Foster 40

Tellicherry, Kerala, c.1731

A large goods-shed, with open sides and a fence, stands near the shore; and a few houses are visible behind and at the side. To the left is the fort, from a bastion of which flies the Union Jack. It contains two considerable buildings and some subsidiary ones; and from its front a high gateway leads into a walled compound extending to the seashore. Behind rise well-wooded hills with a range of mountains in the background. In the foreground are three ships, two of which are flying English colours; a country boat is seen to the right, and several others are drawn up on the beach.

31 by 46 ins (78.5 by 117 cms)

Tellicherry is a seaport on the west coast of India, forty-two miles north of Calicut. The East India Company settled a factory there towards the close of the seventeenth century, as a convenient station for the purchase of pepper and cardamons, for which the surrounding districts were famous. As such it became a post of some importance, as is shown by its inclusion in this series of paintings. The fort was built about 1708. By 1776, trade having fallen off to some extent, the station was reduced to a residency, but in 1784 it was restored to its former rank, and continued on that footing down to 1794, when the factory was finally abolished. In 1780 it was beseiged by Sardar Khan, the general of Haidar ‘Ali of Mysore. The garrison held out until the end of 1781, when Major Abington arrived from Bombay with reinforcements, attacked the enemy, and forced them to raise the seige.

Exhibited: Guildhall Art Gallery, ‘Samuel Scott Exhibition,’ June 1955.