The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-23 00:00:00

THE FOUNDFR OF THE -ANGLO-INDIO

EMPIRE.

On this very day one hundred years ago the
magnificent Empire of Britain in the East to
founded by the genius and daring of a single 013'
To that man, after this lapse of years, it is 11
proposed to erect a monument, and a meetinglill
this morning be held to put the design iu Prel,
train. Our words are not overcharged. Be
doubt the valour and abilities of thousands 113'
been expended on the maintenance and ex'e—ill
os
of that dazzling structure of power valieh,,tso
risen on, the Ganges ; beyond doubt we owe J!
the unceasing efforts of our statesmen and sollle rs
that this marvellous fabric of conquest has re 4
steadily consolidated and enlarged. Our Pas'
opcould only have been preserved by the same
op
which acquired it ; but, if ever a mighty reoo
tion could be attributed to a single man, the
was Robert Clive.
,y
the
In the year 1757 the potentate known
Great Mogul was still enthroned at Delhi, uer tat
his power been curtailed by any encroachraeatpsfer
those of his own vassals. These vassals, Ile,f;sia
were established in independent sovereiguti,e,''2,tof
of still sovereignties the most splendid was woe
Bengal—a province to this day retaining a sitbe
macy in dignity and wealth. The residence °f at
Nabob, or virtual monarch, of the territory orie3
Moorshedabad.; it was only in some factore
near the sea that a few traders, less
than even the British merchants at f/4 In
-
,
represented the interests of Englaute. offer
the province of Madras the British Posh
was more assured and developed, t
there cnly through the self-same 3gs'elice
which were soon to establish it in Bengal. a the
had gone out to Madras as a clerk, had feon,ta by
enemies of England in the ascendant, and note
a series of military exploits, in which the loss
and defence of Arcot stood brilliantly cons Pie 911
retrieved and exalted the credit of our arias' the
India was not to be won in Madras. It was 3
s°4
Ganges that the great prize was to be gainse"' the
to this famous scene of romance and rieme",,,llo
calamities of his countrymen soon 811111111
Clive.
WO
Surajah Dowlah, the Nabob of Bengal,
s.
youth about 20 years of age, with more tIPO
average follies and vices of Oriental RoyaltPireliei
of caprice, or wantonness, or malice, he Ili. ',to
from his capital with a powerful force agal,a"„go,
little settlement at Fort William, and tino`Pay,'
Clive in the garrison, carried the place and a'„vlo
it. This was on the 20th June, 1756. In the "e'se
which ensued occurred that dreadful trageOf
now related with horror, when upwards °vole.
Englishmen were smothered in the Black- gest.
while the Nabob was reposing after his 0,°11`,.10
The capture of the settlement and the utieeel.,
the British were communicated with all ari3O r*
d 5
the superior power then established at s
but it was only in the first week of Aug'',' ,
intelligence—now transmissible in a dozea
-0111'1
—reached Fort St. George from Fort jo'
si
The alacrity of the authorities, however, se;gsts,o
be surpassed in the present ay, for in Le`',,, for`
jr
forty hours it was resolved to despateun,-,ool'o
to the relief of the sufferers, and in v7,jrocesi
Calcutta witnessed the arrival of 1,000 Via- lej
soldiers, 1,500 Sepoys, and Robert Clive. ""ss-rite's
days the Commander had recovered the '''ry frfil
retrieved our position ; but such a vieit°otoee's
insufficient, and to the mind of Clive it diar 1/Pj
extravagant to project the dethronement osalia 010
who ruled over 30 millions of subjects Olt
fairest provinces of Hindostan. With ait
force he marched towards Moorshedabad, fste°
followed that momentous crisis in which the it
India was to be determined.
Surajah Dowlah had advanced from Prs, g ,
ri"
as far as Plassy—a town lying a feW
east of the Soorool station on the East Int"`;10111-
way. A river separated the two armies, all,
uncertain of his position, and suspecting tre ldeel
in those who had promised treason, had !senle 1°1;1,
whether he would stake the lives of his W'', lsnis
and the very existence of British power 111;rooks
a
with an adversary possessing 50 times liiol,.ogetY,Li
The Nabob had 40,000 infantry, not gall,
ignorant of European discipline, 15,00011 ii
cavalry, composed of the same material fr°'of
we raise.our own irregulars, and 50 VP° nt,,.t
calibre. Clive had a single English Regleo Pi
39th, mustering some 900 men, about 1 ,ilors,
pean Artillerymen, half as many British P-osei,
and some 2,000 Sepoys. It was a terrible oof
for no man then knew the relative prow-000:e
lish and native troops, and it was for Clive f bet'
the discovery at the hazard of his all. NeVl3,.",4ts ,
that time, or after it, was he known to
but he now called a Council of War,
was still more extraordinary, he concurred
natural resolution of such a meeting
But after the Council broke up he retired ff4.o
tent and communed in solitude with a Woes
viser—his own daring spirit. The result allto
presently in a decisive order that the awl
pass the river.
red
There was nothing but this decision
The mountain vanished as he approached oo,jr
was no fight, no struggle—scarcely allYibTe forl,s!
He had taken the leap in the dark, and bis P-11
himself, firm and unassailable, &upon ri*
With a loss of 20 men on his own side aiiet,t.
500 on the side of his antagonist, he bad they
dominion of the 'Viceroy and transformed iptvos
lish from tenants at will of Fort r WI) r
not t 000
vernors of Bengal. From that hour ellr 01 0/0,
position in India was changed, and a eare,edistOrsel
quest was inaugurated which difficulties ref eset have occasionallyc' attended, but which oftbs
has ever checked. The great Empire c'sed doe
was opened to us by the victory of this d 3 if,
by the audacity and discernment which le I,oll°o,
talon against a host, which detected th.etts 07601
ness of a barbaric show, and colnted 1110 sqlslifeH
deuce on the British bayonet. Many ha like 011
since, but Clive led the way. Others, fee, Of'
lesly at Assaye, like Lake at Laswalrecl
Gough at Chillianwallah, have encounve,,sPs
more terrible realties, but Clive first adval,,l; sPa'se
rageously against a monster on the peiil°l3oteros
lation of finding a phantom. He founded t.,00e08
tation of the British arms, and with this fertiioo
the Empire of the East. It was not 051 pot
rich province of Bengal passed into our hatcOlits
gave us at once territorial dignity and ra°,eo- e?rs
power, but the example had been set and ol°
marked out. ,Clive has had many noble sore,
but the honour due to a founder is his alori 0011.4,
And what is that he has founded ? tir rti
dominion from which we may import at ° ofd „,
sure almost all the precious commodities f :4!
world, but an empire in which thousands fords's
lish men of every generation can find scope'
enterprise and recompense for their toil. re seit,
colonies, and commerce have not been of 004
vice to us than this famous land, -which d°,
it is true, pour forth gold and diamonds, 10; $0 't
by providing for the natural expansion c".O/14.j
venturous rase, effects more than the mirlea,ioo rjt
could accomplish for the rosTe ss of the na',o.llo
the happiness of the country. We need ne'
cs I
for revenue from India. No tribute that fe4 "
31 fli`
paid by one State to another would be 11,,, f°
in value to such a field of advancement ;(0000
supplies, and at this very time, indeed, yo I)°,os I
the latest exertions of our legislators h3osbtlt j
occupied in stimulating the honourable 's
of youth by a better prospect of those prize 141,0
Clive first opened to Britain a century age' ail °:11;e
England then needed in the East was a wt 0 1` bo
could so far outstrip his contemporaries alio, for
a true measure of Englishmen and Asia' ofeio
could extend his views beyond the horizoleriooo
cantile contentment, who could dare 014 os
before daring had been found safe, and WP„,o,t,st
realise by the inner vision of genius a ellistPio
wonderful as to surpass ordinary belief. tbi`eet
was forthcoming in Robert Clive, and a
ll
nation owes to a founder of empire and3.p.
of glory is due from us to his memory.--4/