A report of Major Hart's case, of rice-frauds, near Seringapatam

by W. H. Inglis

We now trust to have amply shown why Lord Harris thought, 1st, that "it was not the loss of rice in the department of the Commissary of Grain alone, that so seriously affected the general store of provision for the army;[F] but, 2dly, that infinitely more extensive and entirely unexpected deficiency, which was discovered in the quantity carried by bullocks, hired in the Ceded Districts, under the authority of Lieutenant-Colonel Read, and of which Captain Macleod was in the general superintendance.

Upon this second and last of our own two points of grand doubt, we shall offer some further extracts, by which it will be perceived that Major Hart's head people were ordered back to the Ceded Districts, in company with Captain Macleod's benjarries, that is, were ordered back to those Districts, not before, but immediately upon the discovery of the fraud, and, as it were, in consequence of it.

Asked by the Committee of Inquiry, "under whose charge was your rice brought forward on the march, and placed at the ground of encampment?" Major Hart replies, "under head people employed by myself, whom I discharged and (though discharged, yet) sent to the Carnatic with General Floyd's detachment." In like manner, Captain Macleod states, in one of his letters to government, that "Sechiram joined the army at Kellamungulum and remained with it till the march of General Floyd's division towards Caveriporam, when all the public and benjarries cattle, which had at that time survived the campaign, were sent from the army." Papers, p. 77. And under date of 18th April, Lord Harris having confirmed that "Major-General Floyd, with all the cavalry and three battalions of Native Infantry, marches to-morrow morning towards Caveriporam to meet Colonel Read, and escort his benjarries to camp," explains that "their arrival is of the utmost consequence, as, on measuring our bags to ascertain the rice they really contained, they were found so much diminished, by loss or fraud, that eighteen days provisions for the fighting men, at half allowance, is all that remains in camp; our supplies must, therefore, arrive before the 6th of May, to save us from extreme distress." Papers, p. 49.

Further beyond this coincidence, Captain Macleod's second of two reports, dated Seringapatam, 29th June, 1799, says, "N.B. The 9025 mercals of rice remained in charge of Captain Macleod till Seringapatam was taken; no part of it was issued before the 18th May. E.E. (Signed) William Macleod, late Superintendant of Supplies." Notwithstanding, then, the extreme distress of the army, as just mentioned by Lord Harris, we here find Captain Macleod admitting that he was a holder of three days grain for 30,000 men, at whole allowance, not before but after the 18th of May. Our inference is, what others have frequently drawn in this case, that there was always a plenty rather than ever any scarcity of grain.[G]

Finally, we are to produce Major Hart's dubash, the already mentioned Sadashevah Moodiliar, as tampering among other of Major Hart's head people, with Subidar Enom Beg, during the intervals of this native soldier's examination by the Committee of Inquiry.

The Committee says, "from the very exact concurrence observed throughout the depositions of the maistries (carriers) and head owners, (of bullocks,) already examined, it appears that a further examination of persons of those descriptions will not tend to afford any new information on the subject under investigation; but as the native commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the details which were employed with the grain-department may, from their observation of the conduct of the maistries and bullock-owners during the service, be able to speak particularly to points connected therewith, the Committee call upon Subidar Enom Beg, of the first battalion of the 12th regiment of native infantry." Papers, p. 53.

And having first disproved, in common with other guards during the march, the alleged irruptions of the enemy's horse, as counterpleaded by the benjarries, even in phalanx form, Subidar Enom Beg, "of his own accord," next informs the Committee, that, "about eleven o'clock in the forenoon of yesterday, the head conicopoly of the grain-department, by name Dunnacody, accompanied by a tindall of lascars attached to the department, came to his tent and told him that he had been directed by Major Hart to inquire of him the names of the subidars and jemidars, also the number of havildars, naigues, and sepoys, which had been employed with the rice-department; that he (the subidar) told the conicopoly that two of the companies were in Seringapatam, and that the company from Major Tolfrey's battalion, in camp, consisted of such a number of havildars, naigues, and sepoys, together with his own name, and that of the jemidar, all of which the conicopoly took down, in writing, and then went away. That in about half an hour afterwards the conicopoly and tindall returned, and asked the subidar to come to Tumboo Naik, one of the principal bullock-owners and a DUBASH, whom he supposed to be Major Hart's (Sadashevah Moodiliar, the affidavit-witness,) as they wished to speak to him, and to come without dressing himself. The subidar answered, 'that as he might be wanted for duty, he could not come without his commanding-officer's leave,' to which the conicopoly replied, 'that, as he would probably be sent for by the Committee sitting near the general's tent, he desired him to keep favour upon him,' and the subidar answered, 'he was in the Company's service and, if sent for, he should tell what he saw, and could not tell any lies.' That the subidar was then sent for by Major Tolfrey, and ordered to come to the Committee, which he did, and that having attended the Committee and been ordered by Colonel Muat (the President) to come again this morning, he was going to his lines when one of the maistries meeting him upon the road, asked, 'what news at the Committee?' The subidar answered him, 'you have no right to inquire: I have been to the Committee on business which does not concern you; go about your business.'" Papers, pp. 55 and 56.

We would observe upon this testimony of Enom Beg, that the affidavit-dubash of Major Hart, Sadashevah Moodiliar, who is wont to describe himself as "a writer in charge of the public servants in the grain-department," is not, in our opinion, so important a personage as Major Hart's head conicopoly Dunnacody, and this because the employment of a head conicopoly is much more official than that of a dubash, however greatly any particular occasion, like the present, for instance, may render the latter's services desirable. But in India it would otherwise appear that the dubash is accounted by far the more important personage of the two, at least if we can judge from Mr. Sherson's trial at Madras, also for rice-frauds; for, on this trial Sir John Newbolt, as third of three Judges, was pleased to argue, saying, 'Audy Narrain, (the dubash of Mr. Sherson,) one of the persons offering the bribe, which is almost tantamount to naming Mr. Sherson himself.' Even in this case of Major Hart there is what is not wholly dissimilar to bribery; namely, where the conicopoly replies, 'that as he (Enom Beg) would probably be sent for by the Committee sitting near the general's tent, he (the conicopoly) desired him to keep favour on him.' The frequent occurrence among native Indians of the word lies is to be here regarded as an Anglo-Orientalism. It is to the probability of Enom Beg and his fellow-soldiers' testimonies over those of Major Hart and Captain Macleod's head people, that attention shall safely be paid.

Relative to the benjarries and maistries of Captain Macleod, as well as to Major Hart's head people, we must differ from the Committee of Inquiry, where saying that "a further examination of persons of those descriptions will not tend to afford any new information on the subject." Our cause of difference is, that neither Sadashevah and Dunnacody, nor Sechiram and Narnapah, were ever examined by this Committee.