This Prince, now in the full blaze of success, had asembled in his palace, all the treasures hoarded up by several preced­ing Seradj-ed-döulah’s
prosperity declines. Princes, with an infinity of precious effects and jewels, that had been the fruit of the searches and toil of several illustrious houses and families. He seemed then in the zenith of power and prosperity; but it was at this very time that preparations were making for his ruin; and it was at this very time his fortune was verging to a decline. Nor is this a novel thing. It is the constant course of events all over the world, that whenever things have risen to their zenith, they after that period verge towards a decline, and tend to their ruin. For every completion naturally advances to a declension, and sometimes brings it on in so complete a manner, that people have been at a loss how to find out the footsteps and traces of former prosperity. The manner in which Seradj-ed-döulah’s fortune and dominion were brought to that predicament is, in few words, as follows:—

Mr. Drake, that Chief Man of Calcutta, who had been the author and cause of all these troubles and all this ruin, having fled on board a ship with a few gentlemen that had escaped the engagement, had retired to Mendradj, a factory of consequence, which the English have in Decan, in the province of Arcat; and probably he was followed thither by some other English, of the better sort, who being then dispersed all over Bengal for the purposes of trade, had found means, after the capture of Calcutta, to make good their way to Decan, through a variety of dangers. There was then in those parts a Commander in the King of Inghilter’s service, but appointed to attend on the Company; an officer who after many years’ war had conquered several countries of Decan from the French, and was now living at Mandradj, where he commanded a small force that did not amount to more than one or two Paltans of Talingas*, and three or four companies of European soldiers. This Commander, by his many victories over the French in Decan, had been greatly instrumental in rescuing from their overgrown influence the Sovereign of that country, Sáyd-mahmed-qhan-selabet-djung, son to Nizam-el-mulk. So many successes had procured him the title of The Steady and Tried in War*, and he was considered as a General Sabut-djung, alias Colonel Clive, appears in Bengal. warrior of consequence. This Commander having assembled the principal men of the factory of Mendradj, together with those that had escaped from the hands of Seradj-ed-döulah, threw the dice of consultation amongst them. The unanimous result of their deliberations was, that the brave, the Tried in Battles, Colonel Clive, should repair into Bengal with those gentlemen that had escaped from thence, and should endeavour by every means which he could devise, to rebuild the factory there, and to re-establish the Company’s trade in the manner it had existed heretofore. This he was at liberty to effect, whether by paying a sum of money, or by force and violence, just as circumstances should point out. Colonel Clive, after this deliber­ation, embarked on board of some ships, together with the gentlemen escaped from the factory of Calcutta; and taking with him what troops and artillery were ready and at hand, he arrived with his ships at that part of the river called the Blue-water*, where the Bagrauty joins the sea, and where he cast anchor. But as the Commanders of that nation are prudent, wary, and experienced in affairs, as well as extremely brave in a day of battle, he thought it incumbent upon him, first of all, to try what could be done in the way of negotiation; and with that view he wrote to Seradj-ed-döulah, “to intercede in behalf of Mr. Drake, whose trespasses he requested might be forgiven; to offer some lacs of rupees for leave to rebuild the English factory, on the former footing; and for re-establishing the English trade in his dominions: a salutary measure, by which he doubted not but the dust of dissension and mutual discontent might be wiped off from each other’s eyes.” Seradj-ed-döulah, who was the most senseless and ignorant of men, and who had favourites still more extravagant than himself, held a consulta­tion with his Grandees, upon these proposals; but found not a man that would advise him to accept of a peace on the proffered conditions. For the English being known in Bengal only as merchants, neither himself, nor any of his favourites, had any idea of the courage and abilities of that nation in war, nor any idea of their many resources in a day of reverse. And on the other hand, those that had some right notions of the matter, did not dare to open their mouth; and indeed, had they opened it, no one would have listened to their words; besides that every one of them, tired with Seradj-ed-döulah’s Government, and reduced to despair by his tyranny, wished ardently to see him embarked in some enterprise that might end in his ruin. It was even dangerous to say any thing of peace; and if any one did dare to say as much, he never failed to be laid hold of by the others. Those ignorant favourites of his, would seize the adviser by the throat, and gripe it so hard as to make him ask for quarter, and swear that he would never mention that tale of his again.

Advices of all this having been duely imparted to Colonel Clive, and himself being now fully apprised of the dissensions sown in the country, and of the peculiar turn of mind of all the Grandees of the Court, he grew tired of waiting to no purpose for an answer, which no one thought of sending, and he prepared himself for acting with open force, and for an offensive war. He brought his ships to an anchor over against Manic-chund’s lodgings, and commenced a cannonade; but having soon observed in the enemy’s motions much ignorance and confusion, he landed his men and artillery, and marched against him. The senseless Governor of the place, intimidated by so much boldness, and not finding in himself courage enough to stand an engagement, thought it prudent to decline a nearer approach, and he fled with all his might. The English General seeing the enemy disappeared, Calcutta retaken by the English. took possession of the factory and fort, raised everywhere his victorious standards, and sent the refugee gentlemen every one to his ancient abode, and every one to his own home. Such a piece of intelligence having soon been conveyed to M8rsh8d-abad, could not fail to disorder greatly that stuffing of pride and ignorance, with which Seradj-ed-döulah had been at so much pains to fill his head and ears; and he prepared to come to Calcutta to oppose the progress of the English. Such being the instability of human things, that two months and twenty-two days had hardly elapsed since the conquest of P8raniah; and hardly had that Prince commenced to repose in his palace in the security of success and victory, when at once there appeared signs of that retribution due to his actions, as well as tokens of the declension of his power. It was the 12th of the second Reby, in the year 1170, when he quitted his capital to march to Calcutta, A. D. 1757. fully bent on expelling the English. He was followed by a numerous army, furnished with every necessary for war. Being near Calcutta, he encamped in a spot of ground that had hit his fancy, and which he thought advantageous likewise. From thence he was every day making attempts to recover possession of that town, and yet every day listened to proposals of peace. Insomuch that both war and peace subsisted at one and the same time; whilst the English, who had their particular views in that doubt­ful state of things, made it a practice now and then to come into camp, under pretence of an agreement, but in fact to examine it, as they intended all this while to surprise the enemy; and such a manœuvre required a man that should take a full knowledge of the chart of the country. They took care therefore to send with their envoys a man conversant in Geometry, and who to that talent added an enlarged understanding, a keen memory, and much acuteness of comprehension. This man, in his frequent trips, acquired a comprehensive notion of Seradj-ed-döulah’s camp, as well as of his own private quarters, with all the roads that led thither, and every other important matter, that had a relation to his object; so that after having hoarded up all that knowledge in his memory, he made on his return a very circumstantial report of what he had observed. Probably the next night after that man’s return, but certainly two or three nights after, the English, who had formed the project of a night-attack, put their troops in boats at about two in the morning, and rowed towards the extremity of the enemy’s camp, where they remained waiting during the latter part of the night. At about the dawn of the day they landed on the back part of the army, and entered the camp, where they leisurely commenced a hot fire, which being repeated by those in the boats, rendered musquet-balls as common as hail­stones in a storm; so that vast numbers of men and horses, which happened to be exposed to it, were slain or wounded. Dost-mahmed-qhan, who was not only a principal Commander in the army, and a man of great personal valour, but also one of the most attached to Seradj-ed-döulah, was wounded and disabled. Numbers of other officers, whose names I know not, underwent the same fate; and it is reported that the design was no less than to lay hold of Seradj-ed-döulah himself, and to carry him away. Luckily for him, there fell such a fog and mist, of the kind called in Hindian, cohessa, and it occasioned such a dark­ness, that two men, though ever so close, could not distinguish each other. This darkness made the enemy mistake their way, as well as Seradj-ed-döulah’s private enclosure; so that this Prince escaped narrowly. It was observed of the English, that they marched steadily, with order and deliberation, as if it had been a review day, firing endlessly on every side, until they arrived at the front of the camp, from whence they returned lisureley to their posts and fortified houses, without suffering the loss of a single man.