MRP: Letter of Dr. Escaliot, Surat to Dr. Browne, Norfolk, January 26th 1663/64
1664
26th January 1663/64, Letter from Dr Escaliot to Dr Browne, Suratt
Surat, Jan. 26, 1663-4.
On Tuesday, the fifth of January, about ten in the morning, a sudden alarme was brought to our house from the towne with news that Seua-Gee Raya, or principal governor, (for such assume not the name of kings to them solues, but yet endeuor to bee as absolute each in his prouince as his sword can make him,) was coming downe with an army of an vncertaine number upon Surat, to pillage the citty, which news strook no small consternation into the minds of a weake and effeminate people, in soe much that on all hands there was nothing to be seene but people flying for their lives, and lamenting the loss of their estates, the richer sort, whose stocke of money was large enough to purchase that favor at the hands of the gouernor of the castle, made that their sanctuary, and abandoned their dwellings to a merciless foe, wich they might well enoughe haue defended with the rest of the towne had thay had the heartes of men. The same day a post comes in, and tells them that the army was come within tenne course or English miles, and made all hast forward, wich put the cowardly and vnfaithful govenor of the towne to send a seruant to Sevagee to treat of some conditions of ransome. But Sevagee retaines the messenger and marches forwards with all speed, and that night lodged his camp about 5 miles English from the city, and the governor perceueing well that this messenger returned not againe, and that Sevagee did not intend to treat at that distance, he cranes admission into the castle and obtaineth it, and soe deserted his towne.
The city of Surat is the only port on this side India, wich belongs to the Mogol, and stands upon a river commodious enough to admitt vessells of 1000 tun, seven milles up, at wich distance from the sea, there stands a reasonable strong castle well manned, and haueing great store of good guns mounted for the securing of the riuer at a conuenient distance, on the north east and south sides of this castle is the citty of Surrat built of a large extent and very popelus. Eich in marchandise, as being the mart for tlie great empire of tlie Mogol, but ill contriued into narrow lanes and without any forme. And for buildings consists partly of brick, soc the houses of the richer sort partly of wood, the maine posts of wich sort only are timber, the rest is built of bambooes (as they call them) or caines, such as those youe make your angles at Norwich, but very large, and these being tyed togather with the cords made of coconutt rinde, and being dawbed ouer with dirt, are the walls of the whole honse and floors of the upper story of their houses. IS'ow the number of the poore exceedingly surmounting the number of those of some quality, these bamboo houses are increased vnmeasurably, soe that in the greater part of the towne scarce two or three brick houses are to bee seen in a street, and in some part of the towne not one for many streets togather ; those houses wich are bmlt of bricke are vsually built strong, their walls of two or two and a half feet thicke, and the roofes of them flat and couered with a plaster like plaster of Paris, wich makes most comodous places to take the euening aire in the hotter seasons ; the whole town is unfortified ether by art or nature, its situation is upon a larg plaine of many miles extent and their care hath been so little to secure it by art, that they have only made against the cheefe auenues of the towne, some weake and ill built gatts and for the rest in some parts a dry ditch, easily passable by a footman, wanting a wall or other defence on the innerside, the rest is left soe open that scarce any signe of a dich is perceiuable; the people of the towne are either the marchants, and those of all nations almost, as English, Dutch, Portugalls, Turkes, Arabs, Armenians, Persians, Jews, Indians, of seueral sorts, but principally Banians, or els Moores the conquerors of the country Hindues, or the ancient inhabitants or Persees, whoe are people fled out of Persia ages agoe, and here and some miles up the country settled in great numbers. The Banian is one who thinks it the greatest wickedness to kill any creature whatsoever that hath life, least possibly they might bee the death of their father or relation, and the Persee doth supperstitiously adore the fire as his God, and thinks it an vnpordonable sin to throw watter upon it, soe that if a house bee tired or their clothes upon their backs burning thay will if thay can hinder any man from quenching it. The Moores ar troubled with none of these superstitions but yet through the unworthy couetuousness of the gouernour of the towne thay had noe body to head them, nor none vnto whome to joyne themselves, and soe fled away for company, whereas if there had been 500 men trayned, and in a readyness, as by order from the king there ever should, whose pay the gouernour puts into his own pocket, the number to defend the citty would haue amounted to some thousands. This was the condition of the citty at the tyihe of its inuasion.
The inuader Seva Gee is as I liaue said by extraction a Rayar or a gouernour of a small country on the coast southward of Basiue, and was formerly a tributary to the King of Vijapore, but being of an aspiring and ambitious minde, subtile and withall a soldier, hee rebells against the king, and partly by fraude, partly by force, partly by corrup oftion the kings gouernours of the kings castles, seaseth many of them into his hands. And withall parte of a country for wich the King of Vijapore paid tribute to the Mogul. !B[is insolencys were soe many, and his success soe great, that the King of Vijapore thought it high tyme to endeavor his suppression, or els all would be lost. Hee raises his armies, but is worsted soe euery where by the rebbell, that he is forced to conditions to release homage to Sevagee of those lands wich hee held of him, and for the rest Sevagee was to make good his possession against the Mogol as well as hee could, after some tyme of forbearance. The Mogol demands his tribute from him of Vijapore, whoe returns answer that hee had not possession of the tributary lands, but that they were detayned from him by his rebbell who was grown too strong for him. Upon this the Mogol makes warr both vpon the King of Vijapore and Seuagee, but as yet without any considerable successs ; many attempts have been made, but still frusterated either by the cunmg, or valour, or money of Seuagee : but now of late Kuttup Chawn, an Umbraw, who passed by Surrat since I arriuea with 5000 men, and 14 elephants, and had 9000 men more marched another way towards their randevouz, as wee hear hath taken from him a strong castle, and some impression into his country, to deuest wich ware it is probable he took this resoluetion for inuation of this country of Guzurat. His person is described by them whoe haue seen him to bee of meane stature, lower somewhat then I am erect, and of an excellent proportion. Actual in exercise, and when euer hee speaks seemes to smile a quicke and peercing eye, and whiter then any of his people. Hee is distrustfull, seacret, subtile, cruell, perfidious, insulting over whomsoever he getts into his power. Absolute in his commands, and in his punishments more then severe, death or dismembering being the punishment of every offence, if necessity require, venterous and desperate in execution of his resolues as may appeare by this following instance. The King Vijapore sends down his vnckell a most accomplished soldier, with 14000 men into Sevagee's country : the knowne vallor and experience of the man made Seuagee conclude that his best way was to assassinate him in his owne armye by a sudden surprise. This conduct of this attempt, how dangerous soever, would haue been vndertaken by many of his men of whose conduct hee mihht Jiaue assured himselfe, but it seemes he would haue the actiou wholly liis own, liee therefore with 400 as desperate as himselfe enters the army vndiscovered, comes to the generalls tent, fall& in npon them, kills the guard, the generalls sonne, wounds the father, whoe hardly escaped, seiseth on his daughter and carries her away prisoner, and forceth his way backe through the whole army, and returns safe without any considerable loss, and afterward in dispight of all the King of Yijapore could do, hee tooke Hajapore, [CSG: Rajapore?] a great port, plundered it, and seised our English marchants, Mr. Eivington, Mr. Taylor, and digged vp the English house for treasure,and kept the marchants in prison about 8 months.
Wedensday, the 6th Janu: about eleven in the morning, Sevagee arriued neere a great garden, without the towne about a quarter of a mile, and whilst hee was busied in pitching his tents, sent his horsmen into the outward streets of the towne, to fire the houses, soe that in less then halfe an houer wee might behold from the tops of our house two great pilliers of smoke, the certaine signes of a great dissolation, and soe they continued burning that day and night, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday jstill new fires raised, and every day neerer and neerer approaching our quarter of the towne, that the terror was great, I know youe will easily belieue, and upon his first beginning of his firing, the remainder of the people fled as thicke as possible, so that on Thursday the streets were almost empty, wich at other tymes are exceeding thicke with people, and we the English in our house, the Duch in theirs, and some few marchants of TSirkey and Armenia, neighbours to our English house, possessed of a seraw, or place of reception for strangers, were left by the gouernor and his people, to make what shift we could to secure ourselves from the enemys : this might the English and Duch have done, leaving the towne, and gooing over the riuer to Swalley to our shipps, which were then riding in Swalley hole, but it was thought more like Englishmen to make ourselves ready to defend our Hues and goods to the uttermost, than by a flight to leaue mony, goods, house, to merciless people, and were confirmed in a resolution, that the Duch alsoe determined the same, though there was no possibility of relieuing one another, the Duch house beeing on the other side of towne almost an English mile asunder.
In order, therefore, to our better defence, the president, Sr George Oxinden, a most worthy, discreet, courageous person, sent advice to our ships at Swalley of our condition, with his desires to the captains to spare him out of their ships what men they could, and wee in the meane tyme endeavoured to fitt our house soe well as wee could, sending out for what quantity of prouision of victualls, watter and pouder we could gett, of wich wee gott a competent store. Tow brass guns we procured that day from a marchant in towne, of about three hundred weight a piece, and with old ship carriages, mounted them, and made ports in our great gate for them, to play out of, to scoure a shorte passage to our house ; that afternoon e we sent aboard a ship in the riuer for guns, and had tow of about six hundred a piece, sent up in next morning, with shott conuenient ; some are sett to melt ead and make bullets, others with chezels to cutt lead into slugs, no hand idle, but all imployed to strengthen every place, as tyme would give leaue to the best advantage. On Weddensday men arriued to the number of forty odd, and bring with them tow brass guns more, our four smaller guns are then carried vp to the tope of the house, and three of them planted to scoure two greet streets, the four was bent vpon a rich churles house (Stogee Said Beeg of whom more by and by) because it was equally of hight and being posesed by the enemy might haue beene dangerous to our house ; captaines are appointed and every man (Quartered and order taken for relieuing one another vpon necessity ; a fresh recrute of men coming of about twenty more, wee than began to consider what houses neere vs might bee most prejudicial! ; and on one side wee tooke possession of pagod, or Banian idol temple, which was just vnder our house, wich hauing taken wee were much more secured on that quarter ; on the other a Morish Mesecte [CSG: Mosque?] where seuerall people were harboured, and had windowes into our outward yard, was thought good to bee cleared and shutt vpp, wich accordingly done by a party, all the people sent to seeke some other place to harbour in. Things being thus reasonably well prepared, newes is brought vs that Mr. Anthony Smith, a servant of the companyes, one whoe hath been cheife in severall factoryes, was taken prisoner by Seuagee soulderiers as he came ashore neere the Duch house, and was comeing to the English, — an vnfortunate accedent wich made vs
all much concerned, knowing Seuagee cruelty, and indeed gaue him. ouer as quite lost : hee obtaines leaue some few houers after to send a note to the president, wherin hee aquants him with his condittion, that hee being brought before Savagee hee was asked what hee was and such like questions, and att last by Sevagee told that he was not come to doe any personal! hurte to the English or other marchants, but only to revenge him selfe of Oroin Zeb (the great Mogol), because hee had invaded his counttry, had killd some of his relations, and that hee would only have the English and Duch give him some treasure and hee would not medle with their houses, else hee would doe them all mischeefe possible. Mr. Smith desired him to send a guard with him to the English house least hee should finde any mollestation from his men, but hee answers as yet hee must not goe away, but comands liim to bee carried to the rest of tbe marchants, where, when hee came, hee found the embassador from the great king of Ethiopia vnto Oram Zeb prisoner, and pinioned with a great number Banians and others in the same condition : hauing set there some tyme, about halfe an hower, hee is seised vpon by a cupple of black rogges, and pinioned in that extremety that hee hath brought away the marke in his armes with him ; this what hee writt and part of what he related when wee gott him againe. The president by the messenger one of Sevagee men, as we imagined, returned answer that hee wounderd at him, that professing peace hee should detaine an English man prissoner, and that if he would send him home, and not to suffer his people to come so neere his house as to give cause of suspition, hee would hurt none of his men, other wayes hee was vpon his owne defence upon these tearmes ; wee were all Wedensday and vntil Thursday about tow at afternoon, when perceiueing tops of lances on the other side of a neighbour house, and haueing called to the men to depart and not come so neere vs, but thay not stirring and intending as wee concluded to sett fier to the house, on the quarter whereby our house would have been in most eminent danger of being fiered alsoe, the president comanded twenty men vnder the comand of Mr. Garrard Aungier, brother to my lord Aungier, to sally forth vpon them, and another party of about soe many more to make good their retrcate, they did soe, and when they facd them, judgd them to bee about twenty-five horsmen well mounted, they discharged at them and wounded one man and one horse, the rest fac'd about and fled but made a shift to carry off their wounded man, but the horse fell, haueing gone a little way ; what became of the wounded man we cannot tell, but Mr. Smith saw him brought into the armey upon mens shoulders and shewed there to Sevagee ; two of our men were hurt, one shott slightly into the legg with an arrow, the other rashlyparting from the rest and runing on before was cutt deep ouer the shoulder, but thanks to God in a faire way of recovery.
On Wedensday afternoone a party of the enemy came downe to Hogee Said Begs house, hee then in the castle, one of a prodigous estate, and brake open the vndefended doores, and ther continued all that night long and till next day, that we sallyed out vpon their men on the other quarter of our house, they appeared by two or three at a tyme vpon the tope of his liouse, to spye what preparations wee made, but as yet had no order to fier vpon them, we heard them all night long beating and breaking open chests and doores, with great maules, but were not much concerned for him, for had the wretch had soe much heart as to have stood vpon his guard, the 20 part of what they tooke. from liim, would have Iiiered soe many men as would haue secured all the rest ; when they heard that we wear abroad in the streets they imediatly in hast deserted the house, and that as it afterwards appeared, in such hast as to leave tow baggs of mony dropt downe behind them, yet with intention as they told the people they mett (such poore wretches as had nothing to loose and knew not whether to flye) to returne next day [to] fier the house, but that was prevented. On Friday morning, the president sent vnto the castle to Hogee Said Beg to know whether he would permitt him to take possession of and secure a great company of warehouses of his adjoyneiug to our house, and wich would bee of great consequence to preserve both his goods and our house, hee testified his willingness, and immediately from the tope of our house by help of a ladder we entred it, and haueing found the enemie, haueing beene all "VVedensday afternoon and night till past Thursday noone plundering the great house, had likewise entered and begun to plunder his first warehouse, but were scard and that little hurt was done, they had time to carry nothing that is yet knowne of, and only broken open certaine vessells of quickesilver, which there lay spilt about the warehouse in great quantetye ; wee locked it vp and put a guard in the roome next the street, wich through help of a belcoone secured by thicke planks tyed to the belcoone pillers, soe close on to another as no more space was left but for a muskett to play out, was so secured as no approach could bee made againe to the doore of his great house or any passage to the warehouse, but what must come vnder dainger of our shott. In the afternoone on Friday, Sevagee sends Mr. Smith as his messenger to our house with propositions and threats, haueing first made him obhge himselfe to returne, and with all obliging himselfe when he did returne, that hee would doe him noe hurt, what soeuer mesage hee should bring, his message was to send him 3 lacks of rupees ; (every lack is 100,000, and every rupee is worth 2s. 3d.) or elss let his men freely to doe their pleasure to Hogee Said Begs house, if not threatening to come and force vs, and vowed to kill euery person in the house, and to dig vp the houses foundation. To this it was answered by the messenger that came with Mr. Smith, that as for his two propositions he desired tyme to make answer to them till the morrow, they being of soe great moment, and as for Mr. Smith that hee would and did keep him by force, and hee should not returne till than, when if hee could consent to either proposition hee would send him. Mr. Smith being thus returned to vs, youe may bee sure each man was inquisitive to know news ; whoe told vs for their number, they did giue themselues out to bee 10,000, and they were now at least a very considerable armey, since the coming of two rayers with their men whose names hee knew not : that their horse were very good, and soe indeed, those wich we saw were : that when hee came away, hee could not guess by the mony heaped vp in tow great heapes before Sevagee his tent, than that he had plundered 20 or 25 lack of rup. that the day when hee came away in the morning, there was brought in neere vpon 300 porters laden each with tow baggs of rupees, and some hee guessed to bee gold, that thay brought in 28 sere of large pearle, with many other jewels, great diamonds, rubies, and emeralds (40 sere make 37 pound weight) and these with an increedable quantety of mony, they found at the house of the reputed richest marchant in the world, his name is Verge Vora, his estate haueing beene esteemed to bee 80 lack of rup.
That they were still every hower, while hee was there, bringing in loods of mony from his house ; his desire of mony is soe great, that he spares noe harbours cruelty to extort confessions from his prisoners, whip them most cruely, threatens death, and often executeth it, [if] they doe not produce soe much as hee thinks they may, or desires they should, at least cutts of one hand, some tymes both ; a very great many there were, who hearing of his coming went forth to him, thinking to fare the better, but found there fault to there cost ; as one whoe come to our house for cure, hee went forth to meete him and told him he was come from about Agra with cloth, and had brought 40 oxen loaded with it, and that hee came to present him with it all, or elss what part hee should please to command. Sevagee asked him if he had no mony, hee answered that he had not as yet sold any cloth since hee came to towne, and that he had no mony : the villaine made his right hand to bee cutt of imediately, and than bid him begone, he had noe need of his cloth ; the poore old man returns, findes his cloth burnt, and himselfe destetute of other harbor, comes to the Enghsh house where hee is dresed and fed.
But to proceed, Mr. Smith farther tells vs, that on Thursday their came a young fellow with some condition from the govenor, wich pleased Sevagee not at all, soe that hee asked the fellow whether his marster, being now by him cooped up in his chamber, thought him a woman to accept such conditions. The fellow imediately returns, " and we are not women ; I have somewhat more to say to youe ; " drawes his dagger, and runs full at Sevagee breast ; a fellow that stood by with a sword redy drawne, strikes between him and Sevagee, and strikes his hand almost of, soe that [it] hung but by a pece of flesh ; the fellow haueing made his thrust at Sevagee with all his might, did not stop, but ran his bloody stumpp against Sevagee breast, and with force both Sevagee and hee fell together, the blood being seen upon Sevagee the noise run through the camp that hee was killed, and the crye went, kill the prisoners, where upon some were miserably hacked ; but Sevagee hauing quitted himselfe, and hee that stood by hauing clouen the fellows scull, comand was given to stay the execution, and to bring the prisoners before him, wich was imediately done, and Sevagee according as it came in his minde caused them to cut of this mans head, that mans right hand, both the hands of a third. It comes to Mr. Smith turne, and his right hand being comanded to bee cutt of, hee cryed out in Indostan to Sevagee, rather to cutt of his head, vnto wich end his hatt was taken of, but Sevagee stopt execution and soe praised be God hee escaped.
There were than about four heads and 24 hands cutt of after that Mr. Smith was come away, and retayned by the president, and they heard the answer hee sends the embassador of Ethiopea, whome liee had sett free upon delivery of 12 horses and some other things, sent by his king to Oron Zeb, to tell the Enghsh that hee did intend to visitt vs, and to raise the house and kill every man of vs.
The president resolutly answers that we were redy for him and resolued not to stire, but let him come when hee pleased, and since hee had as hee saide resolued to come, hee bid him come one pore, that is about the tyme of a watch, sooner than hee intended. With this answer tlie ambassador went his way, and wee heard no farther from him any more but in the terrible noise of the fier and the hideous smoke wich wee saw, but by Gods mercy came not soe neere vs as to take hold of vs, ever blessed be his name. Thursday and Friday nights were the most terrible nights for fier : on Friday after hee had ransaked and dug vp Vege Voras house, hee fiered it and a great vast number more towards the Dutch house, a fier soe great as turnd the night into day; as before the smoke in the day tyme had almost turnd day into night ; rising soe thicke as it darkened the sun like a great cloud. On Sunday morning about 10 a clocke as thay tell vs hee went his way. And that night lay six courss of, and next day at noone was passed over Brooch river, there is a credable information that he hath shipt his treasure to carry into his own country, and Sr George Oxenden hath sent a fregate to see if hee can light of them, wich God grant. We kept our watch still till Tuesday.
I had forgote to writte you the manner of their cutting of mens hands, which was thuss ; the person to suffer is pinioned as streight as possibly they can, and then when the nod is giuen, a soldier come with a whitle or blunt knife and throws the poore patient downe vpon his face, than draws his hand backwards and setts his knee upon the prisoners backe, and begins to hacke and cutt on one side and other about the wrest, in the meane tyme the poore man roareth exceedingly, kicking and bitting the ground for very anguish, when the villiane perceiues the bono to bee laid bare on all sides, hee setteth the wrest to his knee and giues it a snap and proceeds till he hath hacked the hand quite of, which done thay force him to rise, and make him run soe long till through paine and loss of blood he falls downe, they then vnpinion him and the blood stops.”
(Printed in Simon Wilkin (ed.), The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume III: Containing Urn-burial, Christian Morals, Miscellananies, Correspondence, Etc. ( London,1852), pp. XX-XX)
