Forbes, James, 1749-1819, A Poetical Epistle from Dhuboy, to an affectionate Sister at Baroche; written on her Birth-day, the 12th of August 1780, copied between 1794 and 1800
- Call Number:
- Folio A 2023 69
- Creator:
- Forbes, James, 1749-1819
- Title(s):
- A Poetical Epistle from Dhuboy, to an affectionate Sister at Baroche; written on her Birth-day, the 12th of August 1780
- 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 10, page 229-236
- 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:
- This text comprises a lengthy poem written to Forbes’s sister Eliza for her birthday. Much of the describes the Indian environment in which they now find themselves—as elsewhere, he writes rapturously of nature—though certain other topics do receive extended attention. Early in the poem—written in rhyming couplets—Forbes talks about his sister’s marriage to his good friend, John Dalton. He dwells on his affection for Dalton, and his joy at now calling him a member of the family. Forbes also refers to the damaging effects of the climate in India, claiming that the harsh weather destroyed the bliss that he and Eliza had initially enjoyed, and had hurt Eliza’s health especially. He seems to imply that she might return to England sooner than he and Dalton, although this is a bit unclear, as the family’s time in India took quite a different path. They left India together in 1784, only for Dalton to die suddenly shortly after his return. Forbes concludes his poem with the promise of union in England, and the hope that they will avoid sickness and death while in India. The letter opposes “Health and Content” to “Wealth and Power” at this point, suggesting that, at least as of the writing of the letter, Forbes found his sojourn in India a rather risky attempt at gaining his financial independence. Portions of this text appear in <title>Oriental Memoirs</title>, volume 2.
- Physical Description:
- 7 pages
- Genre:
- 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/3199914
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/3199914?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1