44 



INDIA. 



'Y- 



ft*. 



Cinutic 



war, 



A. D. 17iO. 



the superiority of the European troops over those of 

 Hindustan. 



The territory of the Carnatic was one of the subordi- 

 nate principalities immediately governed by nabobs, 

 but subject to the soubhadar of the Decan, who was 

 still regarded as a feudal prince under the Mogul em- 

 r. Nizam ul Mulk, already frequently mention- 

 ed, who was soubhadar of the Decan, died in the year 

 17*8, *nd the province was disputed between his son 

 Nazir, and hig grandson Murzafa. At the same time, 

 the nabob of the Carnatic, Anwaraadeen, who had been 

 regularly established in that office by the Nizam, was 

 opposed by Chunda Saheb; the latter and Murzafa 



Im inter- TOa j e common cause, and to their alliance acceded M. 

 re m the rj U p] e ; X) the governor of Pondicherry, a man of great 



natto p'nn- t' ellts i intrigue, and ambition.' The combined troops 

 of the French and the twp princes overthrew those of 

 Anwaraadeen, on the frontiers of his own country, in a 

 pitched battle, in which he himself was killed, and his 

 eldest son taken prisoner, while his second, Mahomed 

 Ali, escaped, and implored the assistance of the Eng- 

 lish. For some time the English hesitated, till at 

 length they were induced by several reasons the 

 strongest, probably, a desire to curb and oppose the 

 French to espouse the alliance of Nazir and Maho- 

 med Ali, who nad made common cause. 



Such was the origin of the war for the succession of 

 the Carnatic, or the Carnatic war as it is called, between 

 the English and the French. In its progress, this 

 war preserved essentially the character under which 

 it had commenced, that is, in reality a contest between 

 the English and French for superiority of power and 

 extension of dominions in Hindostan. The violent 

 deaths of Nazir Jung and his nephew introduced new 

 competitors for the soubhadarship of the Decan ; but 

 the English throughout the contest persevered in their 

 object, of securing the nabobship of the Carnatic to Mo- 

 hamed Ali. It was during this war that Mr Clive, af- 

 terwards Lord Clive, first appeared as a military cha- 

 racter, and by his talents the English gained consider- 

 able success. In 1751, he defeated his opponents in the 

 plains of Arani; and this victory was followed by the re- 

 duction of the forts of Timery, Conganzam, and Arani. 

 These successes, however, were only against the Indian 

 troops of Chunda Saheb ; but, in the beginning of the 

 year 1752, he attacked, and, after an obstinate battle, he 

 defeated, near Arcot, an army consisting of 1500 sepoys, 

 1700 horse, with 150 French, and eight pieces of can- 

 non. Soon after this, Chunda Saheb having been sur- 

 rounded and cut off from his supplies by an English 

 force, fled, but was taken and beheaded by his rival. 

 After his flight, his army was defeated and routed by 

 Major Lawrence, who had succeeded Mr Clive in the 

 command of the army. The French immediately pro- 

 claimed Rajah Saheb, his son, nabob of the Carnatic. 

 Thus the forces of the English and French were en- 

 gaged in regular hostilities against each other in India, 

 at a time when no war existed between them in Eu- 

 rope. As soon, however, as intelligence of these events 

 reached the courts of Versailles and St James's, orders 

 were sent out to put an end to the war ; and a treaty 

 was entered into, by which the French and English 

 were to possess an equal dominion, military force, and 

 commerce, on the east coast of the peninsula. 



The breaking out of the seven years war in 1 756, 



and hng- prevented the execution of this treaty, and rendered 

 the French and English principals in the contest ; the 



in the war. former captured the subordinate factories of their rivals, 



A. D. 17J7. and at length even laid siege, though unsuccessfully, 



The French 



to Madras. The constancy, however, of the English, 

 aided by the arrival of reinforcements from Europe, 

 succeeded in turning the fortune of the war; the French 

 were repeatedly defeated; Pondicherry was taken; and 

 Mahomed Ali established in his principality. Salabut 

 Jung, the third son of the Nizam, who had been raised 

 to the rausnud of his father by the assistance of the 

 French, at length sought and obtained an accommoda- 

 tion with the English, in return for which they receiv- 

 ed from him a grant of the possessions which their 

 victories over the French had given them, viz. the Cir- 

 car of Masulipatam and its districts, and the Circar of 

 Nizampatam. At the same time, they received from 

 Mahomed Ali a part of the territory about Majdras, and 

 the advantage of a powerful influence in the Car- 

 natic. 



Before, however, the war in this part of India, of 

 which our limits have" obliged us to give this rapid and 

 brief sketch, was thus happily terminated, the English 

 were obliged to detach a force to the succour of their 

 interest* in Bengal. The causes and circumstances of 

 1'ieir misfortunes there, it may be proper to trace with 

 all possible brevity. 



In the year 1741, Alivedi, as we have already seen, 

 usurped the nabobship of Bengal. He died in 1 756, 

 leaving for his successor Surajah Dowlah. This prince 

 was strongly prepossessed against the English. Un- 

 derstanding that the governor of Calcutta was building 

 a wall and digging a moat round that city, he took 

 offence, and at last marched at the head of his army 

 to attack it, with its dependent settlements. The town 

 was gallantly, though not very skilfully, defended for 

 three days, but then was obliged to surrender. Sura- 

 jah Dowlah had promised the prisoners their lives, but 

 on the same night in which he entered the place, he 

 ordered the massacre, (for it deserves no other appel- 

 lation), which has rendered proverbial the black hole 

 of Calcutta. The Europeans, to the number of 146 

 persons, were, in the most sultry season even of the 

 Bengal year, confined for twelve hours within a cube 

 of 18 feet, having no outlets except two small windows, 

 strongly barred. All perished except twenty-three; 

 and some of these afterwards experienced from the 

 nabob fresh cruelties. As soon as intelligence of these 

 events reached the English on the coast, they detached 

 to Bengal 900 Europeans, and 1500 sepoys, under the 

 command of Colonel Clive. In a few days after their 

 arrival before Calcutta, the city was retaken, and the 

 nabob being attacked in his camp, acquiesced in a pa- 

 cification highly honourable and advantageous to the 

 English. On him little reliance could be placed, especi- 

 ally as by the breaking out of the war between the 

 English and French, he might naturally expect the 

 assistance of the latter, who had, at their settlement 

 of Chandenagore, contiguous to Calcutta, a force of 

 300 Europeans, and 300 sepoys. Under these circum- 

 stances, Colonel Clive resolved to attack the French 

 settlement, which he accordingly did, with success. 

 Still, however, the nabob was justly suspected ; and as 

 it was soon afterwards proved that he was in corre- 

 spondence with the French, the English listened to the 

 overtures of the discontented grandees at his court, 

 and at length resolved to support Meer Jaffier in his 

 pretensions to the nabobship. This arrangement led 

 immediately to the famous battle of Plassey, by the is- 

 sue of which Meer Jaffier gained the nabobship, and 

 his English allies a large treasure, a portion of terri- 

 tory adjoining to Calcutta, and a considerable influence 

 with the new nabob. The British forces engaged in 



History. 



The Eng- 

 Ksh settle- 

 ments in 

 Be u j a '~ 



Calcutta ta- 

 ken. 



Retaken by 

 t - 1 - Clive. 



Battle el 



23d June, 



1757. 



