Forbes, James, 1749-1819, James Forbes letter, Onore, 1772 February 7, copied between 1794 and 1800
- CallNumber:
- Folio A 2023 69
- Creator:
- Forbes, James, 1749-1819
- Title(s):
- James Forbes letter, Onore, 1772 February 7
- 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
- ContainerGrouping:
- volume 5, page 55-60
- Provenance:
- Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- AccessRestrict:
- The materials are open for research.
- UseRestrict:
- 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.
- ScopeContent:
- Forbes’s twenty-third letter continues his voyage to Anjengo (now Anchuthengu) and passes by several sites along the coast. After leaving Goa, the ship first passes a town where the English formerly had a factory, but which has now gone to decay. Forbes then notes the location where the ancient Greek sailor supposedly landed, “a voyage then deemed of such importance, that the Monsoon-wind which wafted him over these seas, hitherto unattempted, was callus Hippalus.” The ship then arrives at Onore (now Honnavar). Near the city is a fort Forbes describes as “almost impregnable” but which was taken from Hyder Ali, ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, in 1768. The English, however, abandoned it shortly after their success. Forbes is not allowed to enter the fort, as Ali (having presumably retaken the fort) now distrusts the English. The associated town is, to Forbes, unremarkable, with the only notable building being the English factory, “but as the Nabob will not suffer the least appearance of a fortification, it is surrounded only by a slight garden wall.” Forbes describes the scenes around the town as “perfectly adapted for the pencil of Salvator Rosa,” the painter known for his expressive and wild landscapes. The woods are filled with a variety of plants and animals: Forbes regrets that, given his limited time, he cannot “add to my collection” of specimens (most likely birds). There are plantations for pepper, coconut trees, and other commodities, and Forbes notes “cleanliness & assiduity are absolutely necessary in these in these plantations, not a weed is permitted near their valuable produce, which amply repays the cultivator for all his trouble.” Forbes closes his letter with a lengthy discussion of sandalwood. Though its trade remains primarily under the control of Hyder Ali, Forbes explains that its value comes from its use by Hindus, Parsis, and the Chinese in their various religious rituals, such as the burning of bodies, or feeding of sacred fire. Portions of this text appear in <title>Oriental Memoirs</title>, volume 1, pp. 304-8.
- OddNote:
- Forbes has misnumbered his letters: there is no letter 22.
- PhysicalDescription:
- 6 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
- FindingAidTitle:
- James Forbes archive
- Archival Object:
- https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199559
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199559?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1