At length, when his last hope for empire died out,
broken in fortune and spirits, he returned to his native country to
die obscure and neglected.
29. "Clive went back to England for a brief space, but after a year or
two he returned to India as governor of Madras. His first service
after his return was to rout out a nest of pirates which had for a
long time maintained a stronghold upon the coast. He then turned his
attention to reform in the company's business, and to strengthening
British influence with the natives in all directions. Before two
months had expired he received intelligence which called forth all the
energies of his bold and active mind.
THE STORY OF THE BLACK HOLE.
30. "Of the large provinces into which the Mogul Empire was divided
the wealthiest was Bengal. No part of India possessed such natural
advantages, both for agriculture and commerce. The Ganges, rushing
through a hundred channels to the sea, has formed a vast plain of rich
mold which, even under the tropical sky, rivals the verdure of an
English April. The rice-fields yield an increase such as is elsewhere
unknown. Spices, sugar, vegetable oils are produced with marvelous
exuberance. The rivers afford an inexhaustible supply of fish. The
desolate islands along the sea-coast, overgrown with noxious
vegetation and swarming with deer and tigers, supply the cultivated
districts with salt.
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