30 JANUARY 1757 185
9, In Mr. Collet's and ray letter to Your Honours, I have given my rea-
sons for going out of the factory which was by the advice and consent of all
the gentlemen of the factory and officer of the garrison ; and when I found
myself detained in camp, and the surgeon returned to the factory, I told him
that though I did not know what might be the consequences, yet I did not
think it advisable for Messrs Collet and Batson to quit the factory. But the
message not being delivered, they came to camp when I told them the
message I had sent, and that I was sorry to see them there. Mr. Holwell then
proceeds and wishes for our sakes, and the honour of our country, that we may
be able to justify our conduct in not fighting, in answer to which I must
ask Mr. Holwell, why he did not continue to defend the factory when at the
time of the delivering of it up he had five times the number of men we had at
Cossimbuzar. I term it delivering of it up, from the account I received from
Mr. George Gray, Junior, a young gentleman of sense and spirit, who showed
his account to many of his fellow sufferers who were then in the French
hospital at Chandernagore, and who allowed the account to be just; and I
declare solemnly I never once heard of the betraying of the back gate to the
enemy though there were above 80 men of different degrees in the French
hospital (till Mr. Holwell returned from Muxadavad who then told that story).
Mr. Gray's etc., account of the affair is as follows—"Soon about noon the Gover-
nor and Council thought proper to write to the Nabob and Duan demanding
a truce and an accommodation but had no answer returned. About 4 o'clock
the enemy called out to us not to fire, upon which the Governour showed a flag
of truce, and gave orders for us not to fire; upon which the enemy in vast
numbers came under the walls and at once set fire to the windows which were
stopt up with cotton bales, began to break open the fort gate, and scaled our
walls on all sides. This put us into the utmost confusion. Some rushed out at
the gate towards the river and others were surrounded by the Moors who
showed them signs of quarter upon which they delivered themselves up". To
this I must here add that one Corporal Angel assured me that when the Moors
in numbers came under the walls he had his match ready to fire a flanck gun
on. them by which he must have destroyed many. But Mr Holwell took the
match out of his hand and extinguished it in a tub of water. This is a circum-
stance I should never have thought of mentioning had not Mr. Holwell laboured
so much to arraign my conduct by artfully endeavouring to prove that one day's
defence of Cossimbuzar might have saved Calcutta; and In order DO do this, &e
calls the heavens to his assistance and mates it rainy, dirty weather for several
days after the taking of the place*, To this I answer, and appeal to every inhabi-
tant of Calcutta for the truth of what I assert, that except one shower on the
2nd night after the place was taken it was in general dear and dry weather
for many days, I think to the beginning of July.
10. In answer to the last part of the 16th paragraph, I am Mormed from
some of dbe gentlemen that suffered at Cossii&feiizar that their
w^s owing entirely to the officer shooting Mmsetf whidh nxaile ifae MOOKS
head if tfeey were left free they might make some desperate attempt.
Holweifs laboured endeavours thrwtgh 5 sheets of paper t0 set mj
m the worst point of %ht !B%i*t induce me to retaKaie m him t
me&ol of rie^^ME^, by saying if he had tkimded Rw WiMtift' p* ** last
calamity, not i*bi$led tiie flag of troce which i$i^ &few '-uife far-'*