M a s s a c r e o f
t h e E n g l i s h *
OrHÈNR'T'
L u s h in g t o n . .
murdered, with all their attendants, on the road. The gentlemen,
and others, who had-been taken after their retreat, and
carried to Patna, were barbaroufly flaughtered there in cool
blood, on Augujt 6th, by a German Renegado, by the order«
of Mir CoJJim, in cowardly revenge for the various victories our
gallant Adams had gained over his forces, affifted by his ambitious
ally Sujab ul- Dawlah. The German had invited about
forty of the principal prifoners to fup with him, when he commanded
his Sepoys to fell on his unfufpedting guefts and cut
their throats« The troops at firft refufed to undertake fo bafe an
aflaifination, but offered to fight the Englijb on equal terms.
At length, compelled to the horrid fervice, they executed the
command of the German, the infamous Somers, but not before
ibme of the affaffins fell by the gallant refiftance o f our unfortunate
countrymen, who to the laft made the moft determined-
defence with bottles and plates •„ every weapon,, even the knives
and forks, had been previouily removed. Every other pri-
ibner in the eity underwent the fame fate, to the amount of.
two hundred.. The bafe aflaflim fled; to Sujab ul Dowlak, who,-
to his great difgrace, refufed to deliver him up to the due venr
geance o f the Englijb,.who- clamedthat viftim to the manes o i/
their flaughtered friends« _
T h e epitaph on Henry Lujbingtan, a youthful’ but diftin-
guiihed character among our ill fated countrymen, is placed'
on a Coenotaph. in the church at Eajlbourne, in SuJJjsx, by his-
difconfolate parents. It is an impartial hiftory of hisfhort but
glorious life, which the reader will find in the appendix; Here -
I_ thall only give its great. concJufion, that while “ the Sepoys .
were-~
were executing their execrable orders on Mr. Ellis, a moft intimate
friend of his, the generous-youth ruihed upon the affaifins
unarmed, and feizing one of their feymeters killed three of
them, and wounded two others, till opprefled with numbers, he
greatly fell.”
Every good man naturally wiihes to hear that the end o f a
villain is fuitable to his deeds, How are we diiappointed, when
Mr. Jonathan Scott * tells us, that he was not impaled. But E n d o f S o m r o o .
being a good foldier, he found proteilion from the native ftates,
and ferved under them ; appointed to a command in that character,
he committed the maflacre at Patna. He died in tranquillity
poflefied of a corps o f Sepoys, which was continued after
his death for the maintenance o f his fon and a favorite concubine,
with a falary of fix thoufand five hundred pounds a
month. He was a German of very low birth. When he lifted
into the French fervice,' he took the name of Summers. His
comrades, from his gloomy countenance, changed it to Sombrej
and the Indians corrupted it to Somroo. His barbarous employer,
Mir CoJJim, was not fo fortunate in his end. After escaping
from the battle o f Buxar, he wandered from place to
place, at length died miferably under the walls of Dehli.
O u r Company foon became repoflefled of Patna. Major
Adams, a brave and experienced officer, purfued Mir CoJJim, the
barbarous author of the murders ; defeated him at Balafara,
near Moorfloedabad, on July 10th, 1762; and again completely on B a t t i b o t
N uncasN uj,i,us.
AuguJi 2d, on the banks of the Nuncas Nullus, where it falls-
* V o l . ii. p. 2 6 3 , 2 6 4 .