Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/625

 "ciiAi- X.| THE NAROIW 'J'REASURES ARRIVK IN CALCUTTA. o[)l

extraordinary scene was exhibited in Calcutta. The spoils of Meer Jaffier's ad. its; treasury arrived. After a variety of discussions and equivocations, 7,271,0GG rupees, in coined silver, were received, packed in 700 chests, and despatched down the nver in 100 boats. At Nuddea these were joined by all the boats of Arrival of the squadron, and many others, the whole "proceeding with banners displayed, treiisun.* at

CalcutU.

and music sounding, as a triumphal procession, to contrast that in which the inhabitants of the Ganges had seen Surajah Dowlah returning the year before from the destruction of Calcutta. Never before," says Oime, from whom the whole quotation is made, " did the English nation, at one time, obtain such a prize in solid money ; for it amounted (in the mint) to £800,000 sterling." The refierence to the mint would scarcely be intelligible without the explanation that the coined silver was not the regular ciu"rency of the country, but collections of coins of various countries, which had been hoarded up in the treasury of Moor- shedabad by successive nabobs.

The arrival of so much money, and the distribution cf it }»artly among those Gmerai

(lifftision of

whom the pillage of Calcutta had ruined, naturally diffused universal joy. wealth Almost every femily found itself suddenly raised to affluence, commerce revived, and the whole settlement gave signs of rapid and unexampled pro.sperity. The benefits, however, were not without alloy. A most mercenary spirit was engendered, and, at a time when unusual generosity might have been expected, the meanest selfishness was unblushingly displayed. Clive, as we have seen, had not forgotten his own interests, and had shared in the spoil to an extent which cannot easily be justified, and which his most unqualified admirere must unite in deploring, as it gave his enemies a handle for the charges which em- bittered his life, and probably led to the act by which it was prematurely terminated. It must be admitted, however, that in all pecuniary arrangements where his comrades in arms or colleagues in council were concerned, Clive's conduct was characterized by a nice sense of honour and great disinterested ness, and in this respect often contrasts honourably with their rapaciousness. The select committee, while providing for themselves a most liberal com})en- sation in the event of Clive's success, were not willing to incur responsibility in the event of failure; and hence, after giving their express sanction to all pre- vious proceedings, and taking credit to themselves for " setting the machine in motion," addi-essed a letter to him, which could only be interpreted as a mere attempt to reap the profit without incurring any of the hazard. This letter was written before the battle of Plassey, and Clive, answering it after the b.attle, says: — "I cannot help thinking that had the expedition miscarried, you would have laid the whole blame on me." To another letter from the com- mittee, written the very day when the battle was fouMit, he thus reiilies: — " I '^""^ have received your letter of the 23d instant, the contents of which are so results indefinite and contradictory that I can put no other construction on it than an intent to clear yourself at my expense, had the expedition miscarried. It