The Pirates of Malabar

Title: The Pirates of Malabar and an Englishwoman in India Two Hundred Years Ago

Author: John Biddulph

Publisher: Asian Educational Services, 1995 (First published 1907)

ISBN: 8120609190

Pages: 327

While the Muslim conquest of India was undertaken by invading forces via land rolling in across the mountain ranges of Hindukush, European conquest was affected through trade and intervention in internal power squabbles. The Hindu and Muslim kingdoms in the country had no naval force to speak of, at the time of Gama’s arrival in the western coast in 1498. India was engaged in a rich trade with the Middle East and China around this time through the intermediary of Arab merchants. Transshipment of Chinese goods took place here, which was again transshipped onto Mediterranean and Red Sea ports of Syria and Arabia, before the merchandise turned up in European ports. With Gama on the scene and the Europeans’ easy subjugation of the East Indies, Indian Ocean trade was effectively controlled by them. Arabs who predominated in the trade to Middle East were marginalized. The extraordinary success of the Portuguese prompted other powers to follow suit. While the 16^th century saw the establishment of Portuguese naval might on the sea, the next century witnessed their fall from grace and the pole position first taken by the Dutch and then by the English. Mughal Empire was crumbling in the reign of Aurangzeb on account of his bigoted policies, which helped the Europeans secure their position on the coast, by establishing forts and factories at strategic locations. The factories are not to be mistaken for their modern namesake. The medieval factories were nothing more than warehouses for the safe storage of merchandise. Opening up of the global sea lanes attracted a large number of people to the sea, a good many of them pirates, hoping to cash in on the burgeoning trade in materials and slaves. The British crown openly commissioned pirates like Drake to prey upon the Spanish mercantile fleet. By the end of the 17^th century, Indian Ocean had become infested with pirates everywhere, except the Bay of Bengal. Most of the pirates were of course Europeans, who operated from Madagascar, but who had roots as long away as to Bahamas. Soon, natives and Arabs also joined the fray. When Sivaji rose to prominence in the Deccan, his admirals proved equally superior in the sea. Kanhoji Angre (spelled Conajee Angria throughout the text) established an invincible naval supremacy centred on the forts of Suvarnadurg (Severndroog) and Vijaydurg (Gheria). The book tells the story of the continued British assault on Mahratta navy and its fruition in 1756. While Conajee Angria was alive, his forts stood firm, but his death brought incompetent admirals who were soon overwhelmed. In addition to the victory over piracy, the book also includes a section on the British engagement of the territory of Anjengo in Kerala, as seen in the background of the life of Catherine Cooke, an English girl who came to India with her parents, but had to marry men much advanced in age. John Biddulph was an English soldier, author and naturalist, who served in the government of British India. He retired from service while serving in the Viceroy’s staff.

Biddolph presents a neat sketch on the origins and spread of maritime piracy on the Asiatic shore. The authority of the Old Testament upheld slavery, and Africans were regarded more as cattle than human beings, while Asiatics were classed higher, but still as immeasurably inferior to Europeans. Vincente Sodre, the companion of Gama in his second voyage, turned a pirate soon. English pirates from New York, Boston, Jamaica and the Bahamas regularly showed their faces in the Arabian Sea. They plundered and sank Asian ships, while Europeans were sometimes spared. Some of them, like Henry Every and William Kidd, rose in notoriety due to the audacity of their strikes. Henry Every intercepted the ship Gunj Suwaie coming from Arabia carrying precious cargo and the Emperor Aurangzeb’s granddaughter. He appropriated whatever the ship had to offer, including the women. Aurangzeb’s granddaughter converted to Christianity and became the pirate’s wife. Conajee Angria, the Mahratta naval stalwart, is portrayed as a dreaded brigand in the book, before whom the British might stayed subdued. He employed European pirates in his troops. The early 18^th century was a period in which might alone proved right. In such a case, it is probable that Angria indeed indulged in piracy occasionally. All European crowns somehow encouraged piracy directed against their rivals. The book mentions about pirate ships inimical to England visiting Cochin, which was under Dutch rule at that time and being entertained by the Dutch governor. On their return, the pirates gifted a gold watch collected during their raids to the governor’s daughter!

If we make a cross section of the societal background of England’s emigrants in India and the West Indies, a curious pattern is suggested in the book. Representatives of the landed gentry in every county of England colonized the West Indies. Royal charters conferring large tracts of estates and even whole islands were conferred on them. Slaves were cheap and sugar cultivation brought great wealth to them. The entire machinery of English life was copied and reproduced in the tropics. This was diametrically opposed to the condition prevailing in India. Strong kingdoms which ruled the land and wide prevalence of agriculture forced them to adopt trade as the only available option. English men could serve in the country only as servants of the English East India Company. Men from small trading families took up the challenge. The pay and perquisites were meager. They could enrich themselves only by private trade, which most of them indulged in. This naturally led to widespread corruption. Money was reserved to enhance trade interests. Biddoplh remarks that gun powder was not often used in military exercises to save cost! The traders were under the mercy of native rulers. Usually, they were asked to compensate for piratical raids committed by their countrymen in the sea. The chief of the factory and prominent officials remained in fetters till the compensation was paid in full. The collective fine system continued up to 1698, when a large sum demanded of the Surat factory in retaliation to Captain Kidd’s piracy. But the whites chose to fight back this time, marking the beginning of an era when the traders were stepping into the shoes of colonial masters. Patrolling by white ships were undertaken to check the menace and detachment of king’s sailors were sought.

The book showcases a specific period in Indian history when British military power was beginning to exert strong influence in Indian politics. Traders’ private militias gave way to Crown’s forces supposedly in the service of the company. The language is a little arcane, but readers have no difficulty to follow the argument. The names of persons and places follow a different spelling scheme than the modern one, which readers are accustomed to. The publishers should have added a glossary of the outlandish names of some places used in the book. The book is rather small, but easy to read. It includes a good index also.

The book is highly recommended.

Rating: 2 Star