Page:History of the French in India.djvu/501

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FALL OF CHANDRANAGAR. spirit * for three hours, and having lost 110 men, in- °^ p , eluding the inhabitants, in killed and wounded, Renault ^_ r — determined to surrender. The white flag was therefore 1757. hoisted, the firing at once ceased, and at 3 p.m. condi- tions of capitulation were agreed upon. By these it was arranged that the chief of the settle- ment, his councillors and civil officers, should go where they would, taking with them their effects ; the Jesuits were permitted to take away their church ornaments, but the garrison remained prisoners of war. A few days after, the party at Kasim-bazar under the command of Law, reinforced by some fifty of the garrison of Chandra- nagar, who had managed to escape when surrender was no longer doubtful, retired to Bhagalpur. Thenceforth they may be regarded rather as adventurers taking ser- vice under native princes than as an integral portion of the French power in India. It will be sufficient only to state that, to the last, Law remained true to his character for feebleness ; that he remained at Bhagalpur whilst Plassey was being fought ; that when a forward move- ment after that battle would have saved Siraju-daola, he did not make it; and that, finally, he was taken prisoner after the battle of Gay a in 1761, fighting gallantly it is true, atoning to some extent by his personal valour for his many faults as a general and a leader. The capture of Chandranagar was not less a seal to French dominion in Bengal than it was the starting- point of British supremacy in that province. It was necessary for the schemes of Clive. With the example he had had before him of the constant warfare between

  • Dr. Edward Ives, surgeon of never could learn how many of their

Admiral Watson's ship, and who was men were killed and wounded on the present at the attack, writes thus in whole, though they confessed they his journal regarding the behaviour had forty dead carried from the south- of the French : "It must be acknow- east bastion. The north-east bastion ledged that the French made a gallant was also cleared of its defenders defence ; for they stood to their guns twice." as long as they had any to tire. We