WEAKNESS OF THE HINDUS IN BENGAL

109 and armies to whom the English found themselves op- posed in the middle of the eighteenth century. This inherent feebleness of the Hindus, and their inability to govern or defend their possessions, obviously explains why the English, who could do both, so rapidly made room for themselves in a country which, though rich and populous, was, in a practical sense, masterless. It must also be remembered that Bengal and the other prov- inces bordering on the sea in which the English won these fac- ile triumphs were far more de- fenceless than the inland country, partly through the dilapidation of the central power, partly be- cause the people of those tracts are naturally less warlike than< elsewhere, and partly by the acci- dent that they just then were very ill governed. The army of the later Moghul em- perors had always been bad; yet until Aurangzib died it was quite strong enough to repulse any small expe- ditionary force descending upon the coast. Nor could such a stroke as dive's at Plassey have been attempted with impunity if Bengal had happened to possess a vig- orous and capable viceroy; for a few years later our first campaigns against Hyder Ali in the south and the Marathas in the west showed us that under competent AN INDIAN MOHAMMKDAN HELMET.