Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 24.8.2

24.8.2

after which it might be time to go to war;" but the Councillors, blinded by their passion, and by the fury of their resentment, unanimously clamoured for war, and gave it under their hands, that whether the prisoners were to be slaughtered to a man, or not, they would go to war immediately. Vansittart, on this declaration, had consented to an immediate war; but he kept the paper carefully by him; and now he presented it open to the Council of England, and asked, whether they conceived now that the slaughter was imputable to him, or to the Members of the Council; adding, that if they had the least doubt about the matter, it would soon be cleared up by inspecting the paper. This paper in reality turned the tide in his favour ; and the members of the English Council, on seeing the contents, applauded his penetration, and conceived as much esteem for his keenness of mind, as contempt for the precipitancy of his accusers. But there was another misdemeanour which those accusers wanted to fasten upon him ; and it was this : That he had forborne trading in salt on the Company's account, although he knew that such an article of trade would produce immense benefits, when exported duty-free to distant places ; instead of which, he had left in entirely to the Indians. "To this new charge Shems-ed-dowlah answered, "by acknowledging the immense benefits that might have accrued from trading in salt for the Company's account ;