Forbes, James, 1749-1819, James Forbes letter, Bombay, 1771 June 1, copied between 1794 and 1800
- Call Number:
- Folio A 2023 69
- Creator:
- Forbes, James, 1749-1819
- Title(s):
- James Forbes letter, Bombay, 1771 June 1
- Date:
- copied between 1794 and 1800
- Classification:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Series:
- Series I: A voyage from England to Bombay with descriptions in Asia, Africa, and South America
- Part of Collection:
- volume 4, page 77-100
- Provenance:
- Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- Conditions Governing Access:
- The materials are open for research.
- Conditions Governing Use:
- The collection is the physical property of the Yale Center for British Art. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts.
- Scope and Content:
- Forbes’s journey back to Bombay from Fort Victoria begins with a description of his entourage: he admits that “you will perhaps be surprised at such a number of attendants [80, at least] for only three persons,” but insists such arrangements are necessary given the lack of places to restock, rest, etc. Instead, the party found themselves, at one point, sheltering under a stack of corn, exposed to “whirlwinds of dust, as hot as the ashes of a furnace.” Forbes continues to describe the journey, as well as the climate and landscape through which the travelers pass. He discusses the mountains and the coming of the monsoon, before again returning to the routines of travel, such as early morning travel by torchlight—one of the most common times to travel for the British in India. At one point, they stop at a mosque and are directed to set up camp in the graveyard: “we enjoyed as sound a repose among the tombs and new-made graves of departed Musselmans, as we should in the most elegant chamber.” Later, Forbes comes to another village: here, the group meets “a venerable Mahometan, whose first appearance prepossessed us in his favor.” Forbes describes him as “like the good old Patriarchs in the first age…surrounded by his children and grand-children, a numerous progeny, all living in perfect harmony, under the same roof.” The man, “like Abraham and Lot he sat at his gate to receive strangers; and as far as the customs of his country and religion permitted, he did all in his power to make us welcome.” The encounter is one that transports Forbes and his companions back in time, into the very pages of their sacred texts. The travelers soon find hospitality of a different sort: approached by several armed horsemen, the group is escorted to the court of the area’s governor, who receives them with “great respect and politeness.” The governor them informs the guests that the area’s ruler, Ragojee Angria (exact identity unclear), maintain good terms with the British, and wished offer them hospitality himself. Before meeting Ragojee, Forbes reflects on the uses of elephants in this part of India: “From the backs of these enormous beasts the Indian Princes issue their orders in battle, and in towers fixed on such a moveable eminence have a clear view of all that passes in their army.” Forbes then describes Ragojee: “dressed in a short vest of fine muslin, with full drawers of crimson and gold Kincob; his Turban and sash were a lilac-colored muslin, richly flowered; on the former he wore a sort of Tiara composed of diamonds and rubies, with a pendant emerald of an uncommon size.” He continues to describe much of the court, as well as the lineage of Ragojee Angria. Forbes compares the governance of the Maratha Empire to European feudalism, though notes that, while much resembles the cruelest tyranny, Ragojee’s subjects have nothing but praise for their own ruler. Govindsett, a man Forbes describes as Ragojee’s governor, to whom almost all duties of state are entrusted, accompanies the group as they leave Ragojee’s territory. He has the part stop at a temple built on his orders: Forbes dwells on the structure at length, noting that Govindsett seemed “much delighted with the approbation we so deservedly bestowed on it.” To the group’s suggestion that such an edifice must have cost quite a lot, Govindsett gives a lengthy reply, (ostensibly) quoted by Forbes. It reads, in part: “from the various changes which so frequently occur in this transitory state, the Sun of Prosperity may set, and the clouds of Adversity fade over my family, [then] my children’s children may one day find a real benefit, from what now affords the purest pleasure to a grateful mind.” Forbes exclaims: “a heart of sensibility, however differing in religious sentiments, could not but vibrate in unison with a kindred mind, replete with such piety towards God, and benevolence to Man.” He quotes Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man, beginning, “For modes of Faith let graceless Zealots fight,” before insisting that he has not yet converted to the religion of the Hindus, and that he remains committed to Christian revelation. This prompts a lengthy rumination on the merits of Christianity—Forbes exalts the place of the Christian devotee, who, unlike the “most celebrated heathen philosopher,” is destined for “the everlasting kingdom of bliss and glory.” The journey concludes shortly after this reverie. Back in Bombay, Forbes reminisces about his time in England: “often, during my late journey, when riding on horseback, exposed to the sultry beams of an Asiatic sun, have I envied the British cottagers, enjoying the flowery meadows and haw-thorne hedges in this blooming month.” Yet he admits “I lately [have] been charmed with the beauties of India,” and stresses the “romantic” and “grand” scale of the country. Forbes’s tone is nostalgic, appreciative of India, and yet aware of what pleasures, he suggests, “are not to be met with in the Torrid Zone.” Forbes closes his letter with a lengthy comparison of the inhabitants of India and England. The former are “supine, indolent, and effeminate; body and mind seem equally enervated.” Even “the most enlightened and refined among the Hindoos, are in a certain degree of ignorance, when compared with European nations.” This is a function of both climate and religion: various doctrines render Muslim inhabitants “bold, enterprising, and resolute,” and Hindus, “tender, humane, and harmless.” In England, however, “healthy, strong, and vigorous, the virtuous cottager rises to his morning labor; with chearfulness and alacrity he pursues his rural employment…” This is a function, above all, of climate, with the warmer ones tending “to debase,” whereas the others “exalt the noblest faculties.” Forbes then concludes with an excerpt from “Immortality,” by Joseph Addison (1672-1719), beginning, “O Liberty! Thou Goddess, heavenly bright; profuse of bliss, and pregnant with delight.” Below the excerpt is a line from Ovid, reading: “Nescio qua Natale Solum dulcedine cunctos ducit.” Portions of this text appear in <title>Oriental Memoirs</title>, volume 1, pp. 204-238. Bibliography: Baker, Julian CT. “Darkness, Travel, and Landscape: India by Fire- and Starligh, c. 1820-1860.” <title>Environment and Planning D: Society and Space</title> vol. 33 no. 4 (2015): 749-765.
- Physical Description:
- 23 pages
- Genre:
- Correspondence , Botanical illustrations, Ornithological illustrations, Travel sketches, Maps, Watercolors (paintings), Drawings (visual works), Engravings (prints), and Portraits
- Subject Terms:
- Forbes, James, 1749-1819. Descriptive letters and drawingsForbes, James, 1749-1819. Oriental memoirs
- Associated Places:
- EnglandItalyScotlandWales
- Associated People/Groups:
- East India CompanyForbes, James, 1749-1819
- Finding Aid Title:
- James Forbes archive
- Archival Object:
- https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199510
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199510?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1