In the year 1746, Madras was besieged by a French armament, and compelled to capitulate ; but it was re stored to the English by ' the peace of Aix la Chapelle. About the same time, the nabob of the Carnatic, within whose jurisdiction both Madras and Pondicherry were situated, and who successively took part with the com batants on both sides, sustained a total defeat from a very inferior number of French. The event is memorable, chiefly, as being the first which decidedly proved the superiority of the European troops over those of Hin dostan.
The territory of the Carnatic was one of the subordi nate principalities immediately governed by nabobs, but subject to the soubhadar of the Decan, who was still re garded as a feudal prince under the Mogul emperor. Nizam ul Mulk, already frequently mentioned, who was soubhadar of the Decan, died in the year 1748, and the province was disputed between his son Nazir, and his grandson Murzafa. At the same time the nabob of the Carnatic, Anwaraadeen, who had been regularly establish ed in that office by the Nizam, was opposed by Chunda Saheb ; the latter and Murzafa made common cause, and to their alliance acceded M. Duplcix, the governor of Pondicherry, a man of great talents, intrigue, and ambi tion. The combined troops of the French and the two princes overthrew those of Anwaraadeen, on the frontiers of his own country, in a pitched battle, in which he him self was killed, and his eldest son taken prisoner, while his second, Mahomed Ali, escaped, and implored the assist ance of the English. For some time the English hesi tated, till at length they were induced by several reasons— the strongest, probably, a desire to curb and oppose the French—to espouse the alliance of Nazir and Mahomed Ali, who had made common cause.
Such was the origin of the war for the succession of the Carnatic, or the Carnatic war, as it is called, between the English and the French. In its progress, this war pre served essentially the character under which it had com menced, that is, in reality, a contest between the English and French for superiority of power and extension of do minions in Hindostan. The violent deaths of Nazir Jung and his nephew introduced new competitors for the soub hadarship of the Decan ; but the English throughout the contest persevered in their object, of securing the nabob ship of the Carnatic to Mohamed Ali. It was during this war that Mr Clive, afterwards Lord Clive, first appeared as a military character, and by his talents the English gained considerable success. In 1751, he defeated his op
ponents in the plains of Arani ; and this victory was fol lowed by the reduction of the forts of Timery, Conganzam, and Arani. These successes, however, were only against the Indian troops of Chunda Saheb ; but, in the beginning of the year 1752, he attacked, and, after au obstinate bat tle, he defeated, near Arcot, an army consisting of 1500 sepoys, 1700 horse, with 150 French, and eight pieces of cannon. Soon after this, Chunda Saheb having been sur rounded and cut off from his supplies by an English force, fled, but was taken and beheaded by his rival. After his flight, his army was defeated and routed by Major Law-. rence, who had succeeded Mr Clive in the command of the army. The French immediately proclaimed Rajah Saheb, his son, nabob of the Carnatic. Thus the forces of the English and French were engaged in u egular hostili ties against each other in India, at a time when no war ex isted between them in Europe. As soon, however, as in telligence of these events reached the courts of Versailles and St James's, orders were sent out to put an end to the war ; and a treaty was entered into, by which the French and English were to possess an equal dominion, military force, and commerce, on the east coast of the peninsula.
The breaking out of the seven years wat in 1756, pre vented the execution of this treaty, and rendered the French and English principals in the contest ; the former captured the subordinate factories of their rivals, and at length even laid siege, though unsuccessfully, to :Madras. The constancy, however, of the English, aided by the arrival of reinforcements from Europe, succeeded in turn ing the fortune of the war ; the French were repeatedly defeated ; Pondicherry was taken; and Mahomed All es tablished in his principality. Salabut Jung, the third son of the Nizam, who had been raised to the musnud of his father by, the assistance of the French, at length sought and obtained an accommodation with the English, in re turn for which they received from him a grant of the pos sessions which their victories over the French had given them, viz. the Circar of Masulipatarn and its districts, and the Circar of Nizampatam. At the same time, they re ceived from Mahomed Ali a part of the territory about Madras, and the advantage of a powerful influence in the Carnatic.