Pe Joachim Miranda’s Summary Report for the Year 1783[1]

In December 1783, General Mathews, landing at Mirjan, captured Kanara’s coast from Karwar to Kundapur, Nagar above the ghat, and finally the coast from Mangalore to the Malabar border. The population was happy because they were much oppressed.

Tipu recaptured Nagar with the help of the French, who distinguished themselves. He did not respect the terms of surrender. The reason why the English were defeated was because everyone was involved in filling his own pockets and not in defending the fort, over-confidence, taking advice from wrong persons, and spreading their army too thinly over a vast area. Hyat Sahib (Sheikh Ayaz),[2] foreseeing the coming disaster, fled to safety.

On recapturing Nagar, Tipu began to persecute Christians, an intention he had proposed in 1768 to Haidar but had been reprehended by him. With Haidar dead, he put into execution “his former passion and rancor, which he seemed to bear towards our holy religion since his birth.” He demolished churches all the way along his advance to Nagar, and ordered the destruction of all those of the Mission of Mysore. The Vicar of Nagar and two other priests from Kundapur were imprisoned. They were expelled after extracting a written confession from them that they would not return to his dominions.

Hearing of this, Pe Miranda wrote to Tipu. From Mudbidri, Tipu asked him to meet him after performing a certain task. Tipu received him at Cadarete “with pleasure”, put him up with his French commander M. Benthenot, and gave him an audience in the temple of Bellur, situated in Mangalore.[3]  They conversed from 8 to 11 pm on various matters. Tipu enquired if Mathews’s wife was in the fort. Pe Miranda showed him Haidar’s charters granting him privileges, and the letter he had written to him just before his death. Tipu assured him of his protection and the continuation of Haidar’s favours.

Hearing from the French envoy Piveron du Morlat that cases had been filed against Pe Miranda in Mir Sadik’s court, Tipu issued an order that henceforth no one should meddle with him or the monastery at Mount Mariano, as he was his and Haidar’s old protégé, as a priest of his government. When Pe Miranda explained why he had given 1,000 bags of rice to the English, he declared he would excuse him even if he had given 2,000 bags. Tipu continued to extend many favors at different occasions, including releasing more than 150 Christians from jail and some women in the custody of Muslims. Tipu treated Pe Miranda with great kindness during all the time the other parish priests were in jail.

On July 27, 1783, the French suddenly stopped the assault on the fort because of the peace in Europe, and to the beating of drums and playing pipes withdrew to their camp. Some days later Colonel Cossigny left for Mahe, stopping at Mount Mariano for two days on the way.[4] This angered Tipu, and relations between the two men deteriorated.

Soon after, Tipu sentenced Rustum Beg, the former qildar of the fort, and some others, including the Christian interpreter of Sartorius[5], to death by hanging on the gallows erected on a hillock at Mangalore. Rustum Beg was singularly patronized by Muhammad Ali, Haidar’s commander-in-chief and most faithful servant. Muhammad Ali repeatedly interceded with Tipu to reprieve Rustum Beg. Tipu was adamant. Muhammad Ali then went to the gallows with some of his men, and taking the noose from the hangman, put it around his neck saying that he would rather die than see his godson hanged.

Enraged, Tipu came to the gallows with reinforcements. Muhammad Ali, calling on his men to follow him, rescued Rustum Beg intending to go to Nagar. Except for one French commander, all the others followed him. Tipu sent emissaries after him to placate him, while at the same time surrounded him with his troops. The rebellion was put down, Muhammad Ali and many of his followers executed, and Rustum Beg hanged in Tipu’s presence.[6] Due to the resultant confusion and unrest, Tipu spent a very anxious night, with an increased guard.

Peace between Tipu and the English was established sometime later with the arrival of ambassadors from Madras.

On February 22, the day on which all the Christians were taken prisoners, Pe Miranda and the parish priests, who had been arrested earlier, were issued expulsion orders. They were forced to sign a bond acknowledging that violators would pay a fine of 200,000 pagodas, and be hanged. During the process, he was separated from the others who were beaten.

On Saturday, the eve of the first Sunday of Lent, Pe Miranda and the other priests were jailed in the fort. Two days later, on April 2, along with the priests and seminary students of Mount Mariano, he was banished to Cochin under guard, on the intervention of Piveron du Morlat. Otherwise, they were in danger of being circumcised. Morlat also had a role in getting the jailed priests released.

After lowering Haider’s flag flying over Mount Mariano[7], and taking leave of Piveron du Morlat, Tipu’s brother-in-law, officials, and generals who used to seek the blessings of Our Lady in their undertakings, he left Mount Mariano on April 7.[8] Pe Miranda and his companions were released by Tipu’s guards at Cananore, from where he travelled to Cochin, taking shelter in the Carmelite seminary.

After he left, the Christians of Nagar were banished to Chitradurga, and all the others in the kingdom numbering about 40,000 taken to Srirangapatna. A great many died of small pox. Of three priests found disguised among the Christians, two died, and the third was banished to Tellicherry. The churches in the Mysore region were demolished and the Jesuit missionaries banished. The Christians of Srirangapatna and Kanara were all circumcised. Temples were also demolished in Srirangapatna, and some Hindus circumcised. So too, the English in great numbers, and other military men.

Salvoes of guns were fired, banquets were held, bands were played and money was distributed on the day on which the Christians were circumcised. Lalle, annoyed and angry at this spectacle, killed the horse which Tipu had gifted him. Consequently, he had been placed under guard and his troops divided and assigned to other units.

Piveron and Benthenot went to Pondicherry. Forts had been exchanged, and peace established between Tipu and the English. Rumour now had it that Tipu was preparing to invade Travancore.

Knowing that the expelled priests had informed the governor of the assets of the parishes in Kanara, Pe Miranda did not go into details. He apologized for his unpolished writing style, saying “this is justifiable in a person who has lived for 27 years among the illiterate.”

[1] abridged version of translation from Pissurlencar: Antegualhas, Fascisculo II: 305-310; Silva 1957: 205-12

[2] Nagar’s governor who had surrendered to Mathews

[3] Cadarete is probably Kadri, and the audience may have taken place at its famous temple. Bellur is some distance north of Mangalore. 

[4] Lallee was prevented from leaving; Commander Benthenot returned to Pondicherry.

[5] The chief engineer of the fort

[6] Pe Miranda adds some said Muhammad Ali committed suicide through poison or by pulling out his own tongue.

[7] Pe Miranda, who administered to Haidar’s Christian French and Topasse troops in Kodagu, earned his goodwill after his triumph in a battle at Periyapatana in which, heavily outnumbered, he defeated a formidable Mahratta army.

[8] The confusion in Pe Miranda’s dates can be resolved by replacing April with March. Saturday, the eve of the first Sunday of Lent, falls on February 28. Two days later is March 2, February being a leap year in 1784. Pe Miranda therefore left Mangalore on March 7, while Tipu, the English, and Morlat were still in Mangalore.