1916.] Some old Records of the Madras Army (1757-1759). 275 



On February 23rd, 1911, Dr. E. Denison Ross, the Officer 

 in charge of the Records of the Government of India, addressed 

 to the Asiatic Society of Bengal the seven papers detailed 

 above under u Documents." 



Our Society was anxious to have the "Documents " edited. 

 Accordingly, Mr. G. H. Tipper, our then Honorary Secretary, 

 deciphered some of them, but he had not completed the work 

 when he joined the Indian Army Reserve. Recently, Mr. 

 Stanley Kemp, who has been several times our Honorary 

 Secretary, heard of these papers, and, on my offering him my 

 help, he invited me to edit them. 



As a search into the most likely books, such as S. C. Hill's 

 Bengal in 1756-57 (3 vols.), C. R. Wilson's Old Fort William 

 in Bengal (2 vols.), his Early Annals of the English in Bengal 

 (3 tome3), and H. Davidson Love's Vestiges of Old Madras, 1640- 

 1800 (3 vols.), shows that these papers were unknown heretofore, 

 we publish them here in their chronological order. The works 

 just mentioned furnish the historical setting and dispense us 

 from further comment. 



DOCUMENT I. 



>f a Letter /; 



Sir, 



(Calcutta, 2Uh February 1757). l 



# 



I should be wanting in my Duty to the President and 

 Council of Madrass if I was not to return you thanks in their 

 Names for the emminent Service you have rendered the East 

 India Company in this Province; Services of such a Nature as 

 will be rememembered 2, as long as there is an India Company 

 subsisting in England. 



wi 



[P. I.J 



Bengal ratified in the most firm & sacred Manner and the 

 Certainty of a Neutrality with the French Guaranteed by him 

 will I make no doubt put the Company's Affairs upon the securest 

 footing in these parts and I am persuaded that attention you 

 have hitherto bestowed on India in General will induce you not 

 to forget the Company's Interest on the Coast. It is not 



impossible, Sir, but the Dispatches sent//by the 20 Gun Ship, r P 2 -\ 

 may countermand those lately received at the Coast, this seems 

 to be the Opinion of the President and Committee of Fort St. 

 George. It is not unlikely but a French Squadron may already 

 be arrived there, [in such case ?] I must confess I shall be 

 under Great Concern for the consequences. All the Company's 

 extensive & valuable Acquisitions run the Risque of being 



J Two leaves 12Jx 7£ inches- * Si 



