SIEGE OF CALCUTTA. 15 



He was also irritated by the protection afforded, seemingly 

 without design, by the English to a young man whom he 

 viewed as a pretender to the office of nabob. Lastly, his 

 very exaggerated conceptions of the wealth to be found 

 within their factory made him seek with avidity any ground 

 on which he could be justified in plundering its contents. 

 The ostensible cause of complaint arose from a report that 

 they were making certain additions to the fortifications 

 around Fort William. Mr. Drake, the English governor, 

 on being called upon to account for this proceeding, de- 

 fended it by stating the hostile relations of his countrymen 

 with the French on the coast of Coromandel, and the dan- 

 ger lest the war should spread thence into Bengal. This 

 ill-judged explanation inflamed at once the pride and the 

 fear of the nabob ; who considered it an insult to suppose 

 that he, in his own dominions, was unable to protect them, 

 and who was also alarmed at the idea of the war being 

 transferred from Coromandel to Bengal. He immediately 

 began his march from Rajemahl towards Calcutta, stop- 

 ping at Cossimbuzar, where the company had a factory 

 very slightly fortified, without ditch or palisade, and of 

 which the curtains formed the outer wall of a range of 

 apartments. Under these circumstances, the nabob having 

 summoned first Mr. Watts, the governor, and then the two 

 other members of council, to repair to his camp, these gen- 

 tlemen judged it vain to decline ; and though Mr. Holwell 

 in one place seems to arraign their conduct for not having 

 attempted a few days' defence, yet the danger of a general 

 massacre was in that case so great, and the probable benefit 

 so small, that we do not perceive any good ground for 

 censure. They were then required to sign a paper, promis- 

 ing compliance with all the nabob's demands ; yet, instead 

 of beino- allowed to return to the presidency, they were de- 

 tained as prisoners, while the troops of Surajah entered 

 and plundered the factory. 



The council at Calcutta, sensible of their weakness, had 

 hitherto made every possible effort to conciliate the nabob ; 

 and as his chief ground of complaint respected the new for- 

 tifications which they were adding to Fort William, they 

 suspended these works, and thus lost twenty precious days, 

 during which they might have placed themselves in a posture 

 of defence. As soon, however, as they learned the capture 



