Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 22.1
A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa) 22.1
- Language
- English
22.1.1
The English commence hostilities, by surprising and plundering Azim-abad — This city lost and recovered for Mir-cassem, in one and the same day — Mir-cassem, forced into a war, resolves to push it with vigour — A fracas in the Council at Calcutta between Hastings and Batson — Battle of Catöa lost through the misintelligence that reigns amongst Mir-cassem's Generals — Mir-cassem deposed by the English, who bring back Mir-djaafer-qhan — Mir-cassem's army defeated at Gheriah — Dissensions in Mir-cassem's Councils — The strong post at Sôöa forced by the English — Gurghin-qhan, his principal General, murdered — All the English prisoners put to death by Mir-cassem's orders — Mir-cassem totally ruined, thinks of retiring in the Vezir's dominions — Strongly dissuaded by Mirsa-nedjef-qhan, one of his Commanders — Mir-cassem, surrounded by traitors, is promised an asylum by perfides — Revolution at Püraniah in favour of the English — Infamous hypocrisy of Mir-suleiman, Steward and favourite of Mir-cassem's — Successful expedition in the Bundelcund by that fugitive — The Vezir attacks the English with an army utterly ungovernable — The English, in distress, retreat under the cannon of Azim-abad — Battle — The Vezir's troops vigorously repulsed by Major Carnac — The Emperor's negotiation with the English, miscarries — Dissensions between Mir-cassem and the Vezir — Mir-cassem, in despair, turns Fakir — He is arrested and stripped — Singular discourse between Aaly-hibrahim-qhan and the Vezir — Odious character of old Mir-djaafer, as well as of Nandcomar, his Minister — Mir-djaafer dies somewhat a Gentoo — Major Monro, General — A regiment of Sipahees mutinies, and is punished — Singular behaviour of one of them, condemned to death — Battle of Bacsar, in which Shudja-ed-döula is undone — Singular escape of Mir-cassem's, then a prisoner of State — Shudja-ed-doula wishes for a peace — Proposals of the English — His pride greatly humbled, and his ideas greatly altered — Rejects the proposals — The English push on the war — Besiege the fortress of Chennar-gar — Are repulsed — Raise the siege to march up to the enemy — The citadel of Ilah-abad surrenders to the English, who conquer the whole of the Vezir's dominions — The latter, joined by the Marhatta, Malhar-râo, advances towards the English, and is worsted after a few skirmishes — Singular speech of Ahmed-qhan-bangash, to Shudjah-ed-doula, highly honourable to the English — The garrison of Chennar surrenders to the English — The Vezir almost alone and without any safe-conduct, goes to Major Carnac's camp, where he is received with respect — The Major wins his heart — The Vezir concludes a peace with the English — He applies to all his relations and dependants for some money, and is refused by all, and even by his own mother — But is generously assisted by his consort, whom he henceforward makes depositary of all his savings.
22.1.2
Mr. Amyatt, finding that none of his proposals to the Navvab had been accepted, and that no care had been taken to give him satisfaction in any thing, descended towards Calcutta, extremely discontented and mortified at the success of his embassy; but he had the attention to inform Mr. Ellis, that as no agreement had taken place between the English and the Navvab, the consequence would be a rupture with hostilities. Nothing can give a better insight into the temper of the English of those times, and of Mir-cassem-qhan's subtle and extensive genius in particular, than the following fact, which I find but slightly mentioned in all the papers of those times, or that are relative to that period: The Navvab, to get rid of the persecutions of the English on their private trade, at once took to the bold and comprehensive expedient of publishing all over Bengal, a general abolition of all Custom-houses, tolls, and fees; and of granting a general indiscriminate exemption to all traders whatsoever. Could any thing be fairer with regard to the English? You want only to pay but a small duty at Hoogly, Dacca, Patna, &c.; &c., I grant your demand, and add a great deal more. Pay none at all. I have supressed all duties whatever all over Bengal; nor does there exist now a single object for our quarrelling together.
22.1.3
Here the Navvab suspected that the general exemption would infallibly favour only his own subjects, who living and subsisting so much on a lower scale than the English, would infallibly undersell them in all the markets, and of course expel them from everywhere. But this was at once guessed by the English of those times; who, in full Council, had the front to contend, that in order to comply fully with the sense and spirit of their Ferman or charter, the Navvab ought to free all English trade, (to wit, their private trade, as an exemption for the Company's trade was admitted on all hands) to free it, I say, from all duty and all shackles whatever, whilst he should be bound to continue them on his own subjects. An extravagant and tyrannically absurd proposition this! That a Sovereign Prince should have no right to grant to his own subjects, an exemption claimed, and at last obtained, by foreigners. Vansittart and Hastings contended, that it was unworthy the dignity of the English Government, to make such a proposal, and shocking to go to war for it. Batson and Johnstone, with Amyatt and his party, seriously contended that the Navvab had not such a right; and it was because Vansittart and Hastings declared they could not think of setting down such a proposal, that the latter was saluted with the atrocious sarcasm: That such a reluctance, and such an objection, would suit better a vakeel or agent of the Navvab's, than a Member of this Board.
22.1.4
As if by law and charter, as well as by convenience, every Member of such a Board had been under an absolute obligation of being extravagantly absurd, and tyrannically overbearing; of arrogating every therefore, said he, upon your guard in matters of war, and do not fail to seize such an opportunity as may offer. As Mr. Ellis himself had his heart full against the Navvab, and he reckoned it for certain, that on Mr. Amyatt's making his report to the thing to themselves, and denying every thing to others, that is, of trampling under foot the most obvious and most acknowledged rights of mankind.
22.1.5
This was the state of things for which Vansittart and Hastings contended; this was the cause of that shocking fracas which happened in that assembly, otherwise so august; and this was the reason of that animosity of all the council against them. This condescension of theirs gave rise to that calumny, so universally talked of in those times, as if they had sold themselves to Mir-cassem for twenty-two lacs of rupees; a sum, which after all, is but one-fourth of those Princely fortunes which we have seen so often since that time. But the fact is, that those men who contended for so reasonable a submission, (and they traded themselves largely) and had constantly refused to involve the nation in a war for such trifling concerns, now were branded with such an atrocious imputation; and yet those two men went to Europe in indifferent circumstances. Hastings was poor, literally so; and Vansittart was far from being rich. Nine or ten lacs could not be deemed a fortune for a man, who had brought a lac into Bengal, and had for four years together, enjoyed a salary of two lacs and-a-half.
22.1.6
All these matters were known to a few at the time; but they came fully to light when Vansittart landed in England, and when assaulted by an infinity of calumnies, he made the Directors understand, and with them the whole nation, that what Amyatt's party in all their public and private letters, constantly called the English trade, was nothing else than the private trade of their own party, set up these four or five years past. It must be added, that nothing was more common then, than to see English agents of all colours and denominations, (and they swarmed then in every part of Bengal) take up the farm of a town, mart, village, or district, hoist up the English flag on it of their own private authority, pay to the Navvab such a rent as they chose to part with, keep the rest to themselves, and act meanwhile as the most relentless, rapacious tyrants, setting at defiance the Navvab's authority everywhere, and in every instance. Nor are all these allegations a vain declamation. As soon as the English themselves became masters of the country, and took possession of it in their own names, the evils so much complained of by the Navvab as unsufferable, having come home to themselves, they first of all abolished all exemption of duties, as granted once to their own servants; that is, they abolished, as Sovereigns, the very exemption for which they had gone to war, as merchants;
22.1.7
and even this law having proved far from adequate to the evil, the Company's servants, or their dependants, having it in their power to evade its operations in a thousand obvious ways, the hatchet at last was brought forth, and put to the root of the tree. Their servants were strictly forbidden from trading, directly or indirectly, in the inland country, in any article whatever; and strict injunctions were given to the Governors in India, for preventing their being concerned as farmers or lessees of any duty, town, village, or district, whatever; nor have those two laws, severe as they are, produced a complete effect, although they have gone far that way. counsellors of their party, now the majority of Calcutta, the Council would not fail to declare war against that Prince, and to make every effort to drive him out of his dominions; he on his side prepared himself underhand for the event; and being certain of the day on which Mr. Amyatt had departed from Monghyr, he, by calculating in how many days more he might be out of the reach of the Navvab's forces, rightly concluded that he must be now arrived in Calcutta; and he resolved on such a conclusion, to attack Mir-mehdi-qhan, and to surprise the city of Azim-abad, where that officer commanded.
22.1.8
A short note was therefore written to Major Carstairs, who was at the head of all the English troops in the environs, to desire his managing in such a manner, as that his people should all be assembled at the English factory in the evening, in order to assault the gates of the city at day-break. He, at the same time, prepared a number of ladders of bamboo, and of wood; and he wrote to Doctor Fullarton, who lived in the middle of the city, to desire his attendance. The Doctor, who knew nothing of the scheme, obeyed the order; but, on being arrived at the factory, he soon saw what was going forward. Of all these preparatives, the Governor, Mir-mehdy-qhan, was completely ignorant. He lived in the citadel, which is at the other extremity of the city, and was actually fast asleep at the moment of the attack; and, as to the garrison and the troops destined to watch the walls of the city, every one of them, in compliance with that inveterate custom of neglect and supineness that has now taken place in these countries, and to which people never fail to conform themselves, was either unarmed and fast asleep upon the walls, or living unconcernedly in his own home; insomuch, that there was hardly a man to oppose some defence, whether officer or soldier. The English, setting out of their factory at the rising of the morning star, applied their ladders to that tower which was close to Mir-abdollah's house, and to the English factory, and got silently and courageously upon the wall.
22.1.9
It was on a Friday morning, the 12th of the month Zilhidj, in the year of the Hegira 1176. The few soldiers of the garrison, who, on account of the neighbourhood of the English factory, appeared to be still there, having taken to their arms, wounded some English and Talingas, and then fled; so that the English were left masters of the ramparts; and they descended in two bodies within the city, directing their march towards the citadel. One body advanced firing, along the main street and the several markets; and the other marched along the catra and the street of the Divan's quarter, firing all the way occasionally. Mir-mehdi-qhan, and the other officers, awakened from their sleep and supineness by the report of the cannon and musquetry, assembled what troops they could in that moment of surprise and trepidation; and, half asleep, they advanced to oppose the enemy, whom they met at the head of the street Corhatta; and there, as soon as the English had fired a volley amongst them, with a few grape-shot, which wounded Mahmed-amin-qhan, with many others, the rest lost courage and fled, leaving Mir-mehdy-qhan, and Sheh-bereket-aaly, and Mir-mahmed-amin-qhan, with the shame of so sudden a defeat. The latter, in despair of such a disgrace, fled towards the Eastern gate, and wanted to go to Monghyr. Sheh-bereket-aaly, confounded at this sudden revolution, made the best of his way towards the Rani's wicket, and fled along the water side, without knowing whither he was going.
22.1.10
But, Mahmed-amin, although wounded, repaired to the Chehel-sotun, (a building of stone, raised by the late Zin-eddin-ahmed-qhan) shut up the gate, and, with the few followers he could muster on so sudden an emergency, he prepared to defend himself. At the same time the Gentoo Colonel, Laal-sing, having assembled his people, shut up the gate of the citadel, and commenced firing, resolved to stand his ground. The same resolution was also taken in the Chehel-sotun, from whence balls now commenced raining on all sides.