The Fall of the Moghul Empire of HindustanKeene, H. G. (Henry George)
History
The Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan
Keene, H. G. (Henry George)
India -- History -- 18th century; Mogul Empire -- History
Broome, however, adopts a somewhat different version. According
to this usually careful and accurate historian, Reinhardt was a
Salzburg man who originally came to India in the British service,
and deserted to the French at Madras, whence he was sent by Lally
to strengthen the garrison of the Bengal settlement. The details
are not very material: Sumroo had certainly learned war both in
English and French schools.
After the massacre of the British, Kasim and his bloodhound
escaped from Patna (which the British stormed and took on the 6th
of November), and found a temporary asylum in the dominions of
Shojaa-ud-daulah. That nobleman solemnly engaged to support his
former antagonist, and sent him for the present against some
enemies of his own in Bundelkand, himself marching to Benares
with his Imperial captive, as related in the preceding page.
1764. In February, 1764, the avenging columns of the British
appeared upon the frontier, but the Sepoys broke into mutiny,
which lasted some time, and was with difficulty and but
imperfectly quelled by Colonel Carnac. Profiting by the delay and
confusion thus caused, the allies crossed into Bihar, and made a
furious, though ultimately unsuccessful attack upon the British
lines under the walls of Patna on the 3rd of May.
Shujaa-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Audh, temporarily retiring, the
Emperor resumed negotiations with the British commander; but
before these could be concluded, the latter was superseded by
Major (afterwards Sir Hector) Monro. This officer's arrival
changed the face of affairs. Blowing from guns twenty-four of the
most discontented of the sepoys, the Major led the now submissive
army westward to Buxar (Baksar), near the confluence of the
Karamnassa with the Ganges, where the two Nawabs (for Kasim and
the Audh Viceroy had now united their forces) encountered him to
be totally routed on the 23rd October, 1764.
The Emperor, who had taken no part in the action, came into the
camp on the evening of the following day. By the negotiations
which ultimately ensued, the British at last obtained a legal
position as administrators of the three Subahs, with the further
grant of the Benares and Ghazipur sarkars as fiefs of the Empire.
The remainder of the Subah of Allahabad was secured to the
Emperor with a pecuniary stipend which raised his income to the
nominal amount of a million a year of our money.
But the execution of these measures required considerable delay,
and some further exercise of that pertinacious vigour which
peculiarly distinguished the British in the eighteenth century.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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