Footnote 1:
There is something extraordinary, and which I never could hear
accounted for, in this engagement, viz. After the cannons’ roar
ceased, La Fin, French frigate of 40 guns, got alongside the Isis of
53 guns; where she remained entangled with our ship: the French
frigate considered herself taken, and her men were ready with their
bags to be prisoners; but so it was, after lying alongside an hour or
two, she was disentangled, and got back to her own fleet.
Footnote 2:
In this fort I have seen whole families, or their carcases rather,
lying in different spots; some eight, some ten, according to their
number. The few miserable survivors would plunge at one of our carrion
bones, though thrown into the middle of excrement.—May my eyes never
see the like again!
Footnote 3:
This opiate is made either into liquid or solid, with sugar, from the
boang tree, the produce of which they smoke with tobacco; it causes
the most astonishing sensations. In the course of a few years we were
in the habit of smoking it freely, to drown our troubles; and we well
knew its effects.
Footnote 4:
One, whose name was James Murrell, died; and the other, from the great
quantity of blood he lost, never had any colour in his face
afterwards; his name was Alsop.
Footnote 5:
Hyatt Saib was the rightful successor, but Tippoo proved the more
powerful. A curious and tragic circumstance took place on his first
visit to his father’s mausoleum: in his going through the Gangam gate,
a bullock’s head on one side, and a man’s head on the other, were
lopped off at one time. The real meaning of this ceremony we never
could learn.
Footnote 6:
A Mr. William Drake, midshipman of the Hannibal, for striking one of
the slaves that had struck him, was led to the front of one of the
battalions, and there had his hands and feet tied together; this done,
they forced his knees between his arms, and then pushed a pole under
his hams. In addition to this, three stout men flogged him as long as
they had strength. What must have been our feelings at this time? He
survived it; and we were surprised, for his body was as black as a
coal.
Footnote 7:
One Smith, a deserter from the Company’s service, was sent for one
morning, to read what was written on the bottoms of four pewter plates
or dishes; but not pleasing the killadare in deciphering the words, he
was sent away, and another, who could read better, ordered to be
brought to the durbar, or place of justice. I was selected; and
approaching with fear, I made my salam with as much reverence as I
could to one of the greatest men in his kingdom. He ordered the buxer,
or paymaster, to give me one of the dishes. It was very legible, and I
read it to his satisfaction, interpreted by a youth who was taken with
the general; the other three were put into my hands successively, and
I read them all. The purport was, that he knew he was poisoned, and by
order of Tippoo; that his time was short; that he must submit to his
fate; that he had borrowed 330,000 rupees from the Malabar Christians,
for the support of his army, since he left Bombay; closing with a
sincere request, that those who read what was written, (or engraven
rather, for it appeared to have been done with a fork or a nail,) and
should be so fortunate as to reach any of the presidencies, should
make it known to the governor and council, when they would be amply
rewarded.—When the passage relative to the money was first mentioned,
the killadare appeared quite sanguine, under an idea that it was
attainable; but when he understood the meaning of it, he, with the
most sovereign contempt, and in the most indignant manner, cried, “Ah!
Baunchut!” the meaning of which I cannot, with decency, explain; those
who know the Moorish language will understand it. One of the general’s
servants suffered with him. The other, George Madan, was with us some
years after; he was not removed till the general was taken away by
night: where he was buried, we never could learn, but, no doubt, in
some dirty hole.
Footnote 8:
No doubt, many of them survived the downfall of Tippoo, and I should
have been proud to hear that the Company had done something for those
brave unfortunate men, and particularly so, as all their miseries
originated from an English general.—The prison from whence the Malabar
Christians were brought to have their noses and ears cut off, for
refusing their daughters when Tippoo demanded them for his seraglio,
was a horrid dismal hole, which we named the Bull, as there was an
image considerably larger than life, of that animal, on the building,
which was originally designed for an Hindoo place of worship, but by
Tippoo converted into a dungeon. This prison we frequently passed, and
expected, sooner or later, to occupy some part of it. Very few who
were so unfortunate as to be confined here, escaped with less
punishment than the loss of their nose and ears. The chumbars, by whom
this operation was performed, are held in abhorrence by the
Mohammedans, and, on that account, they were consigned to this office;
and such was their brutality, that they frequently cut (or sawed,
rather) the upper lip off with the nose, leaving the poor unfortunate
wretch a pitiable object, to spin out a most miserable existence,
being always sent to Tippoo’s arsenals, to hard labour on a scanty
allowance.
Footnote 9:
Many of the Hindostan women come to maturity very early: they are
frequently mothers at twelve years old, nor is it an uncommon case to
find them pregnant much younger; but as they reach womanhood much
sooner than the females of Europe, so also they decline at a much
earlier period, and lose all their charms when a beauty of the western
world is in the zenith of her power. The bloom of youth vanishes soon
after twenty; and at thirty, age begins to make its visible ravages;
and the fresh, plump, and lively dame, degenerates into a flabby,
dull, and unpleasing matron.
Footnote 10:
On the margin of this river the Bramins burn their dead; it was
infested by numbers of alligators when I left it, though there were
none when I first went to it: they are not formidable, being
remarkably timid. I and others have frequently amused ourselves by
throwing stones at them.
Footnote 11:
Uncouth stupendous buildings, the grand residence of their Swarmy, or
deity.
Footnote 12:
These monuments were ornamented by an engraver and sculptor, whose
name was Elliott, an Englishman, and a deserter from Bombay; what
became of him I never heard, but suppose he shared the fate of the
rest.
Footnote 13:
In mentioning these beasts, I beg leave to make a few remarks on the
prevailing opinion respecting lions and tigers. In England we have
generally been taught to consider the lion as the king of the forest;
but to convince me of this, would be a difficult task, as I have
frequently been an eye-witness of the strength, fierceness, and
agility of the tiger; to which the lion, in these qualities, is much
inferior. Of these animals, my reader will be pleased not to draw any
conclusions from what he may have seen of exhibitions in Europe, as
they bear no more proportion to lions and tigers, in their natural
state, than a stout puppy does to a full-grown dog. In short, it is my
humble opinion, that the tigers of India are stronger, more active,
and much fiercer, than the lions of Africa, and in every respect their
superior, with the exception of generosity, of which quality the tiger
is quite destitute. It is this only that gives the lion the advantage.
Footnote 14:
A most destructive weapon, the length about sixteen inches, sharp and
taper at the extremity, but four inches diameter towards the handle.
Footnote 15:
There was a pole fixed in the centre of the circle, about sixty feet
high, near the top of which was a cap, whereon a man stood with a rope
suspended, for the purpose of pulling up the door of the cage. The
rope being fastened to it, another man would apply rockets through a
hole in the back of the cage, until the tiger was made to start. I
have seen them come out as black as a coal; one, which was
particularly noticed, made two desperate attempts to reach the man on
the pole, which he very nearly accomplished, to the great terror of
the man, and astonishment of all who beheld him.
Footnote 16:
We could well distinguish this brave officer by the long beard which
he wore; he was also pointed out to us by some person whom I cannot
now remember.
Footnote 17:
One of these creatures, after lying on the ground many hours, and
supposed dead, rose, on the touch of the elephant’s foot, and coped
with him, the elephant roaring dreadfully, till numbers of the pikemen
assailed him again, and put an end to his existence. After this
circumstance, their whiskers were always burnt, to ascertain if any
life remained.
Footnote 18:
The guards did not scruple to tell us this; but we had stronger
proofs. A few days prior to our being hurried off to Mysore, three
covered doolies passed us, and we heard voices, saying, “Good by, my
lads,”—“God bless you,”—“We know not where we are to be taken,” &c.
These were the three gentlemen, Captain Rumney, Lieutenant Fraser, and
Lieutenant Sampson, who were now conveyed to Mysore to be butchered. A
note, indicating their apprehensions, was found in a wall of our
prison, and their fatal place of confinement, by one Morton, a soldier
of the Company’s service. It was written small, but plain, with ink
that they must have made themselves, for it was very blue, and was
signed by all three. This was the wretched fate of those brave
officers! which it is painful for me to record.
Footnote 19:
The Cayenne pod.
Footnote 20:
Those who are acquainted with the Hindoo customs, know that they keep
snakes, consecrated, in their pagodas; in fact, I have seen them often
in other places; they are harmless, at least I never heard to the
contrary; but the Hindoos must have made them so.
Footnote 21:
A kind of grain, resembling a split pea. It was positively asserted by
many, that he made use of no kind of food; but this is false, as he
would frequently ask for the above grain. He was in the same spot when
we left the place; and what seemed most strange to us, was, his not
moving to obey nature’s calls. What became of him I know not, but
should be highly gratified to learn.
Footnote 22:
Late in the evening, the order came to prepare for marching. I had
then one child, sixteen months old, by one of the most affectionate of
women; she was always suspicious I should leave her, if opportunity
offered. She was certainly right in her conjectures; and my answers
were uniformly evasive to her questions on that score. The battalion
was under arms, while I was in my hut, looking at her and the child
alternately. Her soul was in her eyes; and surely never a woman looked
at a man with more eagerness and anxiety. I fain would have taken her
with me, and the child, who was then smiling in my face. I was eager
to give them a final embrace; but fearful of the consequences. O my
God! what were my sensations then! and even now, after a lapse of more
than thirty years! I am still sure a thousand will never obliterate
that moment. In the midst of these mutual distractions, I was
repeatedly called by my Moorish name, Shum Shu Cawn, to come and fall
in. At last, I resolutely tore myself from her and the child without
speaking a single word, and I never saw them more. Farewell! thou most
affectionate creature! and may the God of mercy and peace preserve
thee and thy infant!——[His surviving friends have observed, that Mr.
Scurry, on his return to England, repeatedly sent letters to India, in
the hope of their reaching his wife; and, in two or three instances,
when he found persons of his acquaintance going to those districts in
which she probably resided, he has requested them to use every effort
to find her out, and bring her to this country. At the same time he
was not without his fears, from the early age at which women die in
India, that she was no more. Still he had always sanguine hopes of
finding the child, whom he left smiling in its mother’s arms; but in
this his expectations were never realized.]
Footnote 23:
William Drake, midshipman of the Hannibal; dead—William Whitway,
midshipman of the Fortitude, J. Pudman; living—John Wood, of the
Chaser Sloop of War; living—John Jourdan, of the Hannibal; unknown—
James Scurry, of the Hannibal; the author.
Footnote 24:
A bag with four pockets.
Footnote 25:
While prosecuting this dangerous journey, the author, on a detached
paper, observes as follows: This day a circumstance took place, that
may be worth recording. In passing through one of the jungles, which
are very common in many parts of this country, we were all on the
alert, all eye, all ear, wild beasts of different descriptions
abounding in these recesses. We were not annoyed, however, by any of
them, but we were much alarmed by the sudden appearance of a
tremendous snake, which was, as nearly as we could judge, about eleven
or twelve feet in length. It passed near my path; and if I ever gave a
hearty spring, it was at that moment. It soon got into a hole, all but
about three feet of its tail, which we destroyed with the but-ends of
our firelocks.
Footnote 26:
A kind of split pea.
Footnote 27:
Buffaloes’ butter, which is always in a liquid state, owing to the
heat.
Footnote 28:
The three articles prepared together.
Footnote 29:
It was Purso Rhamboo, field-chief of the Mahrattas, to whose camp we
were directing our course. The moment they heard this, there was a
visible change in their conduct, for he was a mighty man amongst them!
Footnote 30:
A place set apart for the use of travellers.
Footnote 31:
There were very few surviving at this time; and although his
lordship’s humanity ought ever to be remembered in this case, yet we
well knew, or guessed, that he would never have any delivered to him.
Neither had he. There were none, who had been prisoners, that ever
reached the English, unless by making their escape; except two
officers, who were detained, contrary to the capitulation, at
Coimbatam. These were loaded with presents, and liberated, when the
capital was in danger, in order to pave the way for future overtures.—
They were fortunate indeed!
Footnote 32:
Abdul Kallick the eldest, and Masza ud Dieu the youngest; the former
very dark, the latter very fair and personable. The eldest, I well
remember, while at Seringapatam, once ordered one of our lads, whose
name was Kelly, to be bound with his hands behind him; this being
done, he was hoisted by a pulley a yard from the ground, and in this
condition severely beaten. And all this, because Kelly would not sing
and dance in the English manner, for him to laugh at. We felt for poor
Kelly at the time, but it was the subject of mirth among us
afterwards. He was a curiously grown Irish lad, and could not talk
much English; and as to dancing and singing, he knew as much about it
as a Hottentot.
Footnote 33:
This was a most tremendous night! Tippoo had taken a position on the
north bank of the river, with his front and his flanks covered by a
bound hedge, and a number of ravines, swamps, and water-courses; he
was likewise fortified by a chain of redoubts, full of cannon, as well
as by the artillery of the fort, and of the works of the island: under
those circumstances, strong as they were, Lord Cornwallis was
determined to attack him. Accordingly, he marshalled his own army in
three divisions, omitting to employ the allies in this affair, as he
thought them unequal to the arduous task, and leaving his cannon
behind him in the camp, with two battalions to guard them. As soon as
it was dark, the division pushed on, under the command of this humane
and brave general; but the guides, either through ignorance or design,
leading the division commanded by General Meadows astray, he did not
participate in the glories of the night, so called, at which I have no
doubt he was much mortified, as he was very courageous. The night was
dark, and the allies were on the alert, expecting the total overthrow
of the English. Tens of thousands were spectators, both from the
Mahratta and the Nizam’s army; and they all supposed it impossible for
any troops in the world to stand against the heavy and tremendous fire
that was opened in every direction; but such was the case. The morning
shewed the allies that the English had not only defeated them in their
camp, taking seventy pieces of cannon, &c. but were absolutely
possessed of most part of the suburbs of the island. This looked like
magic to the allies, and highly aggrandized the arms of the English in
their estimation. It must have been an awfully sublime scene; and it
is my humble opinion, that had Lord Cornwallis been repulsed, not an
individual of the allies would have been found in their position by
twelve o’clock the next day.
Footnote 34:
A pagoda varies in value in different parts and times, from seven
shillings and five pence, to eight shillings and five pence. A rupee
also varies from one shilling and four pence, to two shillings and
three pence, sterling, A lack is one hundred thousand.
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Transcriber’s note:
Variations in spelling have been retained.
Page 96, full stop inserted after ‘fell,’ “hand before he fell.”
Page 118, ‘possiblity’ changed to ‘possibility,’ “was no possibility of”
Page 125, full stop deleted after ‘Native,’ “a Fanatical Native—Visited”
Page 176, ‘pady’ changed to ‘paddy,’ “to a paddy, or rice”
Page 218, full stop deleted after ‘City,’ “in the City—Many of”
Page 230, closing quote inserted after ‘beauty,’ “in form and beauty.””