5()i
IirsTORV OF-^ INDIA.
[Book HI
A, I) IV.'.I.
Negotiationa botweoii the two coinpaiiius
Contradic- tory jiro- posals.
Tlie ambitious schemes which Dupleix had long meditated, and which ainif.'d at nothing less than the estahhshment of French ancendency throughout the Decean, seemed now in a fair way of being accomplished. Hitherto, however, the war in the Carnatic had been a serious obstacle. It fonned a constant drain on the resources of the French Company; and what was worse, did not compeasjite for the cost by any adequate return. Beyond the Coleroon the p<jsition of affairs was still more unfavoui-able ; and, after all the exertions which had been made, the superiority remained decidedly with the Briti.sh. Could it be po.ssible Uj come to some arrangement with these formidable rivals? If they could be induced to quit the field, a host of difficulties would at once disappear. The practicability of some such arrangement, and the advantages that would natu- rally follow from it, had been repeatedly urged upon the attention of Dupleix V>y his employers ; and though he was little disposed to adopt a peaceful policy, he deemed it expedient so far to defer to their wi.shes as to make formal proposals of negotiation to the Madi'as presidency in the beginning of 17-)+.
The English Company, whose finances had suffered severely during the war, were still more desirous to terminate hostilities, and had repeatedly urged the presidency to embrace the fu-st opportunity of securing so desirable a result. There was thus little difficulty in making the preliminary an-angements foi* a conference. The place selected for this purpose was the Dutch settlement of Sadrass, situated on the road between Madras and Pondicherrv. Here the deputies appointed by the two companies met on the 3d of January, and opened the business by mutually producing their proposed basis of negotiation. It was at once perceived that their views were totally iiTeconcilable. Tlie English Com- pany insisted that Mahomed Ali should be acknowledged Nabob of the Carnatic, and the French that Salabut Jimg should be acknowledged Soubahdar of the Decean ; in other words, each insisted that the other should jaeld the whole that had been at issue in the contest. As matters stood, Salabut Jung and Mahomed Ali were merely representatives of the two rival companies, and the recognition of either without any modification of their powers, or any effectual check on the abuse of these, would have been to place the one company entirely at the others mercy. This was too obvious not to be seen, and yet the negotiation was allowed to proceed, though there was no common point from which it could start. In the course of the discussions which followed, the French produced seven patents, two from Muzzuffer Jung, four fi-om Salabut Jung, and one from the Great Mogul. Those from Muzzuffer Jung and Salabut Jung, inter alia, appointed Dupleix commander from the Kistna to Cape Comoiin, and gave him the whole territories of Arcot and Trichinopol}' after Chunda Sahib's death The patent from the Great Mogul was in the form of a letter confirming all the grants which Salabut Jmig had made in favour of Dupleix and his allies. The English Company also professed to be in possession of patents from Nazir Jung, Ghazi-u-din, and the Great Mogul giving and confirming the nabobship of the
