The attack at the British Residency – Cochin Dec 29, 1808
As we read in the lengthy article that I wrote some years
ago on Velu Thampi Dalawa’s reign in Travancore, and his revolt against the
British EIC, leading to his death, there is a mention of the attack by the
Travancore Nair’s on the residence of the first British resident for Travancore
& Cochin, Colin Macaulay. We will get into the events of that night in more detail and as promised, discuss the details of Macaulay’s escape and the
person who helped save him, if only to clear some conflicting information between
sources.
Where did it happen?
The Bolgatty Island is a short ride away from Kochi, North
of Willingdon, and complete with its own palatial building. This was apparently
the place where Colin Macaulay resided according to some sources, during the
attack. Other sources simply mention
that he was at the residency house in Cochin, when the attack occurred. Let’s
revisit the scene to check it all out.
The attack
The Cochin state manual says - At midnight on
the 18th December six hundred men commanded by the Acchan and two of Velu
Tambi's officers entered Cochin, surrounded the Resident's house, and opened a
smart fire of musketry. They soon overpowered the guard, entered and pillaged
the building, and destroyed all the public records, but to their chagrin, they
could nowhere find Macaulay and Kunjikrishna Menon, whose murder was one of the
first objects of the insurgents. With the help of a confidential Portuguese
clerk under him, the Resident managed to conceal himself in a recess in the
lower chamber, and in the morning escaped to a British ship that was just
entering the harbor with part of the reinforcements from Malabar. Kunjikrishna
Menon similarly escaped from Mattancheri and joined Macaulay on board the ship.
The insurgents in their fury broke open the jail and let the prisoners loose,
plundered the houses, and spread consternation and havoc in the town. But on the
approach of reinforcements, they retreated from Cochin and joined the forces
that were being collected to the north of the town…
The Land of the Perumals - Francis Day - On December
29th, 1808, at half-past 2 A. M., nearly six hundred armed sepoys, belonging to
Travancore, arrived at the southern side of Cochin: and rushing to the
Resident's house, then occupied by Colonel Macaulay, at once obtained
possession, and destroyed everything they could discover including all the
Public Records, both of the Magistracy, and Revenue. They searched everywhere
for the Resident, but he was enabled to escape, with his escort of sepoys, and
got on board a Pattimar. The jail was broken open, and the prisoners set loose:
consternation, and fear, were so universal, that no resistance was at that time
attempted.
Col. Macaulay, feeling his insecurity at Cochin, embarked in
the grab Snow, taking with him the treasure, and also the men, of H. M. 12th
foot. He lay off Cochin, in hopes that should reinforcements arrive, he might
be able to land the few men with him, who alone, were insufficient to defend
the place, but might be serviceable, in conjunction with other troops. Many of
the inhabitants, removed to Calicut. But on the following day, matters did not
appear so serious, and accordingly, the Resident and his escort re-landed.
Shungoony Menon’s History of Travancore - The
detachment moved from Quilon and Alleppey in covered boats, accompanied by
Vycome Padmanabha Pillay, an intimate friend of the Dewan, who acted as his
chief secretary, and the troops collected in the northern districts under the
command of Cunju Cuty Pillay Sarvadhikariakar, stationed at Alangaud, also
moved in covered boats to Cochin and both the forces effected a junction at
Calvathi, at about midnight on the 28th of December. They surrounded Colonel Macaulay’s
house and opened fire. The sudden report of musketry, at an unusual hour,
surprised Colonel Macaulay, and with the assistance of a confidential
Portuguese clerk, he managed to conceal himself, and in the morning got on
board a pattimar at first, and subsequently on board the British ship
“Piedmontese" which had just reached the Cochin roads, Cunju Krishna Menon
also effected his escape uninjured, and joined Colonel Macaulay on board the
ship.
Padmanabha Menon’s notes on Vissicher’s ‘Letters from
Malabar - This state of unpleasantness continued for some time, the
Cochin Dewan making attempts to encroach on British power till at last,
inspired by the Travancore Dewan Velu Thampy, the cochin minister, Paliath
Achan, joined the former in violently attacking Cochin and attempting to murder
the British Resident, Col. Macaulay, who was then
living in what is now the Court house and Cutchery. Six hundred of
the Travancoreans made a mad rush on the Resident's house at half-past two A.
M., on the 29th December 1808, obtained possession of it and destroyed
everything. They failed in finding Col. Macaulay, as he had already effected
his escape along with his escort and got on board a Pattimar.
Summary
We can see that the original mentions are residency, however, recent writeups have started to mention that this occurred at Bolgatty. Macaulay does not mention in his report the details of his escape, but only mentions the attack and the pillage. We can also note that as the attack occurred, Macaulay fled to the Jew town. What can thus be established is that he stayed at the residency building in Mattanchery, the old Cutchery.
Where was the old Courthouse situated?
Lawson describes it in British and Native Cochin - This
was located in Mattanchery. The Flagstaff, erected on the ruined Tower of the
Cathedral, is in front; behind is the Cutcherry or Courthouse, a painfully
white building; around are heavy-looking white, yellow, or grey houses, all
tiled, mostly surrounded by high walls, and generally very economical in
windows. It is generally opined that this became known as the Bastion
Bungalow, a sea-facing Dutch heritage structure originally built in 1667.
The Residency –Taluk Cutcherry
Francis Day provides further details - The British
Resident of Travancore and Cochin, at first took up his quarters, in the house
now employed as a Cutcherry, whilst the town was of course garrisoned by
British troops…. The Cutcherry, is reputed to have been in Portuguese times,
the residence of the priests, of the neighbouring ruined Cathedral of Santa
Cruz. Many are the vicissitudes through which this building has passed. Here
the Nairs broke in, and tried to murder the British Resident: since this
period, it has been appropriated in the following manner: The lower rooms as
prisons for criminals, some of the upper ones as a jail for debtors. When
troops were in the town, it was a mess-house for the officers, the Fiscal
otherwise resided in it, and one room was set aside for the Magistrate,
whenever he should visit the place. When the troops were decreased, and a
“mess-house no longer required, still the Magistrate of Malabar, for a
considerable period, retained his room there." At last, it was decided to
locate the Sudr Ameens Court at one end, and that of the Fiscal with the
record-room at the other: the prisoners were placed in the centre, and the
rooms surrounding the yard, on the ground floor, were appropriated to their
use. This partition of the building, still remains in force: the portion
occupied by criminals, is calculated to hold 60, allowing each 519 cubic feet
of air. Solitary cells have been erected for Europeans, in which they are
generally tormented by mosquitoes, and irritated by prickly heat.
Malabar and Anjengo – CF Innes we note that -The
old Commandant's house still stands on the north-west bastion of the fort near
the river bank, and a few hundred yards south of the English Club are the gates
of what was once the Governor's residence. The lighthouse stands on the
south-west bastion of the fort, and near the bishop’s palace traces of the
walls and moat are still visible. The Deputy Collector's office is an
interesting building with a history going back to Portuguese times, when it was
the residence of the priests attached to the cathedral. In the rising of 1808
the Nayars burst into the buildings and tried to murder Colonel Macaulay, the
Resident. When Cochin was a military station, it was the officers' mess and
subsequently the upper rooms were the Fiscal's office and the lower were used
as a jail.
The Bastion Bungalow
The Cochin light-house was on a small mound that formed the
bastion of the old fort to the south of the harbor. At some point in time, this
building became Rev Williams’s parsonage, and there is also a mention that it
had been used as the home of the Portuguese R.C. Bishop of Cochin and a
convent. It is believed that this was used by resident Colin Macaulay.
But was the Bastion Bungalow the residency and later the sub-collector’s office? Looking at Innes’s accounts, we can conclude it was. However, the advent of its name - as the Bastion House or Bungalow is not clear, since it cannot be
found in any British records I chanced on. VVK Valath adds that ‘Bastion house’
was originally the name associated with
Dutch Governor’s house, which had been destroyed by the British and partially
rebuilt, but per the British accounts, the Parsonage became the British
Residency/Cutcherry. Presumably, they are one and the same!
Note: The new court and Dewans Cutcherry building were
later built in 1813 at Ernakulam. The fort Cochin building was the Taluk Cutcherry,
later the Deputy collector’s office and residence.
Jewish records of Macaulay’s escape
Let us zoom into the account of Naphtalie Rotenburg, the person
who saved the life of Macaulay, drawing from Prof Dr Walter J Fischel’s study
of the Rotenburgs of Cochin
Quoting Dr Fischel - The circumstances which saved
Macauley's life and allowed him to escape are recorded in Hebrew sources. They
credit his survival to one of the leaders of the Jewish community in Cochin at
that time, namely Naphtali Rotenburg, and reported that Macauley escaped and
fled to the Jewish quarter (rehov hayehudim) in "Jew- town", where he
did hide himself in the house or more specifically in the washroom of the house
of Naphtali Rotenburg, a prominent White Jew of Cochin.
It seems that Colonel Macauley was acquainted with
Naphtali Rotenburg as evidenced by a reference to "a Jew named Naphtali
who enjoys the confidence of the Rajah of Cochin" in a letter sent by him
to the government of Travancore on November 23, 1808.
In any case, the view continued to persist that
Macauley's life was saved through the help of this Cochin Jew and this view was
strengthened by tangible evidence, in the form of a gift consisting of silver
lamps and a gold and silver cylinder for the scroll of the Torah, presented by
Colonel Macauley to the Paradesi Synagogue in Cochin as a token of gratitude
for being helped to escape. This connection between Macauley, Naphtali
Rotenburg and the Jews of Cochin is also confirmed by the report of James
Welsh, who during his visit to the synagogue of Cochin in 1818 refers to silver
cases of "five copies of the Pentateuch written in Hebrew characters"
on vellum and describes how "each case is covered with rich brocade and
one is surmounted with a golden crown and other ornaments, the of Colonel
Macauley, when Resident there."
There is also a separate mention of a crown gifted to the synagogue
by Colin Macaulay. It is also mentioned by Welsh that Naphathalie was the
Jewish Chief at that time.
Conclusion
It ended badly for Veluthampi who after a desperate flight, committed
suicide seeing that his co-conspirators had deserted him. Macaulay let his murderous
rage come to the fore and paraded the dead Dewans’s body gleefully in
Travancore, later ordering the loot of his house and those of his relatives. Macaulay
thus fell afoul of his superiors and was quickly replaced as resident. After
falling seriously ill, Macaulay retired to Britain in 1810. Ill health plagued
him for the rest of his single nomadic life, later spent in Biblical pursuits,
abolition of slavery, and public service. He was credited with the popularization
of the Tarisapalli copper plates and the Codex Zacynthius. It is said that the
assassination attempt was overplayed by him and went on to fetch British public
support.
The British high command at Madras, however, mistrusted Colin Macaulay and withheld reinforcements, feeling that
he was providing wrong reports about people and the situation at Travancore and
Cochin, much prone to exaggeration. As Hannah puts it - By misrepresenting the goings-on in Travancore, Macaulay endangered his credit with the Company, which
in turn meant that he could not rely on their support when his very life was in
danger.
The Bolgatty Palace
The Land of the Permauls, Or, Cochin, Its Past and Its Present – Francis Day
History Of Kerala Written in The Form of Notes on Visscher’s Letters from Malabar – KPP Menon
Cochin State Manual - C. Achyuta Menon
The Rotenburg family in Dutch Cochin of the eighteenth century - Walter J. Fischel
British and native Cochin - Lawson, Charles Allen
The Residents of the British East India Company at Indian royal courts, c. 1798-1818 - Callie Hannah Wilkinson
Maddy’s Ramblings – The Veluthampi Revolt 1807-1809
For nice pictures of the Bastion Bungalow – check this link
Other Pics – Wikimedia,
Archeology India, thanks to uploaders
