Forbes, James, 1749–1819, James Forbes letter, Isle of Caranjah, 1775 January 18, copied between 1794 and 1800
- Call Number:
- Folio A 2023 69
- Holdings:
- [Request]
- Creator:
- Forbes, James, 1749–1819
- Title(s):
- James Forbes letter, Isle of Caranjah, 1775 January 18
- 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 6, page 307-309
- 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 next visit is to Caranjah (now Karanja), near Bombay, but previously under the control of the Marathas. It is a small island, and Forbes dwells only briefly on its inhabitants and atmosphere. He notes a tank at the center of town, full of waterfowl “quite tame and familiar, having never been molested by the Mahrattas; but this is an indulgence not to be expected from their new masters [the English].” There is also a Portuguese church, as Caranjah, like many other areas, was formerly under Portuguese control. The fort is small and poorly built, and located at the top of a mountain. It could provide little actual defense—and yet Forbes notes that the location “amply repays the traveler’s fatigue, by the grand & extensive prospects it presents on every side.” Below are woods filled with all sorts of creatures and plants. Forbes highlights the Euphorbia, a good plant for enclosures and, he hears, poisonous. It is common, apparently, “in the southern provinces of Hindostan, to poison the public wells and tanks, by throwing in branches of the Euphorbia, when an enemy is expected in the country.” Forbes concludes with a different type of enemy: he speaks of a coming continental war with the Marathas, in which Bombay will have to take part. He expresses his desire to join the conflict, with the hope that by taking part, he might become “further acquainted with the manners and customs of the Hindoos.” And, as an added bonus, “I shall open a more ample field for your entertainment.” This text does not appear in <title>Oriental Memoirs</title>.
- Physical Description:
- 3 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
- Collection PDF:
- https://ead-pdfs.library.yale.edu/11734.pdf
- Archival Object:
- https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199677
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199677?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1