DESCENDANTS OF OLIVER CROMWELL IN CALCUTTA.-PART I. By C. R. WILSON, M.A., JOHN RUSSELL, GOVERNOR, 1711-1713. 1. AFTER all that has been recently told us about the great Protector, Oliver Cromwell, and his family, an interesting chapter still remains to be written on his descendants in Calcutta, for such there were in the first half of the eighteenth century. 66 These offshoots of the Protectoral tree were all sprung from Frances, the youngest daughter of the house, a lady, it would seem, of singular attraction, and rich in suitors. At one time His Majesty Charles II. solicited her hand in marriage through the Earl of Orrery, as a happy conclusion to the contention between King and Parliament, but Cromwell after some hesitation refused him as being too 'damnably debauched." At another time Cromwell surprised his chaplain, Master Jeremy, while on his knees before the Lady Frances, kissing her hand, from which it appeared that it was high time that she was married and settled. The choice seemed to lie between the Prince of Condé and the young and wealthy John Dutton, who had actually been bequeathed to Frances by his uncle. The lady herself preferred Robert Rich, the grandson of the Earl of Warwick, who, however, died soon after his marriage. She now took as her second husband Sir John Russell, the representative of an ancient and honourable family, and grandson of Sir William Russell of Chippenham, Cambridgeshire, created first baronet in 1629. It is the story of the children of this marriage which brings us to Calcutta in the early half of the eighteenth century. 2. Passing by William, the eldest son and fifth baronet, of whose children something may be said at another time, I come at once to John, the last and posthumous son, born in London on October 4, 1670. On November 22, 1693, John Russell was elected a factor for the East India Company, and in this capacity arrived in Bengal on December 3, 1694. On December 17, 1697, he married his wife Rebecca, sister of Sir Charles Eyre, the then Governor of Calcutta, by whom he had one son and three daughters. In 1704, in consequence of the arrangements made upon the union of the two rival East India Companies, the line of Calcutta governors was for some years interrupted; and the management of the English affairs in Bengal was placed in the hands of a Council of eight, with two chairmen, one to represent the old and one the new Company. Of this Council John Russell was appointed the fourth member, but on the death of Ralph Sheldon in April, 1709, he succeeded as Chairman for the old Company. The Chairmen presided over the Council in alternate weeks, but this division of responsibility robbed them of all authority, and the "rotation government," on account of its incessant quarrels and disputes, became the laughing-stock of all India. At last, in November, 1709, the Court of Directors in London resolved to abolish the system of dual management, and appointed Captain Anthony Weltden President and Governor of Fort William in Bengal. On July 20, 1710, Russell, in conjunction with Abraham Addams, the Chairman of the new Company, made over the government of Calcutta to the new Chief. The doings of Anthony Weltden-how in the earlier part of his career he precipitated a massacre on the English in Siam, and narrowly escaped being killed himself; how at this time he took bribes wholesale in Calcutta, and on his way home fell a prize to the French-are another story. His rule in Bengal was short. One Court of Directors, considering that the government of Fort William required fresh blood, appointed him an utter outsider -- President; another Court, desiring to give all reasonable encouragement to their old and faithful servants, revoked his commission, and made Ralph Sheldon, of whose death they had not heard, chief, and John Russell second in Bengal. Thus, after a brief rule of seven and a half months, Weltden was deposed, and in March, 1711, John Russell became Governor of Calcutta by right of seniority. In attempting to form any estimate of his three years of rule, we may conveniently pass in review first of all his relations with what were then called the Country Powers; secondly, his one act of spirited foreign policy, the Maldive expedition; thirdly, his attitude towards the French during the war a somewhat small matter; and lastly, his management of the internal affairs and commerce of the Company. 3. At the beginning of Russell's government, Bahadur Shah, the last of the Moguls for whom we can feel any respect, still sat on the Imperial throne. The province of Bengal, ruled nominally by Prince Azim-ush-shan, was really in the hands of the able but unscrupulous Murshid Quli Khan. But the officer in immediate connection with Calcutta was the Admiral and Governor of Hugli, Zeaud-din Khan, the sole surviving representative of an old family of Mogul officials, who was extremely well disposed to the English. The changes which followed during the years that Russell held office were in almost every case unfavourable to the interests of the English Company, and, indeed, of any kind of peaceful pursuit. At the request of the jealous Murshid Quli, Zea-ud-din Khan was turned out of his independent government of Hugli in September, 1711. In March, 1712, India was convulsed by the news of the death of Bahadur Shah. The usual family struggles followed. At first Jahandar, the Axe,* contrived to defeat and kill his three brothers, and seat himself on the peacock throne. But at the same time Farrukh-siyar, the son of * From the English records it appears that on account of his cruelty Jahandar was popularly called Kalharra, the Axe. Azim-ush-shan proclaimed himself King at Patna, and with the assistance of the two Sayyad brothers and the extorted wealth of Bengal raised a great army. At Christmas, 1712, he met and overthrew Jahandar near Agra, and the new year saw him established at Delhi. Russell's attitude towards the contending powers was one of simple opportunism. It mattered nothing to him. whether Tweedledum or Tweedledee sat on the throne so long as he could purchase piece goods at reasonable rates, and convey saltpetre from Patna to Calcutta in safety. Unfortunately this was just what the local authorities would not allow. They took advantage of the unsettled state of the country to demand various aids and benevolences, which the English merchants were most unwilling to give. Something had to be paid to secure the goodwill of the greedy Murshid Quli-something, too, to supply the necessities of the aspiring Farrukh-siyar; but, on the whole, the English under Russell did far better than the Dutch, who lost all their property in Bihar on the death of their agent, Jacob van Hoorn.* 4. At one time, towards the end of the year 1712, the action of Zea-ud-din Khan made an opportunist attitude a little difficult. The nephew of one of Aurangzeb's viziers, and sole surviving representative of a great family, was not likely to quietly accept his dismissal from his office of High Admiral. Instead of withdrawing from Bengal, he remained at Hugli, and raised a large force of armed men. He avowed himself a strong partisan of Azim-ush-shan and Farrukh-siyar, and in July, 1712, was "ready to come to battle" with Murshid Quli's representative, Wali Beg, who besought the English to come to his assistance. The English, however, declared that they were merchants, and could not concern themselves with such matters. Yet, later on in the year, Russell twice attempted to mediate between the two parties, though without success; and the * The tomb of Jacob van Hoorn is still to be seen in the old Dutch Cemetery at Karinga, Chapra, with the inscription, "I. V. H., Obiit 26 Junij, A.D. 1712.” quarrel was not ended till April, 1713, when Zea-ud-din informed the English that he had been appointed treasurer of the western country near the coast of Coromandel. So the English made him a present to the value of Rs. 1,200, and lent him two small barges, and in June he took his departure to Patna. 5. In the latter half of the year 1712, Calcutta was honoured by the presence of two Embassies, which halted there on their way to the Mogul's Court. The King of Pegu's Ambassador arrived on August 23, under a salute of thirty-one guns. A week later news was brought that the Persian Ambassador had arrived in the river on a Dutch ship. The Company's Persian writer was sent to wait on him with a letter of congratulation, and the junior members of the Council met him at a distance of twelve miles from Calcutta. When he reached Govindpur,* Governor Russell himself went off and attended him from thence up the river to the Fort, † where he was entertained with great respect. He was afterwards conducted to a house prepared for him in the town, and provisions were ordered for him and his attendants. On the morning of September 3, "the Persian Ambassador sent for the Governor and Council to dine with him, and acquainted them that he kindly accepted of the provision which was made for him yesterday, but would no longer be at the Company's charge." The next day the Ambassador dined with Governor Russell and the Council at Fort William. He asked Russell's advice about proceeding to Hugli while it was disturbed by the dispute between Zea-ud-din and Wali Beg, and was advised to wait in Calcutta for the present. So the Persian Ambassador stayed for nearly three months in Calcutta, and did not leave for Hugli till November 18. On this occasion the English merchants made him a present "in cloth and rarities" to the amount * Govindpur was the southernmost of the three villages which made up Calcutta, and occupied part of the site of the present Fort William. †The old Fort William stood in the heart of Calcutta, and not in the south part of it, where the present Fort is. |