[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Travellers (1500–1858)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel) › [Storia do Mogor](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci) › [Storia do Mogor (Irvine)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine) › 281.28 # Storia do Mogor 281.28 Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 281.28 - **Language:** English ### [281.28.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28.1) The town of Tevenapatam is about three hundred paces from the fort, towards the north. The Dutch have a factory in the place, and pay the English two and a half per cent, upon all merchandise imported or exported. The place is inhabited by many weavers and cloth-printers, and there is a considerable trade in cloth. Cuddalore is situated to the south of the said fort, having as inhabitants many merchants, weavers, and cloth-printers, like those above referred to. Dependent upon it there are six villages, which pay twelve thousand patacas of rent \[i.e., Rs. 24,000\] to the company in return for all the grain, et cetera, which their lands produce. This is the place where, in 1698, the English had to defend themselves in war against the Mahomedans. The cause of dispute was as follows: ### [281.28.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28.2) About two years earlier \[i.e., in 1696\] an officer under Chilmancan (Sulaiman Khan), governor of Porto Novo and the neighbouring country, was passing through the territory of the English Company. He was stopped by a sergeant at an advanced post in the village of Tripapoulour (Tiruppappuliyur), the reason assigned being that he could not be allowed a passage without a permit from the governor of Cuddalore. At this hindrance the officer grew angry, and began to abuse the sergeant and the sentry. Finding they would not allow him to pass peacefully, he determined to force his way. Thereupon the sergeant placed all the obstacles in his way that he could, even going the length of threatening to fire if he was violent. The other man would not listen, and tried to carry his point. The sergeant was at length forced to fire. The officer was greatly astonished, for the shot killed an extremely fine horse that he was riding, valued by him at two thousand crowns. However, having a little recovered himself, he laid a complaint before Mr. Hatsell, governor of that fort (St. David), who, by means of a few trifling presents, moderated the wrath into which the sergeant's bold act had thrown the Mahomedan. ### [281.28.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28.3) However, in 1698, two years after the event I have just recounted, Sulaiman Khan passed near to Cuddalore, and was visited by the second in the council \[at Fort St. David\], who came out to greet him and congratulated him on his safe return from Jinji. This \[84\] governor thanked him very politely, and told him that in a few days he would come back to pay the English gentlemen a visit as he went by. With that idea he withdrew to his government of Chelembron (Chidambaram), whence four days after his arrival he sent presents of sweetmeats to the governor and second-in-council at Cuddalore. These things they received graciously, in opposition to the ideas of the officer commanding the local garrison. He knew the Mahomedans, and warned the governor to put no trust in them ; for probably he would find these sweets difficult of digestion. ### [281.28.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28.4) Accordingly, some eight days afterwards, there arrived at Cuddalore some sixty horsemen, who appeared at one of the gates and asked for entrance. The sergeant on guard refused to let them pass; they must wait for his captain's orders. Thereupon the officer in command used much bad language to the sentry, and made dispositions to force an entrance. As soon as the captain learnt what was going on, he sent word to the governor, then residing at Fort St. David. Thinking the matter one of little importance, the governor sent a note giving the order to let the men pass. He thought they were friendly, and their only object in coming to Cuddalore was to act as convoy to their king's treasure remittance, then on its way from his army. Upon receiving the governor's note the captain ordered them to be admitted. Yet they had only come to seize the town by treachery, and cut the throats of all the English. This came out subsequently. Their pretended treasure was nothing more than some bags filled with gravel. But up to this point the governor had no suspicion of any sort. However, these treacherous men were no sooner inside than a number of others appeared, and these, too, were allowed to enter with the same facility. Again more of them came in. In the end there were as many as six hundred — namely, two hundred horsemen and four hundred foot soldiers. ### [281.28.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28.5) When it was about midnight the brother-in-law of Sulaiman Khan arrived at one of the gates and wanted to go out. At this gate he met with a refusal, unless he obtained leave from the second-in-council for that purpose. In the end the leave was given, to him and all his retinue, for any hour of the night that they might desire. However, these gentlemen were far from going to sleep, for there were still five hundred men outside, with orders to reinforce those inside at the slightest signal given by the earlier arrivals. The agreed signal was that as soon as possible they should hoist their white flag upon one of the bastions. ### [281.28.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28.6) Before this could be carried out, a native came and warned a man at the guard-house that these five hundred men were outside hidden among some palm-trees. At first the second-in-council refused credence to the report, asserting that these people were too much their friends; it was a mere invention, and he was assured they were incapable of playing them such a nasty trick. Oh! the simplicity of mankind, who remain undisturbed at the very moment when being betrayed in the blackest manner! Thus, even while he was speaking, the brother-in-law of Sulaiman Khan returned, followed by a body of cavalry. Asking for the officer on guard, the corporal appeared and said he was in command. Thereupon the treacherous man, without another word, drew his sword and delivered three blows on the corporal's head. Feeling himself wounded, the latter fired upon his assailant. But the aim was spoiled by another horseman throwing himself between them, so that only the assailant's quiver was shot off. ### [281.28.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28.7) At the same moment the sentry fired his piece and killed his man. But as the Mahomedans were in overpowering numbers, they advanced on him without giving him time to reload, and receiving forty-two sword-cuts, he was hewn to pieces. Next came the captain of the guard out of the second-in-council's house, and hearing the alarm given, thought at first he could redeem the position. But he could not do so quickly enough to prevent the brother-in-law of Sulaiman Khan having time to plant his flag upon the bastion at this gateway. Acting on the signal which they had agreed upon, the men in ambush rushed upon another gate; having him at their head, they hoped to find it open. In this expectation, however, they were disappointed; for the sergeant who was on guard had heard the alarm, and opened fire upon him, obliging him to take shelter from the balls below the town wall. His refuge was discovered by a soldier, who fired upon him through a port-hole and scattered his brains upon his horse's saddle. As soon as Sulaiman Khan learnt the death of his brother-in-law, he lost heart in his enterprise, particularly as he reposed great trust in the deceased. He was a man of good understanding, and greatly experienced in the practice of war. ### [281.28.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28.8) Then, while this was happening, the captain came up with reinforcements from the fortress and drove out all these traitors. They were forced to evacuate the two bastions they had occupied. A number of their men were left behind dead, but they subsequently removed the bodies. Including dead and wounded, they lost seventy men in their retreat. The cowardice of this rabble upon this occasion seems most extraordinary, for they numbered over eleven hundred, while, in addition, they were masters of two bastions and of all the streets. In spite of these advantages, seventeen men repelled them to a great extent, and a reinforcement of forty men coming from the fortress \[Fort St. David\] completed their rout and ejected them completely, after a considerable loss, if we consider how few were the men on the English side. The latter lost two men, and had twenty-two wounded. Nevertheless, as soon as the Mahomedan was back within his district, he contemplated massing a still larger force, meaning to return to the charge. The next time he succeeded no better, and was repulsed every time he made an attempt; though it is true that he burnt four large villages belonging to the company. ### [281.28.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28.9) \[86\] In the end this man came a third time with a still more formidable force than on the two former occasions, but he did no more harm than before, unless it were that the English were forced to bleed through their purse; for the governor of Madras, wearied by these continual squabbles, wrote to Julfacarkan (Zu,lfiqar Khan), governor of the province, and for a payment of the sum of thirty thousand crowns the troubles were set at rest, and without this action they would no doubt have lasted for a much longer time. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.manucci~en-irvine.281.28) · Pramāṇa