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to establish his claim by arms. The force which he could command was exceedingly slender; but he was supported by two distinguished officers, now established nearly as independent rulers. One was the Nabob of Oude, a fine province north of the Ganges, once the seat of a powerful empire. The other was the Subahdar of Allahabad, a fertile region along the same river, the capital of which, situated at the junction of the Ganges and the Jumna, is one of the largest and most venerated cities of the empire. Akbar made it a favourite residence, and erected at the angle of the currents the Chalees Satoon, a spacious fortress, which, having its gateways ornamented with domes and cupolas, exhibits one of the most striking specimens of Indian architecture. The British have since added new defences, and chosen it as their chief military depôt for the upper provinces. The interests of England, and the treaty with Meer Jaffier, alike impelled Clive to aid that prince in repelling this invasion. This conduct is branded by Mr. Mill as "undisguised rebellion;" but when we consider that the power of the Mogul over all distant provinces had for a long time been quite nominal, and that prince merely a tool in the hands of others, who regarded his authority almost as little as Jaffier did, we cannot but view the subject somewhat differently. The English, having united their forces at Moorshedabad to those of the nabob, marched upon Patna, which was with difficulty defended by Ramnarain, one of his adherents. A very serious contest would now have ensued, had not the Indian chiefs, instead of forwarding the views of their master, begun to quarrel among themselves. The Nabob of Oude seized Allahabad, and the subahdar, having márched to its defence, was inveigled into the power of the enemy. The shazada was left without support in any quarter, and, as Mr. Mill observes, "the descendant of so many illustrious sovereigns, and the undoubted heir of a throne once among the loftiest on the globe, was so bereft of friends and resources, that he was induced to write a letter to Clive, requesting a sum of money for his subsistence, and offering in requital to withdraw from the province." It was granted, on the condition of his presently evacuating the district; and the British commander was thus enabled, with remarkable ease,

to bring this important affair to a happy termination. Jaffier was so eager to testify his gratitude, that, notwithstanding his necessities, he bestowed upon Clive, in name of jaghire, the rent due by the company for the territory round Calcutta. About this time the latter sent a force against the Circars, which obtained at least their nominal submission, and he also repulsed an attack made by the Dutch; after which he resigned the government in February, 1760, and sailed for England.

Meantime the interior was by no means tranquil. The young prince, who, on his father being put to death by the Mahrattas, succeeded to the almost empty title of Great Mogul, renewed his pretensions upon Bengal, and was again seconded by the Nabob of Oude, on whom he had conferred the still imposing rank of vizier. Their combined forces had advanced upon Patna, and gained a considerable advantage over the garrison, before Colonel Calliaud, now commanding the English army with the native troops under Meeran, Jaffier's son, could arrive to their aid. He made the attack on the 22d February, 1760; and though the Indian auxiliaries were rendered nearly useless by a very injudicious position, the British and sepoys alone poured in so effective a fire as drove the enemy off the field, and obliged them to retire to Bahar. Meeran, however, who had received a slight wound, re-entered Patna, and resigned himself to ease and pleasure. The opposite army then conceived the bold design of marching across the country by the shortest route to Moorshedabad, and surprising the nabob in his capital. It is believed, had this enterprise been as promptly executed as it was ably planned, that the object might have been accomplished; but the chiefs indulged in the usual dilatory habits of an Indian army, and Calliaud had time, by rapidly conveying troops down the river, to reinforce his ally, and deter the enemy from the meditated attack. Returning hastily by the same route, they reached Patna before the English, and, aided by M. Law with a French force, reduced that city to great extremity. Captain Knox, however, marching above 200 miles under a burning sun in thirteen days, relieved it, attacked the enemy by surprise, and obliged them to fall back.

Meantime affairs in the province of Bengal continued in

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a most unsatisfactory state. Jaffier proved an indolent, voluptuous, tyrannical ruler; the country was neglected; and what was felt as a serious evil, the regular instalments to the English treasury still remained unpaid. Funds were thus wanting for the ordinary operations of government, the pay of the troops, and the supply of the other presidencies, who depended in this respect upon Bengal. On a full survey of these circumstances, the heads of the council formed the determination of supplanting Meer Jaffier, or at least of placing the real power in the hands of another. After much deliberation, it was resolved that his successor should be his own son-in-law, Meer Cossim, who alone appeared to possess the energy necessary to retrieve the sinking affairs of the country. Mr. Vansittart repaired to Moorshedabad, and endeavoured to prevail upon the nabob to consent to an arrangement, by which he should retain the pomp and state of royalty, while the real power would be administered by Cossim; but Jaffier, though he felt it impossible to resist, proudly refused the mere shadow of power, and preferred going to live as a private individual in Calcutta.

Meer Cossim applied himself with talent and vigour to the task of governing. By judicious arrangements, and by extracting money from the native chiefs, he succeeded in paying up the arrears due to our countrymen. Important circumstances soon called the allied powers to the frontier. The emperor, still aided in some degree by the sovereign of Oude, contrived to make harassing incursions into the nabob's territory. Major Carnac marched to its defence, and having soon brought the Mogul army to action, completely defeated it. The most remarkable event was the capture of M. Law, who, with a handful of French troops, had hitherto been the chief support of the native armies against the English. Deserted by his men, he bestrode one of the guns, and in that attitude awaited the approach of death. The Hindoos, strangers to any refined laws of war, were much surprised to see the British officers approach, courteously invite him to their camp, and treat him as an honoured and respected guest. The major, after the victory, sent overtures of accommodation, accompanied even with an offer to wait upon the emperor in his camp; and

though these proposals were at first rejected, the prince, on mature reflection, not only received the English commander, but proceeded with him to Patna. He was there met by Meer Cossim, and a treaty was concluded, by which the latter was invested Subahdar of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa; in return for this he stipulated to pay the annual sum of twenty-four lacks of rupees, or three millions sterling. Some reason was even given to expect that the English might aid in restoring the prince to the imperial power; but the embarrassed state of the finances, and other circumstances now to be related, prevented any steps from being taken in fulfilment of this object.

The first measures of Meer Cossim's government were prudent and vigorous; and had he been left to the exercise of independent power, he might have become a very good ruler. But he stood in a relation to his patrons which a high-spirited prince could scarcely continue to brook. After having twice deposed and set up a nabob, they felt themselves, and were viewed by others, as the real masters of Bengal. Their most subordinate officers conceived that they were entitled to the obedience of the highest native authorities. This bad feeling was fomented by a party in ́ the council hostile to the governor, who soon became the majority, and who, having been originally adverse to the elevation of Meer Cossim, delighted to thwart him in every possible manner. Mr. Ellis, stationed with a detachment at Patna, was greatly influenced by these high notions, and omitted no occasion of annoying and insulting the nabob. The complaints of this ruler assumed a serious shape, in consequence of the privileges in regard to trade, which the English claimed in virtue of a former grant from the Mogul. They were thereby exempted from those heavy transit duties which, according to the impolitic system prevalent in India, were imposed on all goods passing up and down the river, and from city to city. This immunity, which gave to the British an immense advantage over the natives, was farther abused by affording the sanction of their name to agents, by whom the regular merchants were entirely driven off the field. In consequence of the heavy complaints lodged by the nabob upon this subject, Mr. Vansittart, at Monghir, concluded an agreement, according to which the

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same duties were to be paid by the company's servants and by the country traders. This judicious arrangement, after the Indian prince had somewhat hastily begun to act upon it, was annulled by the majority of the council, and affairs were again thrown into their former confusion. The nabob then determined to end the controversy by abolishing at once all those inland duties,—a measure salutary in itself, but of which the English unreasonably and loudly complained, because it left no distinction between them and his own subjects. As the tide of discontent swelled, both parties began to assume a warlike attitude. The nabob busied himself in raising money, levying troops, and disciplining them in the European manner. Learning that some boats with military stores were proceeding up the Ganges to Patna, he ordered them to be detained; but soon after feeling this to be a questionable step, he allowed them to proceed. No sooner, however, had Mr. Ellis received news of the first detention than he resolved, agreeably to conditional instructions from the council, to attack the city of Patna, which, being ill provided for defence, was quickly carried. Cossim Ali, on receiving intelligence of this violent measure, became furious, and thenceforth breathed nothing He was, however, soon gratified, by learning that the victors, having resigned themselves to security and plunder, had been surprised by the late governor, driven from the city, and, in attempting to escape up the river, had been all taken prisoners. The factory at Cossimbuzar, with its garrison, was also captured.

but war.

The English now again raised to power Meer Jaffier, whom the blind desire of governing induced to forget all his wrongs. At the same time Major Adams, who commanded the troops, was ordered to open the campaign with the utmost possible vigour. He found Meer Cossim better prepared for resistance than any Indian sovereign who had yet been encountered. The British had first to defeat a strong advanced guard in front of Moorshedabad, and afterward to storm the lines constructed for the defence of that city. Continuing to press forward, they found the subahdar with his whole force drawn up in the plain of Geriah. The troops presented the aspect of a European army; being brigaded, clothed, and accoutred in the English style, and

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