Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/346

338 the Decan, and the immediate release of the French prisoners taken during the war: the English, in return for their acquiescence to these two articles, were to be exempted from the ground rent of Madrass, a small fine formerly paid to the government of Arcot; they were to keep possession of the country of Ponomalee; and some establishment was to be made for Mahomed-ally after his difference with the Mysorean concerning Tritchinopoly was conciliated. It was impossible to have made proposals more directly opposite; for by acknowledging; Salabad-jing without restrictions, the French would become arbiters of the fate of the English in the Carnatic, as they would of the French, if Mahomed-ally was acknowledged: so that each side required of the other to give up every thing before they had well begun to treat of any thing. However the business did not stop, and the French deputies produced seven patents, which they called their authorities for interfering as they had done, in the affairs of the Mogul government, and for making the present demands: two of these were patents from Murzafa-jing; one appointing Mr. Dupleix commander in all the countries from the river Kristna to the sea; the other, Chunda-saheb; governor of the Carnatic: four were from Salabad-jing; two confirming the two foregoing; another giving the countries of Arcot and Tritchinopoly to Mr. Dupleix after the death of Chunda-saheb; the other appointing Mortiz-ally of Velore, lieutenant under Mr. Dupleix in these countries: the seventh and last piece, which the French called the most authentic, was a letter from the Great Mogul, confirming all that Salabad-jing had done in favour of Mr. Dupleix and his allies. The French deputies then asked what titles the English had to produce; who replied that they consisted of patents from Nazir-jing, Gazi-o-din Khan, and the Great Mogul, appointing Mahomed-ally Nabob of the Carnatic: here again was a flat contradiction, and of such a nature as could not be adjusted without sending the deputies to Delhi. The French, notwithstanding, insisted that the titles should be examined; and being told that the Nabob's were at Tritchinopoly, desired that they might be immediately sent for; nevertheless they in the mean time delivered copies of their own to be scrutinized by the English deputies. But Mr. Saunders, convinced that this examination would multiply discussions, without removing any of the suspicions