LETTER LXII.
After so many hazards and hardships as I had undergone, it was a most pleasing reflection to find myself in a society composed of my oldest professional connections, and warmest and sincerest friends: but this was a happiness I could not long enjoy; for, being charged with a mission from Hyat Sahib to the Governor-General and Supreme Council, I was constrained to proceed to Bengal, and accordingly set sail for Calcutta, which I reached in little more than a week, without encountering any accident, or meeting a single occurrence, worth the relation. Upon my arrival there, Sir John Macpherson, who was in the Supreme Council, gave me a kind invitation to live at his house, and presented me to Mr. Hastings, with whom I entered into a negociation on behalf of Hyat Sahib, which will appear by the following letters:
LETTER TO WARREN HASTINGS, ESQ.
“Calcutta, May 3, 1783.
“Honourable Sir,
“Indisposition has put it out of my power, since the first day after my arrival here, to have the honour of paying you my respects, and of laying before you, for the information of the Board, the objects of my mission to your superintending Government.
“As these objects are of public importance, and as ill health may prevent me, for some time longer, from having the honour of waiting upon you, I take the liberty to beg your attention to this address.
“The great Revolution in favour of the India Company upon the West side of India, and to which I had the happiness of being in some little degree instrumental, has been certainly brought about by the zeal and spirit of General Mathews; but that Officer ascribes to the orders and supplies of your Government the principal merit of the undertaking: he looks to the same Government for support in the arrangement which he has made, and may make, for the security of the conquered Province.
“The hurry in which I left him, and his anxiety for my speedy communication of his successes, gave no time for a formal communication to the Governor-General and Council, of the particulars of his successes, and of the arrangements which he wished to be adopted. He wrote a short account of the first to the Presidency of Fort St. George; and gave me a public letter to the Commander in Chief of the Military Establishment of that Presidency to which I particularly belong, in attestation of the services I rendered in the negociation between him and the Governor of Bidanore, for the surrender of that Capital and Province. A copy of that letter I have the pleasure to lay before you.
“As I was charged with a particular commission from Hyat Sahib, the Manager of the Bidanore Province, to the Governor-General and Council, as appears by his letter, which I had the honour of presenting to you, General Mathews gave me, in verbal instructions, and memorandums written in his own hand, the particulars of what he wished me to represent to your Government: he gave me, besides, short notes of introduction to two of the Members of Government, whom he knew personally——referring them to me for an account of his situation, and, allowing me, I believe, more credit than I deserve, for the share I had in contributing to his final acquisition of Bidanore without drawing a sword.
“It would be tedious, and more fit for the detail of conversation than of a public address, to inform you of the various steps that led to the surrender of the Capital and Province of Bidanore. I had had several conferences with Hyat Sahib before Hyder’s death, and endeavoured to suggest to him the advantage which would arise to him From a revolt in favour of the Company. My efforts in these conversations ended ultimately in the most rigorous distress to myself: I was put in irons, and remained so for four months, in a situation only of existence, without any hopes of ever escaping. When General Mathews had stormed the Ghauts, Hyat Sahib sent for me, and, after various struggles, and much indecision, agreed to my proceeding to the English camp; and I conducted General Mathews, almost unattended, into Bidanore. Hyat Sahib at length agreed to submit: but as, in his various conversations with me before and after that event, he made a very particular distinction between the Government of Bombay and the chief Government of the English in Indostan, so he proposed that I should immediately depart, after he had given up the place and all the forts of the Province, with a letter to you, to obtain your sanction to me to his arrangements with the English General.
“These arrangements were not even clearly defined before my departure; and so anxious was he for my speedy arrival at Calcutta, that he only gave me the general propositions that are contained in his letter.
“Permit me here to observe, that it is by the treatment which Hyat Sahib meets with, that the other Chiefs of Hyder’s Country will estimate the advantage of abandoning the interests of Tippoo Sahib, or will confirm their dependence upon him. Tippoo was prevented by his father from all intercourse with the Governors of his Provinces, or any interference in country affairs; so that those left in charge at his father’s death are strangers to him, and are men to whom he has little attachment. He is, besides, considered to be of a cruel disposition. His father was cruel upon a political principle: he is thought to be so from nature.
“The unfortunate differences about money which arose in General Mathews’s camp, and of which you will probably hear from the Presidency of Bombay, took up much of the General’s time, and may have retarded his operations: however, his success in the reduction of Mangalore gives a security to his conquests. The revenues of the Bidanore Province are about twenty lacks of pagodas per annum.
“The particular situation of the Capital merits attention. It is placed in a valley of considerable extent in circumference: according to the best observation I could make, there is an ascent to it, from all sides, of near seven miles: it can only be approached by four roads, which are cut among the hills, and which were judiciously fortified with great pains by Hyder: woods, to the depth of many miles, are a frontier round its skirts; and where these admitted a passage, Hyder took the precaution to plant bamboos and thorns—so that I have little fear but that General Mathews will be able to defend these passes; and as for provisions, and military stores of all kinds, that were found in Bidanore, of the latter particularly, what, according to General Mathews’s own declaration, would equip nine such armies as his.
“Cundapore is the next sea-port to Bidanore, and is distant about fifty miles: Mangalore is distant about a hundred miles. The road leading from Mangalore joins with that from Cundapore, where the ascent of the hills commence: another road from Bidanore leads to Seringapatam, and a fourth into the Marhatta Country.
“It was from the lower Country, along the sea-coast, between Onore and Mangalore, which is watered by many rivers, and is the best cultivated Country I ever saw, that Hyder got the greatest part of his provisions for his army in the Carnatic; and, independent of the advantages which the Company have gained by the acquisition of these Countries, the consequent losses of the Mysoreans are immense, and such as will disable them from assisting the French in the Carnatic.
“It becomes not an Officer of my rank to make any observations that relate to the conduct of the different Governments of my Employers; but I am obliged to observe, in justice to Hyat Sahib’s declaration to me, that he will not rely upon any arrangement made in his favour by the Governor and Council of Bombay, unless he has a speedy answer to his letter from this Government. He has requested me to return with that answer, and with the sanction of the Governor-General to the cowl given to him by General Mathews. Though I am worn down by my sufferings in prison, and my health can scarcely enable me to be carried by land, I am ready to undertake this service; for I know it is the greatest I may ever have it in my power to render to the Company and to my Country.
“My return to the other coast with a favourable answer to Hyat Sahib, will be the signal to other Chiefs to throw off the yoke of Tippoo; and if Colonel Long has made any progress in the Coimbatore Country, or that General Matthews has not been too severely pressed by Tippoo, I may arrive upon the other coast in time to be of real use to the Company.
“I know, Honourable Sir, the liberal and great system of your administration: I will not, therefore, point out any little circumstances about the footing upon which I should return to Hyat Sahib, or remain upon the other coast. I wish only to be rewarded by my Employers as I am successful; and I shall leave it to your goodness, and to your distinguished zeal for the public propriety, to give me any instructions for my conduct, or to charge me with any advices to General Mathews, as you may think proper.
“I hope you will pardon this long and irregular address, and honour me by communicating any part of it that you may think worthy of communication to the Gentlemen of the Council.
“I have the honour to be, &c. &c.
“Donald Campbell.”
“P. S. When you are at leisure, and I am able to have the honour of attending you, I would wish to communicate to you a more particular detail of my conversation with Hyat Sahib——what General Mathews’s hopes of support from this Government were, and the future plans he then meditated——and my ideas of the measures that should be pursued by the Presidency of Fort St. George, to support General Mathews, and improve the advantages he has gained.
“To Warren Hastings, Esq.
Governor-General of Bengal.”
LETTER FROM HYAT SAHIB, ALLUDED TO IN THE FOREGOING.
(Usual Introduction.)
“I have directed the affairs of the Soobeh of Hydernagur for some years past, on the part of the Navvaub Hyder. When lately attacked by the victorious forces of the English under the command of General Mathews, I opposed him, and fulfilled my duty in every respect; but seeing the superior fortune and force of the English, and receiving proposals for peace from General Mathews, by these circumstances, but more especially by the persuasions of Captain Campbell, the son of Colonel Campbell, who was formerly at Chinaputtan, I was induced to come to terms, and delivered up to General Mathews the treasury, property, stores and keys of the forts of this Country. If I had been disposed, I had it in my power to have appropriated this collected wealth to other purposes; but, from a regard to the high fortune of the King of England, and the uprightness and integrity of the English People, I have included myself in the number of your servants, and have determined, with the utmost sincerity and purity of heart, to serve you well and faithfully. By the blessing of God, under your auspices, my endeavours towards the well and full performance of my duty shall be ten-fold greater than heretofore; and as General Mathews intends to proceed to Seringputtam, your loyal servant will assist, to the utmost of his ability and power. You will be fully informed on this subject by Captain Campbell. Honour, and favour, and reward, must flow from you.
“From the time of your first establishment in this Country to the present period, the engagements of the English have been sacredly performed and adhered to; nor have they been wanting in their protection of the honour and dignity of the Surdars of Bengal, and other places. I hope, from your favour and benevolence, that you will issue your commands to General Mathews, to favour me with all due kindness and attention. I have taken shelter under the shadow of your benevolence. Captain Campbell has shewn me great kindness so this respect, and, by encouraging me to hope for your favour, has led me to become your servant. You will be fully informed of the state of affairs in this quarter by Captain Campbell’s letters.
“Written on the 25th of Suffur, A. H. 1197.”
A true copy,
J. P. Auriol, Sec.”
LETTER TO WARREN HASTINGS, ESQ.
“Calcutta, May 25, 1783.
“Honourable Sir,
“Some time ago, I did myself the honour of writing to you, on the subject of my mission from Hyat Sahib to this Government.
“It is with pleasure I now understand that you have come to the resolution of sending an answer to his letter. I cannot help delivering it as my opinion, that a decided and avowed protection granted to him from this Government, will be productive of great public utility: but should you, and the other Gentlemen of the Council, think proper to decline this, from motives best known to yourselves, and of which I shall not pretend to judge, I beg leave humbly to represent, that the sooner Hyat Sahib’s letter is acknowledged, the more satisfactory it will be to him, and the more efficacious in its probable good consequences.
“I am ready and anxious to proceed immediately to the other coast with the answer to Hyat Sahib, and shall take the liberty of hoping that you will give me instructions to remain some time with him, that he may have an opportunity of transmitting, through me, any communication that he may wish to establish with this Government. I have the pleasure to inform you, that that Presidency to which I particularly belong, have granted me their consent to be employed in the final arrangement of the Bidanore treaty, should your Board think proper to choose me as a fit person; and they have further unanimously done me the honour to approve of my conduct in the commencement of this business.
“With respect to the appointments[appointments] you may judge right to allow me, I trust entirely to your own ideas of propriety. I wish for nothing more than what is sufficient to defray the expences of such a journey, and to enable me to maintain that character in a situation of this kind which is requisite to promote the public good.
“I have the honour to be, with the greatest respect,
Honourable Sir,
Your most faithful and most obedient servant,
Donald Campbell.”
After some delay, I received instructions, together with a letter from Mr. Hastings for Hyat, with which I set off in order to deliver it into his own hands, as follows:
LETTER TO CAPTAIN DONALD CAMPBELL.
“Sir,
“I have it in command from the Honourable the Governor-General and Council, to transmit you the inclosed answer from the Governor-General to the letter which you brought from Hyat Sahib, the Fousdar of Bidanore, to this Government, upon the occasion of his surrendering that Country to the Company. As you propose to return to Bidanore, the Board request that you will deliver this answer in person to Hyat Sahib, with assurances from them of every protection and support which the eminent services rendered by him to the Company give him so good a right to expect, and which they have it in their power to grant; and you will acquaint him, that they have further agreed to recommend him in such terms to the Honourable the Court of Directors, as may encourage him to hope for every attention from their justice.
“Considering the great importance of the acquisition of Bidanore to the Company, its proportionable disadvantage to the enemy, and the magnitude of the object to be obtained by holding out every possible incitement and encouragement to the Managers of the Mysore Country, to throw off a new and unsettled dependence on the enemy’s Government, in order to obtain a more secure and beneficial tenure from the Company’s possession, the Board are the more readily inclined to afford this early return to the advances of Hyat Sahib, in the hope that it will inspire him with fresh confidence in the English Government, and rivet his attachment to it.
“It will be at your option, either to return immediately with Hyat Sahib’s answer to the Governor-General’s letter, if you shall deem it of sufficient consequence to require it, or to remain with him, if you conceive that your residence there for any time will be more conducive to the public interests; but, in either case, you are desired to report the particulars of your reception and proceedings to this Government, with any other information which you may think it useful for them to know.
“I am, Sir,
Your most obedient, humble servant,
J. P. Auriol, Sec.
Fort William, May 29, 1783.”
It would be unpardonable in me to let this occasion pass without expressing the high sense I entertain of Mr. Hastings’s politeness, and Sir John Macpherson’s kindness and hospitality during my stay at Calcutta. As to Mr. Hastings, in his public capacity, it would be presumptuous and injudicious to say much, as he now stands for the judgment of the highest Tribunal in this Country. My own observation leads me to consider him as a man of sound, acute and brilliant talents, and of a vast and comprehensive mind——of manners sociable, amiable, meek and unaffected——and of a disposition truly benevolent. His superior knowledge of the political interests of Indostan, and particularly of the affairs of the East India Company, has never been questioned; and, if the suffrage of the People of India may be allowed to decide, his conduct as Governor-General, though, like every thing human, intermixed with error, was, on the whole, great and laudable——for I declare I scarcely ever heard a man in India, Native or European, censure him, although he was often the subject of conversation with all persons and in all companies in the East.
The social virtues of Sir John Macpherson are so well known, that it would be superfluous to notice them. The same friendship and hospitality I experienced in his house, has been shared by many, who are not backward in doing him ample justice on that head. But his conduct during his short administration can be known only by those who make the political concerns of India a subject of studious attention. To enter into a detail of his various wise regulations for the restoration of the Company’s affairs, would be destructive of the end I propose, which is, by a concise and simple summary of the whole, to render a fair picture of his administration so clear as to be understood by any person, however ignorant he may be of the politics of that Country, and so brief as not to discourage the reading of it.
Sir John Macpherson took the reins of Government into his hands on the first of February, 1785. He found the Company’s revenues diminished, and their expenditure increased, by the continual claims of Proprietors, Directors, and Ministers, to a share in the patronage of Mr. Hastings——and a public debt accumulating to an enormous amount. He therefore saw the necessity of putting in practice every expedient possible, and trying every experiment that the state of the Country suggested, as likely to promote an increase of the revenue, a diminution of the public expenditure, and a liquidation of the debt. He, therefore, on the fourteenth day of his administration, commenced a reform, which he continued with indefatigable zeal and industry to introduce through the various departments of Government——and, beginning with himself, discharged his body-guards. While he was thus employed in India, the Company and Parliament in England were unremittingly engaged in considering and molding into shape a system of reform also; and, extraordinary as it may appear, the fact is, that the sagacity of Mr. Macpherson had adopted by anticipation, and actually reduced to practice, the identical speculative reforms which the Parliament and Company were proceeding upon in England; and the general plan of reform which passed the Court of Directors on the eleventh of April, 1785, had been actually carried into execution by Sir John Macpherson in Bengal, in the months of February, March and April, 1785. He made arrangements for the diffusion of knowledge——established the settlement of Pulo Penang, or Prince of Wales’s Island——settled the Bank of Calcutta on a firm basis——regulated the markets——and, by a plan of his own conception, secured the Company from the accustomed fraudulent compositions with Zemindars, by bonding their balances, and making the bonds cancelable only by the Court of Directors. In fine, he introduced and carried into effect a system of reform which had a most sudden and salutary effect on the British affairs in India; and in an administration of only eighteen months, he had the felicity to perceive the fruits of his wisdom and industry maturing——to receive that best of earthly rewards, the esteem and applause of his Fellow-citizens——and to be honoured by the best of Sovereigns with the dignity of a Baronet.
While I was at Sir John Macpherson’s house, I happened, in conversation one day with Mr. Macauley, Sir John’s Secretary, to be talking over some part of my adventures; and found to my astonishment, that he had, in his route to India, accidentally hired the very servant whom I had lost at Trieste by sending him for letters to Venice; and Mr. Macauley assured me, that he found him possessed of all the good qualities I had expected to meet in him: but the poor fellow had died before my arrival at Calcutta, to my great mortification and disappointment.
As the season in which I was to leave Calcutta was very unfavourable for a voyage by sea, and the coast thereabouts is one of the most inhospitable in the world, I set off by land for Madras[Madras], and in my way had an opportunity of surveying that curious and grotesque monument of superstitious folly, called the Jagranaut Pagoda. It is an immense, barbarous structure, of a kind of pyramidal form, embellished with devices cut in stone-work, not more singular than disgusting. Christian Idolaters, in forming types and figures of divine beings, always endeavour to represent them with personal beauty, as proportionate to their divine nature as human skill can make it. Those Pagans, on the contrary, in forming their idols, cast out every vestige of beauty——every thing that, by the consent of Mankind, is supposed to convey pleasing sensations; and, in their place, substitute the most extravagant, unnatural deformity, the most loathsome nastiness, the most disgusting obscenity. It is not in language to convey an adequate idea of their temples and idols; and if it was, no purpose could be answered by it, only the excitement of painful and abominable sensations. To keep pace with the figures of their idols, a chief Bramin, by some accursed artificial means, (by herbs, I believe), has brought to a most unnatural form, and enormous dimensions, that which decency forbids me to mention; and the pure and spotless women, who from infancy have been shut up from the sight of men, even of their brothers, are brought to kiss this disgusting and misshapen monster, under the preposterous belief that it promotes fecundity.
In this Pagoda stands the figure of Jagranaut, (their god under Brama); and a sightly figure it is truly!——nothing more than a black stone, in an irregular pyramidal form, having two rich diamonds in the top by way of eyes, and a nose and mouth painted red. For this god, five hundred Priests are daily employed in boiling food, which, as he seldom eats it, they doubtless convert to their own use in the evening.
I stopped at Vizagapatnam for a few days with Mr. Russel, who was Chief of that place. His style of living was so exactly similar to that of an elegant family residing at their country-house in England, that I felt myself more happy and comfortable than I had been since my arrival in India; and that happiness was much increased by meeting Mr. Maxton, who was married to Mr. Russel’s daughter. This Gentleman and I had, when mere boys, been shipmates on our first going out to India: a warm friendship took place between us, which has met with no interruption, but rather increased from lapse of time, and greater habits of intimacy. To see a man whom I so entirely esteemed, in possession of the most perfect domestic felicity, and surrounded by a number of amiable connections and friends, was to me a subject of the most pleasing contemplation.