- 
1808.) 
Wy 
his encampment early on the morning of 
_ the 23d of June, 1757, and extended his 
line with an,intention of turning the flank 
of the English and surrounding them, at 
the same time he sent orders to Jafher 
Alee to advance his divisions. That 
crafty politician returned for answer, 
_ that the glory of extirpating the infidels 
ought to be the nabob’s solely, but that 
he was preparing to follow and support 
him in case of need. This evasion 
served the double purpose of adhering to 
his engagement with the English, or of 
keeping on good terms with the nabob 
in the event of his proving victorious. 
As the lines approached each other, a 
partial cannonade with round shot took 
place, but with no great effect. This 
encouraged a considerable body of the 
enemy’s chosen horse to push on with an 
intention of charging the British line; 
they estimated the dexterity of our artil- 
Jery-men by the skill of their own, which 
was 50 miserably defective as not to be 
able to fire above three or four times in 
a quarter of an hour. ‘They therefore 
determined to receive our first fire, and 
then rush on before, as they thought, we 
could reload our guns; but they sorely 
repented their rash attempt; when they 
came within grape-shot of our line, the 
field-pieces played on them with such 
vivacity and effect that most of them 
measured their lengths on the plain. 
When the nabob saw his best treops 
thus roughly handled, he was seized with 
a panic, and precipitately fled from the 
field of battle, the remainder of his 
troops follawed his example, and the 
conqueror marched unmolested to his 
camp, which he took possession of with 
all his baggage and about fifty pieces of 
cannon ; he then advanced towards Moor- 
shedabad, the capital of Bengal, which 
he entered on the 26th in great pomp 
and triumph, and on the 30th Meer 
Jaffier Alee Khan was placed on the 
Musnud of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa, 
with the usual formalities. On the same 
day the deposed prince was taken pri- 
sonerand privately put to death by Meer 
Meeran, the new Nabob’s son. Thus 
perished, unpitied and unlameuted, Su- 
Yajah Dowleh, at the premature age of 
twenty-five years. His tyranny and op- 
~ pression had rendered him odious to his 
own subjects, and his cruelties to the 
English deservedly drew down upon him 
the vengeance of thatcountry. It was 
ot, however, Colonel Clive’s intention 
have him put to death, and when he 
dl of his having suffered by the young 
‘ 
Narrative of a recent Tour in India. 323 
Nabob’s orders, he expressed his resent= 
ment in very forcible terms. _ 
The events which followed and gave 
the East India Company full sovereignr¢ 
over these extensive provinces are well 
known; but the foundation-stone of their 
power is the battle of Plassey, and the 
issue of it the best plea for maintaining 
their authority. 
Only a small part of the hunting-seat 
now remains, the rest has been washed 
into the river, which makes rapid en- 
croachments on the bank, and will, 
doubtless, soon demolish the remainder 
of the building. I walked over the teld 
of battle, accompanied by an old pea- 
sant, who, by his own account, was 
among the camp-followers of the Nabob 
during the action; he pointed out,witl 
seeming accuracy, the different positions 
of the contending armies, but I could 
not discover any traces of their encainp-* 
ments, nor a single vestige to denote the 
scene of an event which was attended 
with such great and important conse- 
quences to the British power in the East, 
I strolled about a mile and a half 
from iny boats, when feeling the sun ra- 
ther powerful I made towards a tope,* 
which I observed at a short distance 
off, with an intention of procuring some 
toddy, or cocoa-nut milk, to quench m 
thirst. I had not proceeded far on thig 
route when Mungloo, who accompanied 
me with my ammunition, called out to 
me to take care, for we were pursued by 
a wild buffalo. Iturned round and saw 
it, butat so great a distance that I could 
hardly suppose it was in pursuit of us, 
and stopped some time to ascertain the 
course it was. pursuing, against the 
earnest remonstrances of the lad; but I 
was very near suffering for my rashness. 
The buffalo approached with great rapi- 
dity; and that we were the objects of his 
fury, was now very evident. I therefore 
made for the tope as fast as I could run; 
but my speed was not likely to avail me 
much, forl had three or four hundred 
yards between me and a place of safety, 
when I could distinctly hear the buffalo 
snorting in my rear. The fowling-piece 
in my hand, loaded with small shot, 
would have made no impression on 
his tough hide; in this exigency, almost 
despairing of effecting an escape, a lucky 
thought struck me, which I immediately 
put in practice, and providentially ex- 
tricated myself from the imminently 
perilous situation in which I was in- 
nr ni 
* A grove. 
volved, 
*s 
