When Sirāju-d-daulah, after the fall of his cousin, arrived in Murshidābād, the chess-board of time presented a new game. Of the English, who had been routed by Sirāju-d-daulah in Calcutta, and whose treasures worth several laks had been plundered, some escaped and fled to an island.* Thence they sent messages to England and other ports, and in a short time obtained reinforce­ments. After some months, the English chiefs, under the com­mand of Sābit Jang (Clive), with thirty thousand men, arrived on ships of war, obliged the garrisons of the Nawab’s outposts to take to their heels, and fought with Rājah Mānikchānd. The Rājah suffered a heavy defeat. The English advancing to Hūglī, rased its fortifications with the cannonade of their artillery, and the Faujdār of that Fort fled. Sirāju-d-daulah, on getting news of the English victory, set out for Calcutta from Murshidābād, and encamped in the garden of Karhatī, in the suburbs of Calcutta. The English made a night-attack. The next day, Sirāju-d-daulah not having the boldness to advance, and outwardly proclaiming the conclusion of peace, marched back anxiously to Murshidābād. After arrival in Murshidābād, Sirāju-d-daulah found that all the Nobles and Generals were disaffected. Foremost amongst them was Mīr Muḥammad Jafar Khān Bahādur, from whom the office of generalissimo had been transferred to Khwājah Hādī Alī Khān, and who had shut himself up in his house. Sirāju-d-daulah plac­ing large batteries in front of Mīr Jafar’s palace was ready to blow him up, and ordered him to quit the City. Mīr Jafar ten­dering excuses and apologies, secretly set about making warlike preparations in self-defence, and tampering with the Bhalīah Generals and Commanders and with Jagat Set.* Ratifying their con­spiracy by mutual oaths and promises, Mīr Jafar sent secretly Amīr Bēg, who was one of his confidential adherents, with letters to Calcutta, asking the English troops to be sent. Amīr Bēg,* by indulging in various assurances, induced the English Chiefs to set out from Calcutta and to march to Palāsī (Plassey). When the moment for action had passed, Sirāju-d-daulah on hearing the news of the advance of the English troops, marched out of the City. Now taking out the cotton of recklessness from the ear, he displayed towards the aforesaid Khān (Mīr Jafar) flattery and endearment, and sending the Begam of Mahābat Jang to Mīr Jafar opened the gates of apology for his past shortcomings. Mīr Jafar did not listen to them, as he had no reliance on Sirāju-d-daulah’s assurances and actions. After this, when Sirāju-d-daulah advanced from Chunahkhalī, the aforesaid Khān (Mīr Jafar) also marching encamped at a distance of half a farsakh from the army of Sirāju-d-daulah. Mīr Madan, Superintendent of the Artil­lery, told Sirāju-d-daulah that the English were coming at the instigation of Mīr Muḥammad Jafar, and that it was, therefore, expedient to finish first Mīr Muḥammad Jafar, and that after the latter was killed, the English would not have the daring to approach this side. In that the arrow of Fate cannot be parried by the shield of Effort, and in that God’s decree had already been passed another way,

When next day, Sirāju-d-daulah reached Dāūdpūr, tidings came to the effect that the English had set fire to Katwāh. At that time Mohanlal reproached Sirāju-d-daulah, and said: “You have ruined me, and rendered my children orphans. If you had not removed Mīr Muḥammad Jafar Khān and Dullab Ram from the Katwāh outpost, things would not have taken this turn.” In short, on the morning following that day, which was 5th Shawāl of the 3rd year of the reign of Emperor Alamgīr II, the English army from Palāsī (Plassey) on one side, and Sirāju-d-daulah from Dāūd­pūr on the other encountered each other, and opened the battle with a cannonade. Mīr Muḥammad Jafar Khān, with his detachment, stood at a distance towards the left from the main army; and although Sirāju-d-daulah summoned him to his side, Mīr Jafar did not move from his position. In the thick of the fighting, and in the heat of the work of carnage, whilst victory and triumph were visible on the side of the army of Sirāju-d-daulah, all of a sudden Mīr Madan, commander of the Artillery, fell on being hit with a cannon-ball. At the sight of this, the aspect of Sirāju-d-daulah’s army changed, and the artillerymen with the corpse of Mīr Madan moved into tents. It was now midday, when the people of the tents fled. As yet Nawāb Sirāju-d-daulah was busy fighting and slaughtering, when the camp-followers decamping from Dāūdpūr went the other side, and gradually the soldiers also took to their heels. Two hours before sun-set, flight occurred in Sirāju-d-daulah’s army, and Sirāju-d-daulah also being unable to stand his ground any longer fled. On arrival at Manṣūrganj, which had been founded by him, he opened the Treasury gates and distributed money to the army. But owing to grave anxieties, being unable to halt there, the Nawāb abandoning his trea­sures and effects, at nightfall, with his wives and children, got into a boat, carrying with himself a lot of precious jewelleries and gold coins, and sailed towards Purnīah and Azīmābād. After Sirāju-d-daulah’s defeat, Mīr Muḥammad Jafar entered his camp, in the night held a conference with the English Chiefs, and early next morning marched in pursuit of Sirāju-d-daulah, and arrived in Murshidābād. Finding the sky propitious towards his views, Mīr Jafar entered the citadel, struck up the music announcing his accession to the masnad of Bengal, issued proclamations of peace and security in the City, and unfurled the standard of Ṣūbahdāri. Mīr Jafar then detailed his son-in-law, Mīr Muḥammad Qāsim with a corps to capture Sirāju-d-daulah, and quartered the Engish army at Babnīah.* But Sirāju-d-daulah, travelling in the night, had sailed swiftly from below Māldah, and reached Babiāl. When news reached him that the mouth of Nāzirpūr was unnavi­gable and boats could not pass by that way, he was obliged to dis­embark, and went to the house of Dān Shāh Pīrzādah, whose house was at that place. Dān Shāh who previous to this had suffered some injury at the hands of Sirāju-d-daulah, finding the latter in his power, and seeing the times favourable, by giving assurances and consolations, detained Sirāju-d-daulah in his house, and ostensibly engaging on preparing food, sent information to Mīr Dāūd Alī Khān, Faujdār of Akbārnāgar (Rājmahal), who was brother of Mīr Muḥammad Jafar Khān. The spies of Dāūd Alī Khān who were searching for Sirāju-d-daulah, fancying it to be a grand victory, swiftly arrived, and capturing Sirāju-d-daulah carried him from the house of Dān Shāh* to Akbārnāgar, from whence the spies of Dāūd Alī Khān and Mīr Muḥammad Qāsim Khān carried him in their company to Murshidābād. Mīr Muḥam­mad Jafar Khān threw Sirāju-d-daulah into prison that day. On the next day, with the advice of the English Chiefs, and on the importunity and insistance of Jagat Set, he slew him, and sus­pending the corpse of that victim of oppression to a howdah on an elephant’s back, sent it round the City, and then buried it in Khosh Bāgh in the Mausoleum of Nawāb Mahabat Jang. After some days, Mīr Jafar killed also Mīrzā Mihdī Alī Khān, the younger brother of Sirāju-d-daulah, by stretching him on an instrument of torture, and buried his body by the side of his brother’s grave. The Nizāmat of Nawāb Sirāju-d-daulah* lasted one year and four months, and he was slain at the end of the month of Shawāl 1170 A.H.