[Footnote 63:  Ibid., p. 2768, No. 112.]

[Footnote 64:  Memoirs of Lally.  London, 1766.]

[Illustration:  MUXADABAD, OR MURSHIDABAD. (After Rennell.)]

CHAPTER III

M. LAW, CHIEF OF COSSIMBAZAR

A few miles out of Murshidabad, capital of the Nawabs of Bengal since 1704, when Murshid Kuli Khan transferred his residence from Dacca to the ancient town of Muxadabad and renamed it after himself, lay a group of European Factories in the village or suburb of Cossimbazar.[65] Of these, one only, the English, was fortified; the others, i.e. the French and Dutch, were merely large houses lying in enclosures, the walls of which might keep out cattle and wild animals and even thieves, but were useless as fortifications.  In 1756 the Chief of the English Factory, as we have already seen, was the Worshipful Mr. William Watts; the Dutch factory was under M. Vernet,[66] and the French under M. Jean Law.  The last mentioned was the elder son of William Law, brother of John Law the financier, who settled in France, and placed his sons in the French service.  French writers[67] on genealogy have hopelessly mixed up the two brothers, Jean and Jacques Francois.  Both came to India, both distinguished themselves, both rose to the rank of colonel, one by his services to the French East India Company, and one by the usual promotion of an officer in the King’s army.  The only proof that the elder was the Chief of Cossimbazar is to be found in a few letters, mostly copies, in which his name is given as Jean or John.  As a usual rule he signed himself in the French manner by his surname only, or as Law of Lauriston.

His experiences during the four years following the accession of Siraj-ud-daula were painful and exciting, and he has recorded them in a journal or memoir[68] which has never yet been published, but which is of great interest to the student of Indian history.  For us it has the added charm of containing a picture of ourselves painted by one who, though a foreigner by education, was enabled by his birth to understand our national peculiarities.  In the present chapter I shall limit myself almost entirely to quotations from this memoir.

Law was by no means an admirer of Aliverdi Khan’s successor,—­

“Siraj-ud-daula, a young man of twenty-four or twenty-five,[69] very common in appearance.  Before the death of Aliverdi Khan the character of Siraj-ud-daula was reported to be one of the worst ever known.  In fact, he had distinguished himself not only by all sorts of debauchery, but by a revolting cruelty.  The Hindu women are accustomed to bathe on the banks of the Ganges.  Siraj-ud-daula, who was informed by his spies which of them were beautiful, sent his satellites in disguise in little boats to carry them off.  He was often seen, in the season when the river overflows, causing the ferry boats to be upset or sunk in order to