Three Frenchmen in Bengal: The Commercial Ruin of the French Settlements in 1757Hill, Samuel Charles
History
Three Frenchmen in Bengal: The Commercial Ruin of the French Settlements in 1757
Hill, Samuel Charles
Bengal (India) -- History; Courtin, Jacques Ignace, active 18th century; French -- India; Law, John, 1719-; Renault, Pierre
"I felt sure that, after the Revolution in Bengal, they
would be the only subject of conversation in the capital. The
Revolution had made much noise, but it was ascribed entirely
to the Seths and to Rai Durlabh Ram. Clive's name was
well known. He was, they said, a great captain whom the
Seths had brought from very far at a great expense, to
deliver Bengal from the tyranny of Siraj-ud-daula, as Salabat
Jang had engaged M. Bussy to keep the Marathas in
order. Many of the principal persons even asked me what
country he came from. Others, mixing up all Europeans
together, thought that I was a deputy from Clive. It was
useless for me to say we were enemies, that it was the
English who had done everything in Bengal, that it was
they who governed and not Jafar Ali Khan, who was only
Nawab in name. No one would believe me. In fact, how
could one persuade people who had never seen a race of
men different from their own, that a body of two or three
thousand Europeans at the most was able to dictate the law
in a country as large as Bengal?"
Law could do nothing at Delhi, and it was only by bribing the
Maratha general that he obtained an escort through the Jat country
to Agra. Most of his soldiers were glad to be off, but about 60
Europeans deserted with their arms to Delhi, where the Vizir offered
them pay as high as 50 rupees a month. M. Jobard was nearly killed
by some of them when he tried to persuade them to return to duty,
but, a few months after, more than half rejoined Law.
From Agra, Law went to Chatrapur in Bundelkand, where apparently,
though he does not say so, he was in the service of the Raja
Indrapat. His stay lasted from the 10th of June, 1758, to February,
1759. In order to keep on good terms with the inhabitants, who were
almost all Hindus, Law forbade his men to kill cattle or any of the
sacred birds, or to borrow anything without his permission, and at
the same time severely punished all disorderly behaviour. The people
having never heard of Christians, thought the French must be a kind
of Muhammadans, but they could not make out from what country they
came. Seeing them drink a red wine of which they had a few bottles,
they thought they were drinking blood, and were horrified, but the
good behaviour of the men soon put them on friendly terms.
Early in 1759 the Shahzada at last invaded Bengal, and on the 5th
of February Law marched to join him; but the invasion was badly
managed, and was an absolute failure. On the 28th of May Law was
back at Chatrapur. The only result of the invasion was that the
lands of a number of Rajas in Bihar were plundered by Miran, son of
Mir Jafar, and the English. These Rajas were all Hindus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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