A voyage from England to India, in the year MDCCLIV. And an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive in the years 1755, 1756, 1757; including a correspondence between the admiral and the nabob Serajah Dowlah ... Also, a journey from Persia to England, by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron: description of most of the trees, shrubs, and plants of India ... also a copy of a letter written by a late ingenious physician, on the disorders incidental to Europeans at Gombroon in the Gulph of Persia ... / By Edward Ives.
- Edward Ives
- Date:
- 1773
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A voyage from England to India, in the year MDCCLIV. And an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive in the years 1755, 1756, 1757; including a correspondence between the admiral and the nabob Serajah Dowlah ... Also, a journey from Persia to England, by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron: description of most of the trees, shrubs, and plants of India ... also a copy of a letter written by a late ingenious physician, on the disorders incidental to Europeans at Gombroon in the Gulph of Persia ... / By Edward Ives. Source: Wellcome Collection.
![[ Ito ] 1757. afl'air. I iliall not Icniple to grant a Perwannah^ for the reflltution of all the —Y-^ company’s fadories, and permit them to trade in my country upon the fame terms as formerly. If the EngliJIo^ who are fettled in thofe. provinces, will behave like merchants, obey my orders, and give me no offence, you may depend upon it, I will take their Ioffes into confideration, and adjuft matters to their latisfadion. You know how difficult it is to prevent foldiers from plundering in war; therefore if you will on your parts relinquiffi lomething of the damages you have fuftained by being pillaged by my army, I will endeavour to give you fatisfaftion even in that particular, in order to gain your friendffiip, and preferve a good underftanding for the future with your nation. You are a Chrtjiian^ and know how much prefer¬ able it is to accommodate a difpute, than to keep it alive; but if you are determined to facrifice the interefl of your company, and the good of private merchants, to your inclinations for war, it is no fault of mine : to preventthe fatal confequences of fuch a ruinous war, I write this letter.” The Nabob waited not for a reply, but advanced with his forces, which confifted of 18,000 horfe and 15,000 foot, 10,000 pioneers, and about 40,000 Cooleys^ horfekeepers, cooks. Bazar-men^ &c. 50 elephants, and 40 pieces of cannon ; and yet, infinitely inferior as our troops were in number to this vaft multitude, being but 711 Europeans in battalion, about 100 artillery, 1300 iiepoys^ with 14 field pieces 6 pounders, befides the cannon on our batteries, they placed fuch confidence in the good fortune and abilities of their com¬ mander, that they did not in the leaft hefitate to abide the attack. Agree¬ able to this refolution, the colonel formed his camp on a fpot of ground near the river, about four miles to the northward of Calcutta^ between it and the Nabob's army : indeed Calcutta was then not defenfible, the fort had no ditch, its baftions did not deferve the name, and there were houfes fo near the fort as to command the few fortifications it had f. On the 2d of February^ the admiral by invitation dined with the colonel in his camp ; but they had not finiilied their meal, before the Nabob's army appeared in view, marching at about a mile diftance from them, in the way towards Calcutta. The admiral foon took his leave of the gentlemen of the army, and returned in his boat to Calcutta.^ to give the enemy a proper reception, fliould they attempt to recover the fort; one or two of their fcouting parties fired at him as he paffed down the river. The fame evening, the colonel marched out of the camp with a detachment of men and fix field pieces two miles towards the enemy, and drew up oppofite to their line of march. A cannonade prefently began between him and the Nabob., (who fired from 10 pieces of cannon, fome of them 32 pounders) and which con- * An order or grant. 4 While the colonel was in fearcli of a proper place for an encampment, a wild buffalo ran at his guard ; and although the Sepoy it attacked, difcharged his mulket ball into its body, and received it on his bayonet, yet the creature killed the man, and made off. The wild buffaloes are here very large ; they exceed the largeft ox in England, and have legs remarkably thick and ftrong: their horns lie on their back as they walk, .their head being in an horizontal pollure ; but when they feed, their horns fland ere<51. tinued](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30410678_0136.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
