BEN 



■their goods of fxport or import were exempted from duties or 

 culloms; and this wa.-i reirarded as the cor.'pmy's commer- 

 ced charter in India, while they ftood in r.ecd ol proleaion 

 fri)m the princes of tiie country. In the years 1742 and 1743, 

 Benunl was invaded by I)oth the Mahratta Hates, with annas 

 conlilUng, as it is faid.'of So,O0O horfcmcn each ; nor did they 

 depart out of t'le provinces until the year 1744, when they had 

 eollcacd a vallmafjof plunder, and hadctlablilhed the claimof 

 the " Chout," or a fourth part of the net revenues of the pro- 

 vinces, as this proportion was called in the language of Hin- 

 dolhn. In 175^, the Ikrar Malirattas oblanied poffcfiion 

 of the province of OrilTa, partly by conq\iell and partly by 

 ctfTion from Alivcrdy,the nabob of Bengal; and their proxi- 

 mity to Bengal, from which they were feparated only bv a 

 flialiow river, afforded them frequent opportunities of phia- 

 deri"g its frontier provinces: and it was not till the year 

 1761, when Coflim Ally, nabob of Bengal, ceded the pro- 

 vinces of Burdwan and Midnapour to the Enolifli, that the 

 Mahrattas ceafed to plunder them. In I 756, Aliverdy Cawn, 

 nabob of Bengal, was fucceeded by his grandfon Surajah 

 Dowlah, who, pretending to be irritated at the conduct of 

 the Englidi within his dominions, and really jealous of the 

 rifing power of Europeans in general, in other parts of India, 

 determined to expel the Enghlh from Bengal, and accord- 

 ingly took their fort at Calcutta, tlie chief Britifli fcttlemcnt 

 ill the province, upon which their trade depended, and com- 

 pelled thole among them, who were not made prifoners, 

 to retire, and others he caufed to perilb by confining them in 

 a fmall chamber called the " black-hole" of Calcutta. In 

 the following year, however, an armament from Madras, un- 

 der admiral Watfon and colonel Clive, not only recovered 

 Calcutta, but brought the nabob to terms. With a view to 

 permanent fecurity for the future, they negotiated with Jaffier 

 Ally Cawn, an omrah in high trull and favour with the 

 nabob ; and he engaged, on condition of their aflilling him 

 in his views towards the throne, to be their future ally and 

 confederate. The famous battle of Plaffey, fought in June 

 1757, and in which Jaffier aided the accomplifhment of 

 their widies, by remaining neuter, laid the foundation of the 

 future power of the Britilli nation, not only in Bengal, but in 

 Hindollan. From that time they became the arbiters of 

 the fucceflion of the nabobfliip of Bengal, which fpeedily led 

 to the poffefiion of the powers of government ; for CofTun 

 Ally, who had been placed in the room of Jaffier, difliking 

 his fituation, refolved at all even's to hazard a change. This 

 brougiit on a war, which terminated in the expulfion of 

 Coflim, and left the Bengal provinces in the pofTcflion of 

 the Englifh, who reftored Jaffier to the naboblhip. Lord 

 Chve, affuming the government of Bengal in 1 765, feized the 

 opportunity, afforded by the recent death of nabob Jaffier 

 Ally, of taking poflenion of the Bengal provinces ; and ob- 

 tained from the nominal Mogul, Shah Aulum, a grant of the 

 duanny, or adminilkration of the revenues of Bengal, Bahar, 

 and Orilfa ; on condition of paying the Mogul 26 lacks of 

 rupees (260,0001.) per annum. Thus a territoiy producing 

 at that time at lealt a million ilerling per annum, after every 

 expence was defrayed, and containing at lead ten millions of 

 inhabitants, was gained to the company, on the fide of Ben- 

 gal ; together with the northern circars, valued at near half a 

 million more, and for which a grant was alfo obtained. The 

 Bengal provinces, which have been in our aftual poffeffion 

 from the year 1765, have, during that whole period, enjoyed 

 a greater (liare of tranquillity than any other part of India ; 

 or indeed, than thofe provinces had ever experienced fince 

 the days of Aurungzebe. Previous to the ellablilhment of 

 our influence, invafions were frequent, particularly by the 

 Mahrattasj and one province or other was ever in rebellion ; 



BEN 



owinjT to a want of energy in the ruling power, an ill-paid 

 and mutinous army, and an excefs of delegated power. 



The government of Bengal, and its extenfive dependencies, 

 was firli veiled in a iTovenior-gcneral and a fupreme council, 

 confitling of a prelident.and eleven counfellors ; but in 1773, 

 thefe we're rellriaed to four, w'ith Warren Hailings, the go- 

 vernor-general, who were to direft all affairs, civil and mili- 

 tary, in the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Oriffa ; and to 

 control the inferior governments of Madras on (he eail, and 

 Bombay on the well, with Bencoolen, in the illand of .Su- 

 matra. The court of judicature conlills of a chief juitice,' 

 and three other judges, with civil, criminal, naval, and eccle- 

 fiaiUcal jurifJitlion. The Hindoos are governed by their 

 own huvs, nor would it be eafy, if prafticable, to extinguilh 

 the influence of the Brahmins, or totally to aboiifh the calls, 

 to whatever degree they may countenance and maintain fana- 

 tieifm and fupeiilition. The military eftabliniment in Ben- 

 gal is always refpeftable, but varies according to the fituation 

 of affairs. Tlie Britiih troops arc fupported by the fcpoys, 

 a native militia, who are accullomed to have numerous idle 

 followers, fo that the effective men fcldom coniUtute more 

 than a quarter of the nominal army. A force of 20,000 

 Britifli foldiers might probably encouncer and vanquifli 

 200,000 blacks or Hindoos. The decifive battle of Plaffey, 

 wliich fecured to us the poffeffion of thefe opulent provinces, 

 was gained with an army of about 3000 men, of whom 900 

 only were Europeans; and at the battle ol Buxar, in 1764, 

 the whole number of combatants on the fide of the Britifli 

 did not exceed 7000, and of thefe 1200 only might be 

 Europeans. 



The climate of Bengal, is reckoned by Dr. I.ind, in his 

 " Effay on difeafes incident to Europeans in hot climates, 

 Sec." the motl infalubrious and fatal to Europeans of any of 

 the Britifli fettlements in India, that of Bencoolen excepted. 

 This is owing partly to the heat of the air, and more efpe- 

 cially to that of the land wind, which, paffing over a tradl 

 of country much heated by the feafon, and confilling in 

 various diilricts of extenfive fandy deferts, becomes fo hot 

 and fuffocating that it can fcarcely be endured. Thefe hot 

 winds, occafionally loaded with land, are fo pernicious, par- 

 ticularly to pcrfons expofed to them whillt fleeping, that 

 they produce a kind of paralytic diflemper, called the " bar- 

 biers," which is attended with a total lofs of the ufe of the 

 limbs, and for which no relief can be obtained but by re- 

 moving to fome other clim.at?. But the unheakhinefs of 

 this climate is principally owing to the inundations of its 

 rivers, and to its level or flat furface, fo that the waters ftag- 

 nate ; and of courfe when, in the month of Oftober, the 

 llagnated waters begin to be exhaled by the heat of the fun, 

 the air is greatly polluted by the vapours that arife from the 

 flime and mud that are call by the rivers, and by the putre- 

 fadlion of dead fifli, and other animals. Although the falu- 

 brity of the climate of Bengal has been confidcrably improved 

 by clearing the country of trees and jungle, by canals, and 

 by draining the marthes, yet fogs are at this time common, 

 very thick and very unhealthy ; and cxccffive fogs alfo pre- 

 vail at other fcafons, and they often occur in the months 

 of January and February. In Bengal, the hot, or dry 

 feafon, begins with March, and continues to the end of 

 May, the thermometer fometimes rifing to 110°; and this 

 intenfe heat is occafionally interrupted by violent thunder- 

 ftorms from the north-well. The rainy feafon continues 

 from June to September or Oftober ; but the three lall 

 months of the year are generally pleafant. The cold feafon 

 commences in November, and lafts till the beginning of Fe- 

 bruary; northerly winds are then prevalent, and the mornings, 

 efpecially before fun-rife, are cold. It is alfo frequently very 



foggy. 



