sede Major Carnac, at Patna; he being averse to the desertion of
a governor who had received so many pledges from, and had rendered many
services to, the English. Colonel Coote, however, had as high a sense of
honour as Major Carnac, and Mr. Vansittart, discovering this, recalled
him, and thus left Ramnarrain to the mercy of Meer Cossim. Ramnarrain
was in consequence thrown into prison, and his house was broken open and
plundered, while his servants were put to the torture, in order to
make them confess where his treasures, which chiefly existed in the
imagination of his enemies, were deposited. This base act on the part
of the council of the company met with its reward. All friendly
correspondence between the English and native nobility now ceased, and
Meer Cossim had offers of services and money made him on every hand,
if he would consent to resist the foreigners. Encouraged by this
circumstance, and conceiving that he would soon be able to defy the
English authority, Meer Cossim complained of the abuses of the dustucks,
or permits, by which he had been recently impoverished; and when no
notice was taken of his complaints, he ventured to stop and search
the company's boats, as they sailed up the Ganges. Nothing was done to
prevent his conduct; and growing more bold by impunity, Meer Cossim at
length seized two boats that were proceeding to Patna with arms, and
made preparation for getting that place into his own hands. Apprised of
this, the council gave directions to Mr. Ellis, the chief at Patna, to
anticipate Meer Cossim's designs by seizing upon the citadel. This was
done, and Meer Cossim, enraged thereat, murdered Mr. Amyatt, who had
formerly been chief at Patna, with two Hindu bankers attached to the
English interests, and then marched upon the town with a great army, of
which he took possession. The English troops at Patna fled by boats up
the Ganges to Chuprah, where they were surrounded, and taken prisoners.
About the same time, also, the troops of Meer Cossim attacked and
plundered the factory of Cossimbuzar, where likewise he captured many
English.

While these events were transpiring, the council at Calcutta entered
into new arrangements with Meer Jaffier, in order to restore him to the
musuud or throne of Bengal. Meer Jaffier not only confirmed the grants
of territory made by Meer Cossim, but also granted an exemption to the
company's servants from all search, and from all duties, except upon
salt, and eng