Forbes, James, 1749-1819, James Forbes letter, Neriad, 1775 May 13, copied between 1794 and 1800
- CallNumber:
- Folio A 2023 69
- Creator:
- Forbes, James, 1749-1819
- Title(s):
- James Forbes letter, Neriad, 1775 May 13
- 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 7, page 195-205
- 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:
- No longer pursuing the enemy northward, the English troops march south, stopping at the town of Neriad. Forbes, at first, expresses regret at not having a chance to visit the city of Ahmedabad, “still boasting the most elegant palaces, mausoleums, and other remains of their [Mogul Emperors] magnificence.” He soon turns, however, to the march south, relating a brief encounter with the enemy, and the beauty of the surrounding countryside. He writes that “To see so beautiful, so fertile a province, laid waste and destroyed, and its wretched inhabitants forced to fly to foreign lands for bread, is extremely distressing to a feeling heart.” He quotes James Thomson’s (1700-1748) “The Castle of Indolence,” beginning, “think to these depopulated realms, what dreadful mischiefs from Ambition flow.” On the topic of military exploitation of the countryside, Forbes references Alexander Dow’s (1735-1779) writing on Aurangzeb, and how the Mughal emperor provided reimbursement or payment for all material used by his forces. Forbes wishes that Ragobah (Raghunathrao) would do the same. The army then arrives at the city of Neriad. It is, according to Forbes, one of the prettiest cities he has encountered and, unlike many other large population centers, flourishing, rather than in “decline.” He describes the layout of the town as well as its sandalwood groves, before detailing Ragobah’s interaction with the inhabitants. In need of funds, Ragobah demands a tax from all the inhabitants, in exchange for which he will not pillage the city. The residents are understandably quite upset, especially a particular caste who claim historic exemptions from these sorts of impositions. Forbes explains: “The Bhauts are a particular tribe residing in the Guzerat province, who seem to have little other occupation than repeating verses from the Shastah, or sacred scriptures of the Hindoos.” Yet they serve another key function as well. He continues: “they offer themselves also as a security for the engagements between rival governments, as likewise for the performance of bonds by individuals. No security is esteemed so sacred; for on failure of the obligation if the offending party does not give immediate satisfaction, the Bhaut who stood as his security, most assuredly destroys either himself or one of his family.” For this service, the individuals receive an annual sum from whomever they are bound to. Many of the Bhauts live in Neriad and, finding themselves subject to Ragobah’s tax, refused to pay. Instead, they gathered in a public square and made one final plea to the offending forces. After yet another refusal, “they rushed furiously on each other, and a considerable number perished before our astonished troops could disarm this frantic people.” Forbes follows this bloody episode with a quotation from Alexander Pope’s “Moral Essays,” beginning, “Our depths and fathoms, or our shallows finds, quick whirls, and shifting eddies of our minds?” Portions of this text appear in <title>Oriental Memoirs</title>, volume 2, chapter 18.
- PhysicalDescription:
- 11 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/3199721
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199721?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1