DONALD CAMPBELL MET AYAZ KHAN IN 1782
It is always difficult to find first person accounts,on Malayali historical personalities,of the earlier centuries,unless they were kings.Even for them,they have to be exemplary,or wayward,to find a mention.At the time, the Malayali,Muhammad Ayaz Khan(1713-1799),was the Commander and later,Governor of Hyder Ali, in Chitradurga and Later at Bednur,the legendary Raja Kesavadas was the Dewan of Travancore,under Dharmaraja.Both of them,complemented each other,like Hyder and Ayaz.Ayaz Khan,was,Velluvakkammaran Nambiar,before he was converted to Islam(see my post,Ayaz Khan(Nambiar).
Raja Kesavadas was not from a distinguished family,like,Velluvakkammaran.He was an accountant apprentice of traders,Puthukkada Chettiar and Pokkumoosa Marikkar.Fortune struck him,when he once accompanied Marikkar to see Dharmaraja,in the palace.He,as Commander, made Tipu Sultan to retreat,when he reached the border,and in recognition,he was made the Dewan,by the Raja.
Though,there are a lot of historical records on him,it is scant in the case of Ayaz Khan.Both,Hyder Ali,and he,were,illiterates.It is here, the book,A Journey over Land in India,by Donald Campbell of Barbreck(1751-1804),published in London,in the year 1795,is of immense help.It contains the story of his real life encounter with Ayaz Khan,in Bednur,in May,1782.It was the last phase of Ayaz Khan,as Governor.Donald,was a Captain in the Cavalry Regiment of the Carnatic Nawab,Muhammad Alikhan Walla Jah(1717-1795) at age,30.Walla Jah,an ally of the English East India Company,had breached the promise in failing to surrender Tiruchirappalli, to Hyderali in 1751.It was at the root of many confrontations of Hyder with the British.When Hyder swept into Carnatic,towards Arcot,on 23 July,1780,it was not the Nawab,but the British who provoked the wrath of Hyder,by seizing the French port of Mahe,which was under his protection.For the defence of his territory,Nawab paid 1,60,000 pounds per annum to the British,and 10 out of the 21 Battalions of Madras Infantry were posted to garrison his forts.Donald Campbell was part of this. After retirement,he went to England,but embarked on a journey by land from Belgium to India and the Middle East.He was shipwrecked on his trip from Goa to Madras, was washed ashore at Bednur,and taken prisoner by the soldiers of Ayaz Khan,on May 21,1782.
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| Walla Jah:Portrait by George Willison |
Since,there are several Donald Campbells,the Donald,who was captive in Bednur,is called,Donald Campbell,the traveller.He was the son of Col Colin Campbell Senior,of Barbreck,who belonged to a Highland Scottish clan,whose lands were in Argyll,Scotland.The chief of the clan became the Earl and later,the Duke of Argyll.
It was Sir Cailein Mor Campbell's grandfather,Dugald on Lochawe,who is said to have been the first to be given the nick name,"Caim Beul",since he apparently had the trait of talking out of one side of his mouth."Caim Beul",means,wry or curved mouth in Gaelic.This Duncan was so much loved by his family that they took his nick name as their family name and held to it,even beyond the influential,Argyll.The spelling,originally,was,Cambel.When Robert the Bruce's son, David became king of Scotland,he brought with him,a number of Norman knights,known for efficiency in administration.Cambel became,Campbell under Norman infuence.
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| Inveraray Castle of the Duke of Argyll |
Donald Campbell made the journey by way of Belgium,Tyrol,Venice,Alexandria,Aleppo,Diyarbekr,Mosul,Baghdad,Bushire,Mumbai and Goa.He was shipwrecked in the Indian ocean,made a prisoner by Hyderali,but was subsequently released.The book he wrote on the voyage became,very popular.The full name of the book is,A Journey over Land to India,by Donald Campbell of Barbreck,who formerly commanded a regiment of Cavalry in the service of the Nabob of Carnatic:in a series of letters to his son.Its abridged version came in 1796,as,Narrative of Adventures.The third part of the book,Shipwreck and Captivity,was published in 1800.He also published,Letter to the Marquis of Lorn on the Present Times,in 1798,protesting party factionalism,in connection with the war with France.
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| Duke Crest |
Let us see his account in the book,in third person:
The aim was to visit the lesser known places in the East.The journey became interesting,from Baghdad.Robbers made several attacks when he took a boat down in the Tigris to Basra.After 10 days he reached Muscat in a date boat,hoping to reach Mumbai from there.The boat sprang a leak and ran into Bush ire,where the Resident of the East India Company received them.He boarded a British vessel to Mumbai,from where,he embarked on a Portuguese vessel to Goa,and then to Madras.The overloaded vessel,after 19 days out(a version says the vessel started on May 18 and was caught in winds next day) from Goa,ran into monsoon and a hurricane.Thrown into the mercy of winds and waves,it grounded some distance from a shore.Donald was carried ashore,clinging to a piece of the wreckage,and lost consciousness after being washed up on the beach.He was in Bednur,which had been renamed,Hydernagara.Only 14 Portuguese Lascars and two out of 11British men survived.The other Britisher was a passenger,named,Hall.All were taken prisoners,and left to spent the night standing in a small shed.A long journey followed,and they were put in a hut,together,exposed to wind and rain.An old woman threw little rice,in the night.It was informed that the Governor would give audience,by 6 PM.
In Donald's account,Governor Ayaz Khan is,Hyat Singh,not even Hyat Khan.He is termed Jamedar or Governor in the book,at Donald's will.
Among the people who were there during audience,Donald identified some soldiers,who were with him in his Carnatic Cavalry.After taking up native cases first,Hyat Sahib ordered Donald and the rest to prostrate before him.But Donald and Hall,instead of prostration,only gave a salaam.Ayaz asked Donald about England and the East India Company,and he was cautious in replies.Ayaz boasted of the power Hyder wielded over the British,which Donald didn't believe.A Sepoy in the crowd told Ayaz that Donald had been an army officer and he belonged to a distinguished family.Then,Ayaz became mild,changed his tone, gave him a seat,and said meeting him,for Donald,was a fortunate event.Donald and Hall were put in a room separately from the Lascars.
Donald was called next day, Ayaz made an offer to be the Commander of the 5000 strong force.Donald refused,saying he won't fight against his own country men.He was called once again,and was asked to reconsider.When he refused to relent,Ayaz used every argument and threat.Weeks and months passed on, Donald and Hall were put on chains together,and were starved.When Hall died,the corpse was not removed for several days.When he received information that Ayaz planned to kill him,Donald was given assurance of escape by a young Chief,whose father Donald had helped once.Then the news of the death of Hyder came.History says,General Matthews,Commander of the British force stationed in Bednur,interfered on Donald's behalf,for his release. |
| Arakkal insignia |
On the way to escape,it dawned on Donald that he could do a service to his country now,since the new king,Tipu Sultan,was a sworn enemy of Ayaz.He went back,to see Ayaz,crest fallen.Ayaz asked Donald to escape,since the Britishers have captured the Ghats.Donald advised Ayaz to make amends with the British,who have become victorious."But,of what use can your advise be to me now?",Ayaz asked.When Donald insisted,Ayaz,sought the help of Donald,to go to General Matthews and work out the terms.Ayaz warned:"If you do not return by daybreak tomorrow,I will set fire to the town with all the stores and the gun powder magazine.Six thousand horse and a thousand foot soldiers are now on their way from Srirangapattana.I will tell them to hasten if you do not come.If Tipu meets the English army in the open field,he will give them cause to repent of their rashness."
Matthews woke up from sleep to see his old friend,Donald,"unshaven,uncombed,with no cap or stockings,clothed only in a ragged shirt and breeches,with Indian slippers".Everything was worked out within an hour.When Donald returned in a palanquin,Ayaz sought few more days to arrive at a decision.It was evident that he was confused.Realizing delay might be fatal,taking advantage of the confusion reigning in the City,Donald collected his former troops men and posted them at the gates,the powder magazine and key points and set off to meet the General.The General had already pushed on with his advance guard.Terms were quickly worked out with the beleaguered Ayaz,and the British flag was hoisted over the city.It was 28,January,1783.Donald had gained a province for Britain.He was sent soon by Matthews with dispatches to Madras and Mumbai.
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| Campbell insignia |
Donald,then,proceeded by sea to Anjengo(Anchuthengu),traveled by land through Travancore,Tirunelveli, Madurai,Tiruchirapalli,Thanjavur,Nagapattinam and Madras,with Lord Macartney's permission.It was after going to Kolkata,on behalf of Ayaz Khan, and negotiating with Warren Hastings,that he returned over land to Madras and then to Anjengo.From Madras,he boarded a vessel to China.He returned to England in 1785.He was absent in England for four years and five months.
It was during his journey in Kerala,he received the news of General Matthews taking poison in prison.Tipu had recaptured Bednur and taken him prisoner.
Donald remembers,he met a Dewan Bahadur from Chirakkal,as prisoner in Bednur.He was tortured to divulge the previous king's wealth.
Donald Campbell died at Hutton,Sussex,on 5 June,1804.He left a son,the Genealogist,Frederick William Campbell(1782-1846).He was Captain in the 1st Regiment of Guards.After succeeding his father,he disposed off the estate in Argylshire and took residence in Suffolk.In 1830,he printed privately,a work:A Letter to Mrs Campbell of Barbreck,containing an Account of the Campbells of Barbreck from their first Ancestors to the present Time.He had married Sophia,daughter of the British MP,Sir Edward Warrington.
Reference:
1.A Journey Over Land to India/Donald Campbell
2.Dictionary of Indian Biography/Charles Edward Buckland
3.Dictionary of National Biography/Stanley Lane-Pool
4.A History of Clan Campbell From Forbidden to the Resurrection/Alastair Campbell
5.Campbell Genealogy and Campbell Family History Introduction/Geni.com
See my PostSHEIKH MUHAMMAD AYAZ KHAN(NAMBIAR)
