HOSTILITIES WITH THE MOGUL. 29 



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 in- 

 dependent 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 fer- 

 tile region along the same river, the capital of which, situ- 

 ated 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 Choices Saloon, a spacious fortress, 

 which, having its gateways ornamented with domes and 

 cupolas, exhibits one of the most striking specimens of In- 

 dian architecture. The British have since added new de- 

 fences, and chosen it as their chief military dep6t 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 sub- 

 ject somewhat differently. The English, having united 

 their forces at Moorshedabad to those of the nabob, marched 

 upon Patna, which was with difficulty defended by Ram- 

 narain, 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 marched to its defence, was in- 

 veigled into the power of the enemy. The shazada was 

 left without support in any quarter, and, as Mr. Mill ob- 

 serves, " 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 con- 

 dition of his presently evacuating the district ; and the 

 British commander was thus enabled, with remarkable ease, 



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