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 276 FRENCH INDIA AT ITS ZENITH. chap, the necessity of the case, disposed Dupleix at this ' m, period to consolidate his conquests by a definite peace. 1750. Peace, however, was utterly impossible so long as the rival candidate for the governorship of the Karnatik, Muhammad Ali, was at large maintaining his preten- sions. This chieftain, seeing that by the death of Nasir Jang, his chances of dominion had been reduced almost to zero, abandoned by the English, and without following, had fled, on the news of the defeat, to Trichinapalli, behind whose walls he had once before found refuge. Dupleix, who had on that previous occasion experienced the delays and difficulties attend- ing the attack by a native army on a fortified town, was particularly anxious to induce the fugitive nobleman to enter into some arrangement, by which, in virtue of some concessions made to him, he would engage to recognise the new order of things. He was the more hopeful that negotiations to this effect might succeed, as Muhammad Ali was now literally abandoned by all the world. To his gratification and surprise the first over- tures for this object came from Muhammad Ali himself. Raja Januji, one of the Maratha leaders who had been with Nasir Jang, and had subsequently transferred his temporary services to his successor, was charged by Muhammad Ali with a proposal to recognise Chanda Sahib as Nawwab of the Karnatik* and to make over to him the city of Trichinapalli and its dependencies on condition (1) that he should be put in possession of the treasures left by his father, no inquiry being made into his administration, (2) that the Subadar should engage to give him another government in the Dakhan. Dupleix eagerly embraced these terms, and requested Januji to inform Muhammad Ali of his acceptance of them. This led to the opening of a correspondence between the French Governor and Muhammad Ali, throughout which the latter ardently expressed his desire to be reconciled to the Subadar.