Forbes, James, 1749-1819, James Forbes letter, Surat, 1783 July 25, copied between 1794 and 1800
- CallNumber:
- Folio A 2023 69
- Creator:
- Forbes, James, 1749-1819
- Title(s):
- James Forbes letter, Surat, 1783 July 25
- 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 13, page 9-33
- 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 introduces this letter as the “last descriptive letter to my dear sister,” now that the cities of Gujarat are now no longer under English control, and Forbes prepares to sail for England. Forbes is quite upset by this development: he writes that “the belssings of Liberty have I fear for ever fled from those luxuriant plans.” He proceeds to give details of the political arrangement between the Maratha Empire and the East India Company, the product, he says, of a long and expensive war, likely the First Anglo-Maratha War, waged between 1775 and 1782. He claims that the residents of Gujarat were unanimously opposed to the imposition of Maratha rule, and that “in vain they implored relief; we could only offer unavailing pity.” Forbes remarks on the various ways in which the inhabitants of Gujarat sought aid: “no prayers, no sacrifices, no ceremonies, of the various casts, were left unperformed, to implore Providence for a continuation of English government.” As the British left the Baroche (Bharuch), he recounts a Hindu man interpreting raindrops as the tears of heaven. “Gracias” Forbes then gives an account of his own, individual departure from Gujarat. He sets the stage by explaining the political history of the “gracias,” a group he identifies as bandits who rely on extortion of unprotected villages to support themselves. They justify this by claiming an aboriginal relationship with the land, one that predates that of the area’s Hindu inhabitants. Forbes says that, upon assuming power, he wrote to the rulers of these groups, inviting them to join the legal system and demanding they give up violence. In response, “they seemed to laugh at my lenity, and year after year of clemency and forbearance on my part, only added to the insolence and cruelty on theirs.” After a period of deteriorating relations, Forbes sent a military force against these groups, capturing one of their cities and family members of their leaders. Forbes includes transcriptions of his letters to the rulers, both before and after the military operation. He states that these letters were, at first, a success, as they forced the groups to negotiate. They, however, did not forgive Forbes for his actions, and planned to seize him on his departure from the province. Informed of this plan by prominent citizens, he accelerated his departure and thereby escaped capture, though many of his attendants, who had travelled behind, were killed. Forbes only learns of this after reaching his destination. He is, at that point, amazed by his escape: “as to my own providential deliverance, I know not how to think of it as I ought: it was so extraordinary, so momentary, that I hope, without presumption, I may ascribe it to the immediate care of the Great Shepherd of Israel.” Forbes concludes his telling of his escape with a reference to the horrible modes of torture and death Indian rulers inflict on their captives, such as “mingl[ing] certain drugs with his food, which act as a slow poison…[or which] destroy all mental faculties” He quotes Shakespeare as illustration. “Oriental Gratitude” Forbes follows this somber account with a more cheerful one: he writes that he had “never experienced more heart-felt delight, than on the morning when I left Dhuboy.” While this was, undoubtedly, primarily due to his desire to return to England, he also describes a letter presented to him by “heads ot the Casts” thanking him for his service. He includes a transcription of the letter, translated from Persian. He writes that the original is also included, though it is not in the volume. “Lines on leaving Dhuboy” Forbes closes the letter with a lengthy poem he wrote on his departure from his post. The primary themes include the transition from British rule—and its attendant “freedom”—to the undoubted misery and “oppression” that will follow under Maratha rule. The final paragraph emphasizes that his “prospects in the Company’s service are now terminated,” and concludes with a quotation from poet and dramatist Samuel Jackson Pratt (1749-1814). Portions of this text appear in <title>Oriental Memoirs</title>, volume 3, chapter 32, and pp. 347-392.
- PhysicalDescription:
- 21 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/3200068
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/3200068?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1