by Wikipedia
Accessed: 8/31/20
In 1781–82 Antoine-Louis-Henri Polier, a Swiss Protestant who served in the English East India Company’s army until 1775, had had copies of the Vedas made for him at the court of Pratap Singh at Jaipur. Polier’s intermediary was a Portuguese physician, Don Pedro da Silva Leitão… Jai Singh had assembled a substantial collection of manuscripts from religious sites across India, and in the time of his successor Pratap Singh the library had contained the samhitas of all four Vedas in manuscripts dating from the last quarter of the seventeenth century…
Polier records that he had sought copies of the Veda without success in Bengal, Awadh, and on the Coromandel coast, as well as in Agra, Delhi, and Lucknow and had found that even at Banaras “nothing could be obtained but various Shasters, [which] are only Commentaries of the Baids”…
It is perhaps significant that it was in a royal library, rather than in a Brahmin pathasala, that Polier found manuscripts of the Vedas. But the same is not true of the manuscripts acquired in Banaras only fifteen years later by Henry Thomas Colebrooke, during the period (1795–97) when he was appointed as judge and magistrate at nearby Mirzapur…I cannot conceive how it came to be ever asserted that the Brahmins were ever averse to instruct strangers; several gentlemen who have studied the language find, as I do, the greatest readiness in them to give us access to all their sciences. They do not even conceal from us the most sacred texts of their Vedas.
The several gentlemen would likely have included General Claude Martin, Sir William Jones, and Sir Robert Chambers. These were all East India Company employees who obtained Vedic manuscripts (Jones from Polier) in the last decades of the eighteenth century.
Why was it so much easier for Polier, Colebrooke, and others to obtain what it had been so difficult for the Jesuits and impossible for the Pietists?...
-- The Absent Vedas, by Will Sweetman
General Cl. Martin. 1794, published in Lucknow. After an original by Renaldi. Engraved by L. Legoux- Late pupil of F. Bartolozzi.
Born: 5 January 1735, Lyon, Kingdom of France
Died: 13 September 1800 (aged 65), Lucknow, Oudh State
Resting place: Constantia- La Martiniere Lucknow
Monuments: Farhad Baksh Kothi (Chateau de Lyon), Bibiapur Kothi, Hayat Baksh Kothi and Constantia
Occupation: Soldier
Organization: East India Company
Parents: Fleury Martin (father); Anne Vaginay (mother)
Major General Claude Martin (5 January 1735 – 13 September 1800) was an officer in the French, and later the English East India Company's army in India. He rose to the rank of Major General in the English East India Company's Bengal Army. Martin was born in Lyon, France, into a humble background, and was a self-made man who left a substantial lasting legacy in the form of his writings, buildings and the educational institutions he founded posthumously. There are now ten schools named after him, two in Lucknow, two in Calcutta and six in Lyon. The small village of Martin Purwa in India was also named after him.
Career
Fort William in Calcutta
Claude Martin was born on 5 January 1735 in the rue de la Palme, Lyons, France. He was the son of Fleury Martin (1708–1755), a casket maker, and Anne Vaginay (1702–1735), a butcher's daughter.[1] At his local parish school he excelled in mathematics and physics. After leaving school he was apprenticed to a local silk weaver.[1] Martin's family were middle class and by this time they had businesses in mustard, vinegar and brandy. His decision to go into the silk yarn business did therefore not go down well with his family.
In 1751 at the age of 16 Martin decided to seek his fortune abroad, and he signed up with the French Compagnie des Indes [The Mississippi Company].[1] His mother is reported to have said that he should not return from enlisting as a soldier until he was "in a carriage".[2]
The Mississippi Company (French: Compagnie du Mississippi; founded 1684, named the Company of the West from 1717, and the Company of the Indies from 1719) was a corporation holding a business monopoly in French colonies in North America and the West Indies. When land development and speculation in the region became frenzied and detached from economic reality, the Mississippi bubble became one of the earliest examples of an economic bubble.
In May 1716, the Scottish economist John Law, who had been appointed Controller General of Finances of France under the Duke of Orleans, created the Banque Générale Privée ("General Private Bank"). It was the first financial institution to develop the use of paper money. It was a private bank, but three quarters of the capital consisted of government bills and government-accepted notes. In August 1717, Law bought the Mississippi Company to help the French colony in Louisiana. In the same year Law conceived a joint-stock trading company called the Compagnie d'Occident (The Mississippi Company, or, literally, "Company of [the] West"). Law was named the Chief Director of this new company, which was granted a trade monopoly of the West Indies and North America by the French government.
The bank became the Banque Royale (Royal Bank) in 1718, meaning the notes were guaranteed by the king, Louis XV of France. The company absorbed the Compagnie des Indes Orientales ("Company of the East Indies"), the Compagnie de Chine ("Company of China"), and other rival trading companies and became the Compagnie Perpetuelle des Indes on 23 May 1719 with a monopoly of French commerce on all the seas. Simultaneously, the bank began issuing more notes than it could represent in coinage; this led to a currency devaluation, which was eventually followed by a bank run when the value of the new paper currency was halved.
Louis XIV's long reign and wars had nearly bankrupted the French monarchy. Rather than reduce spending, the Regency of Louis XV of France endorsed the monetary theories of Scottish financier John Law. In 1716, Law was given a charter for the Banque Royale under which the national debt was assigned to the bank in return for extraordinary privileges. The key to the Banque Royale agreement was that the national debt would be paid from revenues derived from opening the Mississippi Valley. The Bank was tied to other ventures of Law—the Company of the West and the Companies of the Indies. All were known as the Mississippi Company. The Mississippi Company had a monopoly on trade and mineral wealth. The Company boomed on paper. Law was given the title Duc d'Arkansas. Bernard de la Harpe and his party left New Orleans in 1719 to explore the Red River. In 1721, he explored the Arkansas River. At the Yazoo settlements in Mississippi he was joined by Jean Benjamin who became the scientist for the expedition.
In 1718, there were only 700 Europeans in Louisiana. The Mississippi Company arranged ships to move 800 more, who landed in Louisiana in 1718, doubling the European population. Law encouraged some German-speaking peoples, including Alsatians and Swiss, to emigrate. They give their name to the regions of the Côte des Allemands and the Lac des Allemands in Louisiana.
Prisoners were set free in Paris from September 1719 onwards, under the condition that they marry prostitutes and go with them to Louisiana. The newly married couples were chained together and taken to the port of embarkation. In May 1720, after complaints from the Mississippi Company and the concessioners about this class of French immigrants, the French government prohibited such deportations. However, there was a third shipment of prisoners in 1721.
Law exaggerated the wealth of Louisiana with an effective marketing scheme, which led to wild speculation on the shares of the company in 1719. The scheme promised success for the Mississippi Company by combining investor fervor and the wealth of its Louisiana prospects into a sustainable, joint-stock, trading company. The popularity of company shares were such that they sparked a need for more paper bank notes, and when shares generated profits the investors were paid out in paper bank notes. In 1720, the bank and company were merged and Law was appointed by Philippe II, Duke of Orleans, then Regent for Louis XV, to be Comptroller General of Finances to attract capital. Law's pioneering note-issuing bank thrived until the French government was forced to admit that the number of paper notes being issued by the Banque Royale exceeded the value of the amount of metal coinage it held.
The "bubble" burst at the end of 1720, when opponents of the financier attempted to convert their notes into specie (gold and silver) en masse, forcing the bank to stop payment on its paper notes. By the end of 1720 Philippe d'Orléans had dismissed Law from his positions. Law then fled France for Brussels, eventually moving on to Venice, where he lived off his gambling. He was buried in the church San Moisè in Venice.
-- Mississippi Company, by Wikipedia
He was posted to India where he served under Commander and Governor Joseph François Dupleix and General Thomas Arthur Lally in the Carnatic Wars against the British East India Company. When the French lost their colony of Pondichéry in 1761, he accepted service in the Bengal Army of the East India Company in 1763, ultimately rising to the rank of Major General.
He was initially employed at the then-new Fort William in Calcutta, Bengal, and afterwards on the survey of Bengal under the English Surveyor General James Rennell. In 1776, Martin was allowed to accept the appointment of Superintendent of the Arsenal for the Nawab of Awadh, Asaf-ud-Daula, at Lucknow, retaining his rank but being ultimately placed on half pay. He resided in Lucknow from 1776 until his death. It was the 'Reign of Terror' during the French Revolution which prevented him from returning "in a carriage".[2] His friend Antoine Polier gave up his wives and children, as he left India, to return France. He was stabbed in a criminal assault during the aforesaid revolution. Martin formally never gave up his nationality as a Frenchman but definitely intended to, towards the end of his life, as he sought promotions in the Bengal Army.
Claude Martin's different facets
As soldier
Martin began his career as a dragoon and remained essentially a soldier throughout his life, a fighter and a strategist which explains his extraordinary success in life in spite of tremendous odds.
Beginning with the French East India Company he was quick to realise the changing power dynamics and chose to build his army career with the British East India Company. He was recognized for his military talents and got important experience in various military encounters. His administrative acumen was also well known and it was his reputation that made Shuja-ud-daulah the Nawab of Awadh to request for his services at Lucknow.
His service at the court of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah together with supplementary aids to the Company during the attack on Tipu at Seringpatnam shows that his strategic skills remained intact even in his later years. He was promoted to the ranks of Colonel (in 1793) and Major General (in 1795) being an extraordinary case, since no alien soldier in the Company Army was allowed to rise above the rank of Major.
As architect and builder
Constantia before the "mutiny"
Coming from Lyon, Martin must have acquired an eye for imposing architecture from his childhood days in his beautiful home town.
His architectural skills were much in demand at Lucknow and his nearness to Nawab Asaf-ud-daula gave him a unique opportunity to participate in the making of modern Lucknow. Martin moved to Lucknow almost at the same time when Asaf-ud-daula shifted the Capital to Lucknow. Asaf-ud-daulah and Claude Martin became chief architects of the city of Lucknow. Raj Bhavan (Hindi for 'Government House') is the official residence of the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Raj Bhavan used to be called Kothi Hayat Baksh. Major General Claude Martin drew the layout of the building in 1798 after Nawab Asaf-ud-daula, the East India Company made Sadaat Ali Khan its new ruler. The new ruler liked the buildings designed by Claude Martin. The contract for the construction of Kothi was undertaken by Martin as requested by Saadar Ali Khan.
Some of the buildings of Lucknow which have Martin's distinctive touch are: Farhad Baksh, Asafi Kothi, Bibiapur, Barowen and of course the Constantia.
Most of Martin's buildings were unique and were copied extensively by other designers keeping in mind their defence against military attack.
As collector and connoisseur
While serving under the Nawab Asaf-Ud-Dowlah of Awadh, Martin acquired a massive fortune of about Rs 40,000,00.
Asaf-ud-Daula (Hindi: आसफ़ उद दौला, Urdu: آصف الدولہ) (b. 23 September 1748 – d. 21 September 1797) was the Nawab wazir of Oudh (a vassal of the British) ratified by Shah Alam II, from 26 January 1775 to 21 September 1797, and the son of Shuja-ud-Dowlah. His mother and grandmother were the Begums of Oudh.
Asaf-ud-Daula became nawab at the age of 26, on the death of his father, Shuja-ud-daula, on 28 January 1775. He assumed the throne with the aid of the British East India Company, outmanoeuvring his younger brother Saadat Ali who led a failed mutiny in the army. British Colonel John Parker defeated the mutineers decisively, securing Asaf-ud-Daula's succession. His first chief minister was Mukhtar-ud-Daula who was assassinated in the revolt.
The other challenge to Asaf's rule was his mother Umat-ul-Zohra (better known as Bahu Begum), who had amassed considerable control over the treasury and her own jagirs and private armed forces. She at one pointed invited the Company to intervene in her favour in the appointment of ministers against Asaf. When Shuja-ud-Daula died he left two million pounds sterling buried in the vaults of the zenana. The widow and mother of the deceased prince claimed the whole of this treasure under the terms of a will which was never produced. When Warren Hastings pressed the nawab for the payment of debt due to the Company, he obtained from his mother a loan of 26 lakh (2.6 million) rupees, for which he gave her a jagir (land) of four times the value; of subsequently obtained 30 lakh (3 million) more in return for a full acquittal, and the recognition of her jagirs without interference for life by the Company. These jagirs were afterwards confiscated on the ground of the begum's [Umat-ul-Zohra] complicity in the rising of Chait Singh, which was attested by documentary evidence. Ultimately this removed Umat-ul-Zohra as an obstacle to Asaf's reign.
In the aftermath of Saadat's revolt, Asaf sought to restructure the government particularly by appointing nobles favourable to his cause and British officers to his military. Asaf appointed Hasan Riza Khan as his chief minister. Although he had little experience in administration, his assistant Haydar Beg Khan turned out to be a valuable support. Tikayt Ray was appointed finance minister.
He was known for his generosity, particularly the offering of food and public employment in times of famine. Notably, the Bara Imambara, a mosque in Lucknow, was constructed during his reign by destitute workers seeking employment.
The Asfi mosque, located near the Imambara
A popular saying of the time of his benevolence: jisko na de maulā, usko de Asaf-ud-daulā "to whom even God does not give, Asaf-ud-Daula gives..."
Nawab Asaf-ud-Dowlah is considered the architect general of Lucknow. With the ambition to outshine the splendour of Mughal architecture, he built a number of monuments and developed the city of Lucknow into an architectural marvel....
The Nawab's sensitivity towards preserving the reputation of the upper class is demonstrated in the story of the construction of Imambara. During daytime, common citizens employed on the project would construct the building. On the night of every fourth day, the noble and upper-class people were employed in secret to demolish the structure built, an effort for which they received payment. Thus their dignity was preserved.
-- Asaf-ud-Daula, by Wikipedia
He built the palace of Constantia and his fine house of Farud Baksh, both of which he equipped with luxuries that included a library of some 4,000 volumes written in many languages and a picture gallery containing a fine collection of works of art. At his death, Claude's collection included over 650 Company style paintings of birds which were painted by Mughal-trained painters.[3] Black Stork in a Landscape, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is one of these.
Black Stork in a Landscape
Colonel Antoine Polier, a Swiss engineer and architect, Claude Martin, John Wombwell, assay master, and Johann Zoffany, the painter, surrounded by servants and Polier's art collection.
Martin's love of art can be seen not only in his acquisition of art, but also in the design of his houses, his friendship with noted artists like Renaldi, Hodges[4] and Zoffany (who included him in at least two paintings).[3] In a number of cases he used local artists to create work in the style of European artists. His walls were decorated with neo-Greek Wedgwood style decorations, his paintings were by Mughal-trained artists and the statues above his palace were mostly clever reproductions in the style of two European statues.
Later, Martin's life was mired in controversy as he had kept two wives of Colonel Polier's,[5] after Polier had departed from India. It is obvious however that he cared for his favourite mistress Boulone, and she is the subject of a painting by Zoffanyin 1795 which is still at La Martiniere Boys' School in Lucknow today.
His favourite mistress was a girl called Boulone (c.1766–1844), who was some thirty years younger than Martin. He had bought her as a young girl aged nine. Martin always claimed that they lived happily together, but Boulone must inevitably have harboured feelings of jealousy when Martin introduced younger mistresses into the household.
Renaldi is possibly the sculptor for a copper and silver medal (30 mm in diameter) issued by Nawab Asaf-uddula, which bears Martin's image and his motto. On the reverse side it says in Persian:
"Most excellent in government, Sword of the Realm, Supreme amongst Knights, General Claude Martin the Brave, Courageous in War. 1796- 1797."[6]
All the furnishings and treasures of Constantia, as well as those from Martin’s first Lucknow house, the Farhat Buksh, were auctioned on his death, as he had requested. The great chandeliers were bought for the Government House (now Raj Bhawan) in Calcutta, where they still hang, but the majority of his collection was dispersed to private buyers.
As nabob
Colonel Mordaunt's cockfight by Johann Zoffany – Claude is to the right in a shorter red jacket. Hover your mouse pointer over the individuals for identification.
During Martin's stay in Lucknow, he acquired significant wealth as part of the ruling coterie; he was in charge of the state arsenal, designed and constructed many buildings, and acquired vast tracts of land.
This favourable set of circumstances catapulted Martin into the upper crust of Lucknow and he had to conform to the social mores of a contemporary society. Given his unconventional views (as revealed in his Will) this transition must have been not too difficult. He most probably enjoyed his role as a nabob.
The will of Claude Martin
Last Will and Testament made and written by me, Claude Martin, Major General in the Honourable Company services, Bengal Establishment, having destroyed any former ones, or intended to destroy them in case I have time to do it. This present one I declare being the only good one in which faith is to be put and which I require my executors, Administrators or Assigns will put in execution and adhere to and any other will or testament existing I may have forgotten to destroy, and differing from the substances, or intentions of the several articles of this one, I declare them null and of no force value, but this present one being made and written by me in my sound senses and good health. This first day of January in the year one thousand eight hundred (or the year 1800) witness my hand and seal as under this and at the end of the page.
Claude Martin
"In the name of the Supreme Almighty God, Creator of the Universe and which exists on the Globe and respectful thanks to be admitted at the feet of this sublime unknown, unseen and Incomprehensible Omnipotent. For the happiness I have enjoyed on this Globe during the time his usual Benevolence allowed me, as also for the Inducement and time allowed me in making and writing this my last will and Testament in favour of those concerned in it in hope it will be fulfilled in its extent, wishing them every happiness possible in this and the other world. My most exalted praise and most respectful thanks be received by the Almighty Creator of all who exist for his most kind clemency to me during my life, being merciful to all, I have great hope he will pardon me the sins I have committed"
"All the women, Males and women servants, Eunuchs and others that are belonging to me, and for which I have paid for, to have them as my own property, at my Death or the soul essence of life quitting my Material body, I give them their freedom and they are free except those as hereafter mentioned which I had already disposed in favour of those undernamed having acquired, bought, brought up and educated them to be their servants and attendants during the lives of those with whom I have placed them or given said Males or Women or Eunuchs as servants attending on these Mistresses during their life time and no longer..............Having every reason to be satisfied of their services, for these reasons my sincere wishes are to give them their proper reward in this world. For all these above my only anxiety is the Idea that perhaps nobody would be so interested for their welfare as I am, after having lost me, and for the support and protection they will or may be therein need of."
"I give and bequeath the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand rupees to be placed at Interest in the most secure manner possible in the East India Company or Government papers bearing interest and that interest to be employed for the poor, first having divided this Interest in three portions or parts: one- for the relief of the poor of Lucknow of christian religion, (second)-for the poor of Calcutta- and (third) for the relief of the Poor of Chandernaggur......................
"I give and bequeath the sum of five thousand sicca Rupees to be paid Annually to the Magistrate or Supreme Court of Calcutta -- to pay the debt of some poor honest debtor detained in Jail for small sum -- and as being a soldier I would wish to prefer liberating any poor officer or other Military men detained for small debt................"
"I give and bequeath the sum of two hundred thousand sicca rupees to the Town of Calcutta to be put at Interest under the protection of Government of the Supreme Court that they may desire an Institution the most necessary for the public good of the Town of Calcutta or establishing a School to educate a certain number of Children of any sex to a certain age, to have them put in apprenticeship to some profession.............and to have them married when at age...........and a medal to be given to the most deserving or virtuous boy or girl............"
"Since the powerful Almighty creator of all the Universe of all that exist gave me the power and wisdom of thinking, I never discontinued contemplating and admiring his wisdom in the creation and Ruling the Universe, as also the several Globes, Planets, Stars and firmament, things incomprehensible to men's feeble understanding. I was born and educated to believe in the existence of God Ruler of all the World and all that exist beneficent to all of any Religion or sects they may be, being Gratefully bound to thank him for his mercifulness on me, I adored him and worshipped him as my Creator Benefactor and all omnipotent, but doubtful of the mode of worshipping Him. I did it as a child of the earth, though educated in the Roman Catholic Religion, but when my bodily feeling made one weak I resumed the prejudices I had imbibed by my education and salvation of my said Immortal Soul; I worshiped him as I had been taught in my infancy.........but, as still many doubts crowded in my mind, I never could cease enquiring of the true path of Religion and worshiping the Omnipotent Creator God and I have endeavoured to learn the religion of other nations and sects that I might be a proper judge for myself and, though I found mostly every other nations and sects as ridiculous in their ceremony as I thought the Religion I was educated in, still I found a similarity in the same principle and the substance of every Religion of Nations and sects (with which) I have been acquainted, of all possession, sound moral, and recommendation, to do all the good possible to other creatures, to worship as only God, creator of all, and to be charitable to all other creatures and to do Penances for sin............"
"When I am dead, which I suppose will happen at Lucknow, unless in the field of honour against an enemy; if at Lucknow or anywhere else, I request that my body may be salted, put in spirit or embalmed, and afterwards deposited in a leaden Coffin made of some sheet lead in my Godown and this coffin be put in another wooden one of sisson wood of thick plank of two inches thick, and this deposited in the cave of my monument or house at Luckperra, called Constantia, in that cave and in the small round room North Easterly to erect a tomb of about two feet, elevated from the floor, and to have the Coffin deposited in it and the tomb to be covered with a marble stone, and an Inscription put on it of my name Major General Claude Martin, Born at Lyons, the 5th January, 1735, arrived in India a common soldier and died at the........month in the year......and he is buried in this Tomb. Pray for his soul."
Written by me in my perfect health and sound senses, the first January, in the year of our Lord, Eighteen hundred.
signed and sealed by me
(Cl MARTIN, (L.S.)
Witness of my signature and seal signed and sealed before us, where no stamp paper is to be had.
(Sd.) D. LUMSDEN, Captain, in the Hon'ble Company
(Sd.) J. REID, Surgeon, in the Hon'ble Company
Done before me,
(Sd.) WILLIAM SCOTT,
Resident, Lucknow
He gave regular parties for the British as well as the nawabi aristocracy and participated with gusto in the social and cultural activities of Lucknow.
He had a city residence the Farhat baksh and a country palace, the Constantia. He had other properties in Lucknow, Canpore, Bhazipur and Benaras as well, from which he got a substantial income.
Keeping his last will and testament in view he was a kind master, concerned about the welfare of his staff and servants.
As banker and businessman
Claude Martin was an astute businessman with a diversity of interests. He was well known for his financial skills, and it was said that he never ran after money, but made it come to him. Part of his immense fortune came from the bank he started at Lucknow.[7] He lent money to the nawab of Awadh [Asaf-ud-Daula], the largest loan being for the sum of £250,000 in 1794, which he apparently retrieved with difficulty.[1]
Martin was quick to realize the importance of indigo farming and invested in this profitable enterprise in several parts of North India. He exported indigo and cloth to Europe in exchange for Spanish dollars.[1]
Indigo planting in Bengal dated back to 1777 when Louis Bonnard, a Frenchman introduced it to the Indians. He was the first indigo planter of Bengal. He started cultivation at Taldanga and Goalpara near Chandannagar (Hooghly).With the Nawabs of Bengal under British power, indigo planting became more and more commercially profitable because of the demand for blue dye in Europe. It was introduced in large parts of Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum, North 24 Parganas, and Jessore (present Bangladesh). The indigo planters persuaded the peasants to plant indigo instead of food crops. They provided loans, called dadon, at a very high interest. Once a farmer took such loans he remained in debt for his whole life before passing it to his successors. The price paid by the planters was meagre, only 2.5% of the market price. The farmers could make no profit growing indigo. The farmers were totally unprotected from the indigo planters, who resorted to mortgages or destruction of their property if they were unwilling to obey them. Government rules favoured the planters. By an act in 1833, the planters were granted a free hand in oppression. Even the zamindars sided with the planters. Under this severe oppression, the farmers resorted to revolt.
The Bengali middle class supported the peasants wholeheartedly. Bengali intellectual Harish Chandra Mukherjee described the plight of the poor farmer in his newspaper The Hindu Patriot. However the articles were overshadowed by Dinabandhu Mitra, who depicted the situation in his play Nil Darpan. His play created a huge controversy which was later banned by the East India Company to control the agitation among the Indians.
The revolt was ruthlessly suppressed. Large forces of police and military, backed by the British Government and the zamindars, mercilessly slaughtered a number of peasants. British police mercilessly hanged great leader of indigo rebels Biswanath Sardar alias Bishe Dakat in Assannagar, Nadia after a show trial. Some historians opined that he was the first martyr of indigo revolt in undivided Bengal...
R.C. Majumdar in "History of Bengal" goes so far as to call it a forerunner of the non-violent passive resistance later successfully adopted by Gandhi. The revolt had a strong effect on the government, which immediately appointed the "Indigo Commission" in 1860. In the commission report, E. W. L. Tower noted that "not a chest of Indigo reached England without being stained with human blood".
-- Indigo revolt, by Wikipedia
Martin also started a cannon foundry, introduced a Dutch method of cutting diamonds, made gunpowder and coined rupees.[7]
As self-surgeon
Apart from being a self-made man, Martin was an amateur scientist and a doctor of sorts. He seems to have suffered from bladder stones in his urinary tract and in 1782, despite excruciating suffering, he successfully attempted a primitive and unorthodox form of lithotripsy (breaking the stones via a waxed-wire insertion up the urethra). Martin sent details of the operation to the Company of Surgeons in London and, notwithstanding initial scepticism among bladder surgeons, it appears to have been accepted as the first recorded operation of its kind.[1]
As hot air balloonist
First public demonstration in Annonay, France in 1783
Claude Martin's wide interests included hot air balloons and he was instrumental in introducing a montgolfier to the Nawab and aristocracy of Lucknow in 1785 less than two years after its flight in France.
Allan Sealy in his historic novel Trotter-nama[8] features this aspect of Claude Martin.
As philanthropist
Martin was a charitable person and philanthropist by heart as is reflected in the following excerpt from his last will and testament:
"I give and bequeath the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand rupees for to be placed at Interest in the most secure manner possible in the East India Company or Government papers bearing interest and that interest to be employed for the poor first having divided this Interest in three portions or parts one – for the relief of the poor of Lucknow of any religion – for the poor of Calcutta – for the relief of the Poor of Chandernaggur".
As educationist
Of all the European adventurers, Claude Martin is singular in that he left the greater part of his wealth to a variety of charities. Being almost entirely self-educated, he realised the value of formalised education and willed a major part of his fortune to the creation of three institutions of learning in Calcutta, Lucknow and in his birth town of Lyon in France which are all named La Martiniere College.
The schools all celebrate Founder's Day on 13 September, the anniversary of Martin's death.
La Martinière College is a consortium of bi-national private schools, majority of them located in India. They are officially non-denominational private schools with units of two-two branches in Indian cities of (Kolkata and Lucknow) respectively and in France, the consortium is represented by a number of three branches in Lyons.
La Martinière Schools were founded posthumously by Major General Claude Martin, in the early 19th century... His will outlined every detail of the schools, from their location to the manner of celebrating the annual Founder's Day. The seven branches function independently, but maintain close contacts and share most traditions.
La Martinière College, Lucknow was awarded a Battle Honour - 'Defense of Lucknow' for the part the staff and pupils played in the Defence of the Residency at Lucknow during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 -- the only school in the world so distinguished.
La Martiniere Calcutta and La Martinière Lucknow consist of separate girls' and boys' schools, while the three in La Martinière Lyon are co-educational. The Colleges are day schools, but Indian units have boarding facilities as well. Extra-curricular activities, including sports and community service organizations, are emphasized, and music and dance are included in the general curriculum...
The Socials at La Martinière are elegant events in the English tradition. Students from both the girls and boys sections are invited to the socials. Ceremonial uniform is worn by boys, while formal dresses are worn by girls. "The Social" is a tradition of La Martiniere and a memory of its English past.
The Socials are held in the College Hall and the girls are invited to the boys school. Socials are also held after the yearly 'Inter-Martiniere Meet' is held between the two schools at Lucknow and Kolkata.
La Martinière has always been regarded as one of the finest schools in India. Given its foundation in English tradition, it has been compared to the Public Schools of England, and has been referred to as "The Eton of the East" by William Dalrymple, in his book "The Age of Kali."
-- La Martiniere College, by Wikipedia
Claude Martin's ideas on education are reflected in the following extract from his writings:
"I have read a lot, pen in hand, often under difficult conditions, and I know the value of the first rudiments inculcated by the parson of St. Saturnin. That is why I divide my fortune in two. I want to thank all those who have been around me by making their life easier after my death. I also want to give the children of both Lyon and India, the instruction which I received with so much difficulty. I want to make it easy for young people to get access to knowledge, specially the sciences."[9]
Ironically, Claud Martin had willed part of his fortune for the education of children in India without specific mention to race and creed. However, at the turn of the Nineteenth century the attitude of British rulers in India changed to a Victorian and imperialist outlook, resulting in the formation of the school in Calcutta, after 30 years of litigation as meant for European Christians only, though permitting Catholics, Armenian Christians and those of other denominations. It was only in 1935 that native Indians were permitted to join the school.
Personal life
A painting by Johan Zoffany showing Martin's adopted children Boulone Lise and James Martin
Martin never married but, as a nabob, he had close and long relationships with several mistresses, which was the normal practice in that era. His favourite mistress was a girl called Boulone (c.1766–1844), who was some thirty years younger than Martin. He had bought her as a young girl aged nine. Martin always claimed that they lived happily together, but Boulone must inevitably have harboured feelings of jealousy when Martin introduced younger mistresses into the household. Boulone is commemorated in a small gilt-framed painting in the Blue Room of La Martinière. She is pictured next to a young boy named James Zulphikar, who was said to have been adopted by Martin. Both figures are dressed in 18th-century Indian costume, and Boulone is holding a fishing rod. Boulone is buried in a purpose-built Muslim tomb in the grounds of the College. It is here that a few rupees are given out once a month to the poor people of Lucknow, in accordance with the instructions in Martin's will.[1][10]
Martin on himself
Claude Martin has had his admirers and detractors. He was indeed a complex person. Part adventurer, part polymath, part colonial agent, part lover of Oriental life,...
Adventurer: a person who enjoys or seeks adventure; a person willing to take risks or use dishonest methods for personal gain; "a political adventurer"; a financial speculator.
-- Adventurer, by Google
but how did Claude Martin view himself?
Chandan Mitra in his book Constant Glory has this self-introspective analysis from Martin:
"I have always refused to give up the French nationality, but of which France do I belong? That of Louis XV, where I have only known misery before embarking on the L'Orient? That of philosophers, of terror bathing in blood, or that of Bonaparte whose eastern dream has just been dissipated, after leaving Tipu Sahib alone against the English? I have collaborated for his defeat and then after he lost I have been rewarded by some gold sprinkling on my uniform-a vain plaything for my vanity. By my persevarance and hard work I have accumulated a fortune from this country which is my second motherland. I have not cheated the people who have passively succumbed to the yoke of corrupt men."
Epitaph
Claude Martin died on 13 September 1800 at the Town House, Lucknow.[1] According to his last wishes, he was buried in the vault specially prepared for his remains in the basement of Constantia in Lucknow. The inscription on his tombstone reads:
Major-General Claude Martin.
Arrived in India as a common soldier
and died at Lucknow on the 13th of September,
1800, as a Major-General.
He is buried in this tomb.
Pray for his soul."[11]
Further reading
• Rosie Llewellyn-Jones. A very ingenious man: Claude Martin in early colonial India, 1993, Delhi: Oxford University Press, 241pp. ISBN 0-19-565099-9
• Rosie Llewellyn-Jones. A fatal friendship: the nawabs, the British and the city of Lucknow. Delhi; Oxford: Oxford University Press, c.1985, 284pp. ISBN 0-19-561706-1
• Rosie Llewellyn-Jones. A man of the Enlightenment in eighteenth-century India: the letters of Claude Martin, 1766–1800. New Delhi: Permanent Black in Association with The Embassy of France in India: Distributed by Orient Longman, 2003, 412pp. ISBN 81-7824-042-4
• William Chubb. The Lucknow menagerie: natural history drawings from the collection of Claude Martin (1735–1800). London: Hobhouse, 2001. ISBN 0-946630-06-2.
See also
• The will of Claude Martin
• La Martiniere College
• La Martiniere Calcutta
• La Martiniere Lucknow
• La Martiniere Lyon
• Martinians
• Martin Purwa
• Claude Martin Wade – A Colonel named after Claude Martin
References
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Martin, Claud". Encyclopædia Britannica. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 794.
1. Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, 'Martin, Claude (1735–1800), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [1], accessed July 2007.
2. For the Public Good in The Hindu Archived 6 May 2003 at the Wayback Machine Sunday, 26 November 2000 accessed July 2007
3. Sale of art originally owned by Claude Martin accessed July 2007
4. Rosie Llewellyn-Jones A Man of the Enlightenment in Eighteenth-century India: The Letters of Claude Martin, 1766–1800 p. 96 accessed July 2007
5. Martin, Claude (2003). A Man of the Enlightenment in 18th Century India: The Letters of Claude Martin, 1766–1800. ISBN 9788178240428. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
6. Archer, Mildred Indian and British Portraiture
7. Mesrovb Jacob Seth Armenians in India: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day : Work of Original Research p.562 Published 1992 Asian Educational Services ISBN 81-206-0812-7
8. The Trotter-Nama: A Chronicle, (New York: Knopf, 1988; London: Penguin Books, 1990; New York: Viking Penguin, 1990) ISBN 0-14-010210-8
9. Mitra, Chandan. Constant glory: La Martinière saga 1836–1986. Calcutta: Oxford University Press, 1987.
10. An article by the Lucknow historian Ms. Rosie Llewellyn-Jones in Taj magazine" accessed June 2007
11. Extract from "Quest for Kim – In search of Kipling's Great Game" by Peter Hopkirk. London: John Murray, 1996. ISBN 0-7195-5560-4. Transcribed by Tony Mooar in a posting on the India-L Rootsweb Mailing List on 23 April 1999 accessed June 2007
External links
• "The Ferenghi Quartet", by G.M. Naug. The series was completed and published by the author in February 2012. The four titles are: Seeds of Empire, Banners of the Sun, Precipice of Power and Salute to the Gods. All are narrated in the first person by a character named (and based on) Claude Martin. Details are posted on the website https://web.archive.org/web/20170923193 ... 0M.%20Naug