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British presence in India during the 18th century was represented by
the East India Company, which had its own civil service and army. It
was divided into three “presidencies” - Bombay, Bengal and Madras. Its
main colonial rival was the French
Compagnie des Indes
. Wars against
native rulers were frequent, and when Britain and France were fighting
each other in Europe they fought in India as well.
The Treaty of Paris (1763) recognised British supremacy in India,
allowing the French to retain a number of trading posts, the most
important of which was Pondicherry. However, French aid to the
revolting American colonists resulted in Britain declaring war on
France in March 1778, and fighting continued until news of the peace
negotiations at Versailles reached India in June 1783.
Meanwhile, the British were also involved on two fronts with native
rulers - with the Maratha Kingdom in Central India (1775-1782) and
with the Kingdom of Mysore in the South (1780-1784).
Sir Thomas Rumbold, to whom these letters were written, was a
veteran of the Indian administration, in which he made a fortune.
He served as Governor of Madras from his arrival in February 1778
until his departure in April 1780. On his return to England he was
impeached for misgovernment and embezzlement, like Clive before
him andWarren Hastings after him - all three cases failed.
The letters
Fragment of transcript of a letter from Anthony Sadlier,
Mazulipatam, May 1778.
Rumbold planned to collect land revenues directly from the
Zamindars (rich landowners) rather than working through the civil
servants, thereby eliminating corruption. Sadlier is explaining the
consequences of summoning the Zamindars to Madras for this
purpose.
Six letters from Guillaume de Bellecombe, May 1778 to June 1779.
De Bellecombe was the French governor of Pondicherry, which was
besieged by the British and surrendered after a ten-week siege on 18
October 1778. His first three letters cover the period from Rumbold’s
arrival in Madras to the outbreak of hostilities; the second three
concern the niceties of his period in confinement after the surrender
and the embarkation of his troops.
Five letters from Sir Edward Vernon, August to October 1778
Vernon was in command of the British naval force in Indian waters, his
flagship being the
Ripon
. His letters report three events. On 10 August
1778 he fought an action against the French off Pondicherry; it was
indecisive - although the French withdrew, the British were too badly
damaged to pursue them. A fortnight later, one of his ships captured a
French merchant vessel, the
Sartine
, which Vernon pressed into service
for the siege of Pondicherry. Finally, he reports the capture of two
more French merchant ships.
Six letters from Colonel Hector Munro, January to March 1779
Munro was in Tanjore to collect the tribute exacted from the Rajah,
who owed his throne to British intervention in 1776. He reports on
the difficulty of meeting the Rajah, who is ill (“much pained by a
fistula
in ano
”) and whose principal adviser is obstructive. He recommends
intervention - “necessity has no law”. However, he leaves Tanjore in
some frustration.
Letter fromWarren Hastings, February 1779
Warren Hastings was Governor of the Bengal Presidency from 1772 to
1785 and was later the subject of the 18th century’s most notorious
impeachment case. His letter to Rumbold is written from Fort William,
capital of the Bengal Presidency.
The first Anglo-Maratha War had broken out in 1775. Hastings has just
received news (confirmed by Rumbold) of the defeat of a British army
on its way to Poona at the Battle of Wadgaon, and the humiliating
treaty that followed it (17 Jan.). He discusses the presumed
repercussions on British “street-cred”with the Marathas. Rumbold has
suggested that the force commanded by Colonel Thomas Goddard,
which was advancing from Oudh towards Bombay, should withdraw
to Bengal, but Hastings does not agree to this.
Letter from Colonel Des Auvergnes, March 1779
Des Auvergnes was colonel of the French Regiment of Pondicherry.
Since the town’s surrender he has been on parole and is now about to
depart. He thanks Rumbold for the invitation to join him in a farewell
dinner and accepts the offer of a carriage to take him there. Encloses a
note of same date commends to the governor the officers and men of
his regiment, “que j’aime bien”.
Letter from John Hollond, May 1779
Hollond had acted as Rumbold’s emissary to the Nizam of the Deccan.
He has now arrived as British Resident at Hyderabad and been well
received by the Soubah. However, he reports that the Nabob is
strongly opposed to his taking up residence in the city and will no
doubt influence the Soubah against it.
Letter from Paul Benfield (undated, but c. June 1783)
Benfield was a wealthy financier and “wheeler-dealer” in India. His
machinations caused him to be recalled to England, but he returned
to Madras in 1781 and remained there for seven years, distrusted by all
parties.
His letter is undated but must have been written in late June or
July 1783, by which time Rumbold was back in England. Hostilities
between Britain and France had officially ceased on 20 January.
However, fighting continued in India between the forces of the East
India Company and the Mysorean army and its French allies. Tipu
Sahib, who had succeeded his father Hyder Ali as ruler of Mysore,
succeeded in capturing Bednore (28 April). The British laid siege to
the French garrison at Cuddalore, but news of the peace arrived on 30
June and the siege came to an end.
Benfield’s letter refers to all these events and lays responsibility for
Britain’s misfortunes in India squarely on the shoulders of the corrupt,
lazy and inefficient civil government. Pots and kettles … !
Assessment
This small but diverse collection of letters throws some interesting light
onto a confusing period in the British presence in India in the late 18th
century. Most of the correspondents achieved fame of one kind or
another: Sir Thomas Rumbold as a controversial administrator, Admiral
Vernon as a naval officer and pioneer balloonist, General Sir Hector
Munro as a ruthless military reformer and evictor of tenants from his
Highland estates, and Paul Benfield as a “rags to riches to rags” financier,
while De Bellecombe subsequently became Governor of Haiti.
List of Letters
Anthony Sadlier
• Mazulipatam, 5 May 1778
Guillaume de Bellecombe
• Pondicherry, 13 May 1778
• Pondicherry, 14 July 1778
• n.p., n.d. [Aug 1778] - copy translated into English
• Pondicherry, 4 Jan 1779
• Madras, 6 April 1779
• Madras, 21 June 1779
Edward Vernon
•
Rippon
off Pondicherry, 11 Aug [1778]
•
Rippon
off Sadrass, 17 Aug 1778
•
Rippon
off Cuddalore, 24 Aug 1778
•
Rippon
off Pondicherry, 3 Sept 1778
• Arriacopang, 15 Oct 1778
Hector Munro
• Tanjore [Thanjavur], 26 Jan 1779
• Ibid, 29 Jan 1779
• Ibid, 1 Feb 1779
• Ibid, 10 Feb 1779
• Ibid, 4 March 1779
• Ibid, 11 March 1779
Warren Hastings
• Fort William, 27 Feb 1779
Des Auvergnes
• St Thomé [now part of Madras], 25 March 1779
John Hollond
• Hyderabad, 9 May 1779
Paul Benfield
• n.p., n.d. [June 1783?]
See Illustration on page 38
€1750 - 2250
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BRITISH RULE IN INDIA, 1778-1783: LETTERS TO SIR THOMAS RUMBOLD (22 items)
Rumbold (Sir T.) Archive – Historical Background
