LEMA: Lachlan Macquarie's Sword and Scabbard

Swords and Lachlan Macquarie

After his many years of military service in South Asia and the Middle East Lachlan Macquarie was very familiar with curved swords and scimitars. There are at least three instances in which he refers to such weapons:

"Memo ! The Sword I recd. out of the hand of one of Tippoo's Sirdars on his being mortally wounded at the Battle of Seedaseer on the 6th. March 1799 — was supposed to belong to Syed Ghoffar, but it is now certain it belonged to 'Mahomed Meeran' (a Meer Meeran or Great Lord) who fell at Seedaseer and not Syed Ghoffar who was killed at Seringapatam."

[Macquarie Journal No. 3. 29 December 1794 – 27 September 1799. ML Ref: A 769. See: insert entry after 1 June 1799 p.374a].

On the 10 September 1801 in Egypt Macquarie recorded in his journal that:

"My kind good Friend Capt. Michie called in at my Tent this forenoon - and delivered me out of his own hand a most Elegant and very handsome Sword as a Present for my Brother Charles in testimony of his sincere friendship. It is a true Persian Blade – and handsomely mounted in Bengal; so that it will be a most acceptable present to my beloved Charles. —"

[Macquarie, Lachlan. Journal. No. 4. 28 September 1799 – 11 September 1801 ML Ref: A769 p. 274].

Earlier that same year he had referred to the fact that on August 26 General David Baird had received from the Grand Vizier in Cairo "a very handsome Mamaluke Sword, and also with a very elegant gold Snuff Box richly set with Diamonds. — To all the officers of the Staff and Field officers that accompanied Genl. Baird, the Grand Vizier presented Pelliesses or Caftans: — I got one of the latter. —"

On the 18 June 1807 he was presented with the gift of two scimitars from the Persian Court. One scimitar from Mahomad Hussein Khan, first Vizier, and a second from Fath 'Ali Shah, King of Persia:

"At 9,O'Clock the Vizier's principal Secretary waited on me with a Present of Persian Sword from the Vizier himself – and a Bag of 2000 Piastres from the King to defray my Expences to England. – I accepted the first, but returned the latter as entirely incompatible with my honor and ideas of propriety. Several messages passed on this Subject, and I was repeatedly importuned to accept the money – but which I persisted in positively refusing. – At length they gave up the point, and the King sent me a Present of a very handsome Persian Scymitar [sic] – which I most readily accepted as an honorable testimony of his Majesty's friendship and regard. –

[Lachlan Macquarie. Journal 18 March 1807 – 17 October 1807. ML Reference: A771 pp. 111-121].

There is no record of what happened to the swords acquired by Lachlan Macquarie in India in 1799 and Persia in 1807.

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