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Colombo 3rd. July 1814
My Dear Father
 I should not have delayed writing to
you this long had I not been in hopes of being able
to give you some accounts of our first campaign but
after all your anxiety I am affeard we shall be
disappointed. Upon our arrival at this place the King of
Candy and his Adigar was at variance and it was
expected that in this must soon come to a crisis & it
happened. The King having sent for the Adigar (Prime
Minister) instead of obeying the summons he
placed himself under the protection of this government[.]
There is a most extraordinary ceremony attending
every thing that is done by the King. When he wishes
to see a person who has incurred his displeasure
a drawn sword wrapped up in a white cloth is
sent to the person offending; it as much as to
tell him that he must come and have his head cut
off, for I believe there are very few who have the
good fortune to escape after being summoned in this
way. The Adigar was not allowed to come farther
than Hangweli (a small Fort on the Candian Frontiers)
at first and from the frequent
correspondence which was carried on with him we
all expected a Candian War [.] Our hopes were in a
short time as we then thought realised [.] The Troops
were ordered to hold themselves in readiness to
march at a moments warning and Detachments
from the Royal Artillery the second of Fourth Ceylon
Regiment were immediately sent off to Hangweli. Our
Regiment was not to go till the last on account of
their not being sufficiently inured to the climate which
is very unwholesome in the interior[.] People have been
known to have gone up the country only for a day and to
have returned with the jungle Fever which is never
got rid of without change of climate and then not
always. It has raged at Trincomalee this season
at a most alarming degree at one time there
was not a single Officer in the 3rd Ceylon Regt
capable of doing duty, seven of them have died. After all
the preparations that had been made orders unexpectedly
received [?] and I assure you very much unwished for were
for the Troops to return to their Duty. Thus were all our hopes blasted. The King has
since sent several threat
[**?] [**?] to the governor and it is expected that
he has sent to the coast for five regiments of Sepoys
and only waits for the favorable season (the monsoon
is now blowing) to commence operations —
Colombo
the place which our Detachment at present is
is considered to be most healthy Part of the Island
The Heat is excessive here at times and it is even dangerous
to go out. We all arrived in good health
after a pleasant passage of two months having
lost but one man and two women and they
have hitherto since our arrival been so fortunate as to lose but one
who was suffocated by drinking arrack[.] Such
changes have taken place in our Detachment[.]
Pike soon after our arrival forwarded a letter
demanding a Court Martial and Lt. Atkins was
desired to give in His charges this he declined stating
as his reason that his most Material Evidences
were in New South Wales[.] Col. Kerr the Commandant of the Garrison
informed us that we must either bring Captain Pike to a
Court Martial or that he must be let out of Coventry no
such thing being allowed in the army. The Commander in Chief
having set his face against it and that if our officers
had signed the Proceedings (which would have been done
had it not been for myself and a few others) and had
they been forwarded in that manner to his Royal Highness
he has not the least doubt but it would seriously have
affected the Regiment. Pike was in consequence let out
of Coventry and is now with us a member of the Artillery
Mess —
Lt Atkins's conduct since our arrival has been
such as to have compelled Major Gordon to bring him to
a Court Martial: he was continually drunk on Parade
and would sit down in company with any blackguard who
would give him a glass of grog. The Major no less than
three times cautioned him in the presence of the whole
of us against such conduct declaring that if he still persisted
he would be reluctantly compelled to bring him
to a Court Martial nothwithstanding this and the
repeated cautions given by myself and others he still persisted[.]
Returning home one night about half past eight OClock
I heard a noise in one of the Ditches in the Fort and
upon examining I found it was Lt Atkins
who was at this time Officer of the Day had fallen
over the wall & was so drunk that it was with
the greatest exertions I was able to get him out
and I have not the least doubt had I not providentially
passed by at the time but that he must have
been drowned[.] Some way or other these repeated
irregularities got to the ears of the Commandant who ordered
Major Gordon to bring Lt Atkins to a Court Martial[;] he
was then advised to forward a memorial to the Governor
stating his services and for leave to sell out; this
he would not allow. I was told before the Court
Martial that he intended abusing the whole of us
on the Court Martial and me in particular
as he said he had been told I was the cause of his being brought
forward but I could never get him to tell me who it was
and must only place it among the numerous other falsehoods [?]
he has told[.] His Defence was a most scurrilous one [**?]
the production of a celebrated blackguard here who was
kicked out of the second Ceylon Regiment, for his infamous
conduct[.] Pike and myself were the two who
he principally attacked. The whole of it was ordered to
be expunged by the Court in whose opinion he was
[**?] lowered[?] by it[.] I shall refrain repeating to you the
language or the subject but it was of such a nature
that I can neither forget or forgive as long as I breathe[.]
He intends I understand returning to New South Wales as [soon]
as his sentence is made known which cannot be
more than twelve months and has had the impertinence
to say that he will inform you of my
conduct towards him[.] We have had great trouble
with the Detachment since our arrival.
Several men have been tried by General Courts Martial[;]
the Bearer of this is one of them he was sentenced
to be shot but the Court in consideration of his youth
[**?] good character recommended him to the
Governor for Mercy who was pleased to commute the
Sentence for transportation for life. I hope
Father you will use your endeavours to [**?]
his misfortune[.] Until this unfortunate business
he was a lad of the best character a quick well
conducted lad and I am well convinced that
were it not for their infernal arrack which
they have here he would never have been guilty
of the offence striking his superior officer Lt Connor
There are at this moment two of our men
trying for a like offence by a General Court Martial who will
be both shot to a certainty. The General
and Commandant were witnesses to their outrageous
conduct and he then told them
that they had once experienced his lenity but whatever
might now be the sentence that sentence he would carry into
effect we are anxiously looking for the arrival of the remainder
of the Regiment I shall be for some of the outpost
as soon as it takes place and I assure that I shall consider
it as the greatest blessing that can happen to me I do not think
at this present moment there is a stricter Garrison
in the world[;] we have not a moment which we can
call our own and are drilled to that degree that I am sure
I shall not be able to stand much longer[.] I shall
now once more entreat you to do some for the poor
lad (Douglass) if you possibly can and with Wishes[?] &
prayers for your welfare and Happiness
I remain
My dear Father
your ever affectionate Son
D Wentworth
NB. Remember me most kindly to
all Friends particularly to Maria tell
her I am well and if peace takes place
contrary to my former intention I shall
visit New South Wales once more
DW
Pike sends his kind remembrance to
all Friends. The Cockatoo is well
Margin note [p.3]:
Pike was Captain of the Day but
did not report him as he begged of him
not to do so.
Provenance
Wentworth Papers Vol. 1. Letter from Lieut. D'Arcy Wentworth Jnr. to D'Arcy Wentworth, Snr. 3 July 1814.
Original held in Mitchell Library Sydney (ML Ref: A755; ff. 3-6).
Manuscript Transcripts
Transcript prepared by Robin Walsh
Macquarie University Library, Sydney, Australia.
© 2003
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