Page:History of the French in India.djvu/446

 420 THE FALL OF DUPLEIX. chap, upon the credulity of certain members of the French Company's Direction. These were simple enough to 1754. believe that their most deadly enemies and rivals were capable of giving them purely disinterested advice ; that they wished for the removal of Dupleix as much for the advantage of the French as of their own Com- pany. We need scarcely observe that those tactics ought to have made the French more reluctant to part with the man whom their rivals would have removed. Passion, however, never reasons ; it seeks rather excuses wherewith to a cloak its own darling plans. In this instance it so worked upon the French Directors, that a majority was gradually brought round to the idea that French and English interests would be alike consulted by removing from his post the man who was the firmest supporter of the former, the most determined foe of the latter. It was not, however, all at once that they fell into this snare. For a long time, indeed, Duvalaer con- tinued to defend Dupleix, and to retort against Saunders the accusation which they piled upon the head of the French Governor. But not the less insidiously did the poison work. Not the less did the impression gradually become disseminated that Dupleix was the sole obstacle to a good understanding. The prudent boldness of the English Ministry favoured this view. Without actually declaring that they saw no hope of a cessation of hostilities so long as Dupleix should remain Governor, yet letting it plainly appear that such was their belief, they equipped four ships of war, embarked a full regiment on board, and des- patched them ostentatiously under the orders of Admiral Watson to the East Indies. Well would it have been for Dupleix, well for France herself, if the Company of the Indies had been able to answer this demonstration by an assurance that peace had already been concluded between the two