Page:History of the French in India.djvu/354

330 THE STRUGGLES OF DUPLEIX WITH ADVERSITY chap. Thus fatally ended, after intense labour and anxiety _ ' . to its projectors, the expedition which, but eleven months 1752. before, had been despatched, full of the certainty of success, from Pondichery. What a termination to pros- pects which shone with such brilliancy in the outset, what a sequel to plans which seemed, at the time of their pro- jection, to be proof against failure! Then there was but one barrier to French domination in the Karnatik. They possessed commanding resources, a ruler whose influence with the natives was unparalleled, and, above all, the prestige of victory. Opposed to them was a pretender deserted by his allies, but occupying a fortified town, and a mere handful of dispirited English. But at the end of eleven months what a different picture do we behold ! The pretender has become the de facto ruler ; the handful of dispirited English, the arbiters of the Karnatik; the victorious French army are prisoners of war. Whence this revolution 1 Can we discern in the steady mind of Dupleix any symptoms of faltering, any signs of decay On the contrary. Never had he shown move unfaltering resolution ; on no previous occasion did he manifest a more zealous energy. His orders to Law, his encouragement of Chanda Sahib, his attempt to infuse energy into d'Auteuil, show the ardour of his spirit, the correct aim by which his views were guided. Had his orders been carried out, had even common prudeuce and energy been displayed by his commanders, his policy must have triumphed, the genius of France must have conquered. If, then, we look for the causes of a contrary result, we must turn our eyes to another quarter. Dupleix was the civil governor, possessing a power of devising plans, even military plans, for there is nothing in mili- tary plans which genius, though not specially trained to warfare, is unable to master, — such as has been accorded to but few men in any age. His was the eye to see, the brain to conceive ; but he possessed not in addition the