Forbes, James, 1749-1819, James Forbes letter, Dhuboy, 1775 August 1, copied between 1794 and 1800
- Call Number:
- Folio A 2023 69
- Creator:
- Forbes, James, 1749-1819
- Title(s):
- James Forbes letter, Dhuboy, 1775 August 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 8, page 53-73
- 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 spends his fifty-fifth letter on the content, conduct, and strategies of the Maratha army. His initial reaction is a negative one: the Maratha forces under Ragobah (Raghunathrao) lack all discipline and character; they have no uniforms, nor do they organize themselves in the ways that European militaries do. Nevertheless, Forbes proceeds to give a detailed description of their preferences—for certain blades over others—and what command structures they do possess. He spends time discussing the adornment, armament, and dress of generals and other commanders, and notes the unparalleled magnificence of Indian tents and pavilions. These soldiers know the value of the—in Forbes’s view—far superior European forces, though they won’t admit it. Forbes then breaks down the composition of the military according to “the tribes and casts of people” who make it up. He begins by dismissing the army’s Hindu soldiers as having “little to boast of,” before quickly moving on to various other groups. He praises Muslim soldiers, the descendants of peoples from the Persian Gulf, and soldiers from Afghanistan (specifically Kandahar), and suggests that “all these northern Mahometans have intermarried with each other, and the natives,” thereby forming a “race of similar manners” called “Moors, or Mussulmauns.” This is a “hardy and courageous race; but by degrees their native virtues wear off, and they too soon blend in the common mass.” The “Rajah-poots” (Rajputs) also receive praise, and Forbes describes their country as “the nursery of liberty and independence” that has “never been conquered by any invaders.” The “Arabs and Scindians” are the best infantrymen, “brave & faithful.” From the peoples of the army, Forbes moves to the encampment itself. It is, he says, equipped with all the facilities of many towns, with a bazaar offering any good or service one could imagine, and other specialized structures, like “Pagoda-tents, consecrated entirely to religious duites.” He notes the large number of women and children accompanying the soldiers, and closes his overview of camp life with a discussion of the “Pindarrees,” who join the army—without pay—solely for the privilege of plundering wherever they may go. He includes a quotation from Joseph Addison (1672-1719), beginning, “In vengeance rous’d the soldier fills his hand.” Much of the remainder of Forbes letter is devoted to a less military topic: elephants. The use of elephants in camp and in battle prompts an extended discussion of their use, value, and character. Forbes confesses he almost believes that “something superior to common instinct directs this noble animal,” and, though he admits their danger when angered, spends far more time on what he sees as their usefulness, wisdom, and docility. He quotes both Alexander Pope and Maccabees on their character. Forbes spends time on two episodes in particular. The first is the ability of an elephant to, when asked, retrieve mangos from a tree for its rider, pass them to him with its trunk, and, upon receiving some of the fruits for itself, “accepts it with a profound respect; making a Salam, or obeisance, three times, with his trunk raised to the top of his head, in the manner of the oriental salute.” Forbes apologizes for his “prolixity” regarding elephants, and then begins his second anecdote concerning the elephant. In this situation, several elephants were fed the best food by their owner, a Maratha ruler. Soon, however, the elephants began to grow emaciated. Suspecting the handlers were stealing their food—which was far better than that which they themselves could afford—the ruler sent an inspector to monitor their feeding. All appeared normal, but the elephants continued to grow emaciated. At last the mystery was solved: the trainers “taught [the elephants], in the inspector’s presence, to receive the balls [of food], and to put them into their mouth with their trunk, but to abstain from eating them.” Once the inspector left, the elephants dutifully removed the food and handed it to their corrupt keepers. Compared to elephants, camels are a disappointment. Forbes complains that, if one adds anything above their normal load, they simply refuse to move. Regardless, he states that a “Mahratta’s state consists generally in his elephants, his camels, and his horses,” and his wealth in his jewels. He then closes with a description of the Indian method of besieging a town—by surrounding it and starving the inhabitants. He offers and observation: “whoever studies the ancient history of India, or observes attentively the genius of the present inhabitants, will coincide, that cowardice and effeminacy ever were, and from a variety of concurring circumstances, must in a great degree, ever be, the general characteristics of an Asiatic army.” The letter concludes with a quotation from Richard Glover’s (c. 1712-1785) poem “Leonidas,” which he claims describes Maratha troops. It begins, “This day, O Grecians, countrymen, and friends, your wives your offspring, your paternal seats, your fathers, country, liberty, and laws, have sent you hither!” This text does not appear in <title>Oriental Memoirs</title>.
- Physical Description:
- 19 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/3199750
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199750?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1