and taking ten places with the fame troops, to retreat before fuperior numbers.

But Lally, like many other great men, owed his fall to the rectitude of his feelings, the contumely of his wit, and the feverity of his difcipline. From the moment he landed at Pondicherry, he expreffed the most determined averfion to the venality which every where furrounded him. Superior to the mean practices connected with pecuniary pursuits, he regarded thofe who had no other object, with unequivocal contempt. He was ordered to inveftigate thofe enormities which had impoverished the Company, and to punifh the delinquents. The evils he was deftined to redress, were peculation, disobedience, treachery, plunder, cowardice, and mutiny.

The office was unpopular, and Lally erred, in thinking himself entitled to a cordial reception from those who detefted, and thought their safety endangered by his business. He was foon convinced what he may expect who would wreft from the wicked the fpoils of iniquity. A league was inftantly formed to defeat the end of his appointment; and those who ought to have co-operated with him in the fervice, were ftudious only to harrass him with difficulties, as their own ruin could be avoided no other way than by accomplishing his.

Whatever conjectures may be formed of the many fplendid events which give a luftre to this period of the Britifh ftory in the Deccan, and throughout the whole Indian peninfula, as in every other part of the world, our arms were

ultimately

ultimately victorious. This feems not to have been the scene in which the French were deftined to reap their laurels. Their troops, perhaps, had never any where behaved fo uniformly ill.They fled at Caveripauke, they fled at Bahoor, they fled twice in Tanjore, they laid down their arms at Volconda, they furrendered at difcretion in Seringham, they failed twice before Cudalore, twice before Arcot, twice before Trinchinopoly, and at the fiege of which one half of them were made prifoners.

They were now finally worfted. Peace was once more restored to the Carnatic, and the enemy every where diflodged from their faftneffes. Pondicherry was captured and erafed. Vellore was also taken, after a vigorous refiftance. The grants of the northern circars to France were at the fame time difannulled, and their fovereignty perpetually invested in the English. And, by the peace of Paris, Mahommedally Cawn was acknowledged nabob of the Carnatic, and Salabatjing lawful fubah of the Deccan.

CHAP.

CHAPTER II.

Revolutions in Bengal-Surajah Dowlah-Meer Jaffier-Coffim Ally Cawn-The Company's acceffion to the Dewannee-Sujah ul Dowlah-Treaties-Lord Clive goes out to India-Select Committe-Altercation with the Members of the Board.

OUR military tranfactions on the coaft of Co

romandel were fuddenly fufpended, by intelligence which the prefidency of Madrafs received from Bengal. Surajah Dowlah, a young prince without parts, experience, or humanity, had almoft annihilated our intereft in that divifion of the empire.

In June, 1756, Fort William, after a brave defence, under circumftances peculiarly diftreffing, furrendered to an immenfe army, headed by the nabob in perfon. The town was burnt and pillaged, the treasury of the Company plundered, the publick works demolished, and a hundred and fifty of the garrifon, who furvived the capture, thrust into a strong dungeon, not more than eighteen feet long, and fourteen feet wide, with only two holes barricaded by iron bars, where they remained all night in fuch a ftate of fuffocation, from want of fresh air, the heat of the feafon, and their own perfpiration, that most of them perifhed in a violent delirium. On the morning twenty-two were found merely

alive, and exhibited fuch a picture of diftrefs, as human nature has feldom fuffered or furvived.

This dreadful information was received by our countrymen on the coaft with infinite horror and indignation. It was a misfortune the more ferious and alarming, that it had not been foreseen, and which required all the strength of the Company to furmount. After a mature, and, on fuch an emergency, perhaps a tedious deliberation in the council of Madrafs, Clive was ordered for Bengal, at the head of nine hundred Europeans, and a thousand five hundred fepoys. Watfon and Pococke were at the fame time defined to fecond his operations by fea, with a fleet of two fhips of the line and three large frigates.

The armament which had thus left Madrafs in October, after encountering various difaflers from crofs winds and adverfe currents, appeared in a very shattered condition before Mayapore, in the latter end of December. And notwithstanding many of our forces were not arrived, the fort of Buzbuzia, ten miles up the river, was attacked next day and carried, though not without confiderable difficulty.

The army, eager to regain Calcutta, and to revenge the fhocking catastrophe of their countrymen, preffed forward to that place; which, however, was abandoned by the garrifon on exchanging a few fhot with the fhips which anchored in the road. The general devaftation which a barbarous and infuriate enemy had committed on a spot fo endeared to the English by long refidence, the

con

convenience of its harbour and fituation for commerce, and the fplendour of its public edifices, was a fpectacle which many of its late inhabitants on their return, and those who knew it in its better days, contemplated with the ftrongest expreffions of horror and anxiety.

There was, however, no time to wafte in unavailing regret. Clive entrenched his troops within four miles of the factory. In a few days the exafperated fubah made his appearance at the head of a prodigious army, approached within a few miles of the English, and pitched his own tent in a garden at the back of the town. An attempt was made to amuse our people with offers to form the bafis of a negotiation. But fufpecting treachery in these overtures, a plan was formed for attacking the head-quarters next morning. For this purpose between four and five hundred failors landed from the fleet at one o'clock. About two the troops were under arms, and marched by four to the attack of the nabob's camp. Clive's intention was to have feized his cannon, and ftormed his tent; and his plan had probably been executed; but when day-light appeared the army was involved in fuch an impenetrable fog, that they could not fee three yards before them. This circumstance equally affecting our troops and the enemy, the greatest confufion enfued, and continued till the English had marched through the whole Indian camp.So brifk a fire was however kept up, that we lost near a hundred men; the enemy twenty-two offi

cers