HINDOOSTANi 
6A 
ns it was judicioufly planned ; for the city of Arcot hav¬ 
ing no walls or ramparts, and the fort being defended by 
only a (lender garrifon, they entered the place with little 
oppofition; and one hundred thoufand allonifhed inha- 
^'bitants beheld a handful of Englifh take poffeifion of the 
capital of the Carnatic, its military (tores, and accumu¬ 
lated riches. The generous viftors, however, feized only 
the public treafure; all property-of a private nature was 
deemed facred, and reftored to the owners. 
This fpirited undertaking had the effeft defired. Chunda 
Saheb found liimfelf compelled to raife the fiege of Trit- 
chinopoly, to attempt the recovery of his capital ; but by 
the united exertions of major Lawrence, Mr. Clive, and 
the army of Mohammed Ali, which confided of Mahrat- 
tas, Myforeans, and a detachment from Tanjore, now in- 
creafingin numbers every day, Chuhda Saheb was at length 
driven to fuch extremities, that his forces were completely 
blocked up in the ifland of Seringham, near Tritchinopoly ; 
while he liimfelf fled for fuccour to Mona-ji, the general 
of the Tanjore army, who ordered him to be arreded, and 
thrown into irons. On this intereding occafion the chiefs 
all aifembled, to determine in what manner the unfortu¬ 
nate prince (hould be difpofed of. The Englifh, the Mah- 
ratfa, and the Myforean, generals, were all equally anxious 
to have the charge of fo important a perfonage ; but the 
Tanjorine firmly refufed to part with his prifoner ; hav¬ 
ing refolved on his deftruftion, a hired aflaffin dabbed 
him to the heart; and then, fevering the head from the 
body, carried it in favage triumph to Tritchinopoly, 
where it was expofed on the ramparts. The army of the 
murdered prince immediately difperfed ; and the French, 
who had fortified themfelves in the great pagoda of Jam- 
bakidna, (hortly after furrendered themfelves prifoners of 
war. Thus Mohammed Ali, through the bravery and 
friendrtiip of the Englifh, was now acknowledged as na¬ 
bob of the Carnatic, and received its revenues accord¬ 
ingly ; but he was not differed to continue long in peace. 
M. Dupleix, dung with refentment at the difcomfiture 
of his troops, and jealous for the honour of his nation, had 
been exerting all the energies of his mind, to overcome 
the politics of the Englifh. He proceeded to the extraor¬ 
dinary meafure of applying to be made liimfelf nabob 
of the Carnatic, in oppofition to Mohammed Ali Khan ; 
and, through the intrigues of M. Buffy, who had fo far 
infinuated liimfelf into favour with the affumed viceroy of 
the Deccan, Sulabut Jung, that he pretended to have ob¬ 
tained a firmaun for his appointment 5 although his own 
title to the viceroyalty had never yet been confirmed by 
the Mogul emperor. By virtue of this pretended autho¬ 
rity, therefore, Dupleix commiffioned Mortiz-ally of Vel¬ 
lore, to aft as his lieutenant; and received of him no lefs 
than fifty thoufand pounds, as the price of this delegated 
office. Dupleix now affumed all the pomp and dignity of 
a real nabob: he mounted his elephant of ftate ; went 
abroad proceeded by mufic and dancing girls, after the 
oriental fafhion ; and, when he kept his dubaror court, he 
appeared fitting crofs-legged on a fofa, and received pre- 
fents, as fovereign of the country, from his own council, 
as well as from the natives ; and the revenues which he 
obtained, in addition to former grants, amounted annu¬ 
ally to above a million of money fterling. 
Thus the forces of the Englifh and French Eaft-India 
companies were engaged in a courfe of hoflilities, at a 
time when no war exifted between the two nations ; pre¬ 
tending that they only afted as auxiliaries to the princes 
of Hindooflan. The French, however, having fo far out¬ 
generaled the Englifh, a formal complaint was made by the 
Britiih minifbry to the court of Verfailles, concerning the 
ambitious projects of the French governor on the Coro¬ 
mandel coaft; and the recall of M. Dupleix was infilled 
upon, otherwile a national rupture muft enfue. An order 
for an immediate equipment, for the fhores of India, of a 
fquadron of men of war under admiral Watl’on, with a 
large body of troops, induced the French court, at that 
tin\e not prepared for a war, to check the ambitious career 
of their fervants. Early jn the fpring of 1754, M. Go- 
Vol. X. No. 645. 
deheu was, in confequence, fent out to fuperfede M. Du¬ 
pleix. The new governor, on his arrival, made the moft 
friendly propofals ; and defired a ceffation of arms until all 
their dil'putes could be adjufted in Europe. Tliele propo¬ 
fals being readily liftened to on the part of the Englifh, de¬ 
puties were fent to Pondicherry; and a provifional treaty 
and trupe were concluded, on condition that neither of 
the two companies fhould for the future interfere in any 
‘ of the differences that might take place in the country. 
The other articles related to the places or fettlements that 
fliould be retained, or poffeffed, by the refpective compa¬ 
nies, until frefh orders fliould arrive from the courts of 
London and Verfailles; and, till then, it was (lipulateay 
that neither of the two nations fliould be allowed to procure 
any new grant or ceffion, or to build forts in defence of 
any new eltablifhment; nor fliould they proceed to any 
ceffion, retroceffion, or evacuation, of what they then pof- 
feffed ; but, every tiling fliould remain on the fame foot¬ 
ing as formerly. The claim of Mohammed Ali, as na¬ 
bob, was alfo acknowledged throughout the Carnatic, and 
he fixed his refidence at Arcot, the capital, under the pro- 
teftion of the Englifh. 
This treaty was publifhed in due form on the nth of 
January 1755 ; at the end of which month admiral Wat- 
l'on returned with his fquadron from Bombay ; and M. 
Godeheu returned to France in the beginning of P'ebru- 
ary, leaving M. Leyrit his lucceifor at Pondicherry. M. 
Buffy, by the foubahdar or viceroy of the Deccan, Sula¬ 
but Jung, v/as Hill however openly countenanced in his 
intrigues at Golconda; and M. de Sauflay was left to 
command the troops at Siringham. Matters, therefore, 
did not long continue in a (late of tranquillity. Early in 
the year it appeared that the French were endeavouring 
to gain an influence over all the provinces of the Deccan. 
M. Buffy, grown into importance by the encouragement 
he had received, made a demand of the fortrefs of Gol¬ 
conda from Sulabut Jung ; and M. Leyrit encouraged the 
fouzdar or governor who rented the Vein, to take up arms 
againfl the nabob, Mohammed Ali Khan. He even fent 
three hundred French, and as many fepoys, from Pondi¬ 
cherry, to fupport this rebel, and oppol'e the Englifh who 
were engaged by the nabob to colleft his revenues from 
the tributary princes. In this office they had been em¬ 
ployed ever fince the ceffation of hoflilities; one half of 
the revenue being paid to the nabob, and the other to the 
company ; which involved them in a kind of military ex¬ 
pedition into the country of the Polygars, who had been 
previoully fummoned to (end agents to fettle accounts 
with the nabob. Four of them obeyed the fummons; 
but the chief Lachenaig refufed, and it was therefore re¬ 
folved to attack him. The country was very flrong, be¬ 
ing almofl entirely fortified by nature or art; but, Lache¬ 
naig was however obliged to l'ubmit, and pay his tribute. 
The Englifh then marched to Madura, a (Irong town 
about fixty miles Couth of Tritchinopoly. On their ap¬ 
proach it fubmitted, and the inhabitants feemed pleafed 
with their change of government. Here a deputation was 
received from a neighbouring polygar, defiring an alli¬ 
ance ; and, as a proof of his fincerity, he made an offer 
of two fettlements on the l’ea-coafl of his country, oppo- 
fite to the ifland of Ceylon ; which would greatly facili¬ 
tate their future commerce with Tinivelly. Before this 
time they could not reach that city but by a circuitous 
march of from four to five hundred miles ; but, from the 
new fettlements, the diflance to Ifinivelly was no more 
than fifty miles, and reinforcements or fupplies of any 
kind might be lent them from Madras or Fort St. David 
in four or five days. This offer being accepted, colonel 
Heron, the Englifh commander, marched to attack the 
governor of Madura, who had fled to Coilgoody. The 
place was taken and plundered, not fparing even the tem¬ 
ples 5 whofe idols they either deltroyed, or carried off; 
which infpired the inhabitants with the utmofl rage againll 
the viftors, on account of this contempt of their religion, 
The next exploit of captain Heron was marked by an.,;,-?' 
aft of the moft difgraceful cruelty, at a fort named 
£ cott!Sp=v 
