Description

The Bengal Revolution of 1757 constitutes the single largest event in the
history of the rise of the English political and economic power in India in the eighteenth century. The author of the Memoirs, William Watts, was the Chief of the Cossimbazar factory and a senior member of the Calcutta Council. He had also acted as the Company’s accredited agent at the Nawab’s darbar. Watts was an actor and spectator of events. As a member of the Council he took active part in almost all important decisions
which shaped the Company’s relations
with Nawab Siraj-ud-daulah. Не
machinated the conspiracy against
the Nawab.Watts’ Memoirs, though written as a self-praise, contains some facts and material which are not otherwise found in any contemporary or semicontemporary work.The Memoirs
is an intensive chronicle of events
leading to the Battle of Plassey and
installation of Mir Jafar on the masnad of Bengal. It also contains the ‘Motives of the Revolution, the method in which it was accomplished and the benefits that have accrued from thence to the Country, our United Company trading to the East
Indies and to the British Nation”.The Memoirs was published in its present form in 1760 from London.It was never published again in the form of a separate book. It has been utilised by many stalwarts of Indian history for their scholarly dissertations on this period of Indian history.The present edition contains, besides the original text, a scholarly introduction, some essential documents relating to the Revolution, notes on places and persons and a select bibliography. The two great nations, inhabiting this part of the Indies, differ widely from each other in their complexions, language, manners, disposition, and religion. The Moguls (Moghuls) who are commonly called Moors or moormen, are a robust, stately, and, in respect to the original natives, a fair people. They speak what the English in India commonly call the Moors tongue, which is in truth the Persian, or at least a dialect of the Persian. They are naturally vain, affect shew and pomp in every thing, are much addicted to luxury, fierce, oppressive, and for the most part, very rapacious. In respect to religion, they are mohammedans ; the common sort of the sect of Omar (in which they agree with the Tuks), but those of superior rank are mostly of the sect of Ali (which is followed by the Persions), and some affect to be very devout. These have the dominion, and are possessed of all the offices of trust and power, in virtue of their descent from the Moguls, whose empire was established by Timour, commonly called Tamerlane in this country; but they are now a very mixed people composed of Tentars, Arabs and Persians; more especially of the last mentioned wation, who for various reasons have quitted their own country, but chiefly for the sake of that favour and preferment, which for many ages they have met with at the court of (Delhi) Delly.