Page:History of the French in India.djvu/491

 465 CHAPTER XL CHANDRANAGAR AND THE DAKHAN. Chandranagar, after the departure of Dupleix in 1741 to take up the Governor-Generalship of French India, chap had not long continued under the influence of the im- s pulse which he had given to it. Whether it was that 1756. his successors were restricted in their powers, or were too indolent ; that the duties on commercial enterprise amounted almost to a prohibition of trade ; that it was neglected by the Home Government ; or, more pro- bably, from a combination of all these causes ; it is certain that its once flourishing trade had decreased, that it was burdened with debts, and that it was being maintained at a loss. In 1756, the Chief of the settle- ment was M. Renault de St. Germain, whilst the de- pendent factory of Kasim-bazar came early in the year under the charge of M. Law. The garrison in the former place consisted of 146 Europeans and 300 sipahis.* Law had with him about a score of European and sixty native soldiers. The calamity which had overwhelmed Calcutta in monstrate the absolute necessity of sending us such assistance as would place this settlement beyond the chance of similar misfortunes " (such as had happened to the English). " We received 67 sipahis and a de- tachment of 61 Europeans, of whom 45 were invalids, which added to the 85 Europeans we then had, made 146 Europeans. We expected then every day to learn that war had been de- clared against England, and there was preparing at the time a consider- able armament to re-take Calcutta.'* This extract, is decisive as to the number of Europeans. HH the number of the French garrison as at least 300 Europeans and 300 natives. That Clive and Watson be- lieved these to hare been their num- bers we cannot doubt, nor equally, that the same impression prevailed amongst the English iu India gene- rally. It is nevertheless incontestable that the numbers given by us in the text are correct. In the official des- patch sent by M. Renault to Count Lally regarding the events connected with the loss of Chandranagar we find the following statement :— 44 In every letter we used the strongest and most touching language to de-
 * All the English historians g^ive