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THREE FRENCHMEN IN BENGAL




[Illustration: THE GANGES VALLEY AND THE EUROPEAN SETTLEMENTS IN
BENGAL, 1756 (_After Rennell_.)]




THREE FRENCHMEN IN BENGAL

OR

_THE COMMERCIAL RUIN OF THE FRENCH SETTLEMENTS IN 1757_

BY

S.C. HILL, B.A., B.Sc.

OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE RECORDS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA AUTHOR
OF "MAJOR-GENERAL CLAUD MARTIN"

_WITH MAPS AND PLANS_


1903




TO

MY DEAR WIFE




PREFACE


This account of the commercial ruin of the French Settlements, taken
almost entirely from hitherto unpublished documents, originated as
follows. Whilst engaged in historical research connected with the
Government Records in Calcutta, I found many references to the
French in Bengal which interested me strongly in the personal side
of their quarrel with the English, but the information obtainable
from the Indian Records alone was still meagre and incomplete. A few
months ago, however, I came across Law's Memoi