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Mss Eur Orme OV.292

Record Id:
040-003677767
Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
032-002305428
MDARK:
ark:/81055/vdc_100104452209.0x000001
LARK:
SLARK:
Format:
ISAD(G)
Reference (shelfmark):
Mss Eur Orme OV.292
Title:
Letters from Col. Forde
Scope & Content:
p. [i]. Note as follows :- Letters from Col. Forde. Originals.
  • 1, pp. 1-3 (25 x 19 cm.). Letter, dated Calcutta, 1 March 1758, from Francis Forde to Clive. Possibly original. Says that he came to Bengal at the request of the Bengal Council, but that, as they will not grant him the terms to which he considered himself entitled, he intended to return to England. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 33.
  • 2, pp. 5-6 (35 x 20.7 cm.). Letter, dated Cossimbuzar, 29 March 1758, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Thanks him for the concern which he has shown in his favour, says that the Governor and Council have granted him the £5,000 which he had demanded as a condition of his taking the command in Bengal and sends a return of the forces. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive’s Right Hand Man, p.184.
  • 3, pp. 9-10 (23 x 18.5 cm.). Letter, dated Cossimbuzar, 11 April 1758, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Says that he wishes to join the army in order to obtain an insight into the state of the country politics. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man , p. 185.
  • 4, pp. 13-15 (24 x 19 cm.). Letter, dated Sydabad, 25 June 1758, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Describes a very riotous celebration of the Anniversary of Plassey.
  • 5, pp. 17-19 (24 x 19 cm.). Letter, dated Sydabad, 27 June 1758, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Congratulates him on his resolve to assume the Governorship, and makes certain proposals regarding military reorganization. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 36.
  • 6, pp. 21-22 (28 x 21.2 cm.). Letter, dated Kedgeree, 3 Oct. 1758, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Says that the pilots refuse to start at once owing to the state of the river, and that a boat has been sunk and three sepoys drowned in getting alongside the Hardwicke. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 186.
  • 7, pp. 25-26 (28 x 21.2 cm.). Letter, date Kedgeree, 5 Oct. 1758, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 187.
  • 8, p. 29 (21.5 x 14 cm.). Letter, dated 6 October 1758, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original.
  • 9, p. 33 (28 x 21.5 cm.). Letter, dated 9 Oct. 1758, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original.
  • 10, pp. 35-36 (24.5 x 19.5 cm.). Letter, dated Rajamindry, 3 Jan. 1759, from Francis Forde to the Select Committee [Bengal]. Duplicate. Reports receipt of a letter from Fort St. George and greatly doubts Lally's chances of success against Madras :- " I must own I have no notion of 3,000 men (allowing he has so many) taking such a place as Madras with a garrison of 1,500 men at least, besides seapoys who are very good behind walls. The affair of the 14th December will convince him he has some of the best soldiers in India to deal with, and if the Nellore Subadar arrives in time with the sepoys from Trichinopoly and Caillaud gets a body of Tanjore horse, which he is sent to solicit, the French will be so harrassed that they will not be able to continue the siege six days." This and the similar opinion expressed by Admiral Pocock (290. 9) are important, as historians have generally laid stress rather upon Lally's mistakes than upon the difficulty of the task he had undertaken.
  • 11, pp. 39-40 (24.5 x 19.5 cm.). Letter, dated Piddapore Camp, 25 January 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Asks for reinforcements; says that he is seriously hindered by want of money, and that the French are recovering their spirits, though he doubts whether Conflans will venture another battle :- "He is determined not to be taken prisoner unless by a greyhound, for he supped at Rajamendry the night of the engagement, which is at least fifty miles from the field of action"; says that he has sent Conflans' letters to Carnac. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 72.
  • 12, pp. 43-44 (24.5 x 19.5 cm.). Letter, dated Illour, 22 Feb. 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Duplicate. Presses for reinforcements; says that the news from Madras is good:- "If Mr. Lally either gets into Madras or makes good his retreat to Pondicherry I shall have a great opinion of his capacity as a General. All is at stake with him, a Marchall of France or nothing." Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 193.
  • 13, pp. 47-48 (38.5 x 24 cm.). Letter, dated Illour, 22,. February 1759, from Francis Forde to the Select Committee, Bengal. Copy. Says that Mr. Andrews has made arrangements with the Raja for the conduct of the campaign.
  • 14, p. 49 (38.5 1 x 24 cm.). Letter, dated Vizagapatam, 13 March 1759, from John Andrews to the Select Committee, Bengal. Copy.
  • 15, pp. 51-52 (37 x 24 cm.). Copy of No. 13 above.
  • 16, p. 52 (37 x 24 cm.). Copy of No. 14 above.
  • 17, pp. 55-56 (30.3 x 18.5 cm.). A Copy of requests made by Col. Forde to Nabob Salabat Jung and his compliance thereto in his own hand as will appear hereunder. Duplicate. Copy. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 199. Another copy is to be found in Aitchison's Treaties.
  • 18 pp. 59-61 (29.5 x 24 cm.). Rough copy of No. 17 above.
  • 19, pp. 63-67 (31.5 x 18.6 cm.). Letter, dated Masulipatam, 14 June 1759, from Francis Forde to the Select Committee, Bengal. Original. Gives his reasons for storming Masulipatam and the numbers of the men engaged on both sides and those of the killed and wounded; mentions the good behaviour of Captain Sampson (of the Hardwicke), and the retirement of Salabat Jang after attempting to obtain his assistance against his brother Nizam Ali, Forde at the same time failing to cause a final breach between Salabat Jang and the French. An extract from this letter is printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive’s Right Hand Man, p. 109.
  • 20, pp. 71-72 (22 x 18.5 cm.). Letter, dated Masulipatam, 14 June 1759, from Francis Forde to the Select Committee, Bengal. Original. Reports the capture of Masulipatam on the night of the 7th and 8th of April; advises to keep Masulipatam for Bengal, but, if it is to be given up to Madras, to withdraw the Bengal troops because "both officers and men have an utter aversion to being put on that [i.e., the Madras] establishment."
  • 21, pp. 75-80 (22 x 18.5 cm.). Letter, dated Masulipatam, 16 June 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Gives details of the capture of Masulipatam, and of the extraordinary behaviour of Captain Callender. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 195.
  • 22, p. 83 (24.5 x 19 cm.). Letter, dated Masulipatam, 30 June 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Duplicate.
  • 23, pp. 87-88 (37 x 24 cm.). Letter, dated Masulipatam, 3 July 1759, from Francis Forde to the Council, Madras. Copy. Says that he has sent them 400 Madras sepoys, but that it is impossible for him to march to Madras in contravention of the orders received by him from the Bengal Council, and that, his sepoys having mutinied owing to arrears of pay, he had been forced to blow two of them from the guns.
  • 24, pp. 91-92 (36.3 x 24 cm.). Letter, dated Masulipatam, 8 August 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive and the Select Committee, Bengal. Copy. Asks instructions as to his relations with Nizam Ali; says that the Madras Council will give him no assistance, and therefore he must be supported from Bengal or his force placed under the orders of Madras.
  • 25, pp 95-96 (24 x 19 cm.). Letter, dated Masulipatam, 23 August 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Suggests action against Moraçin at Ganjam.
  • 26, p. 99 (29.4 x 19.5 cm.). Copy of a letter, without date or signature, to the Dutch at Chinsura. In French. Gives instructions as to the escort of the Malay soldiers in the Dutch service to their ships.
  • 27, p. 101 (21.5 x 16.5 cm.). Letter, dated Chittapore, 22 Nov. 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Says that he has everything prepared to meet the Dutch. A part of this letter is printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 132.
  • 28, p. 105 (21.5 x 16.5 cm.). Letter, dated 23 Nov. 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Describes his arrangements for obtaining intelligence of the Dutch.
  • 29, pp. 109-110 (21.5 x 16.5 cm.). Letter, dated 24 Nov. 1759, from Francis Forde to John Carnac. Original. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 201.
  • 30, pp. 115-116 (10.5 x 16.5 cm.). Letter, dated two or three corse from Chinsurah, 25 Nov. 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Reports his victory over the Dutch. This is commonly known as the victory of Biderra, a name which does not appear on any map, but is probably a mispronunciation of Bhadreshwar. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 203.
  • 31, p. 117 (10.5 x 16.5 cm.). Letter, dated 25 Nov. 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Gives further details of his victory. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 203.
  • 32, p. 119 (20.5 x 16.2 cm.). Letter, dated 25 Nov. 1759, from Francis Forde to Clive. Original. Sends down Col. Roussel and other Dutch officers. Printed in Col. Lionel Forde's Clive's Right Hand Man, p. 204.
  • 33, pp. 123-124 (32.3 x 20.3 cm.). List of Letters for Mr. Orme. This deals with three packets of letters, of which the first is bound up as Volume 291, the second as Volume 292, but the remaining packet, containing correspondence between Mr. John Andrews on the one hand and Clive and the Bengal Select Committee on the other, appears to be lacking. The letters in this last packet would appear to be official and therefore should be found in the Bengal Proceedings.
Collection Area:
India Office Records and Private Papers
Project / Collection:
India Office Private Papers
Hierarchy Record Ids:
032-002305428
033-003394094
040-003677767
Is part of:
Mss Eur Orme : Robert Orme papers.
Mss Eur Orme OV. : Orme Various

 

Mss Eur Orme OV.292 : Letters from Col. Forde
Hierarchy:
032-002305428[0001]/033-003394094[0263]/040-003677767
Container:
View / search within Archive / Collection: Mss Eur Orme
Record Type (Level):
File
Extent:
1 part, pp. [i], 124.
Digitised Content:
Languages:
English
French
Scripts:
Latin
Start Date:
1758
End Date:
1759
Date Range:
1758-1759
Era:
CE
Access:

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User Conditions:
Physical Characteristics:

Dimensions: Various sizes, up to 38.5 x 24 cm.

Binding: Vellum-bound volume. The part is bound with numbers 290 and 291.

Material Type:
Archives and Manuscripts
Legal Status:
Not Public Record(s)