Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/47

Book I. of the capital; after which, Subder-ally leaving Chunda-saheb to govern these new acquisitions, returned to his father at Arcot, who appointed Meer-assud, the preceptor of Subder-ally, to succeed Chunda-saheb in the office of Duan. THE new Duan was well acquainted with the ambitious character of his predecessor, and represented to Subder-ally the consequences which were to be apprehended from a man of such dangerous views, placed in a government of such importance. Subder-ally saw his error when it was too late to redress it; for when he represented to his father the necessity of recalling Chunda-saheb to Arcot, the Nabob, apprehensive of open ruptures in his family, and attached to his son-in-law from an opinion of his abilities, could not be induced to follow Meer-assud's advice.

CHUNDA-SAHEB hearing what had been attempted against him, took measures to secure himself: he put the city of Tritchinopoly in a good state of defence, and placed his two brothers in the strongest towns dependant on his sovereignty; Buda-saheb in Madura, and Saduck-saheb in Dindigul: but notwithstanding these preparations, he determined not to throw off his allegiance to the Nabob, before he should be openly attacked.

IN the mean time Nizam-al-muluck's resentments against the family of Doast-ally increased with their acquisitions; for, notwithstanding the independancy affected by Chunda-saheb, he did not doubt that the force of Tritchinopoly would always be united with that of Arcot, whenever danger from foreign powers should threaten either of the two governments. But his attention was for some years taken up by affairs of much greater importance than the reducing of this family to his obedience. At one time, he was prepared to join the Great Mogul, whom he wished to see dethroned, against Thamas Kouli Khan, whom he had invited to invade the Empire: and after the Persian left Indostan, he was obliged to keep his arms turned towards Delhi, where he was equally dreaded and detested. Thus prevented from marching into the Carnatic, he at length determined to give the Morattoes permission to attack it. By this measure he satisfied, in part., the obligations he lay under to that nation.