction with Lord Clive: but that all future embarraffments might be obviated, a delegated power, authorizing the English India Company to manage and controul the revenues or the provinces, was obtained from the king. It was also ftipulated, that in confideration of the appointment of Nuzzum-ud-Dowlah to the military and executive government of the provinces, and his grant* of the civil jurifdiction to the English, the fum of twentyfix lacks of rupees + should be annually paid to the king, out of the revenues of Bengal. The diftricts of Allahabad and Corah were at the fame time difmembered from the Vizier's territory, and ceded to Shah Alum, that he might be enabled to maintain, without a restraint, the dignity of his station.

THOUGH he amply experienced the liberality of the English, the Vizier had fuffered important injuries during the war. From the revenue of Oude, which with certain districts of Allahabad, was computed at one hundred and fixty lacks of rupees, the ceffion of Corah and Allahabad, had deducted thirty-fix lacks; and the ravages of his own army, with the incurfions of our troops, who had proceeded as far as Lucknow, caufed a farther decrease of the general produce of his country. In acknowledgement for the ceffion which had been made, Shah Ullum in

It is termed the Dewany.

From this amount, a penfion of two lacks of rupees was beftowed, at the inter-. ceffion of the English, on Nudjef Khan, who was thought to have rendered them service during the latter part of the Oude war.

vefted

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