Page:History of the French in India.djvu/187

DUPLEIX SUPERSEDES LA BOURDONNATS. 165 intrusted by Dupleix, as representative of his Sovereign chap. in the East Indies. They carried a declaration made by Dupleix on behalf of the King and the Company of the 1746. Indies, which they were instructed to read publicly at Madras, setting forth, amongst other terms, that the treaty of ransom had been made "by the simple act, without lawful authority, of M. de la Bourdonnais, with prisoners who were unable to engage others on their account, especially in an affair of such importance ; that it was null and void, and to be regarded as never having been executed." A second declaration, issued by Dupleix, on behalf of the King, and carried by them, created a Provincial Council of Fort St. George, "to render justice in the name of the King, civil as well as criminal, to all the inhabitants present and to come." Of this M. Des- premesnil was appointed President, and MM. Dulaurent, Barthelemy, Bonneau, Desforges, Bruyere, and Paradis, members. By another declaration M. Despremesnil was nominated Commandant and Director of the town and fort of Madras, " to command in it, under our orders, the officers of land and sea forces, the inhabitants, the clerks of the Company, and all other Frenchmen and foreigners, established in it, of what condition soever they might be." They carried with them, besides, two requisitions, one from the Superior Council of Pondichery, the other from the principal inhabitants of the town, both alike protest- ing against the usurpation of authority on the part of La Bourdonnais, and against the restoration of Madras to the English, as a measure injurious to the national in- terest, and fraught with danger to Pondichery. Early on the morning of October 2, six* of the members of the newly appointed Provincial and Execu- tive Councils, accompanied by their chief clerk, entered Madras, and proceeded to the head-quarters of La Bour- donnais. By him they were received and conducted to ^ * They were, MM. Despremesnil, Paradis, Dulaurent, Barthelemy, Bray ere, and General de Bury.