tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-305633652024-03-26T09:18:00.256+00:00Cuddalore HistoryNick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-75803299971821085922013-09-05T20:36:00.002+00:002013-09-06T06:18:02.425+00:00Early Technology Transfer? Windmills in 18th Century India<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzyaeej4WdtNiB-vxox2PBTzoeY9WMiwrvq_YEQ4bOBx0tmGpAvoTbl2qih7pVZlOqz3izZ1rMxKqTiTIlzT4VJlS8D1cUxuKccVJL2kAsn6jz41Dpa_lHZQnsSz9aZXvCMGn/s1600/windmill-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyzyaeej4WdtNiB-vxox2PBTzoeY9WMiwrvq_YEQ4bOBx0tmGpAvoTbl2qih7pVZlOqz3izZ1rMxKqTiTIlzT4VJlS8D1cUxuKccVJL2kAsn6jz41Dpa_lHZQnsSz9aZXvCMGn/s640/windmill-001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Llancayo Windmill cottage near Usk, photo via the Guardian Newspaper.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
We are today all increasingly aware that India has become a world leader in wind farm technology, already with about 20 GW of installed wind power. Companies like
Suzlon from Pune, are believed to be the 5<sup>th</sup> largest global manufacturer of turbines, making them both for sale in India as well as for export to many countries around the world.<br />
<br />
Since 1997 Suzlon has been able to develop very rapidly by benefiting
from Globalisation and from the transfer of technologies developed in Belgium and Germany.</div>
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<br />
What I had not expected to find was that this was certainly not the first time that an attempt had been made to transfer wind power technology to India.<br />
<br />
Quite by chance while researching through the records of that pioneer of globalisation the East India Company, I recently stumbled across a fascinating series of records that suggest that a windmill was built as early as 1730 at Horse Tail Point, Cuddalore. <br />
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India does not appear to have had a tradition of using wind
power, unlike Europe which had developed windmills for uses including pumping
water, and grinding agricultural grains over a period of nearly a thousand years.</div>
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Because the East India Company was a primarily a trading
house, with shareholders, its servants had to maintain meticulous records. Each settlement had weekly and monthly
business meetings called Consultations, at which the settlement board or
management team recorded the accounts and most significant events that had taken place during the
previous week or month.<br />
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These records record in great detail many of the events in
the life of these settlements, and often offer really fascinating insights into
the life of our ancestors. While looking for the expenses claims submitted by one of my
great x 5 grandfather, who was a Captain in the garrison at Fort St David at that time, I
first chanced upon the following…<br />
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<i>Fort St David, February 1731. Tuesday the 15<sup>th</sup>.</i><br />
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<i>“Windmill Rent Paid. Poncala Kristna and Vadashavaroro Bound
Renters pay in Forty Pagodas for three months Rent of the Windmill to Ulto
September.” </i><a href="file:///C:/Users/Nick%20Balmer/Desktop/Fort%20St%20David%20windmill%201732.htm#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>[1]</i></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></div>
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Many of the goods sold inside the settlement at Cuddalore
were the subject of monopolies held by the East India Company, and these
included the Farm of the Arrack, as well as selling of tobacco, salt, beetle and even running the
ferry that existed between Cuddalore and the Fort itself.<br />
<br /></div>
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Rather than run them themselves the Officials would from time to
time let tenders for the right to operate these monopolies.<br />
<br />
This was called Farming, and was a long
established process common in England during the 17<sup>th</sup> Century where
entrepreneurs were invited to tender to the state for things like the right to
collect the taxation of regions in Britain. The state would estimate the
nominal taxation value of an area. The collection of this amount was rarely achieved in practise, and so the tenderers would bid for a lesser
amount that they believed they could actually extract, less their expenses for collection.
Key to success was setting this figure lower than the amount they
really expected to be able to actually collect.</div>
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The “Farmer” took on the risk of collecting the discounted
sum, and was liable to the state for any shortfall from this discounted amount.</div>
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Poncala Kristna and Vadashavaroro who were active at this
period in Cuddalore bidding for several of these concessions were also hiring
the wind mill.<br />
<br /></div>
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The records go on to state that the renters were struggling
to make the windmill pay, and that they were unwilling to pay as much for it in
future. The Board of Management had become
concerned because they believed that Poncala Kristna and Vadashavaroro were
using their influence to prevent other local businessmen from bidding against
them.</div>
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In the event this does not appear to have been successful,
as somebody called “Tarheriffe” is recorded as being the successful bidder, and not just for the
wind mill concession.<br />
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<i>"May 13 [1731] The Tobacco
and Beetle Bounds & Windmill Farms Lett out for 5 years and the Renter
Tarheriffe."</i><br />
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I have not had opportunity to go through the earlier records
to see if I can find out the origin of this wind mill. However there is an account of monies paid to
Mr Newcombe in the summer of 1730 for the construction of the wind mill.<br />
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<i>Fort St David December
1732</i></div>
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<i>Account Disbursements on
Building the Windmill at Horse tail Point. Viz.</i></div>
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<i>Wall Bricks 253920 Pa 78:13:71</i></div>
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<i>Square Bricks 1300 7:64</i></div>
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<i>Flat Tiles 2400 9:48</i></div>
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<i>Chinam 3086 Parra 62:3:16</i></div>
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<i>Jaggary 450 seer 2:7:----</i></div>
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<i>Sail Cloth 10 pc 7:9:40</i></div>
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<i>Paid Mr. Newcombe for
Cooly’s as per his Receipt 65:--:--</i></div>
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<i> Pag 216:12:29</i></div>
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<i>Fort St David</i></div>
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<i>September Anno 1730. Vishvenada Reddee.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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This account tells us quite a bit about the wind mill.<br />
<br />
First the
location. It was at Horse Tail Point. I cannot locate Horse Tail Point on the
oldest map I have a copy of dating from 1781, but it is very probable that this
Point is the spit of land to the seaward side of the Fort that runs out into
the sea part of the way across the river separating the Fort from the town.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgC9siJbUm40Eqx_TfuksDxtS4hKQVwRevUC8iyK4-3yEEjPu2wG3eAbzp6APh3xccqKw7eNQBDp7RiNX_JZXlHbwiDaboOer-Xyp1FB4bXnBUsuss0nx5VsHWO1QO1X-TD1Y/s1600/Cuddalore+mill+site.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgC9siJbUm40Eqx_TfuksDxtS4hKQVwRevUC8iyK4-3yEEjPu2wG3eAbzp6APh3xccqKw7eNQBDp7RiNX_JZXlHbwiDaboOer-Xyp1FB4bXnBUsuss0nx5VsHWO1QO1X-TD1Y/s400/Cuddalore+mill+site.JPG" width="242" /></a></div>
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Extract from a mid 18th Century Map of Cuddalore & Fort St David.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The map shows several long spits that could be though to resemble a Horse Tail Point. At the northern end of the Humber Estuary lies a similar spit of land called Spurn Point. Point is used around the English coast to name a long thin piece of land extending out to sea. One of these was probably the site of the wind mill.</div>
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Frustratingly, there is no indication of what the wind mill
ground up, however if the location is as I have suggested, it is probable that
the material being ground was grain for the use of the garrison.<br />
<br /></div>
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If it had been intended to grind crops for the Indian
population, one would presume that it would have been constructed in a more
readily accessed location for Indian’s, nearer the town.<br />
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There is one puzzling omission in the accounts. Where is the supply of wood?<br />
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There is also another curious item in the accounts, for which I
could not at first account.<br />
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Why did they require 450 seer of Jaggary?<br />
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I believe Jaggary is a compound made from refining sugar
cane juices.<br />
<br />
Am I correct here?<br />
<br /></div>
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Why would you 450 seer of crystalline sugar. 1 seer equals
0.933kg. 420kg of sugar is a lot.</div>
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Chunam is I believe a form of plaster.<br />
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Could you make plaster or cement with Chunam and sugar?<br />
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As so often Google Books provides the answer. In 1836 the Madras Journal of Literature and Science, contained a long article on Chunam and the use of Jaggery, part of which is shown below.<br />
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The article goes on to explain goes on to describe
experiments undertaken by Madras Engineers with Jaggary in Chunam. They found that the bricks and lime mortar
used routinely in India were porous. If however by
using Jaggary mixed into the plaster, it was found that it was absorbed into the surface of the brickwork where it set and then sealed up the pores in the bricks
rendering the brick work waterproof.<br />
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Its use on a windmill, and especially one built near the sea
makes a great deal of sense, as it is essential that the feedstock being ground and especially the processed flour in the mill remains dry.<br />
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The sail cloth is easily accounted for. It would have been
used to cover the windmills sails.<br />
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The cloth was made in
strips which were spread over the wooden frames that were called sails. The speed of the sails could be regulated to the wind speeds
by rolling back the cloth to reduce its effective wind catching area, and adjusting
the sail area down as the wind sp<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=30563365" name="_GoBack"></a>eed increased. <br />
<br /></div>
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I would really welcome input from Indian’s here?</div>
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Is there any Indian foodstuff that needs grinding in large
bulk quantities on a regular basis?<br />
<br />
Surely spices were so valuable, and generally needed grinding in such small daily
quantities that it was done by hand grinding with stones driven by woman power. This would probably sufficed for all the general
needs of 1730’s Cuddalore inhabitants.<br />
<br /></div>
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Perhaps it was the lack of real demand for milling that
limited the amount of rent that was affordable.<br />
<br /></div>
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The lack of wood in the account is more puzzling, however
there may be a very simple answer to this.<br />
<br /></div>
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Wind mills in Europe come in two main types. Post mills that are generally built in wood,
even if they have a brick built lower base.<br />
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<br />
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A typical post mill. This type built predominantly of wood, generally predates tower mills.<br />
Note how the millers are spreading sail cloth onto the frame.</div>
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The other form, a tower mill, had a far higher brick built
tower, with only a limited cap that contained the mechanism. <br />
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A drawing showing the gears inside a Tower Mill.</div>
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The very large number of bricks purchased point to the mill having
been a very substantial brick built building.<br />
<br /></div>
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To build a brick wall with two rows of brick besides each other 225mm thick, which
would be the usual thickness for a house wall, uses 120 bricks per m2 of wall.<br />
<br /></div>
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However the stresses inherent in a wind mill would be much
greater than those in a house, so that the wall was probably built substantially thicker than a house wall would have been.<br />
<br /></div>
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If we assumed that the walls were built with 4 rows (450mm) of bricks thick,
at 240 bricks per m2, there are enough bricks charged for to make 1058 m2 of wall.<br />
<br /></div>
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We have no idea of the mills actual diameter, but these
mills in England are often 30 feet or more in diameter at the base, with a
tapering tower.<br />
<br /></div>
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A tower with an average diameter of 30 feet [9.3 m] would
require 29 m2 of bricks per metre of height.
With 1058 m2 of bricks in total paid for, this would give a tower 119
feet high [36 metres] high.<br />
<br />
I have used standard English brick sizes, and it is possible that these bricks were made to Indian customary sizes, which tend to be less deep. Does any know what a standard 18th Century brick measured?<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT8roYgJcANknMwD1ImTGYKtUCv6RIGerKsAD7U7kjQP9VJ5iRU4V2YbzoAaAIhJpvUpUY0wB2pYpUYTP8sH-lgv8O4hlk_ZlSvi8wo9d71dFhLancXh4AtHEXjpAkjn5cRTc/s1600/Tower+Mill+Cross+Section.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT8roYgJcANknMwD1ImTGYKtUCv6RIGerKsAD7U7kjQP9VJ5iRU4V2YbzoAaAIhJpvUpUY0wB2pYpUYTP8sH-lgv8O4hlk_ZlSvi8wo9d71dFhLancXh4AtHEXjpAkjn5cRTc/s400/Tower+Mill+Cross+Section.gif" width="274" /></a> [3]</div>
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A cross Section through a typical Tower Mill.</div>
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This seems to give an unnecessarily high tower. Perhaps more than just a tower was built. It is quite possible that both a wind mill
tower and some sort of house and barn for the wind mill operator was
constructed. This would have allowed for the
storage of grain before it was processed, and for flour once it had been ground
up. The wind mill needed to me managed
around the clock so that the winds were caught, and they were no respecters of
office hours. The miller had to be on
site to regulate the sails as the wind changed speed or direction.<br />
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The sheer quantity of bricks in the account suggests very
strongly that the wind mill was a tower mill and not a post or smock mill.<br />
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The lack of wood could be simply because somebody else put
in an account for the wooden bits and this has not survived.<br />
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However, I believe that the lack of any wood in the account
points towards the East India Company having had the inner workings of the wind
mill made in England in prefabricated sections, and then had the bits shipped
out to Cuddalore perhaps together with
Mr. Newcombe who was probably an experienced millwright.<br />
<br />
With its external walls coated in gleaming white plaster, the mill must have looked much like Llancavo Windmill near Usk. That windmill has both a millers cottage and attached barn, and must look much like the one at Cuddalore.<br />
<br />
At present I have no idea what became of it. Many abandoned brick built towers dot the English countryside as they are very durable structures even when abandoned. I wonder if the footings or remains of this building are not somewhere along the current shoreline at Cuddalore today?<br />
<br />
Does anybody know if any other wind mills were built in India?<br />
<br />
Am I correct in assuming that there was no tradition of windmills being built in India before the Europeans arrived?</div>
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<br />
As I am unaware of any other windmills being built in India after 1730, can we assume that it was an idea before its time?</div>
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Nick Balmer can be contacted at balmer.nicholas@gmail.com<br />
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Nick%20Balmer/Desktop/Fort%20St%20David%20windmill%201732.htm#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
IOR G/18/4 Records of Fort St David 1732-39<br />
[2] Madras Journal of Literature and Science, Volume 3 page 1836 page 93.<br />
[3] From <a href="http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/10/history-of-industrial-windmills.html">http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/10/history-of-industrial-windmills.html</a> which has a very good article on windmill technology development over time.</div>
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Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-41103807812878417322010-07-19T06:52:00.001+00:002021-10-31T13:26:24.514+00:00Yale's Big Bang Approach to Land Acquistion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">When Raja Rama of Chingee sold Cuddalore to the English it was agreed that the boundary of the land acquired should be set at the distance reached by a cannon ball fired from a large cannon.<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9FMVRzPrt7Sjz9RED5gq9j4vRAyQI-6V6QIP_ZaWsqxpKDleZrEFafXB3m-6HGcgqhUcVwPvdqX9C9ymLO_TpWkOCnQf89-f1cm3R8TmeQv2IpLDtcrWTBsQrrgcTySHul2U/s584/artillery_gun_crew-illustration.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="584" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9FMVRzPrt7Sjz9RED5gq9j4vRAyQI-6V6QIP_ZaWsqxpKDleZrEFafXB3m-6HGcgqhUcVwPvdqX9C9ymLO_TpWkOCnQf89-f1cm3R8TmeQv2IpLDtcrWTBsQrrgcTySHul2U/w400-h190/artillery_gun_crew-illustration.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">One can only wonder what the poor local inhabitants thought about the whole event. Especially those whose homes just happened to be near where the cannonballs landed.<br />
<br />
Elihu Yale who eventually went on to found Yale University in America was the East India Company official who handled these negotiations.<br />
<br />
The following extracts transcribed from original records in the British Library describe the events.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<i>Rama Raja King of the Chingee Country Did sell and Alienate to the Right Honble English East India Company the Fort of Tegnapatam als: Fort St: David with all the Ground, Huses, Towns, Rivers, Woods etc. within the Circumference of the Random shot of a great Gun, from the said Fort, as May more plainly appear, by his Letters, Patents, or Royal Cowle granted to the said Right Hon’ble Company in conformation thereof whereby all Royal Authority & Kingly rights formerly in the s’d: Rama Raja is now devolv’d & center’d in the said English Company and therefore all Customs etc: Duties formerly paid Rama ------ or his officers ought now to be paid to the ------------ the company—</i><br />
<i> </i><br />
<i> The said Cowle or Letters Patents Run in general terms without any exception, but It is said that Mr: Thomas Yale who negotiated This affair at Chingee did verbally agree that the Dutch Factory shou’d be excepted; by which pretence the Ministers of Rama Raja wou’d wrong fully wrest from the said English Company all Customs due from the Dutch; however the said Mr: Yale & those with him do affirm that they never intended by that verbal exception anymore than that the Dutch shou’d have the priviledge and use of their Factory as formerley when the Government of these parts was under Rama Raja which is Ended the most genuine sense; nor is there the least notice taken of it in our Cowle.</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><br />
<i> </i><br />
<i> Translate of a Bill of Sale</i><br />
<i> under the Seal of Raja Ram</i><br />
<i> Rajah Chetterpetty Dated</i><br />
<i> 4th Moharram in the 1st year</i><br />
<i> of the Mahratta Cycle answer</i><br />
<i> =ing to 1690 September 24</i><br />
<br />
Extract from the Fort St David Diaries and Consultation of the 11th February 1690 relating to the Dutch Factory. (Notes from IOR G/18/1)<br />
<br />
<i>consent to the President Yale and Council for</i><br />
<i> the use of the said Honble Company and their</i><br />
<i> Successors for ever for the sum of forty thousand</i><br />
<i> (40,000) Cheokarems which has been fully</i><br />
<i> received by us through the hands of Rahoojee</i><br />
<i> Rendernada our servant according to our</i><br />
<i> orders.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>A Certificate from Cheveda Balazee</i><br />
<i> Dated the 1st Rabee Laker in the 1st</i><br />
<i> year of the Mahratta Cycle answering</i><br />
<i> to 1690 dec. 19 of the particular</i><br />
<i> extent of the Right Hon. Company’s</i><br />
<i> Bounds in this place he being</i><br />
<i> authorized to measure the same</i><br />
<i> by King Ram Rajah.</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><br />
<i> Wheras that Mahraaza Saib (alias Raja Ram Rajah Chetterpetty) has been pleased to give up the Fort of Tevenepatam to the Honble East India English Company at Madras and ordered them to take possession of all such Lands and Villages within the distance of a Cannon shot which was fired in the presence of Davelet Ram and Gopall Dadazee the Subadar and fell near the Tank called Damara Gunta to the Southward of Cuddalore when it was also ordered that the ground should be measured from thence and that all the Villages that were within that distance should be taken possession of and therefore the said Subadar appointed Sevezee Puntoloo Bookkeeper and Semperety alias accountant who have measured the Ground, on this Govinda</i><br />
<i> Kishava Sankerazee Mahadav, myself and Sava Razoc Mandel have inspected it and the Places within it were as follows:-</i><br />
<br />
<i> Bar of Gardanedy</i><br />
<i> Rama Kishnaporam</i><br />
<i> Caravar Cuppem with its woods</i><br />
<i> Terpopolore</i><br />
<i> Ganganaick Cuppem</i><br />
<i> Bar of Penna River</i><br />
<i> Wadagambem</i><br />
<i> Half of Condanga River</i><br />
<i> and half of the mountains</i><br />
<i> Chemmendalem</i><br />
<i> Wochey Mada</i><br />
<i> Manja Cupam</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<i> These being all the Villages and Lands within the extent of the Cannon Shot the Company may enjoy them. The head subadar, Havildar, Mazomadar, Taraphear, Samperty, Dashey, and other officers have nothing to do with them. The said Company may therefore happily enjoy the premises (which</i><br />
<i> have been graciously by the said Maharaza Saib) with their sons & Grandsons</i><br />
<i> Etc. of their line as long as the Sun and Moon Endure.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">The line traced by the cannon balls was planted with thorny shrubs and this formed the Bound Hedge. The outline of this boundary hedge can still be identified in property boundaries to this day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">A local man called Anniyan provided me with the following modern equivalents for the names given above.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Bar of Gardanedy - ?<br />
Rama Kishnaporam - ?<br />
Caravar Cuppem with its woods - Karaiyeravittakuppam<br />
Terpopolore - Thirupadripuliyur<br />
Ganganaick Cuppem - Kankanakuppam<br />
Bar of Penna River - River Pennar/ Pennaiyar/then pennai<br />
Wadagambem - ?<br />
Half of Condanga River - Kadilam River<br />
and half of the mountains - Capper hills<br />
(Capper Hills was named after Francis Capper who was the Captain till 1796; British built a prison in the Capper Hills. Freedom fighters including Barathiar and other prisoners of war were imprisoned there.)<br />
Chemmendalem - Semmandalam<br />
Wochey Mada - ?<br />
Manja Cupam - ManjakuppamNick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-32446350995665586432009-03-25T20:29:00.022+00:002009-03-25T21:20:07.892+00:00Cuddalore Fort & Development Pressure<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3WfaGyxP_3OTJ32f4TM8aodmt-aPMP6Gr0iopQLdEHPbMi03jPTJKPt2B_hRWhGRsFGGf2JQ4pdmjpA1dXjCFp5Cq2jazuFve4xcP6w2Tvj0Nj_IvVxuNzJhHtWKor8Yt1j3/s1600-h/Cuddalore+Feb+2008+showing+new+housing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3WfaGyxP_3OTJ32f4TM8aodmt-aPMP6Gr0iopQLdEHPbMi03jPTJKPt2B_hRWhGRsFGGf2JQ4pdmjpA1dXjCFp5Cq2jazuFve4xcP6w2Tvj0Nj_IvVxuNzJhHtWKor8Yt1j3/s400/Cuddalore+Feb+2008+showing+new+housing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317225852139712306" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Google Earth image of the area between Fort St. David and Cuddalore Town, showing the increasing pace of development in the area. from February 2009</span><br /><br />India is currently going through huges changes, and must of course to strive to look after its rapidly increasing numbers of people. Cuddalore of course has its own specific challenges, and recovering from the Tsunamis had of course to be one of its leaders most important challenges in recent years.<br /><br />Sometimes in the rush to solve short term issues can create longer term problems can come back to haunt a community.<br /><br />Recently Google Earth has changed the images of the area surrounding Fort St David and to the north of Cuddalore town.<br /><br />These two areas have until recently been low lying and open areas at the mouth of the Penny River.<br /><br />As a historian, and one with very close links to this particular location, I can obviously be accused of having a vested interest in seeing this area left as little changed and developed as possible.<br /><br />However, as a historian, and one engaged in writing a history of this fort, I cannot help but point out that this particular area has been left undeveloped until now for an extremely good reason.<br /><br />The area is subject to extremely fierce floods arising from monsoon rains that occur far inland.<br /><br />The levels of these flash floods obviously vary from year to year, but a great deal of evidence exists that some of these floods can be very damaging indeed.<br /><br />With rainfall patterns changing globally, and with rainfall intensities increasing rapidly, any development in this flood plain must be at great risk of sudden inundation.<br /><br />The fort throughout its working life had to be repaired because of flood damage, for year after year.<br /><br />I fear that the temporary villages now clearly visible on these photos in the former flood plain areas are highly vunerable to flooding.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooBd-cVI8jxPXYLYffEVVbPJYHpMsJhvk2CGHbNvwOOM2_XGwbSD52ZaHqO0yb2etz_aU8sC-2Kal2Coyrh_gFE3eDYpkXlGsii1CTnMVndf5nxyM_7bK5CJtwMgR16dC4Niq/s1600-h/Cuddalore+with+Fort+St+David+%26+Christ+Church.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 341px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooBd-cVI8jxPXYLYffEVVbPJYHpMsJhvk2CGHbNvwOOM2_XGwbSD52ZaHqO0yb2etz_aU8sC-2Kal2Coyrh_gFE3eDYpkXlGsii1CTnMVndf5nxyM_7bK5CJtwMgR16dC4Niq/s400/Cuddalore+with+Fort+St+David+%26+Christ+Church.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317229609163901762" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The area between Cuddalore and Fort Saint David in 2007 from Google Earth.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQxehc7vAeJ2PTQqJDHe7SkiRrqlObYYnlRE7Xn0W5_AAqT7qigiJ3GXzNSFY434iXlgwUEOIU46u9PqN6g_MiSgj1uJN9l0-mVRR6FHDNPBVGwCoMVV8-OrJWHIOc9_7qy7c/s1600-h/Relief+Villages+Cuddalore+2009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQxehc7vAeJ2PTQqJDHe7SkiRrqlObYYnlRE7Xn0W5_AAqT7qigiJ3GXzNSFY434iXlgwUEOIU46u9PqN6g_MiSgj1uJN9l0-mVRR6FHDNPBVGwCoMVV8-OrJWHIOc9_7qy7c/s400/Relief+Villages+Cuddalore+2009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317231225195720930" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Tsunamis Relief Camps 2009</span><br /><br />However perhaps of greater concern, because it is easy to understand that the local authorities had to act is the damage that is now happening to the site of Fort St. David itself where new houses are being build diretly on the edges of the site, and a large new bridge has been put in which suggests that more houses are likely to developed here in future.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzoEwvM0EO_XYeMBfUkTRBWz7uVzBFttZVnzpTh58h5p5WNS-jKS6S_BTU_k62Http3EnHbic8T9oLl6_lUvaxv7R54Yu2yPV8yBiaPfvgMC8xAdtGeydwFmY4K1-My3Z6FYu/s1600-h/New+development+in+Fort+St+David+2009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzoEwvM0EO_XYeMBfUkTRBWz7uVzBFttZVnzpTh58h5p5WNS-jKS6S_BTU_k62Http3EnHbic8T9oLl6_lUvaxv7R54Yu2yPV8yBiaPfvgMC8xAdtGeydwFmY4K1-My3Z6FYu/s400/New+development+in+Fort+St+David+2009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317232786771681282" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Google Earth Image showing the new developments encroaching into the ruins of Fort St. Davids. 2009.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaqUQycaSzxxYP7LW0oliPh_4HP0AunfY8s_jrvdwwcK3Hb6VbgDxUoynaDB9iFyj13rzkYuabd2mWCiB7TxY2-gCy6YSmpYaCvhxrQXvdHuyXdMksoFoNYLhczCbewPsPJFJ/s1600-h/Fort+to+Thevenapatam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 321px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaqUQycaSzxxYP7LW0oliPh_4HP0AunfY8s_jrvdwwcK3Hb6VbgDxUoynaDB9iFyj13rzkYuabd2mWCiB7TxY2-gCy6YSmpYaCvhxrQXvdHuyXdMksoFoNYLhczCbewPsPJFJ/s400/Fort+to+Thevenapatam.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317237065837724178" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The same area around the fort in 2006, from Google Earth</span>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-46206225354163918282009-02-24T20:15:00.007+00:002010-05-29T06:02:29.466+00:00List of the names of the Fort St. David Garrison 1703A list of all the Europeans Topasses and Lascars in the Rt. Hono.ble Comp.as service in Fort St. David & Cuddalore.<br /><br />Imprimis in the Military<br /><br />James Hugonin Lieut<br />James Davis Do. 2<br /><br />Ensigns 4<br /><br />Robert Reay – married a White woman<br />Hendy Kerr<br />Samuell Williams – married a Black woman<br />Michaell Smith<br /><br />Serjts. 13<br /><br />Francis Carter married B. W.<br />Edward Brookes<br />Jacob De Poane married B. W.<br />John Houseden<br />Thomas Welch married B. W,<br />Richard Hobbs<br />Rowland Willson Gent of arms<br />William Hobey married B.W.<br />James Kean<br />Seth Ward<br />William Gilbert<br />John Craven<br />Robert Tandey<br /><br />Corporalls 22<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">George Roow married B. W.<br /></div>Alexander Pillow Do.<br />Daniell Jarmon Do.<br />Daniell Renno<br />Joseph Cox<br />William Smith Do.<br />George Hardick<br />William Compere<br />Richard Lec<br />William Knight Do.<br />Adam Dixon Do.<br />Peter Piccar Do.<br />Samwell Harris<br />Boenjarmin Hobbs<br />Boejamin Yardley<br />Robert Mason<br />John Brown Do.<br />Alexander Humber<br />Henry Watson<br />John Ros<br />John Jones<br />James Neeve<br /><br />English Sentinells Living 30<br /><br />Edward Hearnhead<br />Antony Ayres<br />Trustrum Fletewood<br />Edmund Toole married a Black woman<br />William Goodman<br />Thomas Corson do.<br />Benjamin Moreess<br />Edward Rickets<br />John Hox<br />Robert Glover<br />John Matthews do.<br />Peter Brown<br />Henry Colles<br />Alexandr Hamlet<br />John Deenecroft Died June 15th 1702.<br />John Edward<br />William Poaker<br />Edward Williams<br />William Lane<br />Jeremiah Kent<br />John Motrum Died Aug 25th 1702<br />Cornelius Adam<br />Bejarmin Gladwell<br />Edward Heiling<br />Thomas Joy<br />Thomas Houlding<br />Peter Belwill<br />John Wheler<br />William Thompson<br />Richard Parrottt<br />Henry Bready<br />Joseph Jackson Drumr.<br /><br />European Portaquez 3<br /><br />Anthony Veless do.<br />Franco De Pena<br />Psaitian Pementa De Saw<br /><br />Dutch Sentinells 18<br /><br />Hans Gosper<br />Hendrick Swart<br />Henry Peters<br />Hans Vancink do.<br />Augustine Powell<br />George Pyper do.<br />John Jurdin<br />Michaell Porockett do.<br />John Peterson do.<br />Peter Johnson<br />William Tunis<br />Hans Andreas<br />Joyce Storam<br />Peter Francisco<br />Peter Johnson Minor married BW<br />Sevarand Peterson<br />Alexander Magnus<br />John Johnson<br />George Johnson Run Jan 17th 1701/2<br />Adrian Johnson Do time<br />Hans Grocewall Died March 6th 1701/2<br /><br />Europeans in the Military 92<br />Topasses in the Military 198<br />In all 290<br /><br />Gunroome Crew<br /><br />William Walker Gunner<br />Thomas Emmed Chief Mate married W woman<br />William Owen 2d Mate do.<br />John Gardiner 3d do.<br />James Walker Copper<br />John Williamson<br />Thomas Champion<br />Thomas Hubberd<br />Nathaniell Pane<br />Benjamin Poremfeild<br />William Walkers Died October 22d 1701<br />Vinter Owen Do Decembr 22d 1702<br />John Wiklefield Do July 28yh 1702<br /><br />Dutch Men<br /><br />Hendrick Harrison<br />Havmum Lambeck<br />Hendrick Johnson<br />Convaught Johnson<br />William Garratson married a Black woman<br />Jonathan Molt do.<br />Jacob Scriver<br />Isaac Martin<br />Garret Corneliven do.<br />Wm. Thornbury Run Novemb. 10th 1701<br />John Wood do.<br />John Frankland do.<br />Stephen Emmais do.<br />Barnet Cornelison<br />Gabriell Knope<br />Topasses 4<br />Lascars 26<br /><br />English Europeans living 10<br />Dutch do 11<br />Topasses 4<br />Lascars 26<br /><br />Ri Harmer Paym.<br /><br /><br />October 1702 Recd Loyall Cooke<br />20th May 1703<br /><br />From British Library, OIOC IOR/G/18/9Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-3398292314633407562008-04-05T14:17:00.015+00:002008-04-05T16:47:26.317+00:00Churches in Cuddalore, Part 1.<span style="font-weight:bold;">Ziegenbalg and the early history of Christianity in Cuddalore.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Introduction</span><br /><br />The following article attempts to describe the early history of the churches in Cuddalore. Since I first began my blog I have received a lot of enquiries about the churches in the town, very largely from people whose ancestors, like mine lived in the town. Whilst I was researching these churches, I began to realise that the town had actually played quite an important role in the development of the Protestant movement in India, and that many of the best surviving accounts of early events in the town are actually those that are preserved in the letters that the missionaries were sending back to Europe to their sponsors.<br /><br />I make no apologies for concentrating on the Protestant church, to the near exclusion of the Catholic churches and indeed the Muslim and Hindu temples, beyond that of my having so little knowledge of Portuguese, Dutch, and the local Indian languages, as to make it very difficult, if not impossible for me to access the necessary sources in those languages.<br /><br />This is a great regret of mine.<br /><br />I would be very interested to hear from anybody, be they from any faith whatsoever, that could help fill this gap for me. It would be especially interesting to determine when the first mosques were built in the town and when the first communities of Muslims arrived in Cuddalore, as well as the story of the establishment of any Madressas that are in the town.<br /> <br />For most of Cuddalore's history, the nearby Hindu temples were clearly the most important religious sites, in terms of their influence on events in the area.<br /><br />Experience gained from my research in Thalassery and elsewhere on the Malabar Coast, where I have found that the temples hold the most incredibly detailed written, and especially accurate oral traditions concerning the events of the past four or five hundred years, I would be very pleased to learn more about any of these traditions that survive to this day, especially where they involve the interactions with the European's.<br /><br />In this first part of my article, I recount the events up to 1718.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">From Earliest Days to 1718.</span><br /><br />St. Thomas, one of the first apostle's arrived in Kerala in AD. 52, and travelled onto Chennai before dying at Little Mount in 72 AD. <br /><br />Did he travel through Cuddalore?<br /><br />I don't suppose any one can tell.<br /><br />The first Christian churches on this part of the Coromandel Coast in the modern era date back to shortly after the arrival of the Portuguese.<br /><br />Christianity had existed in India, between the end of the Roman period and the arrival of the Portuguese, through the medium of the Syrian Church which was first established on the Malabar Coast in the area around the port of Cochin. These early Christian’s had arrived amongst the travellers and merchants from the Roman Empire who traded to India during the first and second centuries after Christ.<br /><br />It is not entirely clear if these early Syrian Christian’s who settled in India were refugees from Roman persecution, or traders, who happened to be Christians. They belonged to the Nestorian Sect, and preserved a particularly early and unchanged form of Christianity, uncorrupted by the later controversies and schisms that occurred within Christianity in Europe. <br /><br />They had no knowledge of the Pope or Protestantism. This later led to their being studied with great interest by early 19th century Anglican clergy, seeking to strip away centuries of accumulated changes in church doctrine, by studying their liturgy that was thought to have developed and changed far less than European liturgies had over the centuries.<br /><br />While it is not clear whether the Syrian christians ever travelled onto the Coromandel, it is quite possible that individual mechants and traders had visited the Coromandel Coast. However, with the growth of the Muslim World, the Syrian Christian’s became cut off from the support of their original community, and dwindled away in both power and influence. It was not until the arrival of the Portuguese on the coast in the 1500’s that Christianity returned in the area in strength.<br /><br />Following the same routes as the Syrians and Romans, to India several thousand Armenian traders also arrived over the following centuries, however they seem to have kept within their own communities, and not to have attempted to convert Indian’s from Hinduism.<br /><br />The most active of the Middle Eastern religions to arrive in India, were of course the Muslim’s who following centuries of contacts as traders, and then as invaders, had carved out huge new states in India. In many ways, it was the damage done to the existing Indian Hindu states by these conflicts, that had occurred over many centuries of internicine warfare, that had weakened India to the point where the newly arriving European’s could overwhelm both the Hindu’s and Muslim’s by exploiting the balance of power to their own ends.<br /><br />Whilst Cuddalore does not appear to have had a Portuguese settlement, the area was still a significant port, and one which was almost certainly visited by Portuguese merchants and shipping in search of trading opportunities. However the Portuguese do not appear to have been allowed by the local rulers to base themselves at Cuddalore. The nearest permanent settlement where the Portuguese were allowed to be established was nearby in Porto Novo, which was their regional base.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />The arrival of the Danes at Tranquebar.</span><br /><br />Over the following century the Portuguese had only the local rulers to contend with. <br /><br />However shortly after 1600 other European’s began to feel their way along the coast. Amongst the most significant of these new arrivals from the point of view of the establishment of Christianity in Cuddalore were the Danish who established a settlement in 1621 at the port of Tranquebar.<br /><br />Tranquebar had previously been used by the Portuguese as a port, and the Jesuits had established a church there after 1540. This was a Roman Catholic church. The newly arriving Danes however were Protestant’s.<br /><br />At this time in Europe the Thirty Years War was at its height. Relations between the northern European nations like England, Denmark, and Holland, who were predominantly Protestant, were extremely strained by these wars, that they were fighting against the southern Catholic nations including the Spanish, who were the most powerful, and who ruled the Spanish Netherlands (modern Belgium) and to a lesser extent the Portugese.<br /><br />For many years during the 17th century, the existence of these European settlements along the Coromandel coast was very precarious, with their presence barely tolerated by the local Indian rulers. The existing India and Arab traders greatly resented the European's presence, as they damaged the existing trading system, by their competition and often with raw piracy undertaken against Arab and Indian shipping.<br /><br />The Rajah’s, whilst appreciating the benefits of the revenues accruing from trade, also feared that the European's settlements might be the thin edge of a wedge that would develop into colonies just like those already established by the Portuguese at Goa, Cochin and Daman.<br /><br />It was therefore absolutely vital for the survival of these settlements, that the rulers were placated along with the other local communities, like the merchants, and religious leaders who were often deeply offended by the European religious practises.<br /><br />The European's were predominantly there as traders, and they did not individually intend to stay beyond a few years, before hopefully retiring to Europe with their pagodas. They had little or no interest in converting locals to Christianity.<br /><br />In most cases, they lacked the language skills or indeed the desire to convert local peoples. So the Christian religious services that took place were generally undertaken in private, and inside rooms of buildings normally used for other purposes for the rest of the week.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Such was the state of things when at the commencement of the eighteenth century, Frederick IV King of Denmark on the suggestion of the Rev. Dr. Lutkens, one of his majesty's chaplains, who had proposed the subject to him when only prince regent, determined notwithstanding the advice of some who thought the design premature and ill timed to establish a mission for the conversion of the heathen at Tranquebar. With this view the king directed an application to be made to the celebrated Dr. Francke, professor of divinity in the University of Halle, in Saxony ,whose well-known devotion to the cause of religion, and recent establishment of the Oriental College of Divinity in that place, peculiarly qualified him for such a task; requesting him to recommend from among his pupils those whom he might deem best calculated, by their learning and piety, to lay the foundation of this important work. Dr Francke made choice of Bartholomew Ziegenbalg, a young man of eminent talents and religious excellence, who had been educated at Halle under his own immediate superintendence, and who happening to be at Berlin when Dr. Lutkens was inquiring for suitable persons to be employed as missionaries, joyfully accepted the proposal. He was soon afterwards joined by his friend and fellow student, Henry Plutscho, who was actuated by a similar desire of engaging in the first Protestant mission to India. These pious men, having received holy orders from the bishop of Zealand, embarked at Copenhagen on the 29th of November, 1705, and after a pleasant voyage, arrived at Tranquebar on the 9th of July, 1706. Here notwithstanding their commission from the king of Denmark the missionaries instead of being kindly received, were discouraged and opposed by the Danish authorities.” [1]</span><br /><br />The attitude of the locally based Danish authorities at Tranquebar is also reflected by that of the nearby English officials, and indeed also of the Dutch ones at Cuddalore and Tegnapatnam at this time. The purpose of these settlements was trade, not converting Indian’s. The risk of upsetting the Hindu and or Muslim authorities, was very great, and this could easily result in their being attacked and over-run.<br /><br />Self preservation, if nothing else, meant not upsetting the Indian's who massively outnumbered the traders.<br /><br />Disputes would cause the settlements to have to spend fortunes on fortification and soldiers for self defence. These costs went onto the overhead and damaged the bottom line.<br /><br />Unlike the Portuguese and French settlements, which were largely controlled by state run organisations, organised by centralised Catholic governments in Europe, who were engaged actively pushing forward the re-vitalised Catholic church in the Counter Reformation, and who were prepared to devote considerable importance to promoting their form of Christianity,even at the expense of profits. <br /><br />The Danish, Dutch and English East India companies on the other hand were run by privately owned joint stock companies run by merchants for profit.<br /><br />These northern European merchants knew that they had to keep the overheads down, and that avoiding disrupting trade by conflict was key to acheiving this aim. This was indeed a lesson the French and Portuguese ultimately learned, when their companies failed. The same fate visited the English company in the years leading up to 1833, as it too moved away from pure trading, and when as a consequence of this change, it became no longer profitable.<br /><br />These early Danish missionaries although based in Tranquebar, however soon came to greatly influence events in Cuddalore, as I shall shortly demonstrate. They also left some of the best early accounts of the state of both the churches and settlements at Cuddalore.<br /><br />Following their arrival at Tranquebar, the missionaries realised that first they must learn Portuguese, which was the common language for all communications between the traders and their Indian business partners. Once they had mastered sufficient Portuguese, they could commence learning Tamil. In acheiving these aims these two men seem to have been very effective. One of their tutors was a young man called Modaliapa, who went on to become their first Protestant convert. Shortly afterwards a “female of high rank” was also converted.<br /><br />These conversions drew the attention of the local Rajah of Tanjore, who tried to lure the converts away into the interior, presumably to rescue them from the influence of the missionaries. <br /><br />Leaving one's Hindu, or for that matter Muslim faith for Christianity was an extremely serious event, because it immediately damaged ones caste. <br /><br />The European Christian’s were seen as being pariahs by most Indian's, polluted by their habits including the drinking alcohol, their meat eating diet, and strange beliefs. By becoming a convert to Christianity, you too would also become a sort of odd untouchable, by association. By implication you also damaged your families reputation. It was not something to be undertaken lightly, and this is why so many of the later converts to Christianity came from the poorest sections of society, who had little more to lose by converting.<br /><br />A mass conversion of Indian converts followed in May 1707, however it is not clear how many individuals were converted. On the 14th of June 1707 the first stone Protestant church was commenced at Tranquebar. It is very probable that this was the first permanent Protestant church on this part of the coast.<br /><br />The Dutch had become established in Cuddalore by the 1670’s, before the English. It is very likely that this was initially done by renting a house on a seasonal and then annual basis. The English then adopted the same method of establishing a base in turn in the 1680’s. The exact location of these properties is unknown, but it was probably at the northern end of the old town of Cuddalore.<br /><br />Indian merchants from other regions and states in India like Gujerat already occupied residences in this area, conveniently adjacent to the quays along the shoreline. One of the largest of these houses was a distinctive white building described in sailing directions, as being a landmark to be looked out for when approaching the Penny River.<br /><br />Both the Dutch and English East India Company had strict instructions in their standing orders that daily prayers should be said and services held on Sundays. These instructions were often honoured more in their breaching, than in their observance, however services must have been a regular event, probably taking place initially in the mess hall or courtyards of these buildings.<br /><br />Both the Dutch and the English had pressed for the construction of their own settlements. The Dutch were the first in the 1670’s to get permission for one these settlements were granted, but only to the north of the town. In 1686 the English led by Yale were able to buy the town of Cuddalore and an area bounded by a fence several miles in circumference.<br /><br />See http://cuddalore-history.blogspot.com/2006/12/alexander-hamiltons-account-of-fort-st.html<br /><br />They also secured the use of an existing fortified tower facing the river bar, located at a spot that later formed the south east corner of a much larger Fort St David.<br /><br />In Britain private individuals based mainly in the City of London merchant community, were becoming aware of the potential for missionary work in India. Close connections existed between the City and Denmark, due to the crucial importance of the Baltic trade to England. At this time, this trade far outstripped that with India in its importance to Britain's economy. Most of the timber required for developing our naval and merchant fleet, especially for masts, tar, rope and other crucial materials came from the Baltic states. Several hundred English ships travelled through Danish waters every year.<br /><br />These merchants were often deeply religious and had considerable sums of money they could devote to what they saw as good works. At this time several Baltic States had East India Companies. Those of Sweden and Denmark were often financed and staffed by merchants origining from Britain, who were excluded from the English East India Company that had a restricted shareholding, made up of men, unhappy to see their control of the shares diluted by more shareholders.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“It was in this year [1709] that the Danish mission became first known in England, by the translation of some letters from the missionaries addressed to one of their friends in London. The attention of religious persons was powerfully excited by this interesting publication, particularly that of the Rev Mr Boehm, chaplain to Prince George of Denmark, one of the earliest members of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, which had been then a few years established. A present both of money and books was immediately sent by the Society to Tranquebar, and a brief but cordial notice of the mission was inserted in the report of its proceedings for that year. Such was the commencement of the disinterested and important patronage afforded to the Danish mission by that venerable Society; which, while it reflected the highest honour on its members contributed so effectually to the extension and support of Christianity in India.” [2]</span><br /><br />Prince George of Denmark [1653-1708] had been the late husband of Queen Anne, and as such had considerable influence in the English Court. With powerful sponsors like the Prince, the East India Company had to adapt its attitude for missionaries.<br /><br />Being established in Tranquebar, with close links with the British, one of the Danish missionaries set out for Madras, passing through Cuddalore on the way.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“In 1710 Ziegenbalg undertook a journey to Madras, to ascertain what prospect there might be of gaining access to the heathen, either by the way and in the neighbouring country, or in the town itself, with a view to their conversion to Christianity. The congregation at Tranquebar entreated him with tears not to quit them, or to return as soon as possible. At Chillumbrum, quitting the territory of Tanjore, he entered what were then the dominions of the Great Mogul, and proceeded to Porto Novo and Cuddalore, and from thence to Fort St David's; and on the tenth day, having touched at St Thomas's Mount, arrived at Madras in the evening. There he was kindly received by the Rev. Mr. Lewis, chaplain to the factory, with whom the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge were in correspondence on the subject of the Danish mission. During his stay at this place, Ziegenbalg made many inquiries respecting the religious wants of its inhabitants. “Madras,” he writes,” is advantageously situated for spreading Christianity if the English who command there would but second our endeavours, or join with us in propagating the gospel in the East."[3]</span><br /><br />It is quite possible that Ziegenbalg’s Indian converts realised just how much more dangerous it was likely to be for somebody to be preaching Christianity in the Islamic parts of India ruled over by the Great Mogul, than it had been under the less powerful rulers further south. These Indian's in the regions ruled over by the Rajah of Tanjore, seem at this time to have exercised great tolerance towards religious deifferences as seems to be traditional amongst most Hindu's.<br /><br />Also illustrated by the extract, is how the missionaries were operating in the face of considerable official English EIC discouragement. This missionary campaign was clearly at first a privately run effort, organised by, and financed by dedicated and committed individuals.<br /><br />Using monies largely raised by the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, an edition of the New Testament was produced in Europe in Portuguese, which was sent out to India together with a printing press equipped with Roman and Italic fonts. Large quantities of blank paper were also sent.<br /><br />This printing press was unfortunately seized at sea by French ships and sent onto Brazil. Somehow the society was able to buy it back, and then to despatch it once more on to India. In Germany a separate set of Tamil fonts was made, which was sent separately to Tranquebar, which enabled Tamil editions of the bible to be printed by 1714, along with many other pamphlets and texts. These imported Tamil fonts were found to be faulty, but it proved possible to make better versions at Tranquebar.<br /><br />By 1714 the Danes had made over 300 converts and had established a school at Tranquebar with more than 80 pupils. Later in 1714 Ziegenbalg commenced the long voyage back to Europe, arriving at Bergen in Norway on the 1st June 1715. From there he travelled with one of his Hindu converts to Halle in Germany, and then on to London, where he was introduced to King George the First.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“who made many inquiries respecting the mission, and assured him of his royal patronage. The Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishop of London, treated him with the highest consideration and kindness. By the former of these prelates he was introduced to the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, and received a congratulatory address in Latin, to which he returned an admirable reply in Tamul, immediately adding a translation of his speech into Latin. The Society made Ziegenbalg a liberal present both of money, paper, and books; and the Directors of the East India Company having generously given him a free passage on board one of their ships, he embarked at Deal on the 4th of March, and after rather a dangerous voyage during which he improved his knowledge of the English language, landed at Madras on the 10th of August, 1716 where he was most hospitably received by the governor, and the Rev Mr Stevenson, chaplain to that Presidency.”[4]</span><br /><br />With such strong patronage behind him, the missionaries’ reception in Madras this time was far more positive than it had been before. The local EIC officials dare no longer stand in his way.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Christian Schools Founded in Cuddalore.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“After a few day’s refreshment at Madras, Ziegenbalg rejoined his excellent colleague, Grundler at Tranquebar, and resumed with renewed vigour the arduous work of his mission. They immediately instituted a seminary for the education of native youths, to be employed as catechists and schoolmasters; and shortly afterwards, at the suggestion of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, and with the assistance of Mr. Stevenson, and the approbation of the governor of Madras, they established Tamul and Portuguese schools at Madras and Cuddalore.” [5]</span><br /><br />As far as I can current ascertain, this was the first formal European run school for Indian's in Cuddalore. Undoubtly the temples and mosques had had schools within them for centuries, before this, and Indian’s had an established system of home tutoring for the children of the most senior merchants and religious officials.<br /><br />At the same time another school seems to have been established for children of the garrsion and officials. Another German had been selected. Writing in 1733 Mr. Sartorius stated that: -<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">[in 1733] Mr. John Beck, the schoolmaster, had died four days ago. Mr. Beck was a Wurtemburgher, and came out to India in the service of the English East India Company. In 1716, when the English established a Charity-school for the children of Englishmen, at Cuddalore, he was appointed Œconomus; and as they were unable to procure a suitable schoolmaster, he took that duty also, teaching, first Portuguese, and, afterwards, English.[6]</span><br /><br />It is possible that limited teaching had taken place previously in the homes of the earlier European’s, and the garrison, but it was probably very limited in it's extent, with teaching restricted to basic reading of the Bible, taught together with the commercial mathematics needed to cast up accounts. This teaching may however of been of a high order, especially when you consider the complex fractional maths involved in casting up accounts with such complex exchange rates and units of measurement, as existed at that time.<br /><br />The town of Cuddalore was crowded, and no doubt insanitary, and security was never really assured for the European inhabitants, as their existed considerable potential for a rebellion amongst the indigenous population, whether supported externally or not.<br /><br />Over time this led to the English officials and officers moving into newly constructed garden houses, located to the north of the town across the river, and away from the original town. The Fort appears to have gone through a series of building phases. It is very probable that initially an old tower down by the shoreline built by Indian’s formed its core, with earthworks and palisades built first. There appears then appears to have been a significant building programme during 1717 to 1718, which may have been when the majority of the brickwork buildings in the fort went up.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Thursday The 28th February. Present<br /> Thomas Frederick Esq. Chief.<br /> Richard Horden. John Legg.<br /> Josiah Cooke Randall Fowke.<br />General Letter from the President & Councill at Fort St. David dated 26th. Instant read, inclosing a draught of the Fortifications and Buildings of Cuddalore, with Messrs. Way and Hugonin’s reports of what is necessary to be done thereto, which is agreeable to their Sentiments, and they desire our approval or reasons against it.<br />The foremention’d draught and report, being thoroughly examin’d into, & fully debated, the board cannot but think the resolutions of the Hon’ble President & Councill highly to the benefit of the place, and agreeable to the Hon’ble Companies orders.<br /><br />Agreed to prepare a Letter forthwith advising them with our approval of the Measures they have concerted about the Cuddalore Buildings.” [6]</span><br /><br />This first letter considers the town, and the next one deals with the Fort across the river.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“March Monday the 4th. Present<br /> Thomas Frederick Esq. Chief.<br /> Richard Horden. John Legg.<br /> Josiah Cooke Randall Fowke.<br />From the President & Councill at Fort St. David dated the 2nd instant, inclosing a Plan of that place, explaining therein what they think necessary to be done for compleatg. The Buildings and Fortifications within the Fort. Of which they desire our approval or dissent, and advising they have completed a Contract for eighteen hundred bales to be brought in by the end of December, and that the Ship Fort St. David Monchu is affiv’d with the stores sent upon her.<br /><br />Rge foremention’d Plan of ffort St. David being laid before the board, fully debat’d and consider’d. We cannot find any reason to disapprove of what th Hon’ble President and Councill have agreed upon in relation to the Fortification of the Fort, and buildings to be erected therein but on the contrary think they have concerted measures for the best, & fully agreeable to Hon’ble Companies directions Wherefore.” [7]</span><br /><br />It is highly probable, although not certain that at least one of these buildings inside the fort was designed in such a way that it could serve as a garrison chapel.<br />Sadly Ziegenbalg like so many others, was to have his life cut short, and it is perhaps significant that he was at Cuddalore when he died.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“But the labours of Ziegenbalg were drawing rapidly to a close. In the autumn of the year 1718, the health of this indefatigable man began to fail. He languished for a few months amidst great weakness and pain; and with a faint hope of relief from travelling, he commenced a journey along the coast. Having reached Cuddalore, he found his end approaching, and sent for his friend Grundler, to whom on his arrival he expressed the most humble yet exalted hope of heavenly happiness; and having received the communion, and a favourite Lutheran hymn to be sung, he expired in perfect peace, on the 23rd of February, 1719, in the 36th year of his age deeply lamented by his excellent colleague and the native converts, and esteemed and regretted by the Pagans themselves.” [8]</span><br /><br /><br />[1] Pages 11 & 12. “Memoirs of the Life and Correspondence of the Reverend Christian Frederick Swartz, To which is Prefixed a Sketch of the History of Christianity in India” By Hugh Pearson, published 1833, London, Courtesy of Google Books.<br />[2] Pearson page 17.<br />[3] Pearson Page 18.<br />[4] Pearson Page 22.<br />[5] Pearson Page 25.<br />[6] Mr. Sartorius’s Account of a Journey to Tranquebar.<br />[7] Records of Fort St George. Diary and Consultation Book 1716-17. Pages 42.<br />[8] Records of Fort St George. Diary and Consultation Book 1716-17. Pages 43.Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-1173538197743629972007-03-10T14:46:00.000+00:002007-11-11T08:24:37.828+00:00A Description of Fort St. David, circa. 1773A Description of Fort St. David, circa. 1773<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fort St. David is a small, but strong and regular fortification, built on a rising ground, about a mile from the Black-Town, which is called Cuddalore. This last has a wall running round it, with the addition of a few bastions, but is too large even for all the English troops on the coast properly to defend.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4817/3281/1600/858976/Picture%20095-Full%20width%20of%20the%20wall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4817/3281/400/408441/Picture%20095-Full%20width%20of%20the%20wall.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-2";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In it, reside the greatest part of the native Indian inhabitants of Fort St. David's boundaries. Both the town, and the fort, are situated near the sea side; Cuddalore lying almost due south from the fort. The extent of this settlement's boundaries, are, towards the land, about four miles, and three along the sea side: the former are pointed out by a thick hedge of the aloe plant and cocoa-nut tree, having bastions of six or eight guns, at about three-fourths of a mile from each other. In one of these little forts Deputy Governor Starke had fitted up a pleasant apartment, and to which he frequently retired from Fort St. David.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The country within the boundaries is very pleasant, and the air fine, having seldom any fogs. In the district are many neat houses with gardens; the latter were laid out with much good taste by the gentlemen, who either had been, or were in the company's service. These gardens produce fruits of different sorts, such as pine-apples, oranges, limes, pomegranates, plantaines, bananoes, mangoes, guavas, (red and white,) bedams (a sort of almond), pimple-nose, called in the West Indies, chadocks, a very fine large fruit of the citron-kind, but of four or five times it's size, and many others. At the end of each gentleman's garden there is generally a shady grove of cocoanut trees....</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4817/3281/1600/13095/Picture%20108-New%20Life%20Center.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4817/3281/320/608315/Picture%20108-New%20Life%20Center.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In the neighbourhood of the agreeable retreats before mentioned, are many pleasant rows of the ever-green tulip tree, which are planted through great part of the boundaries, in the same manner as the elms in St. James's Park. At some little distance from one of these walks, is a building, belonging to the company, and designed for the governor, and called 'the garden-house.' It is roomy, handsome and well built; and has a very good and large garden belonging to it, with long and pleasant avenues of trees in the back and front.</span><br /><br />From: Sir George Forrest. The Life of Lord Clive. Vol. I. London and New York: Cassell, 1918, 52-53.<br /><br /><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-1";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-1167468371608912082006-12-30T08:46:00.000+00:002019-07-30T21:55:53.761+00:00Alexander Hamilton's Account of Fort St David<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4817/3281/1600/993659/Possibly%20Fort%20St%20David1-with%20captions.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/4817/3281/400/629941/Possibly%20Fort%20St%20David1-with%20captions.jpg" height="321" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="400"></a><br />
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Alexander Hamilton was an Interloper, trading to India. An Interloper was someone who was from Britain who was not an official of the East India Company. He travelled and traded extensively around the Indian Coastline between about 1688 and 1723.<br />
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It is not possible to date his visit to Cuddalore exactly, but it was probably after 1700.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Fort St. David is next, a Colony and Fortress belonging to the English. About the Year 1686 a Moratta Prince sold it to Mr. Elihu Yale, for 90000 Pagadoes, for the Use and Behoof of the English East-India Company. The Fort is pretty strong, and stands close to a River; and the Territories annexed to the Fort by Agreement, were as far as any Gun the English had, could fling a Shot, every Way round the Fort; but whether the Buyer or Gunner were Conjurers or no, I cannot tell, but I am sure that the English Bounds reach above eight Miles along the Sea-shore, and four Miles with in Land. The Country is pleasant, healthful and fruitful, watered with several Rivers that are as good as so many Walls to fortify the English Colony. And ever since the Time that Aurengzeb conquered Visapore and Golcondah, there are great Numbers of Malcontents and Freebooters that keep on the Mountains, and often fall down into the open Country, and commit Depredations, by ravaging and plundering the Villages; and all the Mogul’s Forces cannot suppress them.<br /><br />When the English bought Fort St. David, the Dutch had a little Factory there, about a Mile from the Fort, and the good-natured English suffer them still to continue a few Servants in it. Our Company did not find so much grace from the Dutch at Couchin, nor the gentlemen of Bantam and Indrapoura, when the Dutch seized those Places. It is true, the Dutch can drive no open Trade there, but what they must pay the English Company Customs for.<br /><br />About the Year 1698 the Freebooters aforementioned had almost made themselves Masters of the Fort by Stratagem and Surprize. They pretended, that they had been sent from the Mogul’s Vice-Roy at Visapore, to take Charge of the Revenue collected at Porto Novo, and to carry it to the Treasury at Visapore, and desired Leave to put their feigned Treasure into the Fort for a few Days, to secure it from the Moratta Freebooters aforementioned, who, they said, were plundering the open Country, which Favour Mr. Frazer, Governor at the Time, granted, so they brought into the Fort ten or twelve Oxen loaded with Stones, and each Ox had two or three Attendants, and about 200 more of that Gang, who came along with the Carriage Beasts as a Guard, lodged themselves in a Grove near the Fort Gate, to be ready, on a Signal given, to enter the Fort. The Freebooters within took an Opportunity the very next Morning, and killed the Sentinel and a few more that were asleep in the Gate-way next to the Grove; but, before they could break the Gate open, the Garison was alarmed, and killed all their treacherous Guests, and the Ambush without being come into the Parade before the Gate, met with so warm a Reception, that they retreated in Confusion, and the English pursuing them, killed severals, but lost some of their own Men.<br /><br />Mr. Frazer ordered directly the Grove to be cut down, for fear of future Danger from it, but Fort St. David being subordinate to Fort St. George, the Governor and Council there called Mr. Frazer to their Court, and fined him for Presumption, in cutting down so fine a Grove for Enemies to skulk in, without Leave asked and given in due Form; but; their Right Honourable Masters adjusted all that Matter, and ordered the Fine to be refunded, with the Interest; but Governors of different Views and Humours seldom agree.<br /><br />This Colony produces good long Clothes in large Quantities, either brown, white, or blue dyed, also Sallampores, Morees, Demities, Gingees<br />Missing line<br />Assistance of this Colony, that of Fort St. George would make but a small Figure in Trade to what it now does.<br /><br />The River is but small, tho’ very convenient for the Import and Export of Merchandize. And Cuddelore, that lies about a Mile to the Southward, is capable to receive Ships of 200 Tuns in the Months of September and October. The Rivers have both of them Bars, but are very smooth, whereas Fort St. George is always going ashore and coming off.<br /><br />The Company has a pretty good Garden and Summer-house, where generally the Governor resides; and the Town extending itself pretty wide, has Gardens to most of their Houses. Their black Cattle are very small, but plentiful and cheap. And their Seas and Rivers abound in good Fishes.</span><br />
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From Alexander Hamilton's "A New Account of the East Indies."<br />
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<script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-1";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-1167246878839749852006-12-27T19:14:00.000+00:002007-10-29T19:59:10.959+00:00Raworth's Rebellion 1713<a href="http://cuddalore-history.blogspot.com/">Cuddalore History</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Richard Raworth’s Rebellion</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">To Lieutenant Patrick Johnson,<br /><br />Lieutenant Hugonin being indisposed I hereby order you<br /> to take charge of the Company in the ffort and follow these<br />Directions.<br /> If any Gentleman from Fort St George comes<br />to the Fort, conduct him to ye Guard room at present my<br />appartment, but show him no more respect, then you<br />would a private merchant, if he has a Guard with him<br />of Europeans or Peons, suffer no one to enter the Fort<br />without my particular order,<br />And if he offers a paper to be read, immediately forbid<br />Him, and order him to the Chamber above mention’d, and<br />Your Soldiers to their arms, nor would I have you suffer<br />Him, or any belonging to him to talk with then.<br />Give the same orders to Cuddalore for the Execution of this<br />Shall be sufficient Warrant; Dated in Fort St <br />David this 8th October 1713.<br /><br /> R Raworth Deputy Gov’r<br /><br />By the authority by the Governour<br />Order you to obey these orders<br /> I am<br /> Patrick Johnston.</span><br /><br />With this document Richard Raworth announced that he intended to break away from the East India Company, and to take control of the factory at Fort St David. This event was to provide John De Morgan with his great break. By distinguishing himself during the crushing of this rebellion he came to the notice of his superiors and was promoted Sergeant.<br /><br />Somehow the Madras authorities heard of Raworth's take over bid, and at once resolved to send a force to remove Raworth and to reclaim the fort. This force first had to make its way past the French settlement of Pondicherry.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Diary of all Transactions and Occurrences on the <br />Worsp’ll Henry Davenport Esq. His Journey<br />From Fort St George to ffort St David began ye 5th of<br />October 1713 & Consultations held since.<br />Octob 5 1713<br /><br />Monday 5 This evening about six a clock took leave of the Hon’ble Edward Harrison Esq’ at ye ffort, and sett out for Fort St David and took the mount way, being accompanied with Mess Benyon, Boon, Trenchfield and Walker to that place, besides those ordered to ffort St David, namely Messrs Baker, Weld, Captn Poirier, Gunner Hugonin, three Corporalles and nine centinells, and Peons; upon arrival at Mount wrote the Honble Edward Harrison Esq by Mr Benyon.<br /><br />Tuesday 6 This morning about half an hour after four, we set out from the mount, and at tenn a Clock arrived at Tippalore, and near three in the afternoon left it, and came to Sadrass at six in the evening, where we lodged all night.<br /><br />Wednesday 7 We set out from Sadras by break of day, and by twelve a clock got about 20 miles on our way, and within two hours and a halfs march of Mercawn, stoping to refresh at Mongoode, in the Long wood, wher we dined, and were overtaken by a Dutch Tappa Peon from Pullicatt, going to Negapatam with a Dutch Packquett for that Place, we reached Mercawn this night, and lodged there where one of our Horses faultered. This morning Henry Davenport wrote the Hon’ble: President at our seting out, and sent it way by Tappys.<br /><br />Thursday 8 About four in the morning we left Mecawn, and by nine a Clock got to Boomapollum, from whence ye Deputy Governour wrote the Hon’ble President by Tappys, here we Dined, nd at three in the afternoon, sett out from thence, we pass’d Pondicherry about four a Clock in the afternoon, when the Deputy Governour sent in Gunner Hugonin w’th his Letter to Governour Dulivier, acquainting him of his passing by his Garrison, and should be glad to serve him where he was agoing.<br /><br />Fryday 9th We left Connygoil three quarters after five in the morning, & entered the Company’s bounds of Fort St David half an hour after, passing by Condapah Choultry with out any resistance, and then crossed Penny River by boat and a Cattamaran, having sent for Peter Ackman Officer of Cundapah Guard and acquainted him of his obedience and Duty to the Rt. Hon’ble President and Councell of Fort St George Commission to Henry Davenport Esq. Who’s orders he was to follow as being sent commisary and Deputy Governour of ffort St David, the Deputy Governour ask’d him if he knew of his coming, to which he answer’s no, so soon as we were Land’d on the South side of the river between the ffort and his guard he fired an allaum Gun, w’ch was immediately answer’d from Horsetail point firing another, and the like from ye Fort hoisting the fflags for signalls of enemys, as usual in time of Warr, in the mean time we kept on our way till we came to the Bore Chitteees Tope, where we stopt expecting Cap’t Poiriers return from the late Deputy Governour Robert Raworth Esqr. To whom Henry Davenport Esq’r (at our arrivall by Penna River) sent with a generall Letter from the President and Councell of Fort St George to the said Robert Raworth Esq’r accompany’s with another from himself signifying the occasion of his coming, and three letters by fellows in Coolies habit to the following Gentlemen of his councell, namely to Mssr’s Berlue, Woodward, and Houghton, and alfrom tht Post so to Lieutenant Hougonin and Hobbs, importing the same to them, and requesting their obedience to his authority, given him by the Hon’ble President & Councell of Fort St George after an hours stay at said Bode Chittees Tope, Messr’s Berlu, Houghton and Burton, came & acknowledged their obedience to Henry Davenport Esq’r and gave him the relation Enter’d after this diary, not withstanding which and the danger we were to expect, we set forward towards the ffort, and advanced to Tevenpatam Gate, w’ch the officer of ye Guard a Serjeant named Hans Stuport shut against us and made his men stand to their arms, and declared he had orders from Robert Raworth Esq’r to let no strangers in, which oblig’d us to hault , when the Deputy Govenour sent Mr Berton up to the Gate, and told him Henry Davenport was his Governour and Mr Raworth was Dismissed, and acquainted the said officer with the powers we had brought, afterwards, we return’d about a quarter of a mile from that Post, Mr Hugonin was order’d back by Henry Davenport Esq’r</span><br /><br />On the 17th of October the Madras force reached the bound fence approximately 2500 yards from the northern end of Cuddalore town. The Choultry was a travellers rest house and place where merchants could store their goods and do business as they entered the settlement.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Saturday 17th Between one and two this morning Ensigns Handle & Ackman were sent with forty good men to endeavour to surprize Cundapau Choultry and Horsetail point, about four the deputy Governour was advis’d they had gott possession of the former, w’ch they found deserted, they put a guard into it, and immediately advanced towards Horsetail point, where they found only one Gunner, who upon their entering was going to fire an allarum Gun, w’ch. Ensign Handlee prevented by threatening him if he did not instantly lay down his match he was a Deadman.<br /><br /> By five this morning the whole body march’d for the bounds where soon after they arriv’d, and advanc’d to Cundapau Choultry where we drew up our men, Deputy Governor order’d Serjeant John D’Morgan with twenty men to keep possession of that Post, and Sergeant John Cordall with Andrew Middleton and twenty men to Horsetail point, immediately after we passed ye River when was sent a Peon to Ensign Hobbs to summon him to his obedience to the Right Hon’ble: Company, and for what was pass’d shou’d be fogott; he return’d answer that Mr. Raworth was his Governour & he knew no other, so cou’d not quitt his post without his order after we were all over the river, we march’d towards the Company’s Garden always taking care to be undercover from the Forts Gunns, when haulted within a hundred & fifty yards of the Garden Gate, fronting before which they had thrown five or six thousand crows feet to prevent our advancing on them, the Deputy Governour sent Mr. Burton to summon the officers and soldiers to return to their obediene to the Right Hon’ble: Company, who all peremtorily refus’d except Sergeant Fox that came to us upon secng summons and submitted himself to the order of the Deputy Governour, telling him that Mr. Raworth had kept ye men in a Continuall heat of Liquor, which he believ’d was the occasion of their being obdurate, during this parly a single Horseman from the Fort who we perceiv’d came to view us, and immediately return’d when Mr. Raworth was so kind to salute us with an eighteen pounder, which fled just over our heads, and litt between us and ye Garden, this was enough to provoke men of the best Tempers to have reveng’d themselves, when it lay in our power to have Cutt off every man that was lodg’d in the Gardens but to shew Mr. Raworth and the rest of his rebellious Crew, we delighted not in blood, we march’d to secure Cuddalore, between which and Trepopalore he fir’d a second shott at us, w’ch: did no mischief, and was was soon after taken up and brought to the Deputy Governour, at Ten we enter’d Cuddalore by the Braminy Gate, which finding shutt Mr. Hugonin jump’d over the Pallasadoes, and open’d the Gate by Cutting the barr in two, we took possession of the point (finding no body upon it) with a Barrell and a Jarr of Powder; the Forces were drawn up when the Officers were order’d to draw out their men and take possession of severall Guards, after this the Deputy Governour went to Mr. Farmers house which he makes his residence for himself and all the Gentlemen.<br /><br /> Soon after arriv’d at Mr Farmers house, we spy’d Mr Raworth’s Pinnace put out to sea, which we supposed somebody upon her was running away, upon enquiry we were inform’d twas sent by Mr. Raworth to take his Dubash Dossery, who had run away from him on a Cattamaran, this fellow is a great a villain as ever came into ye bounds, and had done as much mischief; the taking of this servant wou’d be of grat service to the Company in making him confess the many ill actions of Mr. Raworth, to whom he was his chief Councellor, so the Deputy Governour order’d a Chillinga imediately to be well man’d and sent upon her a Sergeant and Six Soldiers, with a promise to ‘em if they took ye. Boat, to give ‘em a months pay gratis.<br /><br />Whilst we were at Dinner Mr. Raworth from ye Fort fired severall Gunns the shott of one of them fell through a house near Chellumbum Gate which was brought to the Deputy Governour.<br /><br /> At five this evening eight Horse Consisting of Trumpeters, Gardeners, and Cooks dismounted when they were over Penna River and attack’d Condapau Choultry first firing at them, and then threw Granadoes w’ch: Sergeant D;Morgan bravely defended, killing and mortally wounding five and took as many horses, the Sergeant of that Guard arriv’d here that night with his men, who refus’d to stand by him Mr. Raworth having threaten’d for that action to bring his whole force against them, which being about five miles from us t’woud be impossible for us to assist them.<br /> This afternoon the Deputy Governour receiv’d a Letter from Mr. Raworth in answer to his sent him yesterday, Coppy of w’ch: is enter’d after this Diary.<br /> At four this morning the Deputy Governour dispatch’d a Letter to the Hon’ble President, advising that we were in possession of Cundapau Choultry, at six that we had Horsetail Point, and at Ten Cuddalore.</span><br /><br />Throughout this rather strange affair the Deputy Governor Raworth, and the new Governor Davenport kept up a rather curious correspondence, in which both parties tried to make it appear as if they are acting correctly.<br /><br />The letter referred to above was recorded as follows: -<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Cuddalore Saturday 17th At a Consultation present The Worsp’ful Henry Davenport etc. “<br /><br />From Mr. Raworth<br /><br />Sirs<br /><br />I receiv’d the letter you sent me w:ch I now return not being able to find the Gentleman to whom it is adrest, the late Deputy Govenour of this place, having departted to Fort St. George the ultimo August last.<br /> I likewise send you the Coppy of a Protest, which I sent to Pondicherry not knowing but you were there, w:ch I again lay to your Charge the blood which by your order was shed yesterday, by that vile rascall John De Morgan and his party. I further declare you a Traitor to the interest of the Rt. Hon’ble United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East India, for having in so irregular and unlawfull manner Enter’d the Town of Cuddalore, and spread seditious stories you have done, with the assistance of Messr’s Berlu, Baker, Woodward, and Houghton for w’ch I don’t at all doubt you’ll receive your reward, towards which I will contribute what lyes in my power, not withstanding in the former Course of my life, I have always approv’d my self.<br /><br />Fort St David Sr<br />18th October 1713 Your most faithfull<br /> Humble Servant<br /> Rob:t Raworth<br /> D Governour<br /></span><br /><br /><br />After the Consultation at Fort St George on Friday the 18th of March 1714 it was minuted that: -<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Serjeant John De Morgan, being very well qualified and having behav’d himself remarkably well during the troubles at Fort St. David.AGREED that He be made Ensign to the Second Company of this Garrison, in the place of Ensign Gardener formerly discharg’d. Serjt. Jno. De Morgan havg. Behav’d himself well in ye. Troubles at ffort St. DavidHe is made an Ensign.</span><br /><br /><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-1";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-1163455993543143262006-11-13T22:13:00.000+00:002007-11-11T08:23:31.059+00:00Soldiers at Fort St David 1709 to 1720The following notes come from my recent research into one of my five x great grandfathers John De Morgan who arrived in India in 1711 as a private and eventually rose to become the commander in 1745 of Fort St David near Cuddalore.<br /><br />In the course of this research I have unearthed many stories covering the lives of many of the ordinary soldiers, which I believe deserve a wider hearing.<br /><br />The Dutch established the original factory at Devanampatam (Fort St David) in about 1670, and later built a fort 700 yards north of the mouth of the Gadilam River. They quitted both places in 1678. The Madras records say that their departure was partly owing to a dispute with Sivaji.<br /><br />In 1680 the Dutch returned to Cuddalore and obtained from the Marathas a grant of land there and permission to erect a factory; as will be seen later, they were in possession of the Devanampatam fort and had a lease of Manjakuppam at the time that the English bought Fort St. David in 1690; in 1693.<br /><br />As so often in British History, some of the earliest soldiers were recruited in Ireland.<br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"October Monday ye 24th1709 Captain Courtney producing a list of the soldiers, raised by him in Ireland arriv’d here in the Hallifax & came ashore the 15th Instant, y’t they are much out of all manner of Cloathing, they being in number about thirty three & y’t they are all in Generall wanting shirting, and by a list of 15 of them they want Coats, Shoes, and Stockings, does now make his application to the board requesting they may be Cloathed, Ordered that the doe deliver what coats he hath in stors, to those that want them, so farr as they goe, as likewise Shoes stockings, & white cloth enough to make y. 2 shirts a piece, & yt. an acc’t of ye same be kept apart to be deducted out of their monthly pay."</span><br /><br />Just as in modern times, complaints of failings in the soldiers equipment were common place.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Agreed and order’d ye bross Dougo, and Amaru Ferrara be entertained in Capt’n Hugonin Company as Topasses pay as usuall."</span><br /><br />Topasses were "men of the hats", called as such to distinguish them from Peons who were native born Indian's and who wore turban's. Topasses were generally of Portuguese or mixed Portuguese descent at this date.<br /><br />As was also the case in Britain wrecking, or the recovery of cargo from wrecked ships was seen as a perk belonging to the local rulers. Just as in Cornwall, the locals usually got their before the rulers. The East India Company attempted to write clauses into treaties which overrode this custom in neighboroughing states for East India Company vessels.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Thursday October 27th1709 There having been a little boat belonging to a sampan bound from Cuddalore to Madrass but meeting with Contray winds were forced back again & by a squall of wind y little boat was broke away from her stern & drove ashoar a little way out of our bounds were Sirrup Sing Tuncaneers have seized her pretending (tho’ falsely) their masters have a right to all wrecks within his Government, which is contray to several Cowles & Perwanna’s granted to the Rt. Hon’ble Comp. By ye form’r and successive Kings of ye country, & of late years from Gulphus Cawne. Is therefore agreed & ordered ye Mr. Farmer do send out twelve soldiers & twenty Peons & ye the owner of the boat to go along with them, & y’t Mr Farmer do acquaint Capt’n Hugouin with our order to the end he may send out such men, as he may confide in under the command of Sergeant Brooks, to the end he may avoid any Hostility, but that they bring in the boat & w’t belongs to it.. "</span><br /><br />Upkeep of the buildings and fort infrastructure was a constant battle. Gunpowder was key to the forts survival, I imagine that it was more regularly maintained than the other buildings.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"SatterdayOctober the 29th 1709 The Power rooms in the Fort being very much decayed, & not safe to keep a Quantity of Powder in, tis agreed to build a new Powder Room in such a place, as shall be thought most proper for it as also a new Choultry at Cuddalore which is ready to fall down so consequently very dangerous for any to be there."</span><br /><br />It would appear that facilities for the troops were rather rudimentary. One poor man who had only just arrived in India, and who was quite probably already ill when he arrived slipped and fell into the moat. Did they have a washroom in the barracks?<br /><br />Probably not.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"30th October This morning John Henry one of the new soldiers in ye Garrison was unfortunately drowned in the moat just by the Fort Gate going to wash himself.<br /><br />MondayYe 14th November 1709 Inclosing in the aforesaid generall came a Commission from the Hon’ble Councill appointing y’t Lieutenant Hercules Courtney to Command a Company of Soldiers made out of Capt’n james Davies Company at ye Fort w’ch is to consist of 150 men besides new soldiers come upon the Frederick & Hallifax, Capt’n Davis, & Capt’n Courtney having divided the two companies ‘tis agreed y’t Capt’n Courtney’s Company be drawn up, & his commission read at the head thereof with ye usuall manner of delivering him ye half pike."</span><br /><br />The offices were often as drunk and disorderly as the men, and often fell out amongst themselves.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"March 21st 1709/10 Quarrel between Capt’n Courtney and Capt’n Davis."<br /></span><br /><br />Just as in modern times Cuddalore is frequently swept with huge floods as the waters come down from the huge inland catchment area which stretches away over 250 miles to the west, nearly to the Ghats.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"April 3rd 1710 This day broke our a Large Barr to the Southward of the ffort occasion’d by Great Rains & Currants of Water w’ch came out of the Country. Fort St David."</span><br /><br />The gunners were considered a cut above the rest of the ordinary soldiers, and lived apart in the gunroom. They had priviledges not granted to soldiers, such as the right to brew Toddy or Arrack for sale to the visiting sailors. Sadly however this did not always work in their favour, for when the ships were absent, which could be nine or more months away, they tended to drink themselves into oblivion. They were less likely to leave the fort on escort duty, and were more prone to commit suicide than were the soldiers.<br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"19th June 1710. Thomas Cassar is entertained in the Gunroom at the usual pay to serve 3 years.<br /><br />Stephen Deas a Topass is entertained in Capt’n Davis’s company at the usual pay."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"20th June 1710. This morning Capt’n James Davies arrived from Madras overland & brought with him a general letter dated the 17th Instant.<br /><br />21st June 1710. David Antony, Bastian Antony, Anthony Lopes, Lewis de Silva Topass are entertained in Capt’n Davis Compy at the usual pay.<br /><br />Monday June 26 1710. Anthony de Rosiro is entertained in Captain Hugoens company at the usual pay."</span><br /><br />In the unsettled conditions recruiting went on at an increased rate with many of the men being of Portuguese, or mixed Portuguese Indian race. These men were called Topasses and where valued more highly than Indian’s who were known as Peons, but less valued than northern European’s.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Wednesday, August 2 1710.<br /><br />Gaspar Roy, Joseph Row, Antony Texeira, Manuel De Costa, Dominigo de Mount, Pasqual Deas & Ventura Ferrera are entertained in Captain Hugonin’s Company at the usual pay of Topasses."</span><br /><br />It would appear that the European's and the Topasses were paraded together in the same companies.<br /> <br />Conditions for the soldiers were often extremely harsh, and the distant EIC board was less than sympathetic to the conditions of their men who were often underpaid and in arrears. <br /><br />The ready availability of drink did not help matters either. The right to sell or “farm” arrack to the troops was sold by “outcry” or auction every year. The farmers often gave credit to the soldiers, and then tried to claim the money back directly from the EIC at pay day. This led to many abuses.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Monday August 21st 1710.<br /><br />At a Consultation.<br /><br />They allso order in said General that for the future no Retailer of Arrack do presume to trust any of the Millitary, below the degree of sergeant, on penalty of loosing their money & that no stoppage be made at the pay Table but for Diet & Ammunition Coats, which order they would have published in Cuddalore, & Tevenapatam, by beat of Tom Tom & fixing papers in Several languages at the usual places which is accordingly done & notice given that the arrack license (w’h expires the last day of this month) will be put up at Publick outcry at the fort on Monday next being the 28th Instant."<br /></span><br /><br />The combination of depression, homesickness and drink all to often led to men going off the rails. As is illustrated by the following deaths the following month.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">3rd September 1710.<br /><br />"Last night Corporal Knight run off his guard Villarenutta about one mile out of our bounds, where he killed a man & was brought in this morning after having been severely beat by the country people.<br /><br />8th. This morning said Corporal died & was interred in the Evening."</span><br /><br />Even without drink, life was often short. Between 30 and 40 men were landed as soldiers each year at Fort St. David. Within a year only about 10 would still be alive.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"17th This morning James Hearn a Centinell of this Garrison departed this life & was interred in the Evening."</span><br /><br />These survivors were especially valued as they were considered as "seasoned" because they were seen as being more likely to survive than would new recruits. The soldiers contracts were for five years, and these seasoned men were often offered large bonuses to sign on again, rather than to return home. This was not alturism on the part of the East India Company, but hard headed business sense, because the cost and waste in new recruits was enormous. Only men at the margins of society, or refugees would sign on in Europe, as they recognised it to be a one way trip for all but a tiny lucky minority.<br /><br />Even the officers were often so drunk that they could not maintain discipline.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"18th Sept 1710.<br />And it being ordered in said Genl; to break Ensign Carter his Commission for Sergeant Brooks to be made Ensign in his stead. Was this day read at the head of the Company & Delivered him.<br /><br />Francis Sharhaler, Enoch Vouters, & Loucas Carly are entered in the Gunroom at usual pay."</span><br /><br />Ensign Carter had been so incapacitated by drink when six of his men deserted, that he had not been able to take steps to stop them.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“They likewise advise that the orders sent them hence for reducing Military Officers pay according to what appointed by the Honbl Compas. Letter recd. Per the Susannah has caus’d a great noise and putt the Garrison upon a ferment, insomuch that on the 27th. last past a Sergeant & five Centinells deserted and run away with their arms, and a great many more designd to doe the like had they not been prevented in due time by a watchfull eye over them, They also advise that Ensign Carter was timely advis’d of their running away but being drunk took no notice of it till four hours after they were gone, and this having been his frequent practice, of which he has been often admonish’d, it’s therefore Agreed that he be broke and that a Commission be drawn out to appoint Sergt Edward Brookes (he being well recommended to us) Ensign, in his stead.” </span><br /><br />Sergeant Brooks had previously run the armoury at Cuddalore.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"2nd October 1710. Sergeant Brooks being made an Ensign the care & charge of the armoury at Cuddalore becomes vacant thereby & Sergeant Hobey being esteemed a fitting Person to officiate in the said employ tis agreed that he should look after the same.",</span> <br /><br />Life as an East Company Soldier appears to have been fairly tough during this period.<br /><br />Nick Balmer<br />December 2006<br /><br />Sources<br /><br /> Madras Gazetteers South Arcot published 1906 Page 38 <br /> From British Library<br /> IOR G/18/2/PT3, <br /> IOR G/18/2 PT2.<br /> IOR G/18/2 PT2.<br /> IOR G/18/2 PT2.<br /> IOR G/18/2 PT2.<br /> Diary and Consultation Book 1710. Page 92.<br /> IOR G/18/2/ PT 2.<br /><br /><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-2";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-1163361388467444562006-11-12T19:56:00.000+00:002007-11-11T08:23:14.226+00:00The Dutch Arrive at Cuddalore<a href="http://cuddalore-history.blogspot.com/">Cuddalore History</a><br /><br />Although Captain Bickley and the English East India Company had traded briefly at Tegnapatam during 1624, it does not appear that the town was particularly attractive to the English merchants. Between 1624 and 1680 it appears that trading was carried out all along this coast but that no permanent base seems to have been acquired at Cuddalore.<br /><br />The nearby towns of Porto Novo and Pondicherry seem to have offered better opportunities for trade. Porto Novo is located about 18 miles south of Cuddalore, and was originally founded by the Portuguese.<br /><br />Alexander Hamilton described Porto Novo, which he visited at some time after 1688 and before about 1720 as: -<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“the next Place of Commerce is Porto Novo, so called by the Portugueze, when the Sea-coasts of India belonged to them; but when Aurengzeb subdued Golcondah, and the Portuguese Affairs declined, the Mogul set a Fouzdaar in it, and gave it the Name of Mahomet Bandar. The Europeans generally call it by its first Name, and the Natives by the last. The Country is fertile, healthful and pleasant, and produceth good Cotton Cloth of several Qualities and Denominations, which they sell at Home, or export to Pegu, Tanasareem, Quedah, Johore, and Atcheen on Sumatra. The Bulk of the people are Pagans.” 1 </span><br /><br /><br />Some idea of the scale of the trade by the East India Company from Porto Novo during this period can be gained from the following account of an attack by “Xaigee” on the port, which is contained in a letter dated 19th October 1661.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Wee are much aggrieved to heare how you are abused by the Surat Governor, and that hee hath confined you prisoners to the Companies howse. If this bee indured by these governours, they will presume further; and wee have the like complaint to present concerning Xaigee (whoe is father to him that is the Visapore generall and hath Mr. Revington in durance); for hee came here in July last [1660]to Porto Novo and robbed and pillaged the towne; whereof the Companies merchants were the greatest loosers, having taken from them in elephants, calicoes, broad cloth, copper, benjamen, etc. goodes to the value of 30,000 pardawes, and are utterly unable to pay the Company their remaynes in their handes, being about 4,000 pa[godas], unlesse our masters will license us to vindicate them by their shipping at sea, for this Xaigee hath now Porto Novo in possession. And shall expect your advice how you will direct us for the vindicating of our masters in this businesse and their merchants. These happaing but two days before the arrival of Capt. Kilvert in the Concord in that port: whome we had appointed to take in those effects, but instead of goodes brought us these sad tidings." 2</span><br /> <br />William Foster identified Xaigee (as the English wrote in 1660) as Shahaji, Shivajis father, but it would appear that Shahaji died in about 1657 while on a hunt, after falling off his horse, so this does not appear to fit, and it must be another Mahratta.<br /> <br />It is not clear where these goods assembled at Porto Novo came from but it is quite likely that they came from not just the town itself, but also from the villages in the hinterland, including probably Cuddalore and its surrounding villages.<br /><br />The requests for permission for “vindication” in the phase <span style="font-style:italic;">“to vindicate them by their shipping at sea”</span> might be asking for the right to carry out retaliatory raids on Indian shipping by privateering. It would appear from correspondence in the following year that much of what the Mahrattas had seized was actually not just goods belonging to the East India Company, but also private trade goods belonging to the EIC merchants themselves. No doubt this personal loss gave an added impetus to seek revenge in order to try to recoup their losses. <br /><br />A small team of East India Company employees were based in Porto Novo, and these men were employing local labour to wash and pack the cargoes for onward shipping.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“one Samuell Hanmer, whome the Company hath appointed, with some other English, to goe upon the ship for Pollaroone. This Hanmer hath had employement from us in Porta Nova and Pullecherry, imbaling our goodes and looking to our washers, till the places were destroyed by the Vizapore’s army… With this same Hanmer there goeth six English [Soldiers]" 3</span><br /> <br /><br />On the 28th of November 1660 Chamber and Shingler at Madras wrote home that there was now no reason for ships to call at Porto Novo since <span style="font-style:italic;">“the towne is wholly destroyed and all the merchants totally ruined by Xagee, the Visapore King’s generall.” </span><br /><br />The town of Porto Novo recovered in time, but the focus of trade moved to Cuddalore over the following years.<br /><br />K. Kanniah in his book Cuddalore on the Coromandel Coast under the English says that Damiao Paes, a Portuguese was appointed Captain of Cuddalore in 1584, and that he rebuilt the port with the approval of the Nayak of Gingee.<br /><br />There appears to have been an Indian fort on the northern bank of the River Gadelam, which pre-dated the arrival of the European’s.<br /><br />The focus of development appears to have been at Devanampattinam, which later became the site where the English eventually laid out the site of Cuddalore New Town.<br /><br />The Dutch had probably visited the port before 1608, however it was in 1608 that they secured permission from the Nayak of Senji to rebuild the old Indian fort at Devanampattinam. <br /><br />In 1632 on the 5th of November Emanuel Altham an EIC factor at Armagon thanked Colley for sending some goods up from the south by a boat belonging to “Mallaioes” which had arrived in great danger at Tegnapatam, having narrowly survived a great hurricane. So it would appear that the port was being used for coasting trade. <br /><br /><br />The Dutch established factories at Porto Novo and Devanampatam (Fort St David) at a later period, and built a fort at the latter some 700 yards north of the mouth of the Gadilam River. They quitted both places in 1678. The Madras records say that their departure was partly owing to a dispute with Sivaji’s men about shipping dues at Porto Novo and partly owing to a dispute because their masters at Batavia, the Dutch head-quarters, had been <span style="font-style:italic;">“abating and cutting off of their Quallety’s, sallorys and allowances.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">However this may be, one day in 1678 several of their ships appeared off the coast and the Dutch “did then immediately imbarque all their goods, lumber and weomen and send them away to Pollicat.” In 1680 they returned to Porto Novo and obtained from the Marathas a grant of land there and permission to erect a factory; as will be seen later, they were in possession of the Devanampatam fort and had a lease of Manjakuppam at the time that the English bought Fort St. David in 1690; in 1693, they took Pondicherry from the French and held it for several years afterwards; but otherwise their doings had little effect on the chronicles of the district and it will not be necessary to refer to them again.” 4</span><br /> <br /><br />Sadly at present we have not been able to locate any extant Dutch or Portuguese records of events in Cuddalore or Porto Novo during this period.<br /><br />We would be very pleased to hear from anybody who can point us in the right direction for further contemporary accounts of these ports.<br /><br />1 Alexander Hamilton, A New Account of the East Indies:… page 353.<br />2 William Foster The English Factories 1661-64 page 50.<br />3 Foster page 51.<br />4 Madras Gazetteers South Arcot published 1906 Page 38<br /><br /><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-2";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-1162733122002190222006-11-05T13:25:00.000+00:002007-11-11T08:22:58.947+00:00The First English Trading at Cuddalore<a href="http://cuddalore-history.blogspot.com/">Cuddalore History</a><br /><br />That there was fierce competition and rivalry between the different European nations for trade along the Coromandel Coast is clear from the following events at Karikal and Tranquebar, and that it was probably these events that caused the English to move back north up the coast to Cuddalore.<br /><br />Captain Bickley arrived at Karikal on the 23rd of May 1624. On the following day he landed some Portuguese prisoners he had made at sea. The Danes from nearby Tranquebar soon learned of their arrival.<br /><br />May 29. <span style="font-style: italic;">“The princypall of the Danes sent a letter unto our chief merchante, Mr. Joseph Cockram, that we were best for too departe, for there was no trade there too bee had for us, because they had formed [farmed] all the seaports of the Kinges between Nagapatam and Pullacatt for the use and benefit of the Kinge of Denmarke; therefore willed us agayne to bee gone, or else they would send us awaye in haste. Wee badd them doe theire worste, for wee would staye in spite of them all, they being three to one. And soe the partteye that brought the letter departed with his answer.”</span><br /><br />Bickley then goes on to write that this Danish commander was probably James Mountney who had sailed in Captain Pring’s expedition in 1617.<br /><br />On the first of June the Danes sent one of the three large ships they had on the coast to check them out<span style="font-style: italic;">“and demaunded of whence wee were. I bad them looke up to the flage; so presentlye hee departed, without any more wordes the one too the other.”</span><br /><br />On the 2nd of June the Indian Governor of Karikal received a letter from the ruler of Tanjore saying that the English were welcome to trade on the coast. On the following two days the English landed two demi culverins as presents for the ruler. These were large cannon of considerable power. No doubt these cannon were a highly acceptable gift to the ruler of Tanjore, as they must have materially enhanced the power of his army.<br /><br />The Danes meanwhile were taking practical steps to make things as difficult as they possible could for the English ship in order to drive it away. There was probably already trouble amongst the English crew, for on the 6th of June 1624 ten of her men deserted with the ships pinnace. This rowing and fast sailing boat was designed to be able to operate independently of the Hart, and was the type of boat that the English habitually used for scouting and raiding.<br /><br />Almost immediately these deserters turned pirate and flying the English flag they took what was referred to as a junk. This ship belonged to the Governor of Negapatam and was carrying silver worth 8,000 rials of eight. They then sent a letter to Karikal inviting the other members of the crew to run away and join them. Five more English sailors ran away to join the previous deserters.<br /><br />This of course left Captain Bickley short handed, and in deep trouble with the local Governors over the piracy. The Danes were not slow to exploit these difficulties. They offered the ruler of Tanjore great bribes to get him to refuse to deal with them.<br /><br />By the 11th of July the English had sailed on to Tranquebar, where they landed at the fort. The Danes: -<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“did couller there former malice in givinge that entertainement unto our merchants, the which they did not exspeckt at there hands; for at there coming and goeing they shott of 150 peece of ordinance from there forte and out of there three shipps. This out of there love gave us a plaster for to cure the wound they gave us at the Kings Courte.”</span><br /><br />This demonstration of Danish potential firepower probably gave added cause for Captain Bickley to sail north to Tegnapatam. A return visit by the Danes to the ship on the 14th was cancelled. The English merchants returned to the Harte on the 15th but so many English sailors were missing ashore that they could not sail. Bickley suspected the Danes of enticing them away <span style="font-style: italic;">“by menes of James Mounttany.”</span><br /><br />After presumably sending parties ashore to round up his sailors, the Harte finally sailed away on the morning of the 17th of July 1624. The Danes saluted her parting with at least forty guns. As this number of cannon shots was considerably more than the captain would have normally been entitled to by his status, it is likely that there was an element of derision and mockery in the Danes cannonade.<br /><br />That evening they anchored off Tegnapatam <span style="font-style: italic;">“right against the Malloyes howse, the which is Governour of that towne of Tignapatann.”</span><br /><br />On the following day, the 18th of July Mr. Cockram a merchant on the ship landed to <span style="font-style: italic;">“see the Malloyes brother”</span> about some cloth they were to take on board their ship.<br /><br />On the same day Captain Bickley wrote: -<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“When you are are thwarte of the roade you shall see a great pagod, the which when yt is West and by northe from you, then it is just over the Malloyes howse… the Malloyes howse is all very white, and soe it is about the pagod, the which is too bee sene at the least four or five leages of in faire and cleare weather.”</span><br /><br />They only stayed off Tegnapatam for one day before sailing north on the 19th of July to Poullaserre or Podasera, which is thought to be Pondicherry. It was described as being four leagues off from Tegnapatam. The town had a very white pagoda in the middle of the town.<br /><br />Timber that the Harte had bought from Batavia was landed for the Malloye who appears to have controlled much of the trade along this coast, as he appears several times in the accounts of trade up and down the coast as far as Pullicatt. On the 23rd of July an official of the Ruler of Tanjore came on board the Harte and offered the merchants a house and the right to settle in Pullasera. The merchants said that they would return with an answer next year. Between the 24th and 29th of July they loaded salt into the ship as ballast, before departing on the 3rd of August for the north.<br /><br />The voyage appears to have been a commercial disappointment to the East India Company merchants. The diary of John Goning at Batavia contains an entry dated 20th of November 1624. It is interesting because it shows that the English were still at that point not really interested in locally made cloth and but been hoping to tap into the pepper trade. They were hoping to find that pepper grown on the Ghats inland of the Malabar coast, which was denied to them by the dominant Portuguese and Dutch who controlled the Malabar ports like Kochi and Calicut.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“The ship Hart arrived heer from the Coast of Coromandel. In her returned Mr. Joseph Cockram and Mr. Georg Bruen, with others sent to settle a factory in the Nayck of Tanjours country, having effected nothing ther, more than the buying in of 19 or 20 bales of cloth; finding the country to yeeld but little pepper of a very small sort and that allwayes much wett with the fresh water in portage from the upland mountains. Allso they found the Naick or King very covertous, expecting very great presents yearly, besides payment of 7,000 rials of eight every yeer for use and custome of his porte Cercall, which he would apoynt for us. Howbeit, they found the porte Poodysera, in another Naiks country nearer adjoining to St. Tome, to be a fitter place to procure all sorts of clothing, therabout or about Petepoly made, then in the said Nayck of Tanjours land; and from Naick of Poodysera they had a writing giving the English leave the next yeer to come and settle ther, paying only the custom of 2 ½ per cento, or renting the porte, as wee can best agree.”</span><br /><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-2";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-1162720829312498382006-11-05T10:00:00.000+00:002007-11-11T08:22:40.747+00:00The First English arrive at Cuddalore<a href="http://cuddalore-history.blogspot.com/">Cuddalore History</a><br /><br /><br />The earliest record of an English ship visiting Cuddalore that I can find occurred on the May 21st 1624 when Captain John Bickley made his land fall at Tegnapatam, whilst sailing in his ship the Hart from Batavia to India as he recorded: - <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Tignapatam hath over yt a greate pagod and a whyte howse which is sene some three leagues of. 1”</span> <br /><br />Tegnapatam was the name by which the Dutch and early English voyagers called Cuddalore. Captain Bickley goes on to describe the coast.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“To the southerd of Tegnapatam some three leages there is four pagodas, as it were four great trees… This four pagodas is a towne so called by the names of Quarter" (2) Pagodas. Allsoe four leages too the southward of the four pagodas is a towne called Portanovy (3) , and three leges too the southward of Porttanovy is a town called Tremeldanes (4). …And three leages to the southward of Tremeldanes is the towne of the Danes, where they have there forte, called Trenkcombar(5). And some two leagues and a half too the southward of this forte is the porte of Carracall (6)."</span><br /><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4817/3281/1600/Extract.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4817/3281/320/Extract.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The earliest English voyages to Asia were made to buy spices. Captain Bickley was returning from Batavia where he had been trying unsuccessfully to load pepper, due to opposition and intervention by the hostile Dutch employees of the VOC.<br /><br />The London grocers and leaders of the Levant Company aimed through despatching ships to Asia to compete with the Portuguese in the spice trade when they established the East India Company in 1600. <br /><br />When James Lancaster on his first expedition in 1591, entered into the Indian Ocean, he sailed directly into the Bay of Bengal on his voyage towards Malacca and the Spice Islands bypassing India entirely. <br /><br />During this voyage and the other subsequent voyages between 1600 and 1608, the aim of the Company Directors was to reach the Spice Islands and not India.<br /><br />It was only when it was discovered that the Spice Islanders did not wish to buy the unsuitable goods the European ships carried, and that they would only accept silver coinage in exchange for spices, that the English began to cast around for alternative ways of financing their trade.<br /><br />By the third voyage to Asia profits had reached 234 per cent, however the English Government was becoming increasingly unhappy about the amount of silver coinage that was leaving England for the east. Silver in England was in short supply, and in any case originated from the Spanish American Empire. <br /><br />The English had had to resort to robbery from local shipping to balance their trade, on the earlier voyages by removing goods from local vessels arriving from India, and selling them as their own.<br /><br />Through this plundering the East India Company [EIC] had become aware of the considerable amount of trade occurring between India and the Spice Islands. Their ships had already seized Indian vessels travelling to Java, Malacca and Bantam, and had observed that the Indian merchants were able to exchange Coromandel textiles with the islanders for spices. <br /><br />Like the earlier Portuguese traders, the English and the Dutch who faced similar problems, tried to break into this existing Asian trade between India and the Spice Islands.<br /><br />So although the first trading English posts in India were set up on the west coast of India where they could break into the existing trade routes between Persia and India, the East India Company soon realised that it had to have its own trading posts on the Coromandel Coast, in order to purchase the cotton required by the islanders.<br /><br />For whilst Gujarat produced the highest quality silk and cotton textiles, what was required for the trade to the Spice Islands was not silk but the cheaper cottons of the Coromandel, which sold so well to the Spice Islanders.<br /><br />Although the first English voyage to India in 1591 had pre-dated the first Dutch voyage made in 1595, the Dutch with their greater expertise in running merchant shipping very quickly followed in the footsteps of the English. <br /><br />With a stronger capital market in Amsterdam, the Dutch East India Company [VOC] was better able to finance its voyages than the East India Company was. The VOC soon had a market capitalisation nearly ten times as great as that of the EIC.<br /><br />Dutch ships of the period were also technically superior to English ships for bulk cargo carrying, and needed smaller crews than did the equivalent English ships. As had previously occurred along the Atlantic coasts of Europe, the Dutch had rapidly become the cargo carriers of choice for the Atlantic and Baltic bulk trades.<br /><br />During the same period other European nations including the Danes had quickly followed reaching the east coast of India by 1619, establishing a post at Tranquebar. Many of the employees of the Danish Asiatisk Kompagni were in fact Dutch sailors and merchants who were excluded from the Dutch East India Company, or who were former employees of the VOC.<br /><br />Due to the monsoons the textile trade was seasonal for the European’s. The ships leaving the Bay of Bengal preferred to load during January each year. The local textile producers found it difficult at first to keep up with the increase in demand, and were also used to producing textiles annually to suit the domestic market, which had its peak period, during the marriage season.<br /><br />At first the European ships felt their way along the coast calling at anchorages and coastal villages. Contacts were made with local Indian merchants who were already in the habit of trading with Indian and South East Asia shippers and merchants.<br /><br />Very quickly it was found that it was more efficient and cost effective to establish agents or factors on shore, ready for the arrival of ships, rather than having ships wait off shore for months whilst cargoes were assembled. The factors would collect pepper or textiles throughout the year, overseeing their washing, packing and baling and storage in warehouses called godowns, until such time as they could be loaded into the ships.<br /><br />These anchorages and factories were necessarily located at the major river estuaries along the coast such as the Kaveri, or Godavari.<br /><br />The Dutch, Danes and English were entering into waters already full of active Indian and South East Asian merchants. Security was also a major concern, so that the sites occupied where often island sites at some little distance from the major existing Indian towns.<br /><br />Local merchants strongly resisted the granting of trading rights to the northern European’s in these centres of existing trade, because they were well aware of the dangers of letting the Europeans establish themselves, following their previous experience at the hands of the Portuguese.<br /><br />The first English factory was at Armagon in the Bay of Bengal, a town just north of the Pulicat lagoon.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“when in 1626 the English settled at Armagon (Durgarajupatnam ) they obtained from the local Nayak the right to coin pagodas and fanams.” </span><br /><br />Shortly afterwards a second factory was established by the English at Masulipatam [nowadays Machilipatam] in the delta of the Godavari River in 1628.<br /><br />By 1624 the situation for the English on the west coast had become very difficult, as their major trading factory was located at Surat, which was the major Mogul trading port. The Mogul traders and officials were becoming very hostile.<br /><br />English ships had been seizing and plundering Mogul, Arab and Turkish vessels. The local merchants were understandably up in arms about their losses.<br /><br />In 1624 due to these disputes the East India Company factors at Surat were locked up in prison, whilst huge fines were levied to compensate the aggrieved parties. It was very unclear if the EIC could continue to trade in the Mogul Empire.<br /><br />This empire spread across the northern plains of India from Lahore and Surat to the mouth of the Ganges. However to the south a number of independent and semi independent Sultanates and states existed. These offered alternative routes to trade with the Indian subcontinent, even if the north was to be denied to the English.<br /><br />So with Surat and quite possibly the other Mogul ports closed to them it was decided to try the Tanjore kingdom’s ports. Earlier voyages had been made to Masulipatam and also Pulicat, so that the Coromandel Coast was not entirely unknown to the English.<br /><br />Mr Johnson the Factor hoped to find sufficient pepper in Tanjore to laden the Hart in three months at 18 rials per bahar of about 330 lb.<br /><br />The Hart had left Batavia on the 27th of March 1624, and had narrowly survived a hurricane on the 28th of April. On the 9th of May they crossed the Line .<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“May 21 Tignapatam hath over yt a greate pagod (10) and a whyte howse which is sene some three leagues of.” </span><br /><br />The captain went on to describe the coast.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“To the southerd of Tegnapatam some three leages there is four pagodas, as it were four great trees… This four pagodas is a towne so called by the names of Quarter Pagodas. Allsoe four leages too the southward of the four pagodas is a towne called Portanovy."</span><br /><br />These four great pagodas are thought to include the one at Tirupapuliyur, and those at Chidambaram.<br /><br />That these great pagodas should look like trees to the English sailors <span style="font-style:italic;">“four pagodas, as it were four great trees”</span> is not surprising if you compare their profile with the following drawing of an Elm Tree by John Constable . These great dark trees, which towered over the English countryside, must have looked much like Chidambaram pagoda. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4817/3281/1600/Elm%20Tree.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4817/3281/320/Elm%20Tree.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />11.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4817/3281/1600/chidambaram12.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4817/3281/320/chidambaram12.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />12.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Hart did not land at Tegnapatam at this first visit, but sailed towards the south to anchor at Karikal on May the 23rd.<br /><br />On May 24th the captain and the merchants went ashore and where kindly entertained by the Governor<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"> “wee being the first English ship that had ever bin in theis partes before.”</span><br /><br /> The Indian governor at Karikal was friendly, and promised to advise the King at “Tangeur” [Tanjore] of their arrival.<br /><br />1.The English Factories in India, 1624-1629 by William Foster published 1909. Pages 13 & 14.<br />2.This is probably from the Portuguese quarto meaning four. The reference is probably to the four gopuras of the great temple at Chilambaram, which are visible from a considerable distance out to sea.<br />3.Porto Novo<br />4.Discussed in Foster, thought to be Tirumullavasal which appears on Linschten’s and Hondius’s maps as Tremalavas.<br />5.Tranquebar.<br />6.Karikal.<br />7.58’ 48.16”N, 09’ 21.59”E<br />8.Notes from The English Factories in India 1655-60, by William Forster Page 34,<br />9.The Equator.<br />10.The temple at Tirupapuliyur.<br />11.Photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Australia.<br />12. Photo from http://www.jorgetutor.com/india/sindia/chidambaram/chidambaram12.htm<br /><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-2";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-1155568145150161822006-08-14T15:09:00.001+00:002008-04-06T09:30:07.387+00:00Why did the Europeans arrive at Cuddalore?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4817/3281/1600/Port%20Map.0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4817/3281/400/Port%20Map.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://cuddalore-history.blogspot.com/">Cuddalore History</a><br /><br />Why did the Europeans arrive at Cuddalore?<br /><br /><br /><br />Extract from an atlas produced for Manuel I in 1519 by Lopo Homen and the Rynel brothers. The major river estuaries along the Coromandel Coast are clearly featured.[1] <br /><br />It is not entirely clear who the first European’s to arrive in Cuddalore were, or when indeed they first arrived. It is entirely possible that the first Europeans to arrive at Cuddalore was in fact a Roman trader because excavations at Arikamedu [2] a few miles up the coast near the much later town of Pondicherry was an ancient port and glass bead-manufacturing centre. <br /><br />It is thought that Arikamedu was the town known to the Greco Roman world as Poduk¢e, The town lay along the eastern bank of River Ariyankuppam near it’s mouth in much the same type of location on the banks of a major estuary as Cuddalore occupied just down the coast.<br /><br />Archaeological excavations show that it’s peak period was between 100 BC and 100 AD. India occupied a pivotal point in the trade of Asian waters, being visited by fleets of traders following the seasonal monsoon winds.<br /><br />It is easy from our modern perspective to see the sea as the edge of the world, and as a barrier, but to the very many coastal peoples of Asia, the oceans represented a highway and the easiest route to the rest of the world they knew.<br /> <br />The sea provided the cheapest and easiest route to markets and for travel. As Adam Smith, the famous 19th century economist calculated, “six or eight men, with the help of a craft, can deliver and carry back in the same time, the same quality of goods” as “can be carried by 50 large carts driven by 100 men and drawn by 411 horses”.<br />To travel inland was to pass through countless communities, each with its boundaries with a Raja’ or Nattar demanding tribute, or his cut from your goods.<br /><br />For countless centuries before Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese navigator sailed into Calicut on the 27th of May 1498, Arab, Indonesian, Arab, Jewish, and Indian ships had been passing along the coasts of India, in pursuit of pepper, spices, cloth, gold and other precious metals.<br /><br />It was aboard these ships travelling down the Red Sea and Persian Gulf that came the first adventurous individuals from Europe. Many of these early travellers were Italians from seaports like Marco Polo and Niccolo dei Conti [3]who travelled on board Arab or Indian vessels.<br /><br />Merchant ships around the world at this period were freighted by groups of merchants who would travel on the ship along with their cargoes. Each traveller each hired his own space on board the ship.<br /><br />Men like Conti and the other traders who came to India overland via the Middle East had spent so much time along the way, and away from home that in most cases they had learnt to speak local languages like Arabic or Persian, which were widely understood along the trade routes to India and the Far East.<br /><br />These men were assisted and helped by local middlemen who made their living from the carrying trade in spices and other luxury goods from India to Europe. Each in turn took a cut, until eventually these goods arrived in Venice costing many times their original value in Java or India.<br /><br />The Zamorin of Calicut initially probably saw the Portuguese as just another remote and slightly more unusual set of traders when they arrived at his port. He can of had no idea of the impact these men would have, or of the technological advantages that these men were acquiring in sea warfare.<br /><br />Vasco-da-Gama by carrying spices directly from India to Portuguese cut out the profits of dozens of middlemen, and thereby made a huge profit. Pepper became available in Portugal for about one fifth of its price in Venice.<br /><br />The pepper trade had until this point been "the very milk and nourishment" of Venice. In the 15th century it has been calculated that pepper had made up 60% of the Venetian spice trade, and that the profit margin on spices was about 40%.[4] <br /> <br />Pepper and other spices had reached Venice via Egypt however in 1420’s and 1430’s the Mamluk rulers of Egypt decided to make pepper a royal monopoly. All the pepper from India and Java was transhipped at Jeddah, and the annual amount limited to about 210 tonnes.<br /><br />The Portuguese rapidly decided to send other expeditions to India and they soon established trade centres at Kozhikode [5], Kochi [6]and Kannur [7]. Before long they were pushing north along the coast of the Malabar towards Goa, and Surat, the major port on the west coast.<br /><br />Franciso de Almedia the first governor of the Portuguese possessions in India, concentrated on trade, recognising that his shipping and men in India could be rapidly overwhelmed by the local Indian rulers on land.<br /><br />Alfonso de Albuquerque, the second governor, appointed as such in 1509 was able to capture a base at Goa. Albuquerque who had first arrived in India in 1503 had certainly pushed beyond Sri Lanka by 1509 for he mounted an attack on Malacca in that year. See http://www.colonialvoyage.com/malacca.html<br /><br />It is not possible to date the first time the Portuguese sailed past the villages that lined the coast at Cuddalore, but it is likely to have been around 1509, and certainly before 1518 when they had established a post at Paleacate (or Pulicat). The main Portuguese settlement on the coast was founded at Sao Tomè de Melipore by 1522. See http://www.colonialvoyage.com/bengal.html<br /><br />Presumably these adventurous men were following in the footsteps of the local India traders, seeking out new and potentially even more profitable goods and markets along the Coromandel Coasts.<br /><br />Writing in 1519 Gaspar Correa explains one of the motive for the Portuguese travelling to the area.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"And because he had it much in charge to obtain all the lac (alacre[8]) that he could, the Governor learning from merchants that much of it was brought to the Coast of Choromandel by the vessels of Pegu and Martaban which visited that coast to procure painted cloths and other coloured goods, such as are made in Paleacate, which is on the coast of Choromandel, whence the traders with whom the Governor spoke brought it to Cochin; he, having got good information on the whole matter, sent a certain Frolentine (sic, frolentim) called Pero Escroco, whom he knew, and who was good at trade, to be factor on the coast of Choromandel. . . .". </span>[9]<br /><br />The Portuguese had rapidly learned that many of the best spices came from beyond India, and were probing out along the trade routes to the Spice Islands in what is now Indonesia. Along the way, they must have discovered, as did the Dutch in later years, that what the Indonesian traders really wanted in exchange for spices was the types of textiles made along the Coromandel Coast.<br /><br />[1] From http://saintjoseph.chez-alice.fr/sixieme/portugal/atlasind.htm<br />[2] See http://www.arikamedu.com/<br />[3] See http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9026048<br />[4] See http://www-geology.ucdavis.edu/~cowen/~GEL115/115CH7.html<br />[5] Calicut<br />[6] Cochin<br />[7] Cannanore<br />[8] Lac, a red dye see http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.1:1:368.hobson<br />[9] From http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.1:1:893.hobson-- Correa, ii. 567<script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-2";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30563365.post-1151875554727180812006-07-02T21:19:00.000+00:002007-11-11T08:20:36.304+00:00July 1710, and early arrivals<p class="MsoNormal">Cuddalore History, early arrivals<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">By a curious coincidence Madhusudhanan has chosen to start his blog in July, which by chance is the same month that my forebear John De Morgan first arrived in Cuddalore 296 years ago.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He was a French Huguenot refugee to England, who had enlisted in the East India Company as a private, the most junior rank in the English armies of the time. It is through my research into his life and into his time at Fort St David, that I first came to know Madhusudhanan, and to share our common interests in Cuddalore history. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We hope to illustrate and bring to life the long and fascinating history of Cuddalore, not just in the time of the British, but also in earlier times.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">John De Morgan first arrived at Cuddalore as one of 34 soldiers shipped on the Des Bouverie a large three masted East India Company sailing ship, which was bound for Madras, and item 10 on her manifest was <i style="">a “List of the Soldiers for the Fort on the Des Bouverie.”</i> <a style="" href="#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[i]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Fort St David records preserved in the British Library show that the De Bouverie had first called at Cuddalore before proceeding to Madras where it arrived on Tuesday 11<sup>th</sup> of July 1710.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <div style="border: 0.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 1pt 4pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style="">9<sup>th</sup> of July 1710.<span style=""> </span>This morning arrived a ship from Europe belonging to the R<sup>t</sup> Hon<sup>ble</sup> Company named the D’Buveree. Capt<sup>n</sup> Raymond Comm’d.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style="">10<sup>th</sup> This morning said Ship sailed out of this road being bound to Madras.<a style="" href="#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ii]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps John was allowed to come up on deck to look at the land that would be his home for much of the rest of his life.<span style=""> </span>Like so many of his compatriots, his voyage had been horrendous, and his life was likely to be short and brutal.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Could he see and smell the sweet musty coast of India as so many other English did as they first arrived?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Des Bouverie was one of a number of East Indiamen that arrived at approximately the same time off the coast of Madras during that year.<span style=""> </span>Another ship in the same fleet, which had arrived on the 4th of July 1710, was the Susanna.<span style=""> </span>John De Morgan was probably very lucky that he had not been put aboard the Susanna, which had made a very fast passage, but had not stopped en-route for fresh supplies of water or vegetables, for most of the Susanna’s men were sick before they even arrived.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <div style="border: 0.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 1pt 4pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style="">“Mr Richard Hunt Paymaster reports that of the 46 Soldiers sent on ship Susanna for this port, there is but 33 surviv’d the Voyage, and most of them in a very weak condition, the comand’r. Having touch’d no where from England.”<a style="" href="#_edn3" name="_ednref3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iii]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal">On Thursday 13<sup>th</sup> of July Richard Hunt reported: -</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <div style="border: 0.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 1pt 4pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><span style=""> </span>“<i style="">that of the 34 Soldiers that were sent out on ship Des Bouverie there are 32 come on shore all in very good health the two that are wanting the Commandr. Declares that the one dyed and the other run away with his boat at the Cape.”</i><a style="" href="#_edn4" name="_ednref4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iv]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><i style=""><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It is possible that John owed his health to William James, the Des Bouveries Surgeon who on Thursday 3<sup>rd</sup> of August 1710 presented a petition to the Governors in Council: -</p> <div style="border: 0.5pt solid windowtext; padding: 1pt 4pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style="">“requesting he may be paid the ten shillings per head for the Hon’ble Companys Soldiers that came out on said ship”.<span style=""> </span>The Council “Agreed and Ordered that the Paymaster doe adjust the acct, with him, and pay him what due according to the Hon’ble Companys orders per ship Heathcote.”<a style="" href="#_edn5" name="_ednref5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[v]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0cm;"><i style=""><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></i></p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Over the coming months we hope to post John De Morgan’s and many other stories, and we hope that visitors to the site will join us in adding to the knowledge of Cuddalore through the ages.<span style=""> </span>John De Morgan went on to eventually rise to the command of the Fort and to fight off the French attack in 1746.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Using documents and tales we hope to bring the past of Cuddalore to light.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Nick<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></p> <div style=""><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><br /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="" id="edn1"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[i]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Diary and Consultation Book 1710.<span style=""> </span>Pages 70 & 71.<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn2"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ii]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">IOR G/18/2 PT2.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn3"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="#_ednref3" name="_edn3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iii]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Diary and Consultation Book 1710.<span style=""> </span>Page 70.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn4"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="#_ednref4" name="_edn4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iv]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Diary and Consultation Book 1710.<span style=""> </span>Page 72</span>.</p> </div> <div style="" id="edn5"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="#_ednref5" name="_edn5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[v]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">Diary and Consultation Book 1710.<span style=""> </span>Page 80.</span></p> </div> </div><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"><br />_uacct = "UA-1127010-2";<br />urchinTracker();<br /></script>Nick Balmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730750075841601992noreply@blogger.com0