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Chap. XII. J CLIVE SUPPRESSES MUTINY. 701
A large body of tlie Mahratta.s was in motion, and a battle was daily expected, a.d. ree. In these circumstances Colonel Smitli was instructed, in the event of being reduced to the utmost extremity, to make peace with the malcontents. In cuve-g regard to the other brigades the most decisive steps were taken. Besides sending suppresHii.t: forward all the officers in whom he could confide, Clive caused urgent letters '""""^ to be written to Madras, requesting that all officers who could i)0ssibly be spared should be forthwith despatched for Bengal. Tiie free merchants at Calcutta were also urged to accept of commissions, temporarily or permanently, while all the officers who resigned were ordered to be sent down to Calcutta to be there tried by court-martial. These measures completely disconcerted the malcontents. They had rtiade sure of victory without providing against defeat, and no sooner saw the probability of failure than all their confidence forsook them. Either because they feared to take so bold a step or deemed it unneces- sary, they had not attempted to enlist the sympathies of the common soldiers ; and when the struggle came found that tiiey had grossly miscalculated. By their resignations they had simply excluded themselves from the service, and made way for others who were ready to suj)ply their place. On the 15th of May, when Clive arrived at Monghir, the confederacy was already broken up. Two days before, when the officei's who had resigned were ordered to quit the garrison, the European soldiers got under arms intending to follow them. The sepoy battahon was immediately called out, and order was without much diffi- culty restored. It seemed, indeed, that the European soldiers were acting under misapprehension. They had imagined that Sir Robert Fletcher was himself one of the malcontents, and were astonished when they found him taking part against them instead of putting himself at their head. On being thus undeceived they at once returned to their duty. It soon appeared that the opinion which they had formed of their commander was not unfounded. The very day of dive's arrival Sir Robert Fletcher acknowledofed that he had known of the combination of the officers since January, though he had not mentioned it in any official communication till late in April. His excuse was, that he had seemed to approve of the scheme in order that nothing might be done without his know- ledge. This was too flimsy to be received, and further inquiry having left little room to doubt that he was an abettor, if not the actual originator of the mutiny, he was at a later period brought to a court-martial and dismis.sed the service.
From Monorhir Clive proceeded without loss of time to Bankipore, where he Treatment arrived on the 20th of May. Though mo.st of the officers of the third brigade mutmeep*. stationed here had resigned their connnissions, only a few had insisted on their immediate acceptance, and been accordingly sent off for Calcutta. The rest had only resigned prospectively against a given day, and were still continuing to do duty. The moment Clive arrived, all idea of further contumacy was abandoned, and they were glad to be permitted to retract their resignations under the some- what humiliating condition of engaging to serve for three years, and not to
