Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/291

Book VIII. return: he then ordered a part of his army to march on to Muxadavad, and kept the rest to amuse himself with in huntings along the hills; but consented that Roydoolub should accompany Clive, in order to discharge the deficiencies of the balances of money due on the treaties. Thus ended this political campaign, in which an army of 50,000 men had marched 300 miles out of their own province, and continued four months in the field, without firing a musket; but produced the full accomplishment of all that Clive intended, who maintained his decision over all interests, by not yielding to the prejudices of partiality, or the proffers of private advantage. The French party which had escaped from Dacca to Rungpore, had raised a mud fort not far from the foot of the mountains' on the bank of the river Testa, in which they maintained themselves unmolested, until Cossim Ally, the Phousdar of the country, received the Nabob's orders to attack them; when they were surrounded by a great number of his people, who in less than a month reduced them to famine; on which they embarked in their boats, and went down the river, intending to regain the Great Ganges; but were followed and harassed so much, that they landed again, but on the other side of the river, and marched to the neighbouring town of Dinagepore, the capital of a Rajah, who with much timidity was a good man, which Mr. Courtin knowing, refrained from any violence to his people; who were all as timorous as the Rajah himself, and maintained the party with provisions, until an officer at Mr. Courtin's request came from Cossimbuzar, to whom they surrendered prisoners, and were received with some terms of indulgence. Their number was reduced from 30 Europeans to 11, and from 100 to 30 Sepoys.

The small number of troops left in Calcutta after the army took the field with Col. Clive was not sufficient to keep up the necessary guards with sufficient strictness; which encouraged the French prisoners to attempt their escape. The building of the gaol was not sufficient to hold them; and, as the enclosure had very high walls, they were