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 672 IllSTOllY OF INDIA. [Book I J I.

A.u. 1701 in his camp. A friendly understanding was easily formed, and they returned

together to Patna. Here, Meer Cossim, after betraying great jealoasy of the

c(ommo- new connection which the Company had thus formed, was induced to acknow-

il:itioii with I •■ f>,, i i

siiahAiuin Icdge Shall Alum as emperor, and received formal investiture from him of the provinces of Bengal, Beliar, and Orissa, on an engagement to pay an annual revenue of twenty- four lacs of rupees. Shah Alum shortly after took his departure for the west, intending to endeavour to obtain possession of his capital. Carnac escorted him to the confines of Behar, and, on parting, received a new offer of the dewannee for the Company.

Severity of Mccr Cossim being thus relieved from all apprehension of a foreign invader,

Sim's gov- was able to give his undivided attention to domestic affairs, and displayed abun- dance of vigour, though of a more than questionable description. The greatest difficulty of his predecessor had been an empty treasury. It was this which kept his army constantly in a state of mutiny, and furnished the council of Cal- cutta with the only plausible ground for deposing him. Meer Cossim's first object therefore was to supply himself with money, both to meet present demands and supply funds for future emergencies. With this view he was rigid in calling the collectors and farmers of the pubhc revenue to account. When balances were due, he was undoubtedly entitled to exact them, but the mere wealth of the parties was often held to be sufficient evidence of their guilt, and large sums were extorted by cruelty and terror. Of all the .subordinate governors none was supposed to have accumulated so much wealth as the Hindoo Ram narain; and Meer Cossim, who hated him as cordially as Meer Jaffier had done, was determined at once to gratify his hatred and his avarice by destroying him. It was necessary, however, to proceed with caution. Ramnarain had obtained a guarantee of his personal safety from Clive, and had subsequently rendered important service by resisting the attempts of Shah Alum and his confederates to obtain a permanent footing in the province. He was thus under the special protection of the Company, and seemed consequently secure from direct personal violence. Still he was liable to account. Meer Cossim called upon him to do so, and was met by delays and evasions. This was just as he had anticipated ; and he had little difficulty in making out a plausible case of complaint to the governor and council of Calcutta. How could he carry on the government, and how, moreover, could he discharge the obligations he had imdertaken to the Company, if, through their interference, one of the largest collectors of the revenue was emboldened to withhold pajonent, and even set him at defiance? Unfortunately the civil and military authorities took opposite views on the sub-

Qnaiieiasto ject. Major Camac and Colonel Coote, who had superseded him on his an-ival

Ramnarain.

from Madras, believed that Meer Co.ssim, in calling for accounts, was merely employing a subterfuge to further his designs on Ramnarain's life. They had too good grounds for this belief; for they were not only aware of the nabob's anxiety to get the Hindoo into his power, but had been offeied large bribes to