Page:History of the French in India.djvu/128

 106 THE RISE OF THE FRENCH POWER IN INDIA. of cavalry, escaped to Vellur. The immediate result was that Anwaru-din, who was no relation of the old 1745. family, was appointed permanent Nawwab of the Karnatik. This was the man to whom, in the difficult circum- stances in which he was placed, the Governor of Pondi- chery made his appeal. He reminded him of the long- standing frendship between his predecessors and the French nation ; of the moral support and protection to the families of those predecessors given at the time of the Maratha invasion ; he alluded to the conciliatory disposition always shown by the French ; to their de- sire to be at peace with all around them ; and he urged upon the Nawwab to prevent, by his authority, the aggression of the other European nation occupying a portion of the seaboard of the Karnatik, upon those who had always been friends to his predecessors, and whose Governor was himself a high officer of the Mughal. Anwaru-din was not insensible to the force and reason of this appeal. Neither of the European powers on the Koromandel coast had shown up to that point any aggressive tendencies, nor had then the superiority of the European soldier in the field been demonstrated in any way. It was natural that he should desire to maintain peace in his jurisdiction and its dependencies, and it is very probable — indeed, subsequent events proved — that he was not at all insensible to the marks of friendship and cordiality which the rulers of Pondi- chery had always evinced. He therefore sent a press- ing message to the Governor of Madras, informing him that he would not permit any attack on the possessions of the French on the Koromandel coast. The despotic character of this resolution he endeavoured to soften by a show of fairness ; for he informed Mr. Morse, at the same time, that should hereafter the French power pre- ponderate, he would use the same authority to prevent