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CHAPTER XX: European

After committing the most revolting acts of cruelty, he was assassinated by his own officers, who placed his nephew, Adil Shah, on the vacant throne: A. D. 1747. We will now take a view of European interests in that distant region.

Among other stipulations in the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, it was agreed that the English settlement of Madras, which during the war of the succession had been taken from the English by the French, should be restored. Dupleix, the French governor of Pondicherry, had long sought an opportunity for adding to the dominions of his countrymen in India; and the continual disputes of the native princes favored his schemes, inasmuch as the interference of the French was generally solicited by one of the parties , who remunerated their European allies by fresh concessions of territory on every such occassion. This naturally roused the jealousy of their English rivals; who adopted a similar line of policy; so that whenever there was a rupture between the native princes, they each found allies in the European settlers. A fierce contention arose for the nabobship of the Carnatic. The French supported the claims of Chunda Sahib; the English being applied to by Mohammed Ali, son of the late nabob of Arcot, espoused his cause: A D. 1751. It was at this time that Mr. Clive ( afterwards Lord Clive) appeared in the capacity of a military leader. He had been originally in the civil service of the East India Company; but he now exchanged the pen for the sword, and soon proved himself more than a match for all the talents which were brought into play against him; with a small force he took Arcot; and he afterwards successfully defended it against Chundah Sahib, who besieged it with a numerous army. Many brilliant victories followed on the side of the English and their allies.