H I N D O 
which had lately been taken by colonel Coote. The ad¬ 
vantage in number^ was entirely in favour of the French 
general. The battle began about eleven o’clock on the 
zud of January 1760 ; and in three hours the whole French 
army gave way, and lied towards their camp ; but quitted 
It on finding themfelves purfiued by the Englifli, .who 
took all their cannon and baggage. They collected them¬ 
felves under the walls of Cheltiiput, about 18 miles from 
the field of battle; and foon after retired 'to Pondicherry. 
Colonel Coote then commenced the ; liege of Cheltaput, 
which furrendered in one day ; the fort of Timmery was 
reduced by major Monfon ; and the city of Arcot by cap¬ 
tain Wood. This laft conqueft enabled the Englijh to 
reftore the nabob, Mohammed All Khan, again to his do¬ 
minions, of which he had been deprived by the French. 
M. Lally, in the mean time, had recalled his forces from 
Seringham, by which means he augmented hjs army with 
five hundred Europeans. All thefe were now Ihut up in 
Pondicherry, which was become the laft hope of the 
French in India. To complete their misfortunes, admi¬ 
ral Cornilh arrived at Madras with fix men of war; and, 
as the French had now no fleet in thefe parts, the admi¬ 
ral readily engaged to co-operate with the land-forces. 
The confequence was the reduction of Karikal, Cheliam- 
brutn, and Verdachellum, by a ftrong detachment under 
major Monfon; while colonel Coote reduced Permacoil, 
Alamperva, and Valdour. Thus lie was at laft enabled 
to lay liege to Pondicherry, the capital. Previous to this, 
however, it had been blockaded by fea and land, which 
reduced the place to great llraits for want of provinons, 
and induced a mutinous difpofition among the garrifon. 
The batteries were not opened till the beginning of De¬ 
cember 1760; and the place capitulated on the 15th of 
January 1761 ; by which an end was put to the power and 
intrigues of the French in this part of Hindooftan. 
While the Englilh were thus iuccefsfully employed on 
the coaft of Coromandel, their affairs in Bengal, under 
the hew nabob, were faid to be daily growing into dii- 
order. Meer Jaffier Khan, whom they had exalted upon 
the downfal of the unfortunate Surajah ul 'Dowlah, be¬ 
came a proud, imperious, and revengeful, foubuhdar, 
though weak and voluptuous in his government. He was 
vilited by many, who had formerly lived with him on 
terms of intimate equality, hoping to lhare fome advan¬ 
tage by his exaltation; but they were generally mortified 
by a cool reception. Among them was Meerza Shumle 
ul Dien; who, in the days of Jaffier’s diftrefs, had aflifted 
him with a fum of money, and now hoped to have it re¬ 
paid ; but it was long before any notice was'teken of him. 
At length he applied: when the nabob faid, “ I have not 
forgotten your former kindnefs, which I mean to repay ; 
but at prefent the expences of the Englifli army, and 
other contingencies are fo great, It is not in my power. 
When God fhall give me ability and opportunity, I will 
not be unmindful of you.” The Meerza, pretending 
feelings of compaffion, laid, “ My lord, I am (truck with 
your fufferings ; but, alas! Surajah ul Dowlali plundered 
my houfe, or I fliould now have efteemed contributing to 
your relief as an honour.” Meer Jaffier was womaniilily 
fond of jewels, of-which he always wore great numbers 
in his higher fortunes. On this day, his neck, arms, 
wrifts, and turban, were more richly ornamented than 
ufual; and the Meerza wittily faid, “ To be fure, thefe 
few ftones about your perfon are not of any great value 
to any one; but I fliould think a blow from one of your 
highnefs’s hands an honour and l'aiisfaftion.” A fixing 
of jewels was obtained. - 
When only one year and three months of Jaffier’s go¬ 
vernment had elapled, the troops were driven to defpair, 
and the people ripe for an inlurrection. Abed ul Hadee 
and other chiefs confpired to remove him by affaflination ; 
but, many perfons being in the plot, fome one betrayed it 
to the nabob ; and Abed ul Hadee and Meer Cauzim 
Khan, the two principal confpirators, were feized and put 
to death. About three months after this, rumours were 
Vql. X. No. 643. 
0 S T A N. eg 
fpread that the Mogul prince Ali Gohur, eldeft fon of the 
emperor Aulumgeer, was about to enter Bengal. This 
intelligence alarming the nabob, and his Ton Meeraun, 
they, for their own fafety, paid up part of the arrears due 
to the troops; and fent peremptory orders to Ramnarain, 
the Hindoo rajah of Patna, to pay up all his arrears of tri¬ 
bute due to the royal treafury, that it might be ready when 
demanded by the young- prince. Such was the- fituation 
of affairs in Bengal, when Ali Gohur 'made his efcape 
from the attack of Gliazee ul Dien Khan, in Delhi, as 
related under the reign of Aulumgeer. He haftened firff 
to Sujah ul Dowlah, foubahdar of Oude; and afterwards 
fought protection with Mohammed Koollee Khan, fou¬ 
bahdar of Allahabad. This nobleman was a young man 
of courage ; and, being ambitious of enlarging the limits 
of his government, he was eafily tempted, by the difor- 
ders in Bahar and Bengal, to attempt their conqueft un¬ 
der the royal fanfiion; for which purpofe he offered his 
fervices to the fugitive prince, who readily accepted them. 
Mohammed Koollee was alfo fupported in his hopes by 
affurances of aid from Sujah u! Dowlah, his coufin; who, 
however, was not fincere; and only promoted the expe¬ 
dition iii order to remove his relation from the fort of 
Allahabad, which he wifned to feize foi‘ hirnfeif. 
In 1759, Mohammed Koollee Khan, under the royal 
ftandard of Ali Gohur, who had procured from his father, 
the Mogul emperor, grants of Bengal, Bahar, and Orifia, 
began his march towards Patna, to receive the tribute. 
When rajah Ramnarain heard of his approach, he was 
much alarmed ; as neither Meer.Jaffier, nor his allies, the 
Englifli, had yet moved from Moorfhedabad. The dignity 
of the royal name, and the terror of a Mogul army, filled 
his mind with dread, and made him act with caution. 
He pitched his camp at a little diftancC from the city, re- 
foiving to join either the prince, or the nabob and the 
Englifli, whichever fliould firff arrive. Hearing that the 
royal army hud crofted the Carumnaffa, and that Meer 
Jaffier had not yet left the capital, he thought it wifeft to 
treat with the former; but firff a fixed the advice of Mr. 
Amyatt, the chief of the Englifli faffory, then at Patna; 
obferving, thatwithout the arrival of the nabob’s army, 
he was unable to cope with the enemy.” Mr. Amyatt 
replied, that “ as to hirnfeif, if affiftan.ee arrived, he would 
remain at Patna ; but if not, on the near approach, of the 
enemy, he would retire towards Bengal, and wait the or¬ 
ders of council, cr contingency of events; that as for 
Ramnarain, he fliould try to amufe the enemy as long as 
he could, till orders or help arrived from the nabob ; but, 
in cafe he was hard pufhed, to proceed as he fliould find 
moft for his own advantage and fafety.” 
Upon the approach of the prince nearer Patna, Mr 
Amyatt, with the reft cf the Englifli, embarked in their 
boats, and retired twenty or thirty cofs towards Bengal, 
leaving their factory under the protection of Ramnarain; 
who now determined to vifit the prince and Mohammed 
Koollee Khan. In a little time he reached the royal 
camp; and being obliged to undergo all the ceremonies 
of royal audience, which he had never before been ac- 
cuftomed to, he approached the throne with a terrified 
afpeCt, and parched lips, to prefent his offering. He was 
then invefted with a klielaut, or drefs ; but, as he had 
hirnfeif till now been only a beftower of Rich prefents, he 
was wearied with the numerous obeifances, ufually made 
on receiving every feparate piece. When this was over, 
having flood and recollected hirnfeif a little, and rolled 
his eyes over the wretched appearance of the prince, and 
the ftrange manners of his attendants, he, with contempt 
of hirnfeif for having fub.mitted to the interview, haftened 
back to Patna, where he iffued immediate orders to fliut 
the gates, and man the walls of the city. For fome days 
he continued to amufe the prince, and Mohammed Koollee 
Khan, with trifling prefents and meffages, in order to pre¬ 
vent hoftilities till the arrival of Jaffier’s army; and when 
he received intelligence that the nabob’s Ion Meeraun, 
and colonel Clive, were approaching from Moorfhedabad, 
A a lie 
