History of The Portuguese In Bengal (with Maps and Illustrations)

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The author has collected some interesting facts relative to the commercial, political and religious enterprises of the Portuguese in Bengal. The work done by the Portuguese as pioneers of European commerce in this part of India has not, perhaps, been sufficiently recognized, for it may truly be said that they paved the way for the commercial ventures of the Dutch, the English and other European nations. He quotes an array of authorities in support of his account, which shows that the Portuguese, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, occupied a position in Bengal comparable to that of the British in the middle of the eighteenth, with their settlements and factories, not only at the principal ports, Hughli and Chittagong, but at many other places in Eastern and Western Bengal, and as far up the Ganges as Patna. The earliest British mercantile adventurers in Bengal and the adjacent countries established themselves, naturally, at places where the Portuguese had already found openings for European commerce. The book is divided into 3 parts covering 18 chapters. The part one covers the rise of Portuguese in Bengal; the second part contains the decline and fall of the Portuguese in Bengal, and (c) the third part covers relics of the Portuguese in Bengal. It has six illustrations and three maps.

Joachim Joseph A. Campos (1893-1945), also known as J.J.A. Campos, was a writer, editor, and took an active interest in history. He is known for his book History of the Portuguese in Bengal, which according to the historian Dr. Teotonio R. De Souza remains "still a classic".

In his 1919-published magnum opus, the Campos is described as the joint editor of The Century Review, member of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta, etc". Campos traced his roots to the Portuguese colony of Goa, so while technically he was Portuguese during that era, he was also of South Asian or Indian (Goan) ethnicity.

This work has grown out of a series of lectures delivered on the "History of the Portuguese in Bengal," in commemoration of the fourth centenary of the advent of the Portuguese in the Bay of Bengal. It is scarcely necessary to explain the raison d'être of the book for, in spite of the existence of vast stores of material for a history of the Portuguese in Bengal, there is not a single comprehensive work on the subject. Most of the information about the Portuguese, given in modern historical writings and scattered in the Calcutta Journals and in the Bengal District Gazetteers, is fragmentary and often erroneous.

No Portuguese writings, except Captain Stevens' mis- leading translation of Faria y Souza's History, have been generally taken into account, and some errors of Faria y Souza himself, which F. Danvers perpetuated, have gained ground.

Considering that the Portuguese were the earliest Europeans to found settlements in Bengal, that other European nations generally established themselves on or near the very places which had grown into centres of trade owing to the Portuguese, and that the influence which the Portuguese once exerted is still working silently in Bengal, a work presenting their history in a correct perspective is evidently a pressing need. The production of this book will, I hope, supply this long-felt need. I am conscious of its many imperfections which were unavoidable owing to the stress of other duties which left me little leisure, but I have spared no effort to sift truth from tradition, to obtain unvarnished historical accuracy, and to present a connected account of the rise, the fall and the relics of the Portuguese in Bengal.

In the preparation of this work I cannot claim to have exhausted all the sources of information, but I can say I have utilized the chief Portuguese writings and balanced them with contemporary foreign and Indian writings. The im- portance of the Portuguese writings lies in that they give valuable information not only about the Portuguese doings in Bengal but also about the general history and geography of Bengal. In this work I have, however, confined myself to the essential facts about the Portuguese only, compelled as I was by other duties to set narrow limits to it. In the near future, it is my intention to bring out a contribution to the History and Geography of Bengal, based on Portuguese and other European writings, which have not yet been utilized or exist in scarce and scattered fragmentary studies. The materials for such a work are numerous and should fill volumes.

I must express my gratitude to the Hon'ble Mr. F. J. Monahan, I. C. S. for generously consenting to write an intro- duction for the work, to Mr. O. Lys, Acting Consul for Portugal for much encouragement and a donation towards the costs of printing, to Dr. H. W. B. Moreno B. A. Ph. D., my learned colleague in The Century Review, for many valuable suggestions, to Mr. H. M. Rogers, who has always been my ready helper, to Mr. E. Boxwell and Dr. P. Bragança e Cunha for much kindly assistance, and to Mr. S. P. Banerjee for care- fully revising the proof sheets.

My thanks are due in a special measure to the Revd. Fathers of the St. Xavier's College, my old professors, for having kindly placed at my disposal, their "Count Gæthals Indian Library," which contains valuable Portuguese works and also to the Revd. Vicars of the Portuguese Churches in Bengal, who very kindly furnished me with information regarding the Churches entrusted to their care.

Mr. Campos has collected some interesting facts relative to the commercial, political and religious enterprises of the Portuguese in Bengal. The work done by the Portuguese as pioneers of European commerce in this part of India has not, perhaps, been sufficiently recognized, for it may truly be said that they paved the way for the commercial ventures of the Dutch, the English and other European nations. Mr. Campos quotes an array of authorities in support of his account, which shows that the Portuguese, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, occupied a position in Bengal comparable to that of the British in the middle of the eighteenth, with their settlements and factories, not only at the principal ports, Hughli and Chittagong, but at many other places in Eastern and Western Bengal, and as far up the Ganges as Patna. The earliest British mercantile adventurers in Bengal and the adjacent countries established them- selves, naturally, at places where the Portuguese had already found openings for European commerce. Some of the Portuguese settlements in Bengal became virtually independent of the Mughal rulers of India, being directly subject, for a time, to the jurisdiction of the Portuguese Government of Ceylon.

The causes of the decline of the Portuguese power in the East, and the hostilities between the Portuguese in Bengal and the Mughal Emperor, culminating in the Mughal attack on Hughli, the heroic defence, and the tragic fall of that place, are briefly sketched in this book. There is a striking parallel between the early history of Hughli and that of Calcutta, though the circumstances of the taking of Hughli by Kasim Khan in 1632, differed greatly from those of the capture of Calcutta by Siraj-ud-daula in 1756, which led to the establishment of the British Empire in India.

The Portuguese were the first to introduce Christianity in Bengal, and their Missionaries of different Orders were active at all their settlements. Christian Churches and settlements still existing are the most conspicuous and enduring memorials of Portuguese influence in this province.

The first type-printed works in the Bengali language were a Catechism, a Compendium of the Mysteries of the Faith, and a Vocabulary, published at Lisbon in 1743. It is difficult to realize now, that, at one time, Portuguese was the common language of the important centres of maritime commerce in India, spoken by Europeans of all nations, who came to trade in this country and by the Indians who did business with them. Current Indian languages contain many Portuguese words, most of them connected with trade, or the Christian religion, or names of articles of common use, imported from Europe.

Mr. Campos has evidently devoted much care to the compilation of the book and has drawn on Portuguese sources not often utilized by students in this country. He has been careful to refer to the authorities for statements made by him and his work is, I think, an useful contribution to the history of Bengal and bibliography of the subject with which it deals.