I do not here intend to give a particular account of Madras; but as
your curiosity may be somewhat excited, I will gratify it a little, by
giving you a kind of general description. Madras, or Fort St. George,
(sometimes distinguished into Black Town and White Town,) the
principal settlement of the British, on the coast of Coromandel, has a
very beautiful appearance from the sea; and the first sight of this
place is not calculated to spoil the picture which a sanguine
imagination draws to itself. The clear, blue, cloudless sky, and the
polished white buildings, of which there is a great number, both in
the Fort and along the beach, present a combination entirely new to
the British traveller, which is well fitted to give him a very exalted
idea of India, and lead him to imagine, after being so long out of the
sight of land, that he is entering a new world, something far superior
to that which he has left. But it is with this as with the work of the
painter; for it looks best at a distance. That part of the town which
is within the fortress can boast indeed of several fine streets; and
the houses being covered with a kind of stucco, called _chunam_,
which is capable of a polish little inferior to marble, have a very
elegant and lively appearance: but as to the houses of the original
town, sometimes called by the natives, Madras _Patnam_, (which
signifies _superior_,) no rule seems to have been followed but
that of contrast; for the fine white polished buildings of the
European, the Persian, or the Indian merchant, are promiscuously
interspersed with the most wretched mud-walled cocoa-nut covered huts
of the poorest native: and the confused, irregular, unpaved streets,
render it one of the dirtiest places possible in wet weather. There
are a number of meeting-houses here for the various religious
professors; but that which has the most respectable appearance, (the
protestant church of Fort St. George excepted,) belongs to the
Armenians. The appearances of the natives also are extremely varied;
and we find it hold good here, as in other parts of the world, "that
the poor and the rich meet together;" for we here see some carried in
palanquins shoulder high, and others performing all the offices of
drudgery; while some are riding in their bullock coaches, others are
walking on foot, following their various employments; while some are
riding upon horses, well clothed, with ear-rings the circumference of
a large tea-cup, others are hardly able to walk, but literally,
"wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." That
feature in the female character which has been general in all ages, is
also very prominent in this place: for we find many of the wealthy of
that sex adorned with all the varieties of toys mentioned by the
prophet, "walking with stretched forth necks, and wanton eyes; walking
and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet;" but it
is the less to be wondered at, that these poor creatures should take
such a pride in showing themselves off, as they think, with these
butterfly ornaments; for they know no better: but it is truly a pity,
as well as a great sin, that the daughters of Zion in our own land
should so far follow their example, and expose themselves to the
judgments of the Lord for the sake of a few trinkets, as those women
did in the days of the prophet. Because it is very evident, that it
was the sin which these daughters of Zion contracted, by setting their
affections upon these vanities of ornaments, that was the cause of God
denouncing his judgments against them. It would surely be infinitely
better, to adorn themselves according to the direction of the apostle;
"whose adorning," said he, "let it not be that outward adorning of
plaiting the hair, and wearing of gold, or putting on of apparel; but
let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not
corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is,
in the sight of God, of great price."
While our regiment lay at Madras, we were infested by the natives
offering themselves for servants, and many of them did get into place;
but, I believe those that took them would have been much better
without servants, for they plundered them of what they could get, and
then went their way[2].
[2] Most of these fellows belonged to the thieving bazaar,
(a market here for receiving and selling stolen goods,) and
took this method of obtaining some booty. I think it is a
great shame (to say no worse of it) that such a place should
be protected by law; for the goods taken from us could not
be gotten from thence unless they were regularly paid for,
in the same manner as if we had never seen them; but if the
thief was caught before he reached the bounds assigned for
the bazaar, he could be prosecuted and punished. As a proof
of what I have stated, Captain M'Lean of our regiment had
his regimental coat stolen, and it was found there, but he
durst not touch it without agreeing with the bazaar man for
a certain sum. However, before I left the country, they were
much restricted, no goods being allowed to be publicly
exposed until four o'clock in the afternoon.
We lay in camp upon the south esplanade until the 20th, when we got
the route for Wallajahbad. This being our first march in the country,
we had our provisions and baggage carried free, but very few of us
thought much of the meat, and less of the liquor; for the arrack used
to be standing all night in cocoa-nut shells, and spilled upon the
ground in the morning when we marched. It would have been well for the
far greater part of our regiment, had this indifference to that liquor
continued; but, alas! it was far otherwise, as I yet may have cause to
observe.
We came to Wallajahbad upon the 24th December, 1807. This place was to
us according to its name, for it proved very _bad_ to our
regiment; the men, women, and children, dying almost every day. As
fife-major of the regiment, it was part of my duty to warn a fifer for
the funeral party always upon evening parade, for the following day;
and there were twelve days successively that the fifer for the funeral
was wanted. Although there were none dead at the time, I ordered him
to be in readiness; and for that space of time, we never missed one
day without having less or more paying the debt of nature. If a man
died at night, he was buried in the morning; and if through the day,
he was interred in the evening. Amongst the many that died at this
time, my old musical friend Allan was one. He was cut off by water in
the head; but the disorder that carried off almost all the rest was
the bloody flux, or dysentery.
About this time the grenadier company (which had parted with us upon
our voyage to get their ship refitted) joined us[3], and also the two
companies from Prince of Wales's Island. The grenadiers were, in
general, envied by the rest of the regiment for their healthy
appearance; but, alas! that did not long continue; for no less than
twenty-one of these robust looking men went the way of all living in
the course of one month.
[3] The grenadiers who were on board of the East India
Company's ship, Surat Castle, had been obliged to part with
the fleet, in consequence of the leaky state of that vessel,
when we were near the latitudes of South America, and with
difficulty reached the port of Rio Janeiro. But had it not
been for the extraordinary exertions of these able-bodied
men, the ship, and every soul on board, must, in all human
probability have perished; for they were under the absolute
necessity of working the pumps night and day for a
considerable time before they reached that port, and,
notwithstanding all their endeavours, the water gained upon
them to such a degree as to be two or three feet deep upon
the harlop deck; but in spite of their excessive hardships
and fatigues, that company was the most healthy of any in
the regiment. For during the whole voyage they had very
little sickness, and none of their numbers diminished by
death, in a natural way. They had, indeed, one struck dead
by a thunderbolt, and another killed by the natives of a
certain island, where they touched for a supply of fresh
water. The way that this man came into the power of these
savages was as follows:--A party of the grenadiers were sent
ashore with a few water casks to get them filled, and while
they were performing this piece of duty, some
misunderstanding took place between them and the natives;
and the soldiers not being aware that they were going to get
such rude treatment, were quite unprepared with weapons
offensive or defensive, so that some of them were cut and
mangled most dreadfully by their assailants. But the man I
allude to, whose name I do not recollect, and another of the
name of Campbell, with whom I was very intimate, wrested
each a weapon from the blacks, and, as the saying is, "made
their own sticks break their own heads;" and, in this manner
fought their way, retreating backward toward the boat, which
some of their companions had reached; but before they could
attain their object, the poor fellow sunk under the repeated
blows of his overpowering enemies, and Campbell received
seven severe wounds, several of which were in the head.
Those who had not the good fortune to reach the boat were
taken prisoners. No sooner did the news of this disaster
reach the ship than the officers were fired with indignation
at the treatment which their men had received, and the
soldiers, particularly, for losing several of their
comrades, while those who escaped came on board streaming
with blood. Such outrages were not to be tamely submitted to
by those who had not only the name, but also the courage, of
British soldiers. Orders were immediately given for the men
to get ready their arms and ammunition, to go in quest of
their companions who were detained ashore, and these orders
were attended to with all the alertness that could have been
displayed had the ship been on fire, and they themselves
obliged to fly for their lives to a safe and commodious
shelter. No sooner were the grenadiers landed than they
marched steadily towards a town not far from the shore,
where the king lived, defying all opposition to their
progress, and striking terror into the hearts of every
beholder. And when they reached the place, the determined
countenances of the men, and the dazzling appearance of
their shining arms, so enervated the hearts and arms of his
majesty's loyal subjects, that they could make little
resistance until our party was in the royal presence itself.
One of the men, named John Love, literally took the poor
trembling Nabob by the neck like a dog, and the royal suite,
seeing his majesty treated so unceremoniously, perceived
well what was to be their fate if they continued to hold the
soldiers in their place of confinement, and therefore
prudently made all the haste in their power to restore them
to the embraces of their brave mess-mates, who all returned
to the ship in safety, and were warmly received by those on
board. My wife has now the pillow that the Captain gave to
Campbell, to lay under his mangled head, after he went on
board. However, with proper medical attendance, and kind
treatment, he recovered, and was raised to the rank and pay
of serjeant after the company joined in Wallajahbad.
_March 3, 1808_, I was married to Mrs. Allan. This is the
circumstance I told you to mark before we left England, after I had
obtained liberty from Colonel Stewart for her to go with her husband.
But I had then very little knowledge that I was taking out a wife for
myself, and one too, that was to be the means in the hand of Divine
Providence of prolonging my days, for had it not been for her nursing
care, I must, in all human probability, have gone the way of hundreds
of the regiment, as I had much severe trouble after I was joined to
her. She had no children, save one daughter that was left at home with
her grandfather, whom I may have occasion to speak of afterwards. I
was in a very poor state of health when married to her; for the
complaint I caught in the frigate had never left me, and I really had
at that time more need of a doctor than a wife; but I knew her to be
an excellent woman, and as she had no objections to me as a husband, I
could have none against her as a wife; but happily for me I found in
her both a doctor and a wife, and I daily recovered and enjoyed a
tolerable state of health for some time.
_May 22._--The government at Madras being informed by our returns
that we were in a very bad state of health, sent an order for us to
proceed to Sadras, a seaport, for the benefit of our health. At this
time we could not muster five hundred effective men in a regiment
upwards of a thousand strong; but we were now doomed to still more
lamentable misfortunes, for more than three hundred men fell sick the
first day's march; chiefly of brain fevers, attended with a dreadful
discharge from the bowels, and twelve men belonging to the regiment
died the same day: six of whom marched to the ground with their arms
and accoutrements. The heat was intense, with scarcely a breath of
air, and any that there was, was as hot as if it had issued from a
baker's oven. One of our men who had formerly been in the country
fourteen years, with the 74th regiment, said that he never recollected
of having suffered so much in one day from heat. Many of the men had
recourse to throwing water upon themselves, but they could get no
relief from this expedient, because it was quite warm; and what added
much to their distress, was the utter want of perspiration. My wife
also suffered much from a checked perspiration, and I thought of a
method that gave her great relief, which was this; I dipped a hand
towel in water, and gave it a slight wring, and stood over her while
she lay upon the ground, waving it backward and forward; this, from
the quick evaporation, cooled her greatly, and gave her considerable
relief. My comrades also, to whom I mentioned it, derived similar
benefit from this plan. The men who were very bad, were taken into
marquees erected on purpose for them; but this expedient, which gave
many who were not very ill considerable relief, was of no use to them.
All that the surgeon (for we had only one with us) could do for them,
was to let blood at the temples, and having filled two large marquees
with those who were worst, the rest had to assist one another in their
tents the best way they could; but at last the doctor falling ill
himself, had recourse to bleeding his own temples by the assistance of
a looking-glass, and lay down amongst the rest of the sick men. Thus,
being deprived of all medical assistance, and many of the men running
about mad, and others dying in the marquees before the Colonel's eyes;
he was so overcome by the sight that he could not refrain from tears.
The poor unhappy creatures who were attacked with this temporary
derangement, had in general some idea that they were not in their own
country. One of these runaways being asked where he was going, said,
that he was going to Europe; and added, that if he was once there, he
would soon be well again. However, when the cool of the evening
arrived, a number of the men got considerably better; about mid-day
when the men were in such an alarming state, the Colonel had sent off
an express to the commandant of Wallajahbad, describing the melancholy
situation of the regiment; and we immediately received medical
assistance, and more doolies and waggons to carry the sick, with an
order to return to our barracks. This was welcome news for us; and we
accordingly returned to Wallajahbad the next day, carrying along with
us one hundred and fifty sick men who were unable to march.
_September 4._--We had prayers read for the first time since we
came to this country, by the adjutant, who had fifty pagodas a-month
for doing the duty of chaplain. But this was, I think, little short of
making a mock of the divine ordinances; for here was truly, "like
people, like priest." Oh for an opportunity of hearing a good sermon,
from the mouth of a godly minister of Jesus Christ. "O God, thou art
my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh
longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see
thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary."
_November 4._--My good friend Colonel Stewart left us, in
consequence of liberty received from the government, to return to his
native country for the benefit of his health; as he had long been
labouring under a severe liver complaint. I was truly sorry for his
departure, as I thought his loss to me could never be repaired; but I
was in this happily mistaken; for he recommended me to the particular
notice of Colonel Conran, his successor, who treated me constantly
with the greatest kindness; although the men generally formed a very
bad opinion of him at first, for he used to take out the triangles to
evening parade; and if any of the men were unsteady in the ranks, he
tried them by a drum-head court martial, and flogged them upon the
spot; but this was not because he delighted in punishment, but to make
the regiment steady and attentive, which they were not out of the need
of. He was, to give him his due, "a terror to evil doers, and a praise
to them that do well."
_January 13, 1809._--We left Wallajahbad, in consequence of a
route to proceed to Bangalore. This was a very melancholy day for
many. We could not avoid thinking of the great number of our comrades
whom we left behind; having, in little more than one year, formed a
grave-yard of about two hundred men, women, and children! but after we
had proceeded on our march four days, we were countermanded, and sent
again to Madras.
_February 3._--We took the duty of the garrison from the 30th
regiment, which marched out, and we occupied their barrack. Not long
after we came here, I was visited with a severe fever. I now found a
kind friend in Colonel Conran; for he paid great attention to me
during my illness; sending me fowl, wines, sugar, and even fruits,
which he thought would be beneficial in my disorder. He even came in
person frequently to see me, and ordered the Doctor to attend me in my
own room, which he appointed for me himself; and, by the blessing of
God upon the use of means, I recovered in about three weeks. While we
lay in Madras, there arose a disturbance among the Company's troops;
and it being reported that they intended to attack the fort, the
artillery were ordered to provide a sufficient quantity of ammunition
for their reception, which was distributed proportionally to each gun;
but it was never required, for they were wiser than to make such a
foolish attempt. The insurrection in the high country, however,
getting rather serious, an order was issued for an army to be formed
to suppress it. This mutinous spirit was said to have been excited by
the Governor taking away the staff situations of a number of the
Company's officers, in different forts through the country, making one
do the duty of two, and sending the other to his regiment in his
former situation. For instance, in many of these forts there were
(what is called) a fort-adjutant and a quarter-master of the fort:
now, one of these had to do the duty of both, for which he received no
more than his former pay. The sepoys (native soldiers) were not in
much better humour; for they were dissatisfied because they did not
receive the pay of European soldiers, saying, that as they did the
same duty, and were exposed to the same hardships, they were entitled
to the same allowances. On the other hand, the government stated, that
European soldiers had removed from their own country, and should
therefore be distinguished from natives of this country, who besides
could live much cheaper. However, this statement did not satisfy them;
and from less to more, they proceeded so far as to take some of the
forts into their own possession, and were headed by Company's officers
of the dissatisfied party. Things could not remain long in this state
of confusion; and to compel the mutineers to desist from their purpose
of destroying all order amongst the forces, an army was formed at
three different stations, to proceed to the high country in various
directions. Our Colonel being a man of great military skill, was
appointed to command the centre division of the army, which was formed
at St. Thomas's Mount, seven miles from Madras, upon the 8th day of
August, 1809. This division of the army consisted of ten pieces of
artillery, two regiments of horse, the Royal Scots, 66th and 89th
Europeans, two hundred pioneers, and the 8th and 20th regiments of
native infantry.
An order was also issued by our commanding officer for all the heavy
baggage, women, and boys, to be left at Madras. This was sorrowful
news for the married people, and my wife was much grieved to hear
them, particularly as I was then but weakly, and not very able to
encounter the hardships to which I would thus be exposed. She was
therefore eager to go with the regiment, that she might know the worst
of it. I tried all I could to dissuade her from going, but in vain;
and, in short, she being a stout healthy woman, and having no children
to incommode us, she was permitted to go, to my great benefit, as well
as her satisfaction; for truly, had it not been for her, it would have
fared but badly with me upon the march, as I will afterwards make
appear.