Had Siraj-ud-daulab belonged to a royal family of long standing and ruled over a kingdom which had enjoyed for years a settled form of government, even his faults might not – have proved his rain. As it was, the circumstances of the times aa well, as his youth and inexperience tempted disaffection and conspiracy which neither his character nor his personality helped to allay.
The discomfited English leaders knew the situation in Bengal well enough, and, having experienced the force of the Nawab’ arms, they sought to retrieve their position by exploiting the internal situation. After the fall of Calcutta, they had taken refuge in Fulta, and from this place they carried on intrigues with the leading persons whom they knew to be hostile to the Nawab. The attempt of Shaukat Jang to seize the throne opened up new hopes to them. They sent him a letter with presents “hoping he might defeat Siraj-ud-daulah “. When that hope failed they won over to their cause Manikchand, the officer in charge, of Calcutta, Omichand, a rich merchant of the city, Jagat Seth, the famous banker, and other lg men of the Nawab’s court. At the same time they made appeals to the Nawab to restore their old privileges of trade in Calcutta. This appeal, backed by the support of the interested advisers, induced the Nawab to cosent to an accommodation with the English.
In the meantime warlike preparations were being made by the Madras Council. An soon as they received the news of the capture of Calcutta, they decided upon sending a large military expedition. Fortunately, a fully equipped army and navy which had been made ready for an expedition t the French were immediately available. After some discussion it was resolved to send the expedition under Clive and Admiral Watson. The expedition set WE on 16th October and reached Bengal on 14th December. The Nawab was evidently quite ignorant of this. While the English fugitives at Fulta- were lulling his suspicions by piteous appeals, and his treacherous officers and advisers were pleading the cause of the “harmless traders”, Clive and Watson arrived at Fulta with the force from Madras. It is only fair to note that the English at Fulta were perhaps equally ignorant of the help sent from Madras, and did their very best to induce Clive to dt from warlike operations t the Nawab, who was ready to concede their reasonable demand& But Clive and Watson paid no heed to the proposals of their compatriots in Fulta,. On 17th December Watson addressed a letter to the Nawab asking him not only to re the ancient “rights and immunities” of the Company but also to give them a reasonable compensation for the Iosses and injuries they had suffered. The Nawab appears to have sent a pacific reply, but it probably never reached Watson. Clive marched toward Calcutta. Manikchand made a pretence of war and then fled to Murshidabad. Clive recovered Calcutta on 2nd January, 1757, without any serious fighting. The English then plundered Hugli and destroyed many magnificent houses in that city.
Even after these provocations, Siraj-ud-daulah came to Calcutta, and concluded the Treaty of ‘Alinagar (9th February, 1757), conceding to the English practically all their demands. This pacific attitude of Siraj-ud-daulah, offering such a strange contrast to his earlier policy, is difficult to explain. It has been suggested that a night attack on his camp by Clive terrified him into a humble submission. But that attack, according to Orme, was a great failure for which Clive was taken to task even by his own soldier& Besides, the letters written by Siraj-ud-daulah, even before be reached Calcutta, contained proposals of peace similar to those to which he afterwards agreed. It is probable that the known treacherous designs of his own officers and the apprehension of an invasion from the north-west induced him to settle with the English at any cost.
Whatever may be the right explanation, it is quite clear that from this time onward Siraj-ud-daulah displayed a lack of energy and decision at almost every step. The outbreak of the Seven Years’ War introduced a new element into the situation. The English naturally desired to conquer the French ion of Chandernagore. Siraj-ud-daulah very reasonably argued that he could never allow one section of his subjects to be molested by another. When the English made preparations for sending an expedition to Chandernagore he accused them of violating the Treaty of ‘agar and loudly proclaimed his determination never to sacrifice the French. Yet he did’nothing to protect the French and Chandernagore was easily conquered by Clive and Watson in March, 1757. It is admitted by the English themselves that the Nawab had a large force near Chandemagore under Nanda Kumar, the Faujdra of Hugli, and ff he had not moved away they could not have conquered the French city. It is almost certain that Nanda Kumar was bribed, but it does not appear that the Nawab had given any definite orders to Nanda Kumar to resist the English.
