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CONQUESTS of EUROPEAN POWERS, fince the downfall of the MOGUL EMPIRE.

AMONG the new powers that arofe on the downfall of the Mogul empire, we must not forget to mention the French and English. As for the Portuguese, their power had past its meridian, before this period: befides, their views being (apparently) confined altogether to traffick, they wifely made choice of infular fituations ; fuch as Goa, Bombay, Salfette, Diu, &c.; and never appear to have poffeffed any very confiderable extent of territory, although they kept on foot a large army of Europeans. The Dutch fyftem was nearly the fame: and their profperity, in a great measure, grew out of the misfortunes of the Portuguefe; who having fallen under the dominion of Spain, became obnoxious as well to the jealousy of rivalship, as to the revenge of the Hollanders.

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The French power was but of fhort duration, but remarkably brilliant. It was a bright meteor, that dazzled at first, but which foon burnt itself out, and left their East India Company in utter darkness. It commenced during the government of M. Dupleix at Pondicherry, in 1749. The French having affifted a Soubah of the Deccan in mounting the throne, attended his future fteps with an army, and established an influence in his councils, that promised to be permanent: but which vanished very early, by the mere breath of Court intrigue: for while M. Buffy, at the head of the French army, was at Sanore, in the western quarter of the peninfula (in 1756) a quarrel with the Minister of the Soubah, effected the difmiffion of the French. They were then compelled to retreat through an enemy's country for near 300 miles, until they reached

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Hydrabad; where they fortified themselves, and waited for a reinforcement from Mafulipatam, their nearest fettlement; which was upwards of 200 miles from Hydrabad. Great ability was discovered by M. Buffy, on this memorable occafion: an account of which, as well as of M. Buffy's warfare and negociations in general, will be found at large, in Mr. Orme's invaluable hiftory of the military tranfactions of the British nation, in Hindoostan. At Hydrabad, the quarrel was compromised: and the following year (1757) and part of the next, was spent by M. Buffy, in reducing the refractory Rajahs, or Zemindars, in the northern circars; and in affifting the Soubah in the execution of his own plans. But in the midst of these transactions, he was fuddenly recalled into the Carnatic, by M. Lally; who determined to collect the whole force of the French, within that quarter: fo that the Soubah was left at full liberty to accede to the propofals of the English. Lally was alfo juftly accused of being jealous of the fame of M. Buffy.

The circars, the fruits of M. Buffy's wars and negociations in the Deccan (and which had been obtained in 1753) yet remained to the French but Colonel Clive, who was at this time Governor of Bengal, with that promptitude and decifion which fo ftrongly marked his character, feized on them, with a force from Bengal, in 1759; although they were defended by a much fuperior one: and the French were deprived of resources to carry on the war in the Carnatic. So that Lally failed to accomplish the purposes for which the French interest in the Deccan had been relinquished; namely, that of expelling the English from the Carnatic: for, on the contrary, the French not only loft all their poffeffions in that quarter, but in every other part of India. Thus, their political existence may be faid to begin, in 1749 and to end in 1761, by the capture of their principal fettle ́ment, Pondicherry. They appear to have been the first European power, that trained the natives of India to regular difci

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pline *; as well as the first who fet the example of acquiring territorial poffeffions, of any great extent, in India: in which thay have been fo fuccessfully followed by the English.

THE expedition of the British troops into Tanjore, in 1749, was the first warfare in which they were engaged, against the forces of an Indian Prince: and it proved unsuccessful, as to its main object; which was, the restoration of a depofed King, or rather Rajah, of Tanjore, who had applied for affiftance to the Governor of Fort St. David. The price of this affiftance, was to be the fort and territory of Devicottah; fituated at the mouth of the Coleroon, or principal branch of the Tanjore river: and this fort, notwithstanding their want of fuccefs in the caufe of the depofed Rajah, the Company's troops, aided by the fleet under Admiral Boscawen, took poffeffion of, after a fhort fiege. In the following year they were called on, by the circumstances of the times, to take part in the disputed fucceffion to the Nabobship of Arcot, in oppofition to the French: who (as has been before obferved) had taken the lead, both in the affairs of the Carnatic, and of the Deccan. We have also observed, that Nizam-al-Muluck, Soubah of the Deccan, had placed Anwar o'dien in the Nabobship of Arcot, (in 1743): and that the death of the fame Nizam, in 1748, had occafioned a confiderable change in the politics of the Deccan; in which the French engaged fo deeply. Chunda Saib was the perfon whom the French wished to raife to the government of Arcot: and the expulfion of the family of Anwar o'dien, was a neceffary ftep towards it. These contefts, which had been carried on with great credit to the British arms, were put an end to, by the interference of the two East India

I am far from being well informed concerning the early history of the Portuguese in India but by a paffage in Mr. Orme's Hiftorical Fragments, page 175, it would appear that they had not, in 1683, trained the natives to regular difcipline. He fays, "The Viceroy of "Goa took the field (againft Sambajee) with 1200 Europeans, and 25,000 natives of his own territory." From the confined limits of the Portuguese territories, we may conclude that thefe were the ordinary inhabitants only.

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Companies, in Europe, in 1754 and Mahomed Ally, fon of Anwar o'dien, (who had fallen in the courfe of the war,) was left in poffeffion of the Carnatic: or, at leaft, of that portion of it, which had been recovered to him, by the British arms. The particulars of these wars, will be found in Mr. Orme's hiftory, volume the first. War breaking out in Europe, in 1756, the truce was reduced to a very fhort period. The first object of the British Councils, was to wreft the northern circars out of the hands of the French; as their revenue furnished them with the means of paying their army. The fecond was to drive M. Buffy's force out of the Deccan, by means of an alliance with the Nizam, or Soubah. Both of these projects were at this time defeated: the first by the mifcarriage of difpatches to India: the second, by the capture of Calcutta, the chief British fettlement in Bengal, in June 1756: and which induced the neceffity of relinquishing every plan of hoftility in the Deccan and Carnatic: in order that a force might be spared, fufficient to accomplish the recovery of fo important a fettlement as Calcutta; on which the whole trade to Bengal depended.

Aliverdy Cawn, Nabob of Bengal, died in 1756, and was fucceeded by his grandfon Surajah Dowlah. Surajah Dowlah. This young man either was, or pretended to be, irritated at the conduct of the English, within his dominions; and was probably, jealous of the rifing power of Europeans in general, in other parts of India. He determined to expel the English (at least) from Bengal: and accordingly took their fort at Calcutta, and compelled thofe among them, who were not made prifoners, to retire. In the following year, an armament from Madras, under Admiral Watfon and Colonel Clive, not only recovered the fettlement of Calcutta, but brought the Nabob to terms. The fword, however, being thus drawn, no permanent fecurity could be expected on the fide of the intruders, unless fupported by power: which could not be obtained, while a Nabob, inimical to their interefts, poffeffed the whole power of the kingdom. Sufpicions on both fides foon brought matters to a crifis:

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erifis and Jaffer Ally Cawn, an Omrah in high trust and favour with the Nabob, was negociated with; and, on condition of their affifting him in his views towards the throne, engaged to be their future Ally and confederate; for, fo much were matters changed by the late effay of their strength, and by the genius and good fortune of Clive, that protection would ill exprefs the current expectation of the British. The famous battle of Plaffey, fought in June 1757, and in which, Jaffier aided the accomplishment of their wishes, by tanding neuter, laid the foundation of the future power of the British nation, in Bengal and Hindooftan. From that time, they became the arbiters of the fucceffion to the Nabobship of Bengal; which speedily led to the poffeffion of the powers of government : for Coffim Ally, who had been placed in the room of Jaffier, difliking his fituation, resolved to hazard a change at all events; and this brought on a war, which ended in the expulfion of Coffim, and left the Bengal provinces in the poffeffion of the English, who restored Jaffier to the Nabobship. He had been depofed, on a charge of imbecility, in 1760, and was restored in 1763. Coffim retired to Sujah Dowlah, Nabob of Oude, and prevailed on him to efpoufe his caufe. Sujah had distinguished himself in the celebrated battle of Panniput, in 1761; and is reported to have had a confiderable share in turning the fortune of the day, at the very moment when victory inclined towards the Mahrattas. Whether he over-rated his own talents for war; or mistook the military character and refources of the British, he, however, engaged too rafhly in the war and the confequences were, a total defeat of his forces, joined with Coffim Ally's, at Buxar, in 1764: and this was followed by the lofs of all his territories, during that and the following year,onado calo

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Thofe, whofe belief has been staggered by the accounts of the conquests made on the Indians and Perfians, by the Grecian, Patan, and Mogul armies, may reconcile their doubts by attending to the events of their own days; in which a handful of French troops,

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