‘I saw Haidar’s and Tipu’s wives. Some were handsome but still nothing like the beauties in the Arabian Nights nor no pearls like pigeon’s eggs.’
Around Seringapatam on August 6th, the travellers found the country appeared barren, except for a paddy field here and there. They crossed the river Cauvery in two canoes tied together containing eighty persons. The other kinds of boats were made of basketwork covered with leather and quite round. The river was not very deep, having fallen seven or eight feet during the last three or four days. The elephants walked through and the bullocks swam: the animals were let loose, and the first in regulated the rest. If he went on well, they did, but if he stopped, the other animals followed his example.
Colonel Wellesley, engaged in the war with Dhoondiah, lent the travellers his house and headquarters in Seringapatam, the Doulat Baugh, which had been Tipu’s residence.
We came to the side of the Cauvery before eight o’clock. The country is dreary and covered with stones, which increase as you approach the town. The river had sunk considerably and there could not be the least danger or alarm in passing it which was done in five minutes.
I went to the Doulat Baugh and was received there by Colonel Samin, Major Agra and Captain Marriot. It is close to the river, which is very handsome, rapid with large stones and rocks in the centre. There is a high wall before the veranda to the garden and the entrance is by a small door on one side into the little court. There are four rooms besides the halls and in another court several more I believe formerly inhabited by the ladies. The palace is upon the same plan as that of Bangalore but much smaller. The garden is pretty and there are rows of fountains with flowers in a border round them.
In the evening I went to the mausoleum of Haidar. It is a square room with a large door on the top with a veranda supported by black stone pillars from the Cauvery. The Mausoleum contains the bodies of Haidar, Tipu and his mother, all covered with green and silver cloth. Tipu’s besides with one of gold with flowers spread on them and perfumes burning at their feet. The room is painted with the spots of the Tyger, Tipu’s usual emblems, upon a light brown ground.* There is certainly something very striking in this place. It is kept in high order, a pension being allotted for that purpose and it conveys a great respect to the remains of a dead relation than any European monument can ever do. There is a mosque near it which is painted in the same manner and very neat, the steps for the Iman of the same black, those which when polished have the appearance of marble.
The Lal Baugh is situated in the middle of a very large garden and though upon the same plan as that at Bangalore is much superior to it in proportion. There are two rooms at each end of the gallery that crosses the end of the great hall, very gay and pleasant that has just been fitted up by Colonel Close. He lives in the lower part. When I heard of the desolation and destruction of the cypresses which were in every direction by each side of the walls and that it was done by the English,† I could not wonder so much that Tipu disliked the place and never came to it. The change must be very great. I should have preferred very much being there to the Doulat Baugh, which is noisy from being near the roar of the river and not surrounded by the garden. I forgot to mention that on the walls of the Doulat Baugh is a painting of Baillie’s defeat, most vilely done in the complete Eastern manner without the least regard to perspective. It is on one side of the door. On the other is Tipu … just as he travelled and his old munshi by his side on horseback. Above is Haidar … All are in the usual way of Eastern figures. Those of Baillie’s defeat are very absurd. Some people are without their heads. Others cut in two.
My dear Lord Clive … We are now in the Doulat Baugh, which is pleasantly situated upon the bank of the river. When Colonel Close was at Bangalore it was agreed that as Colonel Wellesley had been so civil about his house it was right to go to that, though I should have preferred the Lal Baugh very much … In the evening we went to the Lal Baugh, which really is charming. The garden is not in great order but the situation is very pleasant and the whole being surrounded by walls and garden is more like Chantilly than any place I know.
We went to Haidar’s fort and saw the remains of Tipu. The place is kept in high order and is beautiful. It certainly gives one more the idea of respect and attention to the dead than any of our monuments.
This morning I have had a visit from Captain Marriott’s [Thomas: later Lieut. Colonel] eight princes. They are fine little boys. The eldest is very like Haidar and Tipu. Afterwards Bucherow made me a visit and I expressed a wish to have the pictures of the Rajah and Rannie to which he says there will not be any objection. Captain Brown afterwards explained to him that it was impossible for me to receive any present of value from any person and begs he prevent any such thing from being offered. This he has promised to do.
We have just heard of Dhoondiah having escaped with his great guns and that his army had in part been surrounded and the rest dispersed except a part which he had sent to another place on the River. His stores, baggage, elephants are all taken. Many of his people threw themselves in the river meaning to swim and were drowned. The great guns fired upon the troops … men and horses killed. I suppose you have heard all this long ago.
Today we breakfast at Colonel Jason’s garden where we are to see the breaches that were made and hear the history of the siege.
Loves from the girls, ever my dear Lord,
yours very affectionately
H. A. C.
Charly in her journal entry for August 7th offered a succinct description of the young princes … ‘The eldest of them is twelve years old, and the youngest between three and four; some of them are good-looking, but they have a little of Tipu’s ferocious look, apparent in all.’
Following a visit to Tipu’s zenana, Charly gave her account of Haidar’s and Tipu’s wives:
‘We saw Haidar’s first. There were thirty or forty of them in a verandah altogether; the head-lady sat in the middle, dressed in a white muslin dress, and a white shawl; all the rest had coloured shawls, which are the only coloured things they can wear, as they are widows; they had one pair of gold earrings only.
‘One of Haidar’s wives could not come out of her room; therefore we went into it. It was, I supposed, at the utmost ten feet long, and six feet broad. The only light it had was from the door. She is a very clever woman, and can read and write Persian, (which not above one in a hundred can). They say she told Tipu, two or three days before the storming of Seringapatam, that she was sure it would be taken and he had better make peace.
‘We went to about nine or ten different verandahs to see them all, some of them were of a very light complexion and were very beautiful. In the last was a relation of Chunda Sahib. She was sitting in the middle of the verandah and cried a great deal; they all did a little, out of form, but she really seemed to feel much. They are very quarrelsome, and seldom meet, but they did so this occasion to see us. They each have slaves, and there is only one man allowed to go into the zenana, to keep the slaves in order.’
I went to the zenana where we were received by the chief guard at the door and conducted to Haidar’s real wife … She has the appearance of having been a very beautiful woman … and from thence to Tipu’s wives and daughters where I saw also the youngest sons who are still in the zenana. Some of the women have fine features and are light brown. His daughters were dressed with jewels and pearls. Their eyes were large and there is a great degree of family likeness between them all. The last we saw was the real wife of Tipu … She was old, rather large, and not handsome. She met me on the step of the veranda and cried so much that it was really painful to see her. She was in more state than the rest and had a carpet of scarlet and gold to sit on supported by cushions. I was really glad to quit her. She was really distressed to a great degree. It is not surprising.
The place where they live is large. The court in the middle has trees planted in it and on each side there are verandas where the ladies sit when they meet together. Their private apartments, I did not see, except that which I have mentioned.
We went through the ceremonies of receiving betel, limes, and not being perfumed, but poisoned with bad oil of sandalwood, besides a shower of rose water. The bottles of the great Begum were filigree. She had more an air of state than the other ladies.
Two or three times a year Tipu visited the zenana in form and they were all drawn out round him. He usually spoke to them for a few minutes and went away. There are women of all castes and religions (Hindus and Christians) but he obliged them to change their religion immediately upon arriving there. Many of them are the children of fathers whom he had destroyed. Whenever any person was executed, he seized their effects and the girls were sent into the zenana. Sometimes there were two or three sisters of the same family. They pretended some of them to cry but I do not think they all did it sincerely.
The Moor women never wear jewels after the death of their husbands, but they have been allowed to keep all they had at Tipu’s death. Tipu had made his father’s wives give up all their jewels and fine clothes when Haidar died. After the death of Tipu when Haidar’s wives found that they were better treated than they themselves had been, a violent quarrel broke out between the ladies. I hear that it proceeded to very violent language and blows as they insisted on dividing the effects of Tipu’s ladies.
When the travellers met Purneah’s family, Charly found that his wife ‘covered with ornaments from head to foot’ was decidedly ‘not handsome’. Likewise, Henrietta described Purneah’s wife in similar terms as ‘not a beauty … [there was] something less graceful in her appearance than those belonging to Tipu’. Charly concluded her narrative of the day’s varied events saying, ‘We saw the gate where Tipu was killed; the marks of blood are still to be seen upon the walls. We dined at Colonel Saxon’s; his house is the one which Futteh Haidar occupied. Afterwards we saw the arsenal, and the palace of the old Rajah of Mysore; it must have been very beautiful, but it is now in ruins; all the doors had ivory figures in bas-relief, as a border round them. At night the minarets were illuminated, which had a beautiful effect.’
I returned home by the gate where Tipu was killed. It was low and there are still many marks of blood on the walls. Bodies were so heaped above and below that all passage was impossible. It is near the palace where he was supposed to have intended to go. I forgot to mention that from the town we came into the great square of the palace where his sons now live. The great room is very fine, supported by two rows of pillars and painted with tygers’ stripes of green and yellow upon a scarlet ground. Within is the room in which Tipu slept. It is large and on each window an iron grating and with many locks to the door. Captain Marriot, who has charge of the younger children, lives there.
I dined with Colonel Saxon in a house built by Haidar for Tipu when he was young and afterwards inhabited by Mozes Udeen. It is in the usual form but more airy and large.
In the evening I went to the arsenal. There were 10,000 stands of arms, many made there and found in the palace. They appeared to me very light in the butt but the bayonets were of a formidable shape. There were nine hundred pieces of cannon in the fort. Some were ornamented with two tygers, which had been made here, and some with a tyger tearing a man’s head.
My dear Lord Clive – I intended to have written to you yesterday but I was really so tired I could not. I have seen a great deal, some of which I shall tell you and keep the rest till we meet. On Friday we went to see the zenana. There are many that have great remains of beauty, but few are young. The first we saw was the great widow of Haidar and a most beautiful person she must have been. They were in different places and it was right to go to Haidar’s family first. The last was Tipu’s great widow who interested us in her appearance very much …
Afterwards I went to see the ancient palace of the Rajah of Mysore with General Flood. It is built on a larger scale than that of Tipu. The pillars are more lofty and airy. The doors were once carved with ivory, very much worked. Those were all torn off by the soldiers. Mrs Gordon gave me some pieces of it: the carving of the cornices is studded with mother of pearl. As this palace is to be pushed down I desired the Major to secure for you some elephants that are extremely well carved on each side of the door. I do not yet know their size but I think they might do, as you said, for the steps of your new room. The carving is very sharp and good. Their size it is not easy to see as they are much covered with dust, but I believe they are sitting down. I shall have them measured bya bye. I cannot find anything else likely to suit you here …
In the evening there was a ball, not very numerous but very good. The dancers were Mrs Gordon, the girls, and Signora Anna.
We have so much to see and to do that we are sometimes tired, but we are well. The girls are delighted and in great spirits.
Today we breakfasted at the bungalow at the Lal Baugh. It is upon the point of the island were the rivers join and very pleasant. I am sure if you were to see this place you would be delighted. It is both magnificent and pretty and comfortable. We again went to Haidar’s and Tipu’s tomb and here we are again having been to a church where the sermon was very short. Mrs Clark prayed where Tipu used to sit in the front of his palace.
Tomorrow we proceed to Mysore and see the antelopes hunted by chitas on our road. I think it will make a good Eastern story. We shall go on elephants to the chase. I shall write again from Mysore.
The accounts last night were that Colonel Stevenson and Colonel Gower had met and that the force was divided and intended to surround Dhoondiah who was … with 5 or 6000 horse, but had disbanded all his infantry. A director came across from Scindia’s Army, which he said was five marches from Colonel Wellesley’s with friendly intentions towards the English, which was supposed to be from fear.
Pray will you be so gracious as to send up a few of the roots from England to Mrs Gordon. I have promised to let her have some to try here. We have sent all the baggage on down the pass which is I understand very difficult and have tents from hence which means we shall not have occasion to wait at all there.
I am very glad to find by the letters I received yesterday enclosed by you that Mrs Rothman has a son and is in perfect health. I confess I was growing a little anxious about her. You might have said something yourself. I wish much to know about Tranquebar as we shall go on as straight as we can and I wish to form all my plans. I trust I shall hear from you soon. We know as little of Madras as if we were at Japan. Loves from the girls. Adieu. I am in a hurry as we are going to dine with an odd old Colonel Meadwitte, who is not very amusing.
Ever my dear Lord, yours affectionately
H. A. C.
We went round the fort with General Ross who explained all the affair and I think I understand the proceedings of the siege very tolerably. We saw the breach more built up. It is three miles round with a double ditch and fortification. It has cost, since the siege by Lord Cornwallis, 60 lacs of rupees. The inner ditch is not filled with water, which was not at first intended.
Tipu had a dream one night on the subject and ordered it to be filled with water directly. He left a book in which he wrote all his dreams and was very much directed by them. He had a talisman on his arm which while he wore it no harm could befall him. I hear that it was opened after his death and was really broken. There is some doubt if it had ever been complete. After breakfast I went up the minarets of the great Mosque. It is kept in great order. There is an extensive view, but over a very dreary country. The steps were not high, but the passage became narrow near the top round. The dome is a little rail and sufficient room to pass.
On August 9th Charly recorded her final impression of Seringapatam: ‘We went round the fort, and saw the choultry under the ramparts that Tipu lived in during the last fortnight of the siege. We afterwards ascended the minarets. They are high narrow edifices, one on each side of the mosque; they are lighted up on the great feast days. This is the mosque that Tipu always went to; the place in which he sat had a high wall round it, and was so formed, that a musket-shot fired from below, could not touch him as he was much higher than the floor of the mosque.’
We went to the palace to hear prayers read by Mrs Clark to the English troops. It did not last many minutes after which I went to breakfast in the bungalow at the Lal Baugh and again to see that beautiful palace, though painted white and nearly covered with gilding is not glaring or disagreeable. Afterwards I went once more to see Haidar’s tomb and the mosque where Tipu to the last had a private door that he could go in and out without being seen by those within it.
I dined with Colonel Mandeville in a house once belonging to Abdul Kalich and afterwards went to see Major Grant’s house and his garden. I forgot to mention that last night we drank tea with General Ross and went to see the illumination of the Minaret, but the place did not answer for it and the wind was so high the lights were extinguished very soon.