interests in India.’ Arthur paused and looked steadily at his brothers. ‘We must proceed very carefully and deal with one threat at a time.’
‘I understand,’ Richard replied.‘I must do all I can to keep the peace with Tipoo while we deal with the Nizam. Meanwhile we’ll make all the necessary preparations for war with him.’
‘That would be prudent,’ said Arthur. ‘I just hope we have enough time to gather an army powerful enough to deal with Tipoo.’
‘Have you any other bad tidings for us?’ Henry asked in exasperation.
‘I fear so.’ Arthur paused a moment to collect his thoughts. ‘India has been beset by warlords of one kind or another for many centuries and the East India Company is in grave danger of simply looking like the latest oppressor. I have to confess that the natives have every reason to judge us alongside their own rulers.There’s a tendency amongst some of the Europeans of the lower orders - the
‘Well, there’s not much we can do about that.’
‘But we must do something,’ Arthur protested. ‘Otherwise we will never win the common people over to the idea that British rule is in their best interest. Moreover, I believe it is our duty to set a new standard. While you are the Governor General, Richard, there is a chance to change things here for the better. And you can count on Henry and me to support you.There is a great opportunity for England here in India, a great opportunity indeed. If we can rule by good example, if we can deal with the natives in an open and honest way, and bring them peace and order, then they will welcome British intervention, even British rule.To which end, I beg you to lead by example, Richard. If we can only convince the natives that we are motivated by an instinct for public service and fairness, then who knows how much of the subcontinent will come over to us.’
‘That will mean stepping on quite a few toes,’ Richard responded shrewdly. ‘If the spirit of larceny is as widespread as you imply.We’ll have to weed out the incompetent as well as the dishonest if we are to achieve anything worthwhile. And we’ll have to make sure that we do what we can to improve the lot of the common people. It’s not going to be cheap.’
‘No more than John Company can afford, surely?’
The brothers laughed for a moment before Richard continued. ‘Very well then, it seems that we three have a mountain to climb. But, for now, that concludes our business.’ He stood up. ‘I’m afraid that I still have several more people to see today. We’ll speak again at dinner.’
Arthur was a little surprised, and hurt, by his curt dismissal. Richard might well be the highest ranking English official in India, but he was still Arthur’s brother, and Arthur found it difficult to reconcile their relationship with his role as a subordinate. A junior one at that.
Henry escorted Arthur to the door and nodded a farewell as he held the door open.
‘Arthur!’ Richard called after him, and he turned back. Richard stared at him a moment before he continued. ‘It is good to see you again. I can think of no man I’d rather have as my military right hand.’
Arthur smiled faintly.‘Thank you, Richard. I promise, you will not be disappointed in me.’
He strode out into the corridor and heard the door close behind him. Outside the Governor’s headquarters he squinted as he emerged into the blistering midday heat.There was stillness in the grounds of the fort as everyone who could took shelter from the sun. A sole redcoat tramped slowly along the battlements above the main gate as Arthur made his way back to his rented house. The peace and quiet of the presidency would soon be a thing of the past, he mused. One way or another, war was coming to India and there was no telling if England would prevail, or Tipoo and his French allies.
Chapter 34
In the following weeks there was a constant stream of communications between the new Governor General and the Company’s resident at the court of the Nizam, Captain James Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick was told to relay the message that England strongly desired closer relations with Hyderabad and would guarantee to support the Nizam, by force if required, against any threat to his position. It was Richard’s conviction that the French officers in the Nizam’s employ might have sufficient sway over their men to unseat the Nizam and replace him with a more compliant ruler.
These thoughts were very much on Arthur’s mind as he drew up plans for removal of the French threat in Hyderabad, as well as the initial draft of a plan for the invasion of Mysore and the defeat of Tipoo. The difficulties presented by such an operation were the same as those that had faced General Cornwallis when he had attempted to bring Tipoo to heel seven years earlier. Cornwallis had managed to bring his army up to the enemy capital of Seringapatam and lay siege to the heavily fortified city. But then his food supplies had run short and he had been forced to retreat, with the added humiliation of having to abandon his heavy guns.This lack of mobility had bedevilled every attempt by English forces to push into the heart of India, and was the reason why the three presidencies were anchored to the coast and forced to communicate with each other by sea.
Colonel Wellesley, as he called himself now, and his small staff pondered the problem for nearly a month before hitting upon a solution that would be as simple as it was effective, and he at once sought a meeting with his brothers to explain his ideas. The instant he entered the office of the Governor General he sensed the tension.
‘What’s happened?’
Richard gestured to a document lying on the desk between him and Henry. ‘The governor of the French colony on Mauritius has announced a formal alliance with Tipoo. He claims that French soldiers will be sent to Mangalore as soon as possible.’
Arthur leaned over the desk and quickly read through the document. ‘Do you think it’s true?’
‘No doubt about it,’ said Henry. ‘A Portuguese ship came up the Hoogley yesterday.The captain had called in to Mauritius on his way north from the Cape. I interviewed him as soon as I could. He saved me this copy of the proclamation. He also said that he had seen Tipoo’s ambassadors, and that they were given full honours by the French. Rather worrying, don’t you think?’
‘Quite,’ Richard agreed.
Arthur was not so sure, and he sat down for a moment to reflect on the news before he responded. ‘It’s clear that the French aim to establish some kind of base of operations in Mysore, but there’s no chance of capitalising on it for a while at least.’
‘Explain yourself,’ Richard said curtly.
‘As far as we know, the French have no significant land forces in the Indian Ocean at the moment. True?’
Henry nodded.
‘And if France is intending to send an army out to India then why announce it so publicly? Why give us so much warning? It doesn’t make sense.’
Richard frowned and tapped the proclamation.‘So what is the meaning of this? What are they up to?’
‘It seems to me that the Governor of Mauritius is trying to encourage Tipoo to make war on us. It won’t cost France much more than encouraging words and a handful of supplies and advisers. If Tipoo wins the day then France can share in the spoils. If Tipoo is defeated then the French can at least hope that he has inflicted enough damage on us to significantly undermine our reputation.’
Richard smiled. ‘Ah yes, it’s that question of
‘Precisely. If our prestige is undermined it might be a long time before we win back the respect of the natives. Long enough at least for the French to gather forces to intervene more decisively.’
‘I see.’ Richard crossed to the window and gazed out across the ramparts towards Calcutta and the Hoogley river. ‘Arthur, are we ready for a war against Tipoo?’
‘No. And we won’t be for some months yet. Our forces are too widely dispersed and we would need time to amass the necessary equipment and supplies to support an army.’
‘When is the earliest that we could be ready to fight?’ asked Henry.
‘Not until next year. Spring, I’d say.’
