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Chefire-man fet fail for Spain,
To deal in merchandize;
No fooner he arriv'd there, than
A Spaniard he efpies,
Who faid, "You English dog, look
here,

"What fruits and fpices fine,
"Our land produces twice a-year,

"You've no fuch fruit in thine." 3. The Cheshire-man ran to his hold, And brought a Cheshire-cheefe, Then faid, "You Spanish dog behold! "You've no fuch fruits as thefe. "Your land produces twice a-year, "Rich fruit and fpice you fay; "But fuch as now my hands do bear, "Our land gives twice a-day.

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The MINUTES of the Select Comittee appointed by the House of COMMONS to inquire into EASTINDIA affairs.

(Continued from page 411. Vol. 1.)

His Lordship then read to the Committee the following extract from a printed pamphlet, intitled, A letter to the proprietors of the Eaft-India flock from Lord Clive, together with two letters thereunto annexed. "Every thing being agreed on between Meer Jaffier and the Secret Committee, we marched the army to meet the Nabob; whom we entirely defeated. His death fol lowed foon after, and Meer Jaffier was in a few days in poffeffion of the goverment, and of a revenue of three millions and a half Sterling per ann. The one half of the Secret Committee being then prefent at the capital, and a report made by the Nabob's minifters of the state of the treasury, it was fettled that half the fum ftipulated by treaty fhould be paid in three months, and the other half in three years, all conditionally that we fupported him in his government.-The Nabob then, agreeable to the known and ufual cuf

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tom of Eaftern princes, made prefents both to thofe of his own court, and to fuch of the English who by their rank and abilities had been inftrumental in the happy fuccefs of fo hazardous an enterprife, fuitable to the rank and dignity of a great prince. I was one among the many who benefited by his favour; I never fought to conceal it, but declared publicly in my letters to the Secret Committee of the India' Directors, that the Nabob's generosity had made my fortune eafy, and that the Company's welfare was now my only motive for ftaying in India. What injuftice was this to the Company? They could expect no more than what was ftipulated in the treaty. Or what injunction was I under to refuse a prefent from him who had the power to make me one, as the reward of honourable fervice? I know of none. furely myfelf a particular claim, by having devoted myself to the Company's military fervice, and neglected all commercial advantages. What reason can there be given, or what prètence could the Company have to expect, that I, after having rifked my life fo often in their fervice, fhould deny myself the

I had

only

only honourable opportunity that ever offered of acquiring a fortune, without prejudice to them, who, it is evident, could not have had more by my having had lefs? When the Company had acquired a million and a half Sterling, and a revenue of 100,000l. per ann. from the success of their forces under my command; when ample restoration had been made to thofe whofe fortunes had fuffered by the calamity of Calcutta; and when individuals had, in confequence of that fuccefs, acquired large eftates; what would the world

have faid, had I come home, and rested upon the generofity of the prefent Court of Directors? It is well known to every gentleman in Bengal, that the honour of my country and the intereft of the Company were the principles that governed all my actions; and that had I only taken the advantageous opportunities that prefented themfelves by my being Commander in Chief, and at the head of a victorous army, and what by the custom of that country I was intitled to, the jaghire itself, great as it is, would have been an object Scarce worth my confideration.

The city of Muxadavad is as extenfive, populous, and rich, as the city of London; with this difference, that there are individuals in the firft, poffelling infinitely greater property than any in the last city. Thefe, as well as every other man of property, made me the greatest offers; which nevertheless are usual upon fuch occafions, and what they expected would have been required; and had I accepted thefe offers, I might have been in poffeffion of millions which the prefent Court of Directors could not have difpoffeffed me of. But preferring the reputation of the English nation, the intereft of the Nabob, and the advantage of the Company, to all pecuniary confiderations, I refufed all offers that were made me, not only then, but to the laft hour of my continuance in the Company's fervice in Bengal; and do challenge friend or enemy to bring one fingle inftance of

my being influenced by interefted motives to the Company's difadvantage, or to do any act that could reflect difhonour to my country or the Company in any one action of my adminiftration, either as Governor or Commanding Officer. Ilittle expected ever to have had my conduct impeached, or to have received fuch treatment from the Court of Directors, especially after the many public and honourable teftimonies of aprobation I had received,

Copy of the Company's letter to Col.Clive, March, 8 1758.

"SIR, Our fentiments of gratitude for the many great fervices you have rendered to this Company, together with the thanks of the General Court, have been hitherto conveyed through the channel of our general letters; but the late extraordinary and unexpected revolution in Bengal, in which you have had fo great a fhare of action both in the cabinet and in the field, merits our more particular regard; and we do accordingly embrace this opportunity of returning you our most fincere and hearty thanks for the zeal, good conduct, and intrepidity, which you have fo eminently exerted on this glorious occafion, as well as for the great and folid advantages refulting therefrom to the Eaft-India Company. We earneftly wish your health may permit your continuance in India for fuch further term as will give you an opportunity of fecuring the foundation you have laid, as likewife to give your affiftance in putting the Company's mercantile and civil affairs on a proper and advantageous footing, upon the plans now tranfmitted. For this purpose, as well as in confideration of your eminent fervices, we have appointed you Governor and Prefident of Fort William in Bengal, and its dependencies, in the manner mentioned in the general letter by this conveyance, to which we have annexed an additional allowance of 1000l. a-year, as a teftimony of our great regard for you.

The

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"In our letter of the 3d inftant, we lamented the fituation of the many unhappy people who had loft their property on the capture of Fort William, and had no relief from the treaty concluded with the late Nabob: in compaffion to their fufferings, we recommended your applying to him on their behalf for relief, if you had the leaft probability of fucceeding. It is with great pleafure we find, that the late happy revolution, and your care, have procured what we had very little reafon to expect from the late Nabob, a grant from the prefent Nabob of fuch large fums to make good the loffes of the feveral inhabitants, as we are fatisfied are much more than fufficient to indemnify them, even with intereft thereon. Although the Nabob gives the Company a crore of rupees, yet when the immenfe expence of maintaining the fettlement at Fulta, the military charges of our troops from Fort St George and Bombay, and the hazards thofe prefidencies have been expofed to, by drawing them off from thence, the charges of fortifications and rebuildings, replacing ftores, increase of our garrison, the lofs of a feafon's investments, if not more, and many other obvious particulars, are taken into the accounts, it will appear that the Company will ftill be confiderable fufferers; it is highly reafonable, therefore, if the feveral inhabitants are paid out of the money ftipulated in the treaty with the Nabob for that purpofe, the full amount of their refpective loffes, together with the intereft thereon, that all the furplus fhould be applied to the Company's use. We shall expect to hear that you have acted in this manner,and that fuch furplus has been accordingly depofited in our cafh; and we direct that you may obferve this as a rule for your conduct in the diftribution of any further fums of money on this account. We do not intend by this to break in upon any fums of money which have

been given by the Nabob to particular perfons, by way of free gift or gratuity for their fervices; it is the furplus of the fums we mean, which are agreed to be paid by the Nabob in the 5th, 6th, and 7th articles of the treaty with him. It is thought proper here to acquaint you,that fuch furplufes, whatever they are, we purpose to expend in fuch a manner, as will tend to the general utility and fecurity of the settlement: they are therefore to be referved for our farther orders; and you are hereby directed to tranfmit us for our information exact accounts of every perfon's lofs, whether English or other inhabitants, on the late capture of Fort William, and what has been paid to each of them in particular, by way of indemnification for the fame out of the money granted by the Nabob for that purpose.'

As to the fictitious treaty, wher Mr Watts had nearly accomplished the means of carrying the revolution into execution, he acquainted me by letter, that a fresh difficulty had ftarted; that Omichund had infifted upon five per cent. upon all the Nabob's treasures, and thirty lacks in money; and threatened, if he did not comply with that demand, he would immediately acquaint Serajah Dawlah with what was going on, and Mr Watts should be put to death.- -When I received this advice, I thought art and policy was warrantable in defeating the purpofes of fuch a villain, and I myfelf formed the plan of the fictitious treaty, to which the Committee confented. It was fent to Adm. Watfon, who objected to the figning of it, but, to the best of my remembrance, gave the genleman who carried it (Mr Mufhington) leave to fign his name upon it. I never made any fecret of it; I think it warrantable in fuch a cafe, and would do it again a hundred times. I had no interested motive in doing it; I did it with a defign of difappointing the expectations of a rapacious man. I never heard that Mr Watts had made a promise to Omi

chund

chund of any money directly or indirectly: when I was laft abroad, the fame account was given, which is entered in the public proceedings. Omichund was employed only as an agent to Mr Watts, as having moft knowledge of Serajah Dowlah's court, and had a commiffion to deal with three or four more of the court. Omichund's only chance of obtaining retribution was depending on this treaty. I don't believe that Omichund was perfonally known to Meer Jaffier but through Mr Watts. When we marched, Meer Jaffier had promifed, that he and his fon would join us with a large force at Cutawa: when we arrived there, we faw no appearance of force to join us, but received a letter from Meer Jaffier, informing me, that the Nabob had fufpected his defign, and made him fwear on the Koran, that he would not act a gainst him; and therefore he could not give us the promised affiftance; but that when we met Serajah Dowlah in the field, he would then act: at the fame time Omichund received two or three letters from the Nabob's camp, that the affair was discovered, and that Meer Jaffier and the Nabob were one.

I was much puzzled: for I thought it extremely hazardous, to pafs a river which is only fordable in one place, march 150 miles up the country, and rifk a battle, when, if a defeat ensued, we fhould not one man of us have returned to tell it. In this fituation I called a council of war, and the queftion I put was, wether we fhould cross the river, and attack Serajah Dowlah with our own forces or not, or wait for further intelligence? Every member gave their opinion against the attack till we had received further intelligence,except Capt. Coote and Grant, It was the only council of war ever I held in my life; and if I had abided by that council, it would have been the rain of the Eaft-India Company. After about twenty-four hours mature confideration, I took upon myself to break through this opinion of the council, and ordered the army to cross the river. I don't recollect any memorial from Capt. Coote on that occafion, nor was he of rank fufficient at this time to have any influence upon my conduct; whatever I did upon that occafion, I did without receiving advice from any one.journed. (To be continued)

-Ad

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