HINDOOSTAN. 
£4 
this early triumph over the Englilh, gained at once the 
higher eftimation and confidence of the native princes. 
In confequence of the war which broke out between Great 
Britain and France in 1744, fleets were difpatched by each 
of thofe powers to protect their new fettlements in India. 
Commodore Barnet, with three Englifli men of war and 
a frigate, joined by two others on his'arrival, appeared 
firft on the coaft of Coromandel, giving new fpirits to their. 
countrymen at Madras ; while the greateft defpondency 
prevailed among the French at Pondicherry. But before 
any hoftifa meafures could be carried into effeft, a well- 
appointed fquadron, confifting of nine ffiips of war,;arrived 
from France, under M. Bourdonnais ; and an engage¬ 
ment took place, in which the Britilh fhips were fo much 
difabled, that they were obliged to fail for Trincomalee, 
then belonging to the Dutch, in the illand of Ceylon, to 
reft. Bourdonnais, in the mean while, on the 3d of Sep¬ 
tember 1746, formed the bold refolution of laying fiege 
to Madras ; which, after the moll obltinate defence that 
could be made by its {lender garrifon, was obliged to fur- 
render on the 10th of that month, and the French flag 
was immediately difplayed over Fort St. Qeorge. 
The ranfom agreed upon with Bourdonnais for the re- 
ftoration of the place, was 1,100,000 pagodas, or about 
440,000!. fterling. This was for the town alone: all the 
money, merchandife, military and naval ftores, &c. were 
fent on-board the French flrips. The amount of thefe 
was calculated at 200,000k more. M. Dupleix, however, 
the governor of Pondicherry, refufed to ratify the treaty; 
infilling that^Madras fliould be razed to the ground; and 
nothing but the honourable firmnefs of M. de la Bour¬ 
donnais, in adhering to the terms of the capitulation, pre- 
fsrved the place. This triumph of the French had a won¬ 
derful influence on the public mind in Hindooftan; and 
they became in confequence the favoured nation; till 
the year 1748, when, in confequence of the peace of Aix- 
la-Chapelle, Madras was rellored to the Englilh, in ex¬ 
change for Cape Breton. But, though peace was thus re- 
ftored at home, a partial Warfare was Hill carried on in 
India between thefe two nations, in order to fandlion or 
Xupport their oppofite interefls with the leading powers 
in that country. 
The firft affair which led the French and Englifli to 
imbrue their hands in the blood of the natives, was the 
difpute between the fons of Nizam ul Muluk, concerning 
thejr fuccelhon to the viceroyalty of the Deccan, and the 
appointment of a fucceffor to theiy father, as nabob of 
Arcot. The Carnatic is one of the moll conflderable na- 
boblhips of the Deccan; and from its capital, Arcot, it is 
alfo named “ the Province ;” and the prince, the Nabob of 
Arcot. Nizam ul Muiulc, in 1745, had nominated An- 
war-odean to be nabob of the Carnatic under him, while 
he attended the court of Delhi. On the nizam’s death, 
which happened in 1747, as heretofore recited, at the great 
age of one hundred and four years, his fecond fon, Nafir 
Jung, W'as appointed to fucceed him as viceroy of the 
Deccan, by the Mogul emperor Ahmed Shah. He was, 
however, in 1751, oppofed by his own nephew, Muzzuffir 
Jung, who applied to M. Dupleix for affiftance. By him 
he was fupplied with a body of Europeans, and fome ar¬ 
tillery; after which, being alio joined by Chunda Saheb, 
an active Indian chief, he took the field againft Nafir 
Jung, the legitimate viceroy. This prince was fupported 
by a body of Britilh troops ; and the French, dreading 
the event of an engagement, retired in the night; fo that 
their ally was now obliged to throw himfelf on the cle¬ 
mency of Nafir Jung. His life was fpared, though he 
himfelf was detained as a Hate prifoner: but the traitor, 
forgetting the kindnefs fliown him on this occafion, en¬ 
tered into a conlpiracy againft the life of Nafir Jung, and 
murdered him in his camp; as briefly noticed at the com¬ 
mencement of the reign of Ahmed Shah, p. 68 of this 
article. In this infamous tranfaflion he was encouraged 
by Dupleix and Chunda Saheb, Who had retired to Pon¬ 
dicherry. Immenfe riches were found in the tents of 
Nafir Jung; great part of which fell to the fliare of Du¬ 
pleix, whom the ufurper Muzzuffir Jung aflociated with 
himfelf in the government. By virtue of this affociation, 
the French governor aflumed the Hate and formalities of 
an eaftern prince ; and he and his colleague Muzzuffir 
Jung, now appointed Chunda Saheb nabob of Arcot. In 
1749, Anwar-odean had been defeated and killed by Muz¬ 
zuffir Jung and Chunda Saheb, who were aflifted therein 
by the French ; after which, his fon Mohammed Ali Khan, 
had put himfelf under the protection of the Englilh at 
Madras, and was confirmed by Nafir Jung as his father's 
fucceffor in the naboblhip or government of Arcot. This 
government therefore was now difputed between Moham¬ 
med, Aii Khan, appointed by the legal viceroy Nafir Jung, 
fupported by the Englilh company; and Chunda Saheb, 
nominated by the ufurper Muzzuffir Jung, and protected 
by Dupleix, at Pondicherry. Muzzuffir Jung, however, 
did not long enjoy his authority; for in 1751, thofe who 
had been the means of railing him to the power he en¬ 
joyed, thinking themfelves iil rewarded for their fervices, 
fell upon him fuddenly, defeated his forces, and put him 
to death; proclaiming Sulabut Jung viceroy of the D'ec- 
can. On the other hand, Ahmed Shah appointed Gauzedy 
Khan, the elder brother of Sulabut Jung, who was con¬ 
firmed by Mohammed Ali Khan in the government of 
Arcot: but the affairs of the Mogul emperor were at that 
time in fuch diforder, that he could not Tupport the no¬ 
mination he had made. Chunda Saheb, in the mean time, 
determined to recover by force the naboblhip of Arcot. 
With this view, he had again recourfe to Dupleix at Pondi¬ 
cherry, who reinforced him with 2000 Sepoys, 60 Calfres, 
and 420 French; upon condition that, if he lucceeded, he 
fliouid cede to the French the town of Valdour, in the 
neighbourhood of Pondicherry, with its dependencies, 
confifting of eighty-one villages. Thus reinforced, he de¬ 
feated Anwar-odean, who loft his life in the engagement, 
re-affumed the government of Arcot, and punctually per¬ 
formed the engagements he had come under to his French 
allies. 
During all this time Mohammed Ali Khan had been 
fupported by the Englifli, to whom he fled for fuccour 
after his father Anwar-odean’s death. By them he was 
fupplied with a reinforcement of men, money, and am- 
-munition, under the conduct of major Lawrence, a brave 
and experienced officer. By means of this fupply he 
gained fome advantages over the enemy; and, repairing 
afterwards to the Englilh fettlement, he obtained a far¬ 
ther reinforcement. With all this afliffance, however, 
he accomplilhed nothing decifive; and, the Englilh auxi¬ 
liaries having retired, he was defeated by his enemies. 
Thus he was obliged to enter into a more clofe alli¬ 
ance with the Englilh, and cede to them fome com¬ 
mercial advantages which had been long in difpute. The 
Englifli now refolved to take a .more aftive part; and, 
faithful to their engagements, in return for the diftriCts 
and immunities granted, they difpatched a body of 
troops to affift Mohammed Ali, who was then clofely be- 
fieged at Tritchinopoly by Chunda Saheb, at the head of 
twelve thoufand horfe, and five thoufand fepoys, with all 
the French troops from Pondicherry, which out-numbered 
the Englifli ten to one. The prelidency of Fort St. Da¬ 
vid, a ltrong Britilh faftory about twelve miles fouth of 
Pondicherry, and one mile from Cuddalore, made every 
exertion to increafe the number of their troops and artil¬ 
lery ; but the army of Chunda Saheb and the French was 
Hill io much ftronger, that the event of a battle feemed 
extremely doubtful; and it was now that Mr. Clive firft 
offered his lervices in a military capacity. He had been 
employed as a writer, but appeared better calculated for 
a military life. He propoled to the prelidency, as the 
only relource in this extremity, the bold meafure of at¬ 
tacking Arcot itlelf; and offered to lead the troops upon 
the expedition ; which, he urged, would infallibly caule 
a diverfion of the enemy’s force from Tritchinopoly. 
This important enterprize was as fortunately conducted 
7 1 as 
