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.
But in the midst of these Perplexities a Ray of Hope very unexpectedly
appeared. The Suba had shewn the Severity of his Nature, in so many
Instances, as to strike a universal Terror; more especially as the
Fickleness of his Disposition suffered no Man who was near him, and in
his Power, to think himself safe. In such a State of general Danger,
there occurred to every One, capable of thinking freely (the only
Species of Liberty that even Tyrants' Favourites retain) but one single
Mode of Security, which consisted in depriving him of his Power, who so
constantly, as well as egregiously abused it. The Conception of this
availed little, since the Attempt was equally difficult and dangerous;
and the failing in it sure to be attended with sudden and certain
Destruction. There was also but one way to move, or rather to lessen the
Risk; and this also was very easily discovered. It was procuring the
Countenance and the Assistance of the _English_. Such as were in the
Suba's Confidence, and from that very Circumstance most afraid of him,
were persuaded they could merit very much from the Company's Servants,
by laying open his Secrets, and thereby shewing them, what these People
thought they did not in the least suspect, the Danger to which they
stood exposed. Amongst several who reasoned thus in their own Breasts,
there was one who had a considerable share of Interest and Authority.
His Name was _Godar Yar Cawn Laitty_, who, when he had for some time
meditated, and in his own Mind thoroughly digested his Scheme, thought
it wore so fair an Appearance, that he sent several Messages to Mr.
_Watts_, signifying that he had something to communicate to him of great
Importance: But the Suba kept so many Spies upon that Gentleman, and
those Spies watched him so very closely, that it was simply impossible
to comply with _Godar Yar Cawn Laitty_'s Request of having an Interview
with him, because it was evidently risking the utter Ruin of both. Some
Days, therefore, elapsed, before an Expedient could be found to remove
this troublesome Obstacle, and to give Mr. _Watts_ the necessary
Information of what were this Person's real Intentions, and what the
Means by which he proposed to carry them into Execution.
He at length thought proper to send to him _Omichund_, who has been
mentioned before, in order to draw what Lights he could from this
discontented Confident of the Suba, who, after he had conferred with
him, reported, that he knew with Certainty his Master's settled
Intentions were to break with and to attack the _English_, as soon as he
had a favourable Opportunity; that he likewise knew the Suba had
retained the _French_, who had escaped from _Chandenagore_, and in the
subordinate Factories, in his Service, who were to remain at _Patna_ in
his Pay, till an Occasion could be found for employing them; that the
_English_ had no Method of preventing this threatening Tempest from
breaking upon their Establishments, but by providing in Time a Force
sufficient to resist it; that he was willing, whenever the Suba should
recur to open Hostilities, to join Us, and act against him, provided we
would assist him in assuming the Government of the Province; that in
return for this, he would, as soon as he was fixed in that Office,
grant, by way of Recompence, a large Extent of Lands to the Company, and
would likewise pay down a Sum in ready Money, sufficient to indemnify
the People of _Calcutta_ for all the Losses they had sustained. These
were Communications of so dangerous as well as so delicate a Nature,
that they would infallibly have turned a weak Head, or distracted a
timid Mind. They were received calmly and coolly, as Points of
Information, in regard to which Mr. _Watts_ could take no Step of
himself, but from which the Persons who had communicated them had
nothing to fear; and with these Assurances, such was their Opinion of
his Secrecy, Sagacity, and Steadiness, that they remained perfectly
satisfied and easy, leaving him sufficient Leisure to consider and
reflect upon these very extraordinary Overtures, and to review and
digest the Thoughts that must naturally arise upon so important a
Subject. But, however, restrained him within the Compass of Six Days, to
procure for this _Moorish_ Officer an Answer, from those who were
entrusted with the Management of the Company's Affairs at _Calcutta_.
The Situation of Mr. _Watts_ in this Conjuncture, is much more easy to
conceive than to describe. He was oppressed with Cares, environed with
Perils, and had not so much as a single Person with whom to communicate
or to consult. His own Safety, the Welfare, and even the Being of the
_British_ Settlements, and indeed the future Fate of these Provinces,
depended, at least in the first Instance, on his Capacity, Penetration,
and Discretion. It was a very arduous Task to form any clear Opinion
upon this Offer; it demanded much Skill to set the Motives upon which
such an Opinion must be founded in their proper Light; and, when all
this was done, it appeared infinitely hazardous to transmit Propositions
of this Nature, together with his Thoughts upon them, to _Calcutta_,
while a jealous Prince, in a Country where the Character of a Spy is not
dishonourable, had Multitudes of such State Implements about him, all
filled with the Hopes of rising upon his Ruin. But though perfectly
sensible of all this, as he must have been to counteract their
Vigilance, he boldly undertook, and as happily performed, all that the
Confidence reposed in him, or his Duty to the Company could demand. He
stated fully the Nature of these Overtures, the Suba's Disposition at
the Time, the Characters and Credit of the principal Officers about him,
their Tempers, Circumstances, and Connections, the Probability that such
a Design might be carried into Execution, the Hazards to which it must
be exposed, and the Methods most proper to avoid them. But when he had
done all this, he added no direct Judgment of his own. He contented
himself with giving Lights, without venturing to pronounce what Measure
ought to be taken. He had frequent Experience of the Regard paid by them
to his Sentiments, from his having commonly sent them the Draughts of
the Letters to the Suba, which being transmitted back to him, he
presented to that Prince; but he held this to be a Matter too difficult,
as well as too delicate for him to determine. He knew very well there
was no small Danger in Delay; but he likewise knew, that there was still
more Danger in a rash Decision, and therefore he gave none. The Select
Committee concurred with him in this; they entertained the Motion,
commended his Caution, suggested that he should continue to keep Things
in Suspense, but directed him by all Means to avoid concluding any
Thing, till he should receive their future Directions in a Thing of so
great Weight.
It was not long after this, that _Meer Jaffeir Aly Cawn_, a Person of
great Distinction, who had married the Sister of _Aliverdy Cawn_, the
Suba's Grandfather and Predecessor, sent one in whom he could perfectly
confide to Mr. _Watts_, to disclose what were his real Opinions, and how
very short a Space he thought was like to intervene, before the Suba
took the Field once more, against the _English_. This Person had it
farther in Commission to represent, that the Disaffection of the
principal Officers, Civil and Military, was in a manner general; that
_Meer Jaffeir_ never appeared in the Suba's Presence, without Fear of
being assassinated; and that for this Reason, whenever he was
constrained to go, he always caused his Forces to be drawn out, under
Arms, with his Son at their Head. In the Close of his Discourse, he
added, that a Determination was already taken, to depose, for their own
Sakes, _Suraja Dowlat_; and that if the _English_ would engage with, and
promise to support, another Person, in assuming the Dignity of Suba,
_Rahim Cawn_, _Roydoolub_, and _Bahadar Aly Cawn_, were ready to join
_Meer Jaffeir_, in removing _Suraja Dowlat_, whose Affairs would be then
in a very desperate Situation. Mr. _Watts_ transmitted the Detail of
this Conversation also to Colonel _Clive_, and gave it as his own
Opinion, that _Meer Jaffeir_ was by far the properest Person to be
elevated to that Rank, as his Abilities were greater, his Reputation
better, and his Connections more extensive than those of _Laitty_. He at
the same time acquainted the Colonel, that if this Change was to be
accomplished by their Forces, as he much doubted, whether, after all,
the _Moors_ had Spirit enough to attempt so extraordinary an Enterprize
themselves, it would be right to form the Outlines of a new Agreement,
of which the old one ought to be the Basis; and to frame such additional
Articles, as might effectually indemnify the Company for the Risk they
ran, and procure an ample Satisfaction for the Losses private Persons
had sustained, in the Devastation of _Calcutta_, of which no Care had
been taken in the former Treaty; and that, in short, nothing should now
be omitted, that might put their Affairs for the future upon a firm and
stable Establishment; so that, in case of Disturbances in the Country,
the Servants of the Company, and those who depended on it, might be in a
Condition to protect themselves.