Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/609

 Crap. X.j OLIVE'S MARCH '"Co

descended from menace to entreaty, and made overtures for an accommodation, ad 1757. To this Meer Jaffier assented, and, during a visit which the nabob paid to him, swore upon tlie Koran that he would neither join nor give assistance to the English. This was of course in direct contradiction to the oath of the treaty ; but Meer Jaffier had no scioiples, and was ready to commit any amount of perjury when anything could be gained by it. The nabob felt so secure after this recon- ciliation with his paymaster-general, that on the loth he sent a letter to Clive, inveighing bitterly against the treachery manifested by Mr. Watts, whom con- scious guilt alone had forced to flee. "Suspicion," he said, "that some trick wa.s intended, liad been the real cause which induced him to keep his army so long at Plassey; but God and the Prophet would puuisli tho.se by whom the treaty was violated." As soon as he had thus committed him.self to hostilities, he ordered the whole of his army to assemble forthwith at their former encamp- ment at Plassey, and also wrote M. Law, who had proceeded with his soldiers no farther than Rajamahal, to join him with the utmost expedition.

The nabob's message of defiance must have passed another which Clive, on ciive',.stiie.

nient of

commencing his march, had addressed to him. After enumerating all the grieT.ame*. grievances, real and imaginary, to which the English had been subjected by the nabob's caprice, violence, and perfidy, he announced that he had determined, with the approbation of all who are charged with the Company's affairs, 1 1 proceed immediately to Cossimbazar, and submit their disputes to the arbitra- tion of Meer Jaffier, RoyduUub, Juggut Seat, and others of his great men; that if it should appear he (Clive) deviated from the treaty, he then swore to give up all further claims; but that if it appeared his excellenc}- had broken it, he should then demand satisfaction for all the losses sustained by the English, and all thf charges of their army and navy. He added, in conclusion, "that the rains being so near, and it requiring many days -to receive an answer, he found it necessary to wait upon him immediately." Clive, in quitting Chandemagore, left only 100 sailors to garrison it, and set out at the head of about 3000 men, of whom 800 were Europeans. The artillery consisted of eight six-pounder?

and a howitzer. Bold as he was, he would not have ventured to commence uismaroh

fn>ni Chan- operations with this force had he not trusted to the promise of Meer Jaffier .iema.;..re

to join him. With great anxiety, therefore, he continued his march day by day, while Meer Jaffier, not only did not make his appearance, but returned no answer to repeated messages which were sent to him. It was not until the 17th, when the army had advanced far on its way, and, by means of a detach- ment sent forward under Captain Coote, had captured the towTi and fort of Cutwali, situated at the confluence of the Hadjee with the Bhagaruttee, that the first letter from Meer Jaffier arrived. Its content^ were very unsatisfactory, for, instead of announcing his approach to form the promised junction, it s[)oke in rather ambiguous terms of the reconciliation with the nabob, and the oath by which he had bound himself not to take part against him. Meer Jaffier

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