Page:The military history of the Madras engineers and pioneers, from 1743 up to the present time (IA militaryhistoryo01viba).pdf/32

2 MILITARY HISTORY OF THE Up to the year 1715 the English governors had merely been at the bend of trading establishments, but war having been declared between France and England in 1714, and an English feet having appeared on the coast with the view of destroying the French settlements, changed the course of affairs.

At this period two nawabs of the Carnatic had been assassinated in succession After the death of the first, Subder Ali (the brother-in-law of Chunda Sahib), Nizam-ul-Mulk, the Subudar of the Deccan, proceeded to Arcot, in the beginning of 1743, with an immense army, and found the Carnatic at his disposal. The young son of Subder Ali had just before his arryal been proclaimed Nawab in his father's place. The Carnatic was, however, in a state of anarchy. “Every petty commandant of a fort assumed the title of Nawab, and no less than eighteen of these little nawabs were introduced to the Nizam in a day. He threatened to scourge the first person who should in the future usurp the title, and named Anwar-u-Din Nawab." He further arranged that when the boy-prince came of age, he would be made Nasab; Anwar-u-Din meantime being his guardian.

In March 1744 the Nizam left the Carnatic, and three months after the boy-nawab was murdered at a wedding fast. It was believed that the murder was instigated by Anwar - n-Din and Mortiz Ali (the uncle of the young Nawab). Nevertheless, Nizam-ul-Mulk confirmed Anwar-u-Din in the post of Nawab; and when war broke out between the French and English he was at the head of affairs in the Carnatic. At this time the English were in possession of two settlements-one at Madras; and the other at Fort St. David, near the mouth of the Ponniar river, and twelve miles south of the French settlement of Pondichierry, which was about 100 miles south of Madras The Dutch had settlements at Pulicat (twenty-four miles north of Madras), and at Sadras (forty miles south of it).

In 1745 the forts at Madras (St. George), and at the Poppiar