Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/53

Book I. only leader deemed capable of exciting intestine commotions. But the resentment of Nizam-al-muluck still remained to be appeased, which could only be done by remitting to him those large arrears of revenues which the Nabob Doast-ally, availing himself of the convulsions of the empire, had withheld. Subder-ally therefore was convinced that a storm would break upon him from this quarter as soon as Nizam-al-muluck himself should have none to fear from Delhi: but as this time was not yet come, he determined not to exhnust his treasures from the apprehension of dangers, which, although probable, were still uncertain; he amused Nizam-al-muluck with humble excuses, founded on the poverty to which he pretended to be reduced by the incursion of the Morattoes, and even demeaned himself so far as to give out he intended to go to Arabia, and there spend the remainder of his days in acts of devotion at the tomb of his prophet.

The poverty to which he pretended to be reduced was as little real as the spirit of devotion which he affected, for the greatest part of his father's treasures had been preserved under the care of his mother, when she took refuge in Pondicherry However, the late calamities left such an impression of terror upon his mind, that he did hot venture to keep his court in the open and defenceless city of Arcot, but took up his residence in Velore, which was well fortified, and its citadel built two hundred years ago by the Morattoes, the strongest in the Carnatic: with the same spirit of precaution he sent the women and children of his family, together with his treasures, to Madrass; giving this preference to the English nation by the advice of Meerassud, who already suspected the connexions which subsisted between Chunda-saheb and Mr. Dupleix, the governor of Pondicherry. From Velore the Nabob made several visits to his family at Madrass, and these journies were reported to Nizam-al-muluck as proofs of his intention to proceed from thence by sea to Mecca.

The commanders of all the towns and forts in the Carnatic had been assessed in sums proportioned to their incomes, which were levied at stated periods, in order to discharge the ransom of the province due to the Morattoes. The government of Velore was the