Trade of the English in Malabar, and the disasters they have experienced.
You are doubtless aware that the trade of the East India Company, so famous throughout the world, one of the main stays of our country, and the resource of thousands of poor creatures who make their livelihood by the employment it affords them, has been greatly undermined by the English; not so much by the English Company and their vessels, as by the private traders, who are much more numerous, and who besiege the Coasts of Bengal, Coromandel, Malabar and Surat. At Cochin we see at least thirty English vessels, large and small, in the course of the year, which perform the transit between the neighbouring regions, and put in here chiefly for the sake of provisions. Three or four of the English Company’s ships have also been here lately. It is certain that their trade in these places is less considerable than that of the Dutch Company, who despatch three or four vessels annually to Surat, on account of the spices which are brought there in large quantities, and of which they monopolize the trade.
The character of the English is, as you are aware, proud domineering, and selfish, and, when combined with a disposition to cruelty, has been the cause of many sad events in India. For, as they always oppress the natives, the English gain from them little in return but hatred and curses, and the feeling thus engendered often results in deeds of violence and murder. There was an instance of this some years ago at Bencoolen on the coast of Sumatra, where the natives were so much irritated by the outrages committed upon them, that they at length resolved to destroy the English fort, a purpose which they accomplished with the slaughter of every one they could lay hands on.
Not long afterwards a similar occurrence took place at Anjengo, a fort belonging to the English in the country of Travancore, about sixteen miles from Quilon. It is said to have originated in some misconduct of the English on Shrove Tuesday, in the year 1720. Their interpreter, who was a native Christian, and consequently a Roman Catholic, was preparing for the approaching fast, as the members of his church are wont to do, by an ebullition of unusual license, and among other things he slily instigated some lads to pelt, with eggs and filth, the Moors, always a peculiarly sensitive race, together with some heathens who happened to be passing by. The Moors, whose habit it is to go about armed, instantly clapped their hands on their weapons and threatened not to leave this insult unavenged. The interpreter upon this, quieted the tumult, and secretly informed the Commandant of what had taken place : and that officer, instead of punishing the oppressors, caused the Moors to be apprehended and imprisoned ; while the English remained perfectly indifferent to the exasperation which this transaction excited among the rest of the Moors around them.
But another crime ensued, attended by more serious consequences, arousing the anger of the whole nation. The English seized a heathen medicine master, called a Pandyt, who is always a Brahmin, and compelled him to shave the beards of their slaves, which is an act that Brahmins cannot perform without losing caste. This insult to an order of men so highly honoured, was deeply felt, and vengeance was resolved upon.
Accordingly the natives proceeded to blockade the English fort all round on the land side, preventing the ingress of supplies in this direction. They could not however prevent communication by sea, and as long as the fine weather lasted, the English obtained their supplies by that means. But from June till October the rainy season prevailed, and navigation was rendered impossible by the violence of the winds, and then, accordingly, they suffered from great scarcity of provisions. At length after the sea was again open, and some English vessels had made their way to the fort, in February 1721, a peace was nominally concluded with the natives, who however reserved a secret intention of wreaking dire vengeance on their foes as soon as a fitting opportunity should occur. An occasion for the execution of their design presented itself that same year, at the beginning of the rainy season.
With the view of conciliating the Queen of Attingal, mother of the royal race, whose authority was great in that country, the English Commandant determined to offer her some splendid presents; and to make them the more acceptable he brought them in person, accompanied by a numerous retinue, leaving within the fort none but the sick and infirm. His escort consisted altogether of 140 persons. Troubled by no misgivings, they advanced with much pomp, with sound of trumpet and drums, to the Court of the Queen, who gave them a most friendly reception, and appeared to derive extreme gratification from their arrival and the gifts they brought, though for certain reasons she said she must defer receiving the latter until the following day. Meanwhile she pressed them to pass the night at her court, and the Commandant, utterly unsuspicious of danger, assented. Pretending that she was unable to accommodate the whole party in one place, the artful Princess assigned different lodgings for them, so that they should be too much scattered to assist each other in case of need. Then, in the course of the night, the inhabitants fell upon their unfortunate guests and massacred them, and this so thoroughly, that not a single European escaped, though, being armed, they made an energetic resistance. Some coolies managed to get away, and brought the dreadful intelligence to the fort.
Great was the consternation there. The women, whose husbands were slain, in grief and terror got into a sloop, which chanced to be at the spot, and fled to Coromandel. Those who remained in the fort, weak and unarmed as they were, expected certain death. The next day came however, and no foe was seen approaching; so their courage began to revive: they shut the gates, took some native christians into their ranks, and as well as they could, put themselves into a state of defence; and when shortly afterwards the hostile natives did indeed come to the attack, they were repulsed without difficulty, being altogether without knowledge of the art of siege. Thus it appears that both parties made a mistake: the Commandant in leaving the fort without a garrison, and the natives in not immediately attacking, when they could have captured it without a blow.
Since this time, no hostilities of any consequence have been exchanged; but the ill feeling still smoulders on, and there is a consciousness of mutual distrust. It was generally expected that the English would have taken dire revenge for the massacre last described; but the event has proved otherwise: nothing has been attempted by their ships of war that have lately arrived, though nothing could have been easier than to lay waste the country or inflict punishment of some sort.
The ships in question—consisting of three English men of war, and three frigates, fitted out something like galleys with oars—were sent by the sovereign to sweep the sea of pirates and of illicit traders, but up to this time they have performed little worthy of note. When the fleet arrived at Madagascar with the intent of extirpating the European robbers, who have a stronghold there and have been extremely mischievous in the Indies, all its efforts were frustrated in consequence of the favour shewn to the outlaws by the natives of the island. Nor has the expedition been more successful in other parts, as, for instance, against the pirates of Angria, who constantly capture English vessels. These pirates occupy the shores of Sevajee, a revolted subject of the Mogul in the regions near Surat, and they maintain themselves by robbery, which, owing to the barrenness of the land, is their only means of support. They possess three forts, and a good many vessels furnished with oars, which hold several men and pedereros. They endeavour to surprise and board other vessels, and generally choose the night for their time of attack. The English and Portuguese having been the greatest sufferers from their depredations, formed a close alliance against them, and the Portuguese even granted the English, in the year 1721, a factory surmounted by their own flag, within the city of Goa. The two fleets then set out, commanded respectively by the Portuguese Viceroy and the English Commandant, with the intention of routing out this pirate’s nest: but the scheme soon vanished in smoke, for while, on the one hand, Sevajee came forward to render his assistance to the marauders of Angria, on the other hand, the Portuguese entered into a secret compact with them, for a sum of money, and just as the fight was about to begin, treacherously deserted the English, who accordingly were compelled to re-embark as quickly as possible, not without the loss of some men.
Since then, these ships have done nothing except to levy contributions on English privateers under pretext of conveying them, and to such an extent, that they are more dreaded than even the pirates themselves. They have committed all kinds of malpractices in our roadsteads, forbidding all privateers to seek shelter there under the Company’s flag. Captain Brandwit of the Salisbury even went so far as to attack two foreign vessels, the one carrying the English, and the other the Portuguese flag. One managed to escape by means of a stratagem: but the other was compelled to pay money, like the English privateers, in order to satisfy the rapacity of the Captain, who had thus shamefully perverted the orders of his master.
Here I conclude my account of English affairs, &c.