reforms and retrenchments was soon apparent in the flourishing condition of his treasury; but the emperor, who dare not proceed to Dehly, and had not foregone his intentions upon Bengal, the emperor. had remained near its northern frontier. Major Carnac, who had succeeded Calliaud in the command of the forces, was deputed to watch his movements; and in January, Position of The emperor 1761, advanced on the emperor's camp, and defeated him. On this occasion, M. Law and his French party were taken prisoners; and Carnac, who had received instructions from Mr. Vansittart, visited the emperor, and invited him joins Carnac. to Patna, whither he accompanied him. The fact of his sovereign being an honoured guest in the English camp, excited the alarm and jealousy of Meer Cassim in no ordinary degree; but his own plans were not matured, and he sullenly submitted to be created Viceroy of Bengal, at the same time agreeing to pay twenty-four lacs of rupees per year to the emperor—a miserable sum, if it be remembered that Aliverdy Khan, after providing for all local expenditure, used to remit upwards of a million sterling, year by year, to the imperial treasury. There was now no pretence for detaining the emperor, who, accompanied by Carnac as far as the frontier of Behar, proceeded towards Dehly; but before his final departure, he had offered to the English company the dewany, or the English. financial management of Bengal. dewany of Meer Meer Cassim Meer Cassim was now secure in his office; and, as Meer Jaffier had attempted, began exactions from the principal officers, who, under his father-in-law's lax administraexactions. tion, were reputed to have amassed wealth. Carnac and Coote would have protected Rám Narráin of Patna, who had so often proved faithful; but his English friends were withdrawn, and he was shamefully abandoned to the Nawab by Mr. Vansittart, and mercilessly despoiled. Meer Cassim, however subservient he might find his English friends at times, yet heartily desired freedom from interference. With the emperor he was fully able removes to to cope; but he dreaded the English, was powerless to do anything at Moorshidabad, and he therefore removed his residence to Mongheer, 320 miles from Calcutta. There he believed himself secure; and, with the aid of one Petrus, an Armenian, and other adventurers, he began secretly to cast cannon, and to make muskets and accoutrements for a native army. In 1762, the famous dispute in regard to transit duties, and the dustuks or passes which could be granted by the company's officers and which exempted merchants from payment of Custom dues, had reached a high pitch; and there was no doubt the privilege had Mongheer. He is defeated by Major Carnac. Visits Meer The emperor offers the Peter III., emperor of Russia. Disputes with the English regarding Custom duties. been shamefully abused. Mr. Vansittart even visited the Nawab at Mongheer, who, so far from supporting his view of the subject, abolished all transit duty whatever, and threw open the trade. This was considered, if possible, a more unjustifiable act than his interference with the dustuks; and at this juncture, a boat or boats, which had some arms for the garrison of the factory at Patna on board, was seized by the Nawáb's officers. Two Their congentlemen of the factory, Messrs. Hay and Amyatt, were sequences, deputed to require their release; but the Nawab refused the request unless Mr. Ellis, the chief of the factory, was removed. Mr. Hay was detained as a hostage, but Mr. Amyatt was allowed to return. Mr. Ellis, a violent man, considering the Nawáb's demeanour to be unequivocally hostile, now seized upon the city of Patna. He could not however maintain his position, and proceeded up the river; but was intercepted and brought back. Meer Cassim now threw off the mask, and issued orders for all the English to be apprehended. Mr. Amyatt, who was travelling, resisted the order, and was killed. Mr. Amyatt is killed. again pro Nawab. Peace of Catherine II., Russia. War with who is de Cutwah, Both parties prepared for war; and the English, as if unable to act except under the authority of a native prince, withdrew the aged Meer Jaffier from his obscurity in Calcutta, and, in Meer Jaffler spite of his inveterate leprosy, on July 7, 1763, pro- claimed claimed him Nawáb, and having secured from him a grant of the three districts, and the other agreements Par of Meer Cassim, marched with him to Moorshidabad. Meanwhile, Meer Cassim had set out with a powerful empress of force to meet the English. His troops had been disciplined by a Swiss of the name of Sumroo, who had Meer Cassim, been a sergeant in Law's corps, and his artillery and small arms were excellent. On July 19, the English force, which consisted of 650 Europeans and 1,200 Sepoys, met the feated at Nawab's army at Cutwah, and defeated it; but it rallied and again at and gave battle again at Gheriah, on August 2, when Gherlah. the Nawab's troops fought with unusual resolution, but were again routed and lost all their guns. The double defeat Murders and enraged the Nawab beyond endurance, and he gave full by Meer rein to his passion and ferocity. Rám Narráin was cast into the Ganges, as were also the great Sett bankers of Moorshidabad, then at Mongheer; and Rajah Ráj Bullub, another friend of the English, was put to death, with all his family. On the Nawab's arrival at Patna, he directed the English prisoners to be slaughtered, and the bloody work was done by Sumroo, prisoners put who fired volleys into their prison rooms till all, upwards of 200 souls, were dead. The English were, however, advancing to revenge their countrymen; the Nawab's army, which had again rallied executions Cassim. The English to death. The Nawab defeated at at Owda-Nulla, near Mongheer, was 60,000 in number, and had placed 100 guns in position; but the English, though Owda-Nulla. only 3,000 strong, Europeans and natives, stormed the position, captured the guns, and the Fort of Mongheer was taken after a short siege. by Major Hector The Nawab had fled to the vizier of Oudh, and formed a league with him. Early in 1764, these confederates, who had been joined by the emperor, marched upon Patna, which was assaulted on May 3, 1764; but it was defended by English troops, and the vizier's army retired to Buxar, where it encamped during the rains. Before a new campaign could open, Major Hector Munro had taken command of the army; but the native portion of it, which was very considerable, and was flushed by victory, was in a condition of serious mutiny, demanding large Is suppressed donations and increased rates of pay. One regiment of Sepoys marched off with their arms to join the Munro. enemy, but were pursued and brought back. Major Munro's conduct at this trying period is beyond praise; but it was not till the ringleaders had been tried, and many of them executed, that the Sepoys returned to their obedience, and, to Victory of prove their faith, demanded to be led against the enemy. The confederates had an army of 30,000 men. Munro's forces consisted of 857 Europeans, 5,297 Sepoys, and 918 native cavalry, with 20 field pieces; in all 7,072 men -the largest English force which had as yet assembled in India. On October 22, he arrived at Buxar, and was met by the enemy, whom he completely defeated. 130 pieces of cannon were taken, and only that a bridge, over which the enemy passed, had been broken down by them, the whole of their treasure and jewels, which were estimated at 3,000,000l. sterling in value, must have fallen into the victors' hands. 4,000 of the enemy perished, and Major Munro lost 847 in killed and sequences. wounded. The consequences of this victory were immense; the whole of Bengal lay at the disposal of the company. The vizier of Oudh had irretrievably lost both prestige and power, and the emperor had no resource but to place himself under English protection. Buxar. Its con Mongheer taken. Alliance between Meer Cassim and the vizier of Oude. Mutiny of the English army. CHAPTER XV. EVENTS IN BENGAL (continued), FROM THE BATTLE OF BUXAR TO THE DEPARTURE OF LORD CLIVE, 1764 TO 1767. joins the AFTER the defeat of his allies at Buxar, the emperor voluntarily joined the English, and opened negotiations with the The emperor Council at Calcutta in regard to the disposition of the English. Oudh territory, which was declared to be forfeit. The Negotiations. Council proposed to divide it with the emperor, retaining the southern portion; but the negotiation was ultimately broken off, and was not resumed. On the other hand, the vizier was also negotiating; but he evaded Munro's demand for the surrender of Meer Cassim, whom, after despoiling of much of his wealth, he allowed to escape, and of Sumroo, whom, however, he coolly proposed to assassinate. The army, therefore, advanced towards Allahabad, and invested Chunargurh; but it was inactive, and as, for want of money, no extensive operations could be carried on, Munro resigned his command. In the hope of recruiting their now exhausted finances, the Council sent for Meer Jaffier Not only was the public service to be provided for, but dimculties of the shameless demands for private presents and losses their were pursued with even more than usually stringent rapacity, even to the neglect of the public interests, which, indeed, seem to have been of very secondary consideration. The finances of the Nawab, were, however, as low as those of his friends; and, already worn out by anxieties, disease, and age, he died Death of at Moorshidabad soon after his return there in January Meer Jaffer. 1765, but not before he had disbursed the enormous sum of fiftythree lacs―530,0007.—to the private claimants. Pecuniary the Council: rapacity. Fresh exac Meer Jaffier's death rendered a new appointment necessary, and Nujm-ood-Dowlah, his second son, was elected to Nujm-oodsucceed him. This event, as might have been expected, Dowlah. was too tempting, in regard to demands for presents, to be resisted; and in these days we read, with as much amazement as indignation, the sums which were demanded almost as tions by rights, and received without the least compunction, by the senior officers of the Calcutta Council. Among them, in various shares, was paid away no less than 138,3551. While by Mr. Mill's accounts ('Hist.' vol. iii. pp. 326-329) the totals of private donations received by individuals from the Moorshidabad treasury up to this period were 2,169,6551., the payments on account of the Council. 'restitutions,' had reached 3,770,8331., making a sum total of no less than 5,940,4981. Private individuals were indeed enriched beyond conception; but the public finances of the company were impoverished, notwithstanding their enormous extra receipts. By the treaty with the new Nawab, the military defence of the country was undertaken by the company, and a deputy, Mahomed Reza Khan, was appointed as the Nawab's representative and executive minister. Mr. Vansittart had returned to England, and Mr. Spencer, a civilian from Bombay, occupied his place. Clive is The Court of Directors were not, however, satisfied with the progress of affairs in Bengal. It was impossible for them to defend their servants from the imputations of scandalous rapacity which were becoming notorious, and it was even more unendurable that the public trade of the company should have been well-nigh extinguished by the private trade of its own servants. Clive was, therefore, requested to proceed again to Bengal. During his residence in England, requested to he had been elected an Irish peer; he was a member of Parliament, and aspired to be a director of the East India Company; but in this he had failed. There was a party in the court who virulently opposed him, and who had ordered a resumption of the payment of the revenue of his jahgeer, or estate, which obliged him to resort to an action at law; and it is probable these contentions would have continued, but for the dangers and embarrassments of Bengal, which he alone was considered capable of removing. In regard to the jahgeer, he agreed to relinquish it to the company after ten years, if he lived so long, and this closed the discussion. Lord Clive landed in proceed to Bengal. Calcutta Clive reaches Calcutta on May 3, 1765, and on the same day the Vizier of Oudh, with his Mahratta and Rohilla allies, was again defeated at Corah by General Carnac, and threw himself on the generosity of the English. It was a strange sight for the people of India to behold. Their emperor, and his most powerful subject, were alike suppliants for assistance and for consideration, at the hands of those who, not ten years before, were no more than humble merchants, and had been ignominiously expelled from Bengal. It was a situation which required the solution and direction of a master mind; and Lord Clive, after a brief survey of affairs in Calcutta, which disclosed to him unbounded rapacity and vice-and having declared that he would summarily dismiss from the service any servant of the company who refused to and joins the sign the new covenants which had been prepared in England left Calcutta on June 25, and proceeded to army. The Council undertakes the military defence of Bengal. Dissatisfac- Joseph II., emperor of Germany. Vizier of Oudh defeated. Clive proclaims the new government; |