dominion in this peninsula, his countrymen were disposed to listen to the remonstrances of the English, whose determination to put an end to French encroachments in this quarter was judiciously backed by the preparation of a formidable armament. The course taken by his government must have been galling in the extreme to Dupleix, who, however, had no alternative but to submit. He returned to France, and received, as the reward of his exertions, the basest ingratitude from all conditions of his fellow-countrymen.

The terms of the treaty of Pondicherry (1755), drawn up by M. Godeheu, and Mr. Saunders the English gover. nor, were, as a whole, advantageous to the English; but the treaty was operative only in closing hostilities between the two subscribing powers. No arrangement their European allies might choose to make could settle the differences of the principals, and the struggle therefore continued. By the advice of M. Bussy, the Peshwar, the chief officer of state among the Mahrattas, who had taken up arms against Salabat Jung, the French nominee, was induced to withdraw his support from Ghazee-udDeen, Nizam-ul-Mulk's eldest son; and this prince, having met with an untimely end, Salabat was now without a rival in the Deccan. The soubadahship of Salabat was certainly not confirmed at Delhi; but, all-powerful in the support of M. Bussy, this was no material consideration. The new soubadah exhibited his gratitude to his European allies by ceding to them the maritime province known as the Northern Circars.

Disputes, however, still remained to trouble the Carnatic. None of the native combatants, excepting perhaps Salabat Jung, were as yet satisfied. The Mysorean regent, Nunjeras, was bent on the possession of Trichinopoly, which, it appears, had once been promised him by Mahomed Ally as the price of his support; and Mahomed Ally himself, at the same time, laid claim to certain tribute as nabob of the Carnatic, and called upon the English to assist him in its collection, which they obeyed. The French, following this example, lent similar aid to

Salabat Jung, and thus the spirit, if not the letter of the treaty of Pondicherry, was violated by both parties. The only redeeming feature of the transaction seems to have been the check it placed upon the depredations of the Peshwar.

In the year 1755, Mr., now Colonel, Clive, appointed to the command of Fort St. David, returned to India. He had been absent in England for two years; but, though his hands had been idle all this time, his mind had been fully occupied; and he now returned, with a head filled with schemes for the aggrandizement of his nation in the East. He had given it as his opinion that, so long as there was a Frenchman in arms in the Deccan, there could be no peace for India; and, in his desire to try conclusions with M. Bussy, he exhibited a spirit similar to that which aforetime had possessed Dupleix when he was heard to declare that he would reduce Madras to the insignificance of a fishing-village. While, however, the design of the one was never accomplished, the object of the other was destined speedily to be realised.

The treaty of Pondicherry prevented Clive from commencing operations against the French; but work was meantime found him in the Mahratta country. The Peshwar was at this time engaged in reducing a refractory vassal named Toolajee Angria, who held possession of a portion of the Malabar coast, in the neighbourhood of Bombay. The encouragement given to piracy by this chieftain was matter of great moment to all, but more especially to the English, whose trade suffered from the depredations of his fleets. With Clive's assistance, Severndroog, one of his strongholds, was reduced; and Bancoote, the first territorial acquisition after Bombay, was ceded to the English by way of reward. Gheria, another piratic nest, on the other hand, defied the Peshwar's effort. It fell, however, to a combined attack of the English by land and sea, and the struggle ended.

Clive now was destined for a time to remain a passive spectator of a peculiar contest. Mutual interest had led to an alliance between the Peshwar and Salabat

Jung; and the French, as allies of the latter, of course took part in the operations that followed. The Peshwar, jealous of the advantage such support gave to Salabat, resolved to deprive him of it. To this end he bribed Salabat's minister; and when the war was terminated by the capture of Savanoor, Bussy, to his extreme surprise, was ordered to retire. He feigned obedience, for his troops had been tampered with. He knew, however, the disadvantage which would arise from such a step, and so he was resolved to fight for the maintenance of his hold upon the Deccan. He might easily have secured it by an alliance with the Peshwar; but, declining all his overtures, he made for Hyderabad; and there, taking up a position in a building called the Char Minar, bade the nizam defiance.

In this position he was besieged by Salabat; but, being reinforced from Pondicherry and Masulipatam by contingents under de Leyrit and Mr. Law, and aided by the treachery of some of the Mahratta allies of his adversary, he presented so formidable a front that Salabat deemed it prudent to come to terms. The conduct of Bussy was highly praiseworthy and dignified. He imposed no new conditions upon his faithless protégé, and frankly forgave him his treachery. The French might have secured important advantages from this conduct of Salabat; for no one knew better than the nizam how little he was able to withstand alone the might of Bussy; and the Council of Madras, in view of other employment for their forces, strenuously refused to lend him any assistance. The government of Bombay had, notwithstanding the representations of Clive, likewise determined upon a neutral position; and, for the present at least, Bussy was master of the situation.

CHAPTER VIII.

EVENTS IN BENGAL.

The Mahrattas-Aliverdi Khan defends Bengal against their Depredations-Becomes Nabob of the Province-Suraj-udDowlah, his Successor, Besieges Calcutta-Capture of the Garrison-The "Black Hole"-Campaign against Sourajud-Dowlah-Plassey - Death of Suraj-ud-Dowlah chund the Banker.

Ormi

Ir will be understood, from the frequency with which the Mahratta name occurs, that this people had become a power of no mean order in the country. And so it was. Established as a nation through the prowess of Sivajee, they, by the wisdom of subsequent leaders, as Bajee Rao, for instance, so rapidly developed in strength and resources that the might of their influence had come to be recognised throughout Central India and the Deccan; and their alliance was consequently eagerly sought by the contending parties in the incessant conflicts of the period. For some time they had been making inroads upon the dominions of the nabob of Bengal; and, but for the genius of Aliverdi Khan, the Afghan commander of the nabob's forces, the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa, would doubtless have been brought, like the neighbouring territory, beneath their sway.

So important was this service of Aliverdi Khan considered that, on the death of Shujah-ud-deen, he had little difficulty in setting aside the deceased sovereign's son, and securing the throne of these provinces for himself. Like most usurpers he was a worthy ruler; and, in the present state of things, a boon to the provinces whose affairs he administered. His wars with the Mahratta

invaders were many, and marked by great vicissitude; and, if he was unable to stop their depredations, he at least saved the dominions from conquest. In other respects he gained the gratitude of his subjects, and exhibited a friendly spirit towards the English, to whom he granted the privilege of strengthening Calcutta by fortifications, a portion of which is known to this day as the Mahratta Ditch. Had this monarch's successor been a man of his mould the important events about to be enacted in this part of India would probably never have occurred, and the genius of their great hero, Clive, never probably have found a field for its development.

Suraj-ud-Dowlah, however, while possessing much of his grandsire's energy, lacked his wisdom and governmental talent, and was, withal, a man of great depravity and intense cruelty. He greatly oppressed his Hindu subjects; and, irritated at the protection afforded by the authorities of Calcutta to a fugitive subject, Kishen Das, whose immense wealth had rendered him an object of envy to the new nabob, he began to show his displeasure towards his English neighbours in an unmistakable manner. First he demanded the surrender of Kishen Das with his treasures; and then ordered the demolition of the fortifications of Calcutta, taking care to supplement his demands by marching a large army towards the city.

The city was reckoned to be unprepared for a siege; and, at a council of war, it was determined to abandon the place, and take refuge on board the vessels in the river. Some of the residents were already embarked, when the firing of some guns occasioned a panic; and the ships, weighing anchor, dropped down the stream, aban doning the residue to their own resources. The attack was made, and the garrison, totally unable to resist the assaults of the nabob, capitulated.

The sequel is a sad and well-known story. One hundred and forty-six persons, of every age and condition, were thrust into the Black Hole, an abominable prisonhouse, which in its dimensions scarcely exceeded those of