Memoirs of the Revolution in Bengal, Anno Dom. 1757

We have before hinted, that, notwithstanding the Suba had transmitted a Letter of Permission to Vice-Admiral Watson to act as he thought proper against the French, without which Letter the Admiral and the Colonel would not have proceeded, nay went farther, and recommended them to his Mercy, yet he presently changed his Mind. He desired Mr. Watts to write to the Colonel, that he would not have War made in his Country, by which the People under his Government must suffer, the King's Revenues be lessened, and the Tranquility of his Dominions disturbed. The French, who had misled him from the Beginning, deceived him to the very last. They assured him, that, in the first Attack, the English had been repulsed with Loss, and gave him to understand, that they did not doubt obliging them to retire. The Suba was so much embarrassed by the contradictory Reports he heard, and looked upon this Transaction to concern him so nearly, that he wrote Letter after Letter to Colonel Clive, who is said to have received no less than Ten of them in one Day, and these in very opposite Stiles; which the Colonel answered punctually, with all the Calmness and Complaisance imaginable, expressing great Concern at the Impression which the Calumnies of his Enemies had made on that Prince's Mind, and assuring him of his sincere Attachment, as long as he adhered to the Treaty. At length the Suba grew so very uneasy, that he sent Mutrumul, in whom he said he placed great Confidence, to the Colonel, with Orders to act, if there was any room for it, as a Mediator. But the Situation of Things at his Arrival made such a Commission visibly impracticable; which Mutrumul perceiving, extolled the English highly, and threw all the Blame upon the French. To give Weight, however, to this intended Mediation, Roydoolub advanced, by his Master's Command, at the Head of Six thousand Men, within a small Distance of Hughley. But to prevent this from giving any Umbrage, Mutrumul, when the Attack was made, assured the Colonel, that Roydoolub had the Suba's Instructions to obey his Orders, which the Colonel took in exceeding good Part, and returned that Prince Thanks for this gracious Offer of his Assistance. The Moment the Place surrendered, he gave Notice of it to the Suba, and ascribed his Success to the Favour of Heaven and his Excellency's Auspice, under which his Arms had been so fortunate. A Compliment, which the Suba knew not how to receive with even a tolerable Grace, or to reject without giving Offence. In reality, he had brought his Affairs by this time into a very perplexed Condition, of which he was sensible, now it was too late; though very probably he might not have Sagacity enough to discern, that the Whole of these Misfortunes had no other Source than the Unsteadiness of his Councils, and the Duplicity of his Conduct. What we have already said will afford Proofs more than sufficient to establish this; but as the setting it in a clear Light will be the best means of explaining the Motives to the Transactions that ensued, we hope the subsequent Remarks will not appear tedious to the Reader.

The Suba, wanting alike in Parts and in Experience, unable to reject bad Counsels, and prone to pursue his own Notions, as far as they could be carried by his Power, shewed plainly from the very Beginning, that he had no formed System; and if he could be stiled so at all, was certainly a bad Politician. His setting out was by breaking at once with all the European Nations; which, if their reciprocal Jealousies of each other, and some other Circumstances, had not hindered, must have united them all against him, and that Union would have rendered his Scheme abortive. As this did not happen, it encouraged him to take another wrong Step, by attacking and destroying the English, without having so much as a plausible Pretence. This Act of arbitrary Violence visibly subverted the Foundation of his own Scheme, if it ever had any, by proving, in the strongest Manner, that no European Nation could subsist as Merchants in his Dominions, without having Places so well fortified, as not to lie at his Mercy. When, therefore, he was reduced to the Necessity of concluding a Treaty, the very Basis of that Treaty was his confessing this last Position to be well founded, and admitting by his own Consent, as the only practicable Grounds of Peace, what he had before laid down as the Reason of his taking up Arms. But when he had done this, and might have been quiet, by adhering constantly to that Treaty, he again mistook his Point. Uniformity of Conduct was so little in his Constitution, that he immediately lost all the Advantages he seemed to have sought by that Measure, and which indeed were clearly asserted to have been the Objects he had in View, in his Letters to Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, by shewing a visible Repugnance to the Execution of it in every Step, and doing that slowly and ungracefully, which, if he had done chearfully and at once, might have procured him the Confidence of the English, and have thoroughly extricated him from those Difficulties into which his first Errors had plunged him.

His Conduct with regard to the French was to the full as inconsiderate, and no less inconsistent. His Kindness, Friendship, or whatever it was towards them, was as fatal as his Aversion or Dislike had been to the English, and productive of the very same Misfortunes. He was undoubtedly imposed upon and misled by the fake Impressions he received from them of their Strength: But in this he was inexcusable, as these Representations were grounded only upon vague and uncertain Reports of what they had done, and of what Strength they had in other Parts of the Indies, from whence all the Assistance they could give him was to be hoped, and this against a Power, the Weight of which he had already felt; and to say nothing of the Obligation he was under to maintain that Peace he had solemnly confirmed by his Oath, which was still at his very Doors. If he had really intended, as he seemed very desirous it should be believed it was his Intention, to preserve Peace in his Dominions, and to prevent the English and French from committing Hostilities against each other in them, to the Prejudice of Commerce, in which he was principally interested, and which was also, and was allowed to be, the common Concern of all, he might by acting firmly have carried that Point, by insisting upon a Neutrality under his Guaranty, and a peremptory Declaration that he would stop the Trade, and seize the Effects of that Nation, which violated a Neutrality so concluded; since under this it is certain the English would have acquiesced, and, without the Encouragement or Assistance of the Suba, the French durst not have broke it. But his Intrigues with them, or, as many thought, a Secret Treaty, encouraged their Director to declare, that he was not vested with Authority to conclude any such Neutrality; and even this, which he always knew, he did not acknowlege, until the Time was lost, in which he might have obtained it from Pondicherry; and this plainly put the English under a Necessity of exerting the Force then in their Hands without Delay, which ended in the taking Chandenagore. Here again, if he had ever had any settled Principle of Action, would have been his Time to have shewn it; for if, upon Colonel Clive's marching, he had assisted the French with his whole Force, he might very probably have saved them. But as he had hitherto been all along the Dupe of their Politics, so in this Instance they were the Dupes of his, and were sacrificed to his Want of Steadiness and Spirit. On the whole, therefore, it became evident, that the Suba was more dangerous to his Friends than to his Enemies; and the Hazard of being hurt lay not in opposing, but in placing any Confidence in him. A Lesson, which, as it had been taught by his first Actions, so, from the Bent of a stubborn Disposition Events could not correct, he took care to inculcate it from time to time, as long as it was in his Power to act at all.

Colonel Clive used repeated Endeavours to extricate him, if he would have permitted it, out of all his Difficulties. He laboured in his Letters to convince him, that as the Attack and Reduction of Chandenagore proceeded entirely from the Behaviour of the French themselves, so it could not be any-way prejudicial to him, or to his Subjects. He assured him, that the English would not suffer his Revenue to be impaired, by their being Masters of the Place; but were disposed, under equitable Conditions, to re-place the Customs paid by the French; and that they were well satisfied with their own Possessions, and did not desire to enlarge or to extend them. On the contrary, they were ready to give him whatever Satisfaction he could demand, of their Willingness to acquiesce under any Terms, and to comply with such Measures as should appear most expedient for restoring and preserving the Tranquility of his Country; that their Minds were entirely set upon Commerce; that they became military merely by Force; but that they most ardently wished to return to, and be known by him only in, their old Occupation of Merchants; that, as things stood, their Interest rendered it absolutely requisite to expel the French out of Bengal, to prevent new Disputes, which was his Interest likewise; and that, if he would do it himself, they should be well satisfied, and consider it as a Favour. That he had been exceedingly imposed upon, in respect to the Conduct of that Nation, on the Coast of Coromandel, where the Nabobs they had espoused were obliged to make exorbitant Grants, in Acknowledgement for their Assistance; that, in consequence of this, they had torn away whole Provinces, of which they were in full Possession; while, on the other hand, the English had lent the Nabobs, with whom they had taken Part, purely on account of their being the King's Officers, very large Sums of Money; with the Repayment of which they would be well content, without soliciting, extorting, or even accepting any Grants whatever. That he might from thence judge of the Temper of the two Nations and the Difference that he would find in having either of them for his Allies; and that therefore, if he regarded his own Welfare, he would adhere strictly to, and punctually fulfil, the Treaty he had made; which if he did, he might not only rely upon the Support that had been promised him, but that he might be assured, he would personally lose the last Drop of his Blood, and sacrifice the last Man under his Command, in his Service, against any of his real Enemies, whenever his Occasions might require it. Vice-Admiral Watson wrote also to him to the same Purpose.

The Suba, who was equally dissatisfied with and disturbed at the State of his Affairs, and found himself obliged to be at a great Expence in keeping Troops in the Field, knew not what to say or how to act. He declared, however, positively, against our reducing the French subordinate Factories; would not hear of making the Remains of their Forces Prisoners, and delivering them up to the English; but, however, discovered no Scruple at all in seizing upon their Effects, under Colour of doing it to make Satisfaction to his own Subjects, who were their Creditors. At the same time he ordered the French to quit his Dominions, directing them to march towards Patna. He likewise paid farther Sums of Money to the Company's Servants, and gave them Hopes, that he would both strictly and speedily fulfil his Treaty in every respect. In regard to the Artillery, which he did not restore, he alleged, that he was distressed himself for want of Cannon, and was willing to purchase them. In this manner things went on for a Month or Six Weeks, during which Space every Method was practised that could lessen his Apprehensions, or free him from that Terror which he seemed to have of the English advancing their Forces into the Heart of his Country. He was even permitted, upon a Rumour that the Garrison of Cassimbuzar was augmented to Five hundred Men, to send his own Officers to inspect it, who found and reported, that there was not above a Tenth Part of the Number. The same Compliances were made in many Respects.

But in the midst of these Compliances and Concessions, instead of growing milder and better disposed, the Suba shewed very evident Marks of his being more and more exasperated against those who gave them. He fell again to caballing with the French; and instead of compelling those who had escaped to quit his Country, as he engaged expressly, he took that little Body of Men, which were about Patna, into his Pay, at the Rate of Ten thousand Rupees a Month, of which Mr. Watts procured the Intelligence, and communicated it to the Committee. He turned all his Attention towards Mr. Bussy, who, as he was made to believe, had an Army of Twenty thousand Men, and with which he might march speedily into his Dominions. When these Rumours at any time sunk, he was more tractable; but as soon as they revived, he became as imperious and as much out of Humour as ever. Vice-Admiral Watson having sent him Several pressing Letters, exhorting him to act suitable to his Dignity, agreeable to his own Interests, for the Good of his Subjects, to give no Ear to idle Reports, to accomplish his Promises, and fulfil the several Articles of his Treaty, he gave no Answers to them, but complained that they wrote in so severe a Stile, that he knew not how to reply to them. At length his Uneasinesses, Jealousies, and Suspicions, rose so high, that he ordered all the Boats to be searched that came up to Cassimbuzar, and publickly declared, that if any Powder or Ammunition was found aboard, that he would order the Noses and Ears of the Watermen to be cut off, which was a direct Breach of his Treaty. He could not help knowing, that this Method of acting must have a very disadvantageous Effect upon the Affairs of the English in his Dominions, and impede and perplex their Commercial Transactions exceedingly. He could not be ignorant that this would diminish his own Income, distress his Subjects, and lessen both their Subsistence and their Industry. But alas! he was so much under the Dominion of his Passions, that he considered only gratifying his Caprice; and acting from no Motive, could discern no Consequences. Hapless as a Man! more hapless as a Prince! he had as little Fear of falling into Difficulties, as, when fallen, he had Skill to get out of them.

An Attempt has been already made to give the Reader some Idea of the melancholy and mortifying Situation of Mr. Watts, who resided on the Part of the Company at the Suba's Court, whose Perplexities daily increased, and whose Anxieties hourly multiplied, though they had not yet reached to those Circumstances of Disgust and Distress that they afterwards did. He saw himself almost constantly on bad Terms with that Prince, and of course upon no good ones with his Ministers and Favourites. The Suba never forgave him extracting that important, and, as he conceived it, fatal Letter of Permission to Admiral Watson; to which, without much Injustice, he ascribed solely the attacking and taking Chandenagore. It was from Mr. Watts he received, from Day to Day, those grating Remonstrances that so much displeased him, and those admonitory Letters that made still a deeper Impression. He ought, in Strictness, to have considered him, on these Occasions, as the Instrument only of the Company; but his Warmth and Assiduity in all these frequent Applications, made the Suba look no farther than himself. He was obliged to confer with him daily, and, if he was absent, called for him, as being uneasy if he missed him, whence of course he beheld him often, and yet but very seldom with a gracious Eye. Mr. Watts saw, felt, and understood these numberless Inconveniencies, to which he was exposed, and which, as we have observed, heightened upon him every Hour. But the Consolation he derived from the kind Letters of Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, who had a true and lively Sense of his Services and Sufferings, kept up his Spirits, and enabled him to pursue his Business with a Vivacity that entirely concealed, though it could not remove, but rather augmented, his interior Chagrin. Besides this, he had another Satisfaction, which was getting most Part of the Treaty executed, tho with infinite Trouble; and this procured him the hearty Approbation of the Select Committee, who were now convinced, that he not only did all that could be done, but more than most Men could have done in his Station. As ill as he was treated by him, he continued to render the Suba many good Offices; giving the Committee to understand, that, in all human Probability, they should gradually obtain all that they desired, and that therefore they should not be impatient. He prevailed also upon Colonel Clive to promise the Suba from time to time his Assistance; and he laboured more incessantly to convince that Prince, that, if he would confide in the English, he had no Reason to fear either foreign or domestic Enemies, with which, when he thought himself in Danger, he was well enough pleased; but when that was in any Degree over, he shewed a visible Uneasiness at his having confessed that he stood in need of such Assistance.

The Storm, that had been gathering from the Beginning of March, began to burst about the latter End of April, and in the Opening of the Month of May; when the Suba, in sudden Starts of Passion, shewed the Rancour of his Heart, and testified sufficiently, that he waited only for an Opportunity to make the English feel a second Time the heavy Weight of his Resentment. As he never assigned any Causes himself, but on the contrary, even in this Interval, and in the midst of Actions inconsistent with those Declarations, asserted his Intention to fulfil his Treaty, and appealed to God and his Prophet for the Truth of it; we must own it is extremely difficult to guess at his Reasons. They appear, however, to have been chiefly Three; First, the perpetual Insinuations of the French, that Mr. Bussy might be brought to his Assistance; and that, by a Junction with his Troops, he would be greatly superior to the English; and to this Measure he was so much inclined, that he actually wrote a Letter to that Officer, in which he promised him Twenty Lack of Rupees, if he would march directly into his Dominions, of which Mr. Watts also gave the Intelligence. The next Thing was, the Compliances that had been made with a View of gaining him, the recalling most of the Troops from Chandenagore, the permitting him to keep the Cannon, to search the Factory of Cassimbuzar, and the warm and tender Expressions of Friendship in Colonel Clive's Letters, with the high Testimonies of Reverence and Respect paid him, whenever he was pleased to be in a good Temper, or to profess his Disposition of adhering to his Engagements. The last was, the Retreat of the Patans, who had shewn an Intention to invade his Territories, and the putting an End to the Troubles occasioned by the My Rajah, by which he thought himself in a Condition to employ all his Forces, and was likewise secure of having the French to manage his Artillery, with which they made him believe they could perform Wonders. In these Circumstances he was so very elate, as not to make any Scruple (though a direct Breach of his Faith) of interrupting the English Commerce, keeping his Army in the Field, though he had most solemnly promised the contrary, and sometimes expressing a formal Design of sending back the Treaty that had been signed with him, and demanding his own. In such a State of Things it was evident, that the Company could not rely upon him, or consider themselves in any Degree of Security, farther than as they were supported by the King's Squadron and Forces; and as their present Condition was very precarious, so their future Prospect was still more gloomy and alarming; and though as yet they were not in a state of War, they could not, however, with any Propriety, be said to be in Peace.

The Vice-Admiral and Colonel Clive were exceedingly embarrassed, and found it very difficult to judge what Measures they were to take. If they advanced their Forces, or resumed their military Preparations, it might, in Appearance, justify the Suba's Behaviour; and besides, Mr. Watts and the Select Committee both dissuaded any Steps of this kind, as inconsistent with the Company's Concerns, at least till they had secured the Money and Effects of the several Subordinates. On the other hand, they saw that Compliances did more Harm than Good, and that their Professions of adhering inviolably to the Peace, and their repeated Promises of Friendship and Assistance, only flattered the Suba's Pride, heightened his Notions of his own Power, and encouraged him to act with greater Violence and Insolence, of which they had but too many, and those flagrant Instances. Colonel Clive, however, took on one Side every Method that was necessary to demonstrate his pacific Inclination, and how sincere his Intentions were to restore and preserve the Tranquility of the Provinces, desisting from his Demands that the French should be delivered up, from the repairing the Fortifications at Cassimbuzar, or reinforcing the Garrison. At the same time, he wrote in very plain Terms to the Suba, told him his Thoughts of his Proceedings, the Concern they gave him, and the Determination he had taken, to recur to open Force, whenever he found, from his Manner of acting, that no other Remedy was left, and that it was entirely in his Power to have him for a Friend or an Enemy. In the very Height of these Disputes, the Suba demanded an ample Acquittance, under the Seal of the Governor and Select Committee, and those also of the Vice-Admiral and Colonel. To this the latter wrote him for Answer, that it was strange he should demand, or expect such an Acquittance, when he very well knew, that several of the Articles were still unperformed; that many Lacks of Rupees were due to the Company, in Satisfaction of their Losses; that the Restitution of Thirty-eight Villages, which they claimed, had not yet been made; and that their Commerce in general was still interrupted. But as his Demand might imply a Resolution to settle all these Points, and as it was hoped this was really the Case, such an Acquittance should be immediately prepared, and transmitted to Mr. Watts, with express Orders to deliver it, as soon as the Articles hitherto unadjusted were once thoroughly settled.

This, however reasonable in itself, was by no means acceptable to the Suba, who, in Proportion as he lost all seeming Regard, though really he never had any for the Vice-Admiral and the Colonel, towards both of whom he had once professed so much Esteem, kept no longer any Measures towards Mr. Watts, whom he looked upon as a Man he could not deceive, as a Man whom he hated for that Reason, and, which was an additional Motive to his Resentment, though it should, if his Mind had corresponded with his Rank, have restrained it, as a Man absolutely in his Power. In order to execute the various Commissions with which he was charged more punctually, Mr. Watts, according to the Custom of Indostan, had employed a Person to act as his Agent, in the Language of the Country, a Vaqueel. Him, in the first Fit of his Fury, the Suba forbid his Court. An Affront very gross in India, though in Appearance, and to us, unacquainted with their Customs, a very slight Thing, but it was quickly followed by personal Insults, and those of the most serious Nature. At last, forgetting the Respect due to the British Crown, to Mr. Watts's Character as Resident from the East India Company, and his own Dignity, he told several of his principal Ministers, with a View that they should, as they really did, tell it Mr. Watts again, that, upon the first Intelligence he had of the Motion of the English Troops, he would cut off that Gentleman's Head, or cause him to be impaled. This was such an Outrage on the Law of Nations as was inconsistent with the Rank of a Prince, and must, by the Rules of common Sense, leave any Man in his Circumstances at Liberty to take the Methods that appeared to him safest for his own Preservation. Upon this Occasion Mr. Watts acted with a Degree of Temper and Calmness that must surprize the Reader. He wrote an Account of the Facts to the Governor, without any Exaggeration, adding, that he despised the Suba's Threatenings, and desired the Select Committee would proceed as the Company's Interest directed, and without putting themselves in Pain for his Safety. A Circumstance that would not have been inserted in these Memoirs, if the Person was not alive to whom that Letter was addressed.

The Gentlemen entrusted with the Direction of Affairs, saw plainly the Tendency of the Suba's Proceedings. Indeed they were so evident, as to fill all the Inhabitants of Calcutta with Alarms, that were but too well founded. Experience had already taught them, how far the Caprice of the Suba might go; and it was no way improbable, that if they were so unhappy as to fall again under his Power, they might, if possible, meet with still worse Treatment, which induced them to make the best Provision they could for their Defence; and to put the Troops into such Condition, as that, whenever Necessity required, they might be able to repel Force by Force. At the same time, however, it was resolved, not to precipitate any thing, to act with the utmost Caution, and to lay hold of any favourable Opportunity that might offer, towards furnishing Means to extricate them from these Perplexities.

Calcutta was not the only Place where Doubts and Apprehensions reigned. They were to the full as strong in Muxadavad, with this additional and distinguishing Circumstance, that Discord spread itself through the Suba's Court, where the only Oracle that every Man consulted was his own Interest. Reverses of Fortune were equally sudden and frequent. The Courtiers that were in the highest Favour To-day, were To-morrow in the very Depth of Disgrace. No Man was secure, and therefore no Man was contented; and which is, and will be always the Case in corrupt Courts, the worst Men had the best Chance. Those who had nothing to lose, had all Things to expect; and by flattering their Prince's Humour, and complying blindly with all his Commands, the meanest and basest People about him grew quickly the most considerable. Those who had been in the Old Suba's Councils and Confidence, who were Men of Rank and Family, and who had both Estates and Reputations to risque, were, from those very Circumstances, Malecontents. They saw that this System could not last long; that a general Confusion must ensue; and that a Man, governed entirely by his Passions, could never carry on public Affairs with any Degree of Success. But these Reflections, which their own good Sense and long Experience suggested to them, served only to disturb and to distract, without affording them the least Glance of extricating either him or themselves from that impending Ruin, which his rash and raw Measures rendered inevitable. They perceived plainly enough each other's Sentiments, from that Tincture which they naturally gave to every One's Language and Behaviour; but they had no Confidence at all amongst themselves, and every Man was afraid of hastening his own particular Fall, by disclosing or lamenting the Approach of that common Destruction, which, however visible to their Understandings, was by no means a fit Subject for their Conversation.