Storia do Mogor 281.27
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 281.27
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- English
281.27.1
But whatever they may have written, we feel we are safe. We are the more so, for we know that your charity having commenced so holy a work, that having laboured so hard and taken so much trouble, you will continue to show the same bowels of mercy and compassion as before; that you will not throw up an affair on which depends the peace of so many feeble Christians. Had they only the same strength and courage as those of the primitive Church, it would be unnecessary for us to make such efforts of solicitation on their behalf. But their natural timidity obliges us to afford them special help. This is the reason that the fathers of the Mission have given me fresh orders to report everything to you, and to urge you, by the wounded side of Jesus Christ, our common Redeemer, to kindly take up our cause, forgetting past disappointments and fatigues, but fixing your eyes only upon the glory of God and the salvation of these feeble and afflicted Christians. These latter centre all their hopes upon the credit you enjoy, your piety, and your generosity.
281.27.2
I should ere this have started to fling myself at your feet and pray the grant of this favour. But it is necessary to prepare some rarities to be presented to the nawab, to whom we are bound to show our gratitude for his first letter of recommendation. I do not mean to take a single step in this matter without your advice. For this reason I beg the favour of your writing me two lines of reply, and pointing out to me what I ought to do. My design would be to travel as far as Big Mount by land dressed as a Pandaran (pandaram), and there await your directions for visiting the nawab. For you are acquainted with the case, and have already obtained so favourable and honourable a reception for our ambassador. It is thus certain that the glory of God will be a still stronger motive for procuring a missive as favourable to us as we could wish. Briefly, all is in your hands, and I await with impatience what it may please you to require of me in this affair. Meanwhile, I offer myself for anything that would be of service to you, et cetera. (From the Mission of Madura, February 6, 1702.) This, then, is the condition of things at Tanjor by the very statement of a father of the Society. In regard to this, let the reader notice that after the receipt of the letters from Da,ud Khan and the diwan the penalties inflicted upon the Christians ceased altogether.
281.27.3
The ground, then, of the complaints and tears of the reverend fathers is that they wanted the king to order a church to be built for them at his expense. Unable to obtain this concession, they keep up continual sobbing and tears over the debris and ruins of that New Jerusalem, although, strictly speaking, this ought to be the least of their troubles. When occasionally the misfortunes of others afflict them, it is only through their bearing upon their own interests. When these are present in the most trifling affair, they do not hesitate to stir up the whole world to obtain redress for the wrong that they assert has been inflicted. As their grievances are frequently far from being the best-founded, they are skilful enough to bring God and religion to their side in order to obtain success in their design. To hear them talk about the persecution at Tanjor you would think it the most deplorable catastrophe that ever had been in the world, and willingly would they exclaim with the prophet Jeremiah : ' Behold, is there any grief like unto my grief that the Eternal has done unto me ? He has made me cry aloud in the day of the burning of His wrath.' In spite of this, to the shame of that Society be it said, they are governed by nothing but the desire of a small gain ; they want a church that shall cost them nothing. Thereby they would like to prove that they have influence everywhere, that the will of kings is bent at their pleasure, and whenever they so desire.
281.27.4
These are the reasons, making them move heaven and earth to induce Da,ud Khan to take action against the King of Tanjor, and compel him to build the church they hanker after. Since I have spoken of the King of Tanjor, it will not be out of place to mention what happened at Tranquebar, a place belonging to the Danes, lying close to the sea, and within the territories of the same prince upon the Choromandal coast. In the year 1699 it happened that a vassal of the king died ; he held charge of the territories adjacent to Tranquebar. Upon his decease the Danes claimed the right to put into his place one of his bastard sons. The dead man's widow objected, seeing what manifest injustice was being done to her own son, the legitimate heir. But the Danes paid no heed to this objection, and proceeded to the carrying out of their project. The widow was forced to carry her complaint to the king [82]. The king pointed out to the Danes the wrong they were committing in transferring the rights of the legitimate son to a bastard.
281.27.5
On their side the Danes paid no attention to this remonstrance or to any of the king's words. They replied that they were the masters, and were lords paramount over the country that they held, which had been ceded to them by the ancient kings of Tanjor. Their domination extended as far as cannon-shot, and the matter was no concern of his. Irritated at such arrogant pretentions, the king sent six thousand men against them to punish them — that is to say, three thousand horsemen and as many infantry. This force was joined by four thousand more men collected by the relations of the deceased from all directions. Tranquebar was besieged. First of all, they began by stopping the entry of all provisions; next, they captured an earthen bastion outside the line of fortification, having in it four pieces of cannon. From this point of vantage they stopped the flow of water into the fortress. Finally, they advanced their entrenchments so close that there was only the length of a pistol-shot left between the combatants; in fact, they often at night talked to each other.
281.27.6
In this difficulty the Danes, not having enough men to garrison their town, which is of considerable extent, applied for aid to Mr. Thomas Pitt, governor of Madras. This gentleman sent them fifty soldiers and some provisions and ammunition with all possible expedition. On the arrival of these reinforcements the Danes regained their courage, and made repeated sorties, in which they lost several men. In the end they decided on a general attack upon all the enemy's entrenchments. They carried this out with such valour, their musketry fire was so heavy, and the number of grenades thrown so great, that the enemy was forced to retire. Following upon this success, the bastion that had been lost was retaken. But the investment continuing, provisions once more became scarce. Their wants were again supplied by Governor Pitt, who also sent them more ammunition. The hostilities lasted about six months, and peace was not secured until a compromise was made with the relations of the deceased, to whom the Danes paid over one hundred thousand rupees, at which price they granted their consent to the bastard's succession.
281.27.7
The Danes had sufficiently strong reasons for upholding and maintaining this bastard against the legitimate son. The father himself on his deathbed had made him over to the Danish commandant, knowing this son to be a man of intelligence, while his other son was incapable of governing or of supporting the Danes in their business. They dealt in several classes of goods which reached them from the interior, and during the father's government a practice had sprung up of paying no customs duty. They hoped to secure the same thing under the bastard [83], a great advantage for the company. It is for this and other similar reasons of interest that they protected him, and backed him up in his pretensions. Should the account of the war against Tranquebar have proved not unpleasing to the reader, I flatter myself that the following will not be disagreeable. It is the war of the Mahomedans against the English at Cudeloure (Kudalur). I begin with describing the situation of Fort St. David and Cuddalore, both belonging to the aforesaid English. They purchased them for the sum of sixty thousand patacas from Ram Rajah, [son of] Shiva Ji. In ancient times they belonged to the Kings of Bijapur, along with another town, also a dependency upon the said fort. Both places are strong, and surrounded by water supplied by a river which is near the sea.