Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/387

Book V. forces: for as it was Mr. Dupleix's custom to remove the commander after a defeat, no less than six had been employed by him in this station with equal ill success since the beginning of the year 1752: the only man of distinguished capacity who served under him, was Mr. Bussy, and his conduct to this officer shewed that he knew the value of merit and was capable of employing it to the utmost advantage; for although Mr. Bussy had by his expedition to the north-ward acquired much reputation, and a great fortune, he beheld his successes without the least envy, and implicitly followed his advice in all affairs of which Mr. Bussy, by his situation, might be a better judge than himself; from whence it may be presumed, that instead of persecuting he would have agreed as well with Mr. De la Bourdounais, if this officer had come into India with a commission dependant on his authority; but his pride could not with patience see an equal pursuing schemes so different from his own, in a country where he was laying the foundation of so much greatness and reputation for himself. Here, therefore, envy obscured his understanding, and warped his mind to injustice: in his private life he is nevertheless acknowledged to have been friendly and generous to such as had any merit, without being implacably severe to those whose incapacity or misconduct disconcerted his schemes. The murder of Nazir-jing is the only act of atrocious iniquity which is imputed to him; but even in this no proofs have ever appeared that he either instigated the Pitan Nabobs, or concurred with them in planning the assassination of that prince. He no sooner quitted Pondicherry than the antipathy, which many had conceived against him, from the haughtiness and pride of his demeanor, subsided; and all his countrymen concurred in thinking that his dismission from the government of Pondicherry was the greatest detriment that could have happened to their interests in India.

The treaties were published on the 11th of January, the day on, which the former suspension of arms ended, and two days after Mr. Saunders quitted the government of Madrass, and proceeded to England. At the end of January Mr. Watson, with his squadron, arrived from Bombay at Fort St. David, having made the passage against a contrary monsoon, with almost as much expedition as if they had sailed at a favourabl sason of the year. In the beginning