Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/156

150 camp, and were at this very time secreted in the factory at Cossimbuzar. The Nabob believing this intelligence, sent a mob of servants and troops to examine the factory, where they found only eight Topasses and 40 Europeans, of which some were French deserters, and the rest were the English gunners whom he had borrowed for the service of his own artillery, and had lately returned. Nevertheless his suspicions that the English intended to move towards Muxadavad continued, and induced him to reconcile himself with Meer Jaffier, whom he ordered to proceed immediately with 15,000 men, to reinforce Roydoolub at Plassy. Believing, likewise, that the English ships of war could proceed up the great arm of the Ganges to the northern point of the island of Cossimbuzar, and then come down the Cossimbuzar river to Muxadavad, he commanded large piles to be fixed across the river at Sootey, about 20 miles above the city. Such was his extreme ignorance. He at the same time instructed Mr. Law to remain with his men at Boglipore, half way between the pass of Tacriagully and Patna, and his officers in Behar to supply all their wants. In this conjuncture Meer Jaffier, fearing that by a refusal to proceed to Plassy, he should turn the Nabob's suspicions upon himself, obeyed with appearance of alacrity, and marched from the city on the 29th of April, but left his agent to carry on the correspondence with Mr. Watts, who, to remove as much as possible all suspicious appearances, ordered the detachment which had been stopped at Cutwah to return to Calcutta; he at the same time dispatched Mr. Scrafton to the select committee, and on the 6th of May received their resolutions concerning the treaty with Jaffier, when, in concert with Jaffier's agent, whom we suppose to be still the Armenian Petrus, they established positive sums to the articles stipulating monies. The rains detained the agent in the city till the 12th, when he went to Plassy, and returned on the 14th, with assurances, that Meer Jaffier had consented freely to all the articles; but requested that the confederacy might be kept secret from Omichund, whom he regarded as an intriguing Gentoo without fortitude or honesty.