supported by a fine train of artillery. Their number did not exceed 20,000 horse and 8000 foot; but to this Major Adams had to oppose only 3000. The enemy withstood the attack four hours with great intrepidity; they even during that time surrounded and broke a part of his line, and captured two pieces of cannon. But at length, the steady and disciplined valour of the assailants carried every thing before it; and the enemy fled, abandoning all their artillery and provisions. The Indian prince, however, retired to an intrenched camp on the Oodwa, so strongly enclosed between the river, the mountains, and a swamp, that its reduction detained the army nearly a whole month. In the end it was surprised and carried; after which Cossim Ali never again attempted to face his enemy in the field. Major Adams immediately marched and laid siege to Monghir, which the subahdar had made his capital, and carefully fortified. After nine days of open trenches the place capitulated, which threw the Indian chief into the most dreadful paroxysm of rage. He sent notice that the moment the English force should advance upon Patna, he would avenge himself by putting to death the whole garrison who had been taken in that city. Major Adams much distressed by this threat, addressed a letter to the prisoners, entreating them to suggest some expedient by which their release might be effected. Ellis and Hay, however, with a truly Roman spirit, answered, that there was no hope of escape, that they were resigned to their fate, and entreated that the march of the army should not be suspended on their account for a single moment. Vansittart wrote to Meer Cossim, at once deprecating his intended cruelty and threatening the most signal vengeance; but as soon as the army began to move, the tyrant fulfilled to the utmost his bloody threat. The whole garrison of Patna, consisting of 50 gentlemen and 100 soldiers, were put to death, with the single exception of Mr. Fullerton, who was spared on account of his medical skill. The nabob killed also the two Seats, the most opulent and distinguished native inhabitants of Bengal, solely for their suspected attachment to the English. By these barbarities he forfeited the interest which his vigorous conduct and hard treatment would otherwise have excited.

BATTLES OF PATNA AND BUXAR.

35

The nabob's only hope henceforth rested on Patna, which was soon after invested. He reinforced the garrison with 10,000 men, and supported the defence by strong bodies of irregular cavalry. The resistance was vigorous; the garrison took one of the English batteries, and blew up their magazine; yet in eight days a breach was effected, and the place was taken by storm. Cossim Ali then gave up all for lost, and fled into the country of Oude to implore the aid and protection of the Subahdar Sujah Dowlah. That prince had then a still more illustrious refugee in the individual who by legitimate descent bore the mighty name of the Great Mogul. At this court the fugitive viceroy was well received, and Sujah Dowlan, probably with a view to his own aggrandizement, undertook to support his cause; after which these three distinguished princes marched with their united force to attack the British army. It happened then to be very ill prepared to sustain so formidable an encounter. The troops, composed in a great measure of foreigners and sepoys, complained that, after such a series of brilliant victories, they were left, not only without reward, but suffering severely from the climate and scarcity of provisions. Their discontents broke forth into open mutiny, and numbers even separated from the main body. Major Carnac, who in these circumstances assumed the command, did not feel himself in a condition to undertake offensive operations, but waited the attack in his camp near Patna. The soldiers, when engaged in battle, forgot their mutinous propensities, and behaved with the utmost steadiness. After a protracted conflict, they completely repulsed the enemy, though from extreme fatigue they were unfit for any lengthened pursuit. Sujah Dowlah was obliged to retreat into Oude, whither the English commander did not attempt to follow him.

In May, 1764, the command devolved upon Major Hector Monro, an enterprising officer, who determined to follow up the advantages gained by his predecessors. It appeared indispensable, however, to begin by completely checking the spirit of insubordination, and to employ for this purpose measures of imposing rigour. A battalion of sepoys having left the camp, soon after this commander's arrival, was pursued and brought back; when, selecting twenty

four of the ringleaders, he ordered them to be blown from the mouth of a cannon,-a fate which they met with intrepidity. No disposition to mutiny was thenceforth manifested. Monro then marched against Sujah Dowlah, whom he found strongly intrenched at Buxar on the Soane. The difficulty of attacking the enemy in this position was obviated by their advancing against the British at eight in the morning of the 23d October; when, after a combat of three hours, they were defeated. They made their retreat, however, without being pursued to any great distance, only losing a great quantity of stores, and 130 pieces of artillery. The emperor had already made overtures to Major Carnac, which that officer did not think himself authorized to accept; these he now renewed, complaining that Sujah Dowlah treated him with indignity, and detained him as a mere state prisoner. Major Monro gave a favourable answer, and only delayed the final acceptance of his proposals till they should receive the sanction of the presidency, which was readily granted. Even before it arrived, the Mogul had come over with the corps personally attached to him, and begun to march under the banner of his allies.

Sujah Dowlah, having retreated into the interior of his dominions, obtained the aid of a body of Mahrattas under Mulhar Rao, and of Ghazee-ud-Dien, who, as we have seen, were once the most powerful adherents of the Mogul throne. With these auxiliaries he hoped to make a stand against the victorious English. Sir Robert Fletcher, however, who held the temporary command, laid siege to Allahabad, which surrendered as soon as a breach had been effected. Major, now General Carnac, who then succeeded, advanced immediately to attack the army of the vizier, which, with scarcely an effort, was completely dispersed ; whereupon that prince was obliged to abandon all his dominions.

The British had now certainly made one of the most splendid campaigns which occur in the annals of any nation. They had gained five victories against much superior forces; they had reduced every strong place which attempted to oppose them; they had vanquished the Mogul emperor and all his principal feudatories; and in short, had made themselves the virtual masters of the great central

CLIVE RETURNS TO INDIA.

37

plain of India. Various opinions, however, prevailed as to the best mode of improving these important triumphs.

Meer Jaffier had died, partly it should seem of vexation at not having been able to meet the enormous pecuniary demands of the English rulers. The council after some hesitation filled his place with his son, Nujeem-ul-Dowlah, a youth of twenty, whom they reduced, however, to a much more dependent situation than his predecessors. They took upon themselves the whole defence of the province, and consequently kept in their hands the entire military force; assuming, at the same time, an extensive control over the internal administration.

Meantime the directors at home, amid the triumphs which had crowned their arms, felt considerable uneasiness respecting the state of their Indian possessions. They were alarmed by the successive quarrels with Meer Jaffier and Cossim Ali, by the extensive wars in which they were involved, and by the rapacious and irregular conduct of their servants, civil and military. This last evil they imputed in a great measure to the profusion and corruption which pervaded every department. A statesman of comprehensive and vigorous character seemed wanting to place their affairs in the East on a stable and tranquil footing, as well as to introduce order and regularity into the various branches of so extended an administration. With this view, their attention was directed to the same person who had been the real founder of their dominions; and Lord Clive, about three years after his return, was nominated a second time to the supreme command of the British provinces in India.

His lordship arrived at Calcutta early in the year 1765; but we shall reserve till another occasion our notice of his internal regulations, and proceed at present to record those measures by which he achieved the farther extension of the company's territory. Sujah Dowlah, though defeated in successive battles, and driven even beyond his frontier, still possessed energy and resources. Having collected his scattered troops, and obtained a reinforcement from the Mahrattas, he formed an army with which he again ventured to face Major Carnac. At Calpy, however, he was completely routed, and compelled to fly precipitately with great loss across the Jumna. Considering his cause

VOL. II.-D

as altogether desperate, he repaired to the camp of the English, and threw himself entirely upon their mercy. He had been strongly urged, and high offers were even made to induce him to bring with him Cossim Ali; but a deep sense of honour, not usual in an eastern potentate, determined him not to betray a person who had sought and received his protection. He allowed him and a German, Sumroo, his associate in the work of blood, to seek shelter in the countries bordering on the Indus. Thus Carnac had at once in his camp two princes holding the highest rank in India, and the direct representatives of an empire lately the most splendid and powerful in the world.

Lord Clive, on receiving this intelligence, immediately repaired to the British encampment at Allahabad, where these two illustrious personages awaited his decision upon their fate. It had been determined, in consequence of the obstinate hostility displayed by Sujah Dowlah, to deprive him of his territories and bestow them on the emperor. But his lordship, on personal acquaintance, conceived so favourable an opinion of the former, and judged him likely to be so much more effective as an ally and formidable as an enemy than the young Mogul, that he determined to restore him to his dominions, by whose inhabitants he was greatly beloved. To the emperor, the districts of Corah and Allahabad were assigned; and he agreed, that is, was compelled, to grant to the company the dewannee or collection of the revenue, including in fact the entire sovereignty, in the fine provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa; in return for which he was to receive annually twenty-six lacks of rupees. Soon after, Nujeem-ul-Dowlah, the nominal subahdar of these provinces, was obliged to retire on a pension of forty-two lacks. Lord Clive then boasted that the revenues of the ceded territory would exceed 250 lacks of rupees, which, after the above deductions and the liberal allowance of 60 lacks for the expenses of government, would leave 122 lacks of clear gain to the company. These financial anticipations were very imperfectly realized; but it was difficult for England not to be dazzled with this splendid series of victory, by which her possessions, which ten years before had included only an almost defenceless fort at the mouth of the Ganges, now extended over all