HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
449 
Company was established in all its possessions and privileges, as well as an indem¬ 
nification for every thing it had lost by the capture of Calcutta. As it was not 
supposed that this accommodation of the Nabob would last longer than it should 
suit his interests; and that he would break it as soon as he had concerted measures 
with the French for that purpose j the Admirals Watson and Pocock, with Colonel 
Clive, who commanded the land forces, attacked Chandernagore, the principal 
establishment of the French in this country, situated on the river, a little above 
Calcutta, which at length capitulated to their arms, on the 24th of March. Five 
hundred Europeans and seven hundred Blacks surrendered prisoners of war, with 
an hundred and eighty-three pieces of cannon, a considerable sum of money, and 
a large quantity of merchandize. The ferocious manners of the Nabob had even 
disgusted his own subjects; and as success is the only title of these chiefs to their 
possessions, Jaffier Aly Cawn, at that time one of the principal officers of his army, 
and among those who pretended to have a legal claim to the rank of Nabob, put 
himself at the head of a confederation against him, and demanded succour from the 
English. 
Without examining the rights of the rival Nabobs, it is sufficient for us to mention, 
that the English agreed to assist Jaffier, with whom they entered into a treaty: Colonel 
Clive accordingly opened the campaign in his favour, while the Admiral, in order to 
augment the land forces as much as possible, undertook to supply a garrison for Chan¬ 
dernagore, and sent him also fifty sailors to act as cannoneers: while a vessel of twenty 
guns was placed above Huegly, to preserve a communication between the land and 
sea forces. In the mean time the Surajah assembled an army of twenty thousand 
men, which was attacked by Colonel Clive on the 2 2d of June, and entirely defeated. 
This event encouraged Jaffier Aly Cawn, who had remained inactive in the last 
battle, to make an open declaration of his pretensions to the character of Nabob 1 
and, on the 26th of the same month, the English and his party marched to Maxa- 
davad, the capital of Bengal, where Colonel Clive placed him on the throne of the 
Nabobs, and he received, in the character of Subahdar, the distinct homage of 
Bengal, Bachar, and Orixa. As to the Surajah Dowla, his rival, when abandoned 
by his officers, he fled from the field of battle, and, being made prisoner, was put to 
death, as may be naturally supposed, by order of the conqueror. 
Thus the English, in thirteen days, gave a master to one of the richest, most exten¬ 
sive, as well as most populous kingdoms of the world. The new Nabob thought 
