Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 24.8.1

24.8.1

We have left Governor Vansittart on his way to England. After his arrival in that country, his administration had become the object of a severe inquiry. Lord Clive had taken care to make it a general topic in the Council of that kingdom. But Vansittart, (who was a man of such an extent of genius, and so much firmness of mind, that his countrymen themselves acknowledge how difficult it would be to find such another man throughout all England), took care to give such rational answers to each charge, as overthrew the accusations prepared against him, and set in an advantageous light the valuable services he had rendered to the State. Amongst all the articles of chicane exhibited against him, a principal one was this, that they imputed to him the death of the English prisoners slaughtered by Mir-cassem's order. But he soon confuted the imputation, by producing a paper written at Calcutta at the time of Mr. Amyatt's death, where the Councillors openly disclosed their minds, and importuned their Governor for a declaration of war against that Prince. He proved his having represented, "That as there were so many English prisoners in that Prince's power, it would be proper to make some accommodation with him at present, until the prisoners should be released;