Page:Lord Clive.djvu/115

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CHAPTER X

How Clive dealt with the spoils of Plassey: his dealings with Mír Jafar; with the Princes of Southern India; with the Dutch.

The following morning Clive despatched Mr. Scrafton and Omar Beg[1] to escort Mír Jafar to his camp. The time had arrived when one at least of the spoils of Plassey was to be distributed.

Long previous to the battle Clive had received various proposals from the three general officers who had commanded the three principal army corps at Plassey. First, Yár Lutf Khán had made him a bid, his main condition being that he should be proclaimed Súbahdár[2]. Then Mír Jafar outbad him, bringing with him Rájá Duláb Rám, who would be content with the office of Finance Minister under the Mír. It had been arranged that whilst Mír Jafar should be proclaimed Súbahdár of the three provinces, he should confirm to the English all the advantages ceded by Siráj-ud-daulá in the preceding February; should grant to the Company all the lands lying to the south of Calcutta, together with a slip of ground,

  1. Omar Beg was a confidential agent of Mír Jafar, attached to Clive's person.
  2. Súbahdár was the correct official title of the governor, or, as he is popularly styled, the Nawáb, of Bengal.