Whilst that Commander was occupied in bringing his army to order, a total revolution had taken place in the minds of the Council of Calcutta. So long as a negotiation was kept on foot by Shudjah-ed-döulah upon reasonable terms, some of the lead­ing members of the Council shewed themselves disinclined from waging war with that Prince; but some letters coming from him at this moment, which seemed written with a haughtiness, that could not be borne, and contained proposals of the most extravagant kind, the dissenters closed with the majority of the Council; and all joining together, sent orders to Major Monro to attack and fight the Vezir. The Major on receiving the orders, tarried only a few days to provide carriage-oxen, with a sufficient quantity of victuals; and having reviewed his army, and left his sick behind, he marched to Bacsar, will full intention to give the Vezir battle. It was about the middle of the second A. D. 1764 Rebi, of the year one thousand one hundred and seventy-eight of the Prophet’s retreat, (on whom be grace and salute for ever!) About the end of that month he made another review, and having made up a list of those he wanted to carry with him, which he compared with the numbers that followed his army, and the several animals necessary to it, he contented himself with just such a quantity of provisions and carriages, as would suffice him for ten days, and he dismissed the rest. At his departure he was heard to say these very words to some of the gentlemen of the factory of Azim-abad: I do not choose to encumber myself with more; for either within that space of time we shall have beaten and expelled the enmy, and then we shall find victuals enough; or we shall be beaten ourselves, and in part destroyed, and then again we shall have no occasion for more provisions or baggage.

The Major being now on his march, and his resolution being known and public, Mir-veli-ollah, a man born in Azim-abad, but who now commanded for Shudja-ed-döulah in those parts of Bahar, dependent from the Sercar of Shah-abad, dis­patched messengers to his master to inform him of the motions of the English. On this intelligence the Vezir sent some Moghul cavalry to skirmish with them, and to impede their march. And as he had heretofore left some large cannon on the banks of the Sohon to oppose the enemy, whilst the latter were encamped over against that river at Calver, he ordered it to be brought back to his camp. It was now the heighth of the rainy season, and the wheels of those unwieldy carriages having sunk in the mud, it became impossible to get them from thence by any means whatever. The Vezir hearing of this, put himself at the head of one thousand Durrani-horse,* and going to the spot, he disengaged the guns and brought them to camp; but after this exertion, he sunk again into a circle of entertainments, pleasures, and amusements, without once bestowing a thought upon the necessary quantity of balls, or their quality, or that of the powder; and without consulting any one experienced man about the method of fighting the enemy, he even declined listening to the request of those officers of the artillery, who wanted necessaries for their office. Upon all those subjects he was quite careless and inattentive; spending his time in playing at dice, in observ­ing the flights of his pigeons, looking at the performances of his dance-women, and amusing himself with pastimes of all sorts; and all that, with as much ease and thoughtlessness, as if he had been about his own capital on a party of hunting. He only ordered a wall or intrenchment to be drawn from the little river of Durgáoty to the bank of the Ganga, intending to fight the English from behind that cover. But on the Major’s coming up, and encamping at about three cosses distance from him on a morass that lay betwixt the two armies, he altered his resolution; and abandoning the thoughts of fighting from behind the intrenchment, he resolved to give them battle on the other side of it.

The Moghul horse, together with six or seven thousand men of cavalry and infantry, commanded by Shudjah-c8li-qhan, com­monly called Mia-yssa, ranged themselves behind Somro and M8sher-medec. Beni-bahadyr, Deputy Governor of A8d and Ilah-abad, brought his troops out of the intrenchment, and took post on the banks of the Ganga, that is, close to the ruined houses of the town of Bacsar. At his elbow were Somro and M8sher-medec, with eight field-pieces, mounted in the English fashion upon carriages, equally strong and light. They were at the head of eight regiments of Talingas that had been trained and fashioned by Mir-cassem. It was behind these, that Mia-yssa took his post. The Vezir himself coming out of the intrenchment, with a body of troops, ranged them at the right of Mia-yssa and of Beni-bahadyr’s; and the engagement commenced by a cannon­ade on both sides, which killed and wounded numbers of people from both parties. The Vezir tired with such a slaughter, took his Moghul cavalry and some other choice troops, and charged the English several times; whilst part of his Durrani-Moghuls attacking Major Monro’s cavalry, put it to flight, and falling upon the English camp in the rear, killed and plundered with­out measure. So that the main of the English line, repeatedly attacked by the Vezir’s cavalry, and exposed to Somro’s and Medec’s incessant fire, fell into disorder, and was in great danger. At this very time the Major observing that the troops posted at the morass, were by that very reason out of the reach of the enemy’s efforts, marched part of them down to attack Beni-bahadyr. These troops were led by officers equally skilful and brave, who marching with a measured pace inclined towards the banks of the Ganga, and arrived close to those ruined houses behind which Beni-bahadyr had posted himself at the head of his troops, and also of another body of cavalry, called the Sheh-zadians* of Lucknow, who were commanded by Sheh-gh8lam-cadyr. These had all dismounted from their horses, and were standing behind those ruins with their match-locks in their hands. The English Talingas advancing undiscovered along the main street of the deserted town, were concealed by the ruins; and coming unexpectedly upon Beni-bahadyr’s men, posted at the bottom of those ruined walls, they poured upon them a shower of clods and stones. On this Sheh-gh8lam-cadyr got up with his Sheh-zadians from betwixt the ruins, to oppose the English Talingas; and these being now all assembled by their officers, and ranged in a line, a fire of musquetry ensued between the two troops. But how could the Sheh-zadians and Beni-baha­dyr’s people, accustomed to fire dispersed, and at will, stand the regular and violent fire poured upon them by the English Talingas? In one or two discharges, the business of Sheh-gh8lam-cadyr’s and of his men was effectually done. Numbers were made to bite the dust on the spot; and the others being wounded and dispersed, fled in the greatest consternation, and left their post empty. At sight of this Beni-bahadyr, who had close to him a friend of his, named Ghalub-qhan, an Hindostany of valuable character and of much personal prowess, asked him what he thought was to be done? If you choose to acquire honour only, answered the other, we must lay down our lives here; and if you love only your life, we must get from hence directly. Beni-bahadyr having answered, that he wanted honour only, the other replied, let us dismount then; and immediately alighting him­self, he also ordered his son, Vedge-eddin-qhan to alight likewise. By this time the English Talingas drawing near, were getting ready to pour a volley. At sight of this Beni-bahadyr, having preferred life to honour, turned about and fled with all his might. The young man on seeing this, went to acquaint his father, who on observing the flight of Beni-bahadyr’s and of all that great body of troops, mounted again, and ran after his master.

Whilst Beni-bahadyr was flying, his friends thought he had gained an advantage. Mia-yssa who mistook the volleys of musquetry between the English Talingas and the Sheh-zadians of Sheh-gh8lam-cadyr’s, for a severe engagement, misappre­hended Beni-bahadyr’s retreat for a second attack; and being jealous of a success which might reflect a dishonour upon his own inaction, he quitted his post from behind Somro and M8shur-medec, and ran forward He had before a morass full of mire and water, which rendered his passage the more difficult and dangerous, as the morass was lined in front by a body of English infantry, that looked very much like a wall vomiting fire and flames. Hence of six or seven thousand men that were under his command, only a small number chose to follow him; and these by thus passing before Somro and M8sher-medec, who made a continual fire of musquetry and cannon against the English line, put an end to that hail of balls that incommoded so much the enemy; and by thus obstructing the fire made by friends, he by his position between the two lines, became exposed to a hot and expeditious fire, which the English incessantly poured upon him, and which proved as destructive as that at Beni-baha­dyr’s double dealing repri­manded by Shytab-ráy. the Day of Judgment. Nevertheless after having passed through that shower of balls, he with infinite trouble, but with a small number of men, emerged at last out of the mire and water; and it was only to see himself and his people aimed at like so many marks. So that he fell fruitlessly and ingloriously, and his indignant soul took its flight towards eternity. Those of his men that could effect their escape from that scene of slaughter and wounds, overthrew in their flight such troops as yet stood their ground, and by their example carried them away. By this time the English Talingas after having put Beni-bahadyr to flight, had got over the intrenchment; and breaking immediately into the Vezir’s camp with repeated discharges of musquetry, they threw the whole into so much consternation, that not a man in that immense multitude found courage enough to tarry awhile, and to load up, and carry away his baggage or property. They all fled, every one providing for himself, as his mind prompted; for by this time, the whole army had been defeated so completely, that no one thought of standing his ground. But no sooner was this general discomfiture observed by the ungrateful Moghuls and Durranies, than quitting the Vezir’s person, they turned about upon their own troops and friends, and com­menced plundering and stripping at such a rate, that a by-stander would have taken them for so many enemies. The Vezir was yet in camp; and although fully sensible that fate had given the victory to his enemies, he remained a full hour behind, to look at the amazing revolution which was taking place; nor did he quit the field, but when he saw those about his person shrunk to a small number; at which time he followed the run-aways, and left his camp standing. Every thing belonging to him or to his officers, such as tents, furniture, and other property, fell a prey to the victors. Numerous shops of bankers, full of silver and gold coin, and numerous tents of merchants, replete with Kimqhabs* and other precious stuffs, were rifled in an instant. The sutlers and markets underwent the same fate. The artillery, great and small, was taken possession of. So that the English troops with all their followers made an immense booty. But whilst these strangers were busy in enriching themselves at the enemy’s expense, the Vezir’s troops were busy in plundering each other, and that too with so much earnestness, that whatever fell in any one’s hand, was reputed fair prize. God only knows the wealth which must have existed in that army; and I acknowledge that it would be vain in me to attempt giving so much as an idea of it. But I can say with certainty, however, that there were immense riches in that camp; and such indeed as might have vied with the very capital of Hindostan in that regard, when the latter was the repository of all the wealth of India. Whilst this scene of sack and plunder was going on one side, vast numbers of people on the other were endeavouring to cross the Durgáoty, a little deep muddy river, that flowed behind the camp; but they stuck in vast numbers in the mire and mud, or lost their lives by the volleys which the Talingas were endlessly pouring on the flying enemy.