Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/581

 Chap. X.] DELIBERATIONS AT MADRAS. -3+7

I

CHAPTER X.

Deliberations at Madras — Armament sails for Bengal — Recapture of Calcutta — Naval and military operations — Treaty of peace with the nabob — Capture of the French factory at Chandernagore — Recommencement of hostilities — Conspiracy to depose the nabob — The battle of Plassey.

"^ ' '' HE first intelligence of the danger impending over the Com- ..d. nse. pany's settlements in Bengal reached Madras on the loth of July. It was not sent off till after the capture of the factory at Cossimbazar, and consequently left room only for conjecture ^ as to what might have happened subsec^uently to that event. Judging by what had happened on other occasions, the Madras presidency did cjt«te of not view the matter in a very serious liglit. Native governors had repeatedly Madras. threatened as much, and even done more violence, and yet allowed themselves to be bought oft' at last by a sum of money before proceeding to extremities. . Why might not the same thing be repeated now ? These and similar consi- derations had the more weight at Madi'as, because that settlement had then full employment for the force at its command. An application had been made l)y Salabut Jmig for assistance to throw oft" his connection with the French, and it had been resolved to gi-ant it. A war with France was also regarded as inevi- table, and it was known that the French government in the prospect of it were preparing a ]iowerful armament for the East. In such an event Admiral Wat- son's squadron, then lying in the roads, would scarcely be able when united to maintain its ground, and therefore nothing but the direst necessity would justify the despatch of any portion of it to Bengal. The same argument applied to the land force. It was impossible, however, after the intelligence which had l)een received, to ignore it entirely, and a detachment of 230 men, mostly Europeans, was despatched for Bengal in the Company's ship Delaware, which had recently arrived from England. It sailed on the 20th of July, and arriving in the Hooghly on the 2d of August, found the fugitives pining away at Fulta. Sickly and dispirited as they were no co-operation was to be expected from them, and the detachment, far too feeble to venture unaided on offensive ope- rations, had no alternative but to encamp in the vicinity of Fulta, whose deadly sM-amps soon made fearful havoc among them.

On the 5th of Aug-ust the full extent of the Bengal cata.stro})iie became An exjwdi known at Madras. There was now no room for conjecture. The nabob had not gai re»->ive.i been bought off", as many had too readily and com})lacently assumed, but had, "'*"" under circumstances of ineffable barbarity, inflicted on the Company a heavier blow than had ever been sustained before. The most flourishing and productive