Indian Antiquary Vol 57

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 90

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(APRIL, 1928
he made his first will of the 18th January 1712. Therefore, he could not go to Lahore at the call of Shah Alam the first. He could not make that journey, for on the 23rd January 1712, Mr. le Chevalier Hebert sent him on a mission to the Nawab of Arcot. That mission was the last one which he fulfilled to the entire satisfaction of the Governor of Pondicherry and his counsellers. From the 3rd December 1718 to the 30th January 1719, he was claiming by means of a law-suit the money that Cojee-Baba (Khwaja Baba) owed him. So he was still alive in 1719.
Mr. H. D. Love in the second volume of his Vestiges of Old Madras says on page 125 ".......... the date of Manucci's death and the mode of disposal of his property are alike unknown......." Therefore Mr. Love has ignored completely the existence of a will. Among the notarial records of Pondicherry, there is a contract of exchange between Mr. Manuchy and Dela Prevostiere, dated the 3rd July 1709. “Before the Secretary of the Conseil Supérieur of the Royal Company of France at Pondicherry, the undersigned, were present : Mr. Pierre Andre Dela Prevostiere, counsellor for the above Company and Nicolao Manouchy residing at present in Madras, who made together the following agreements namely: that the above Mr. Dela Prevostiere made over, released and transferred by right of selling and by interchange to the above Mr. Manuchy accepting of the present of a house situated in that town New Gate-Street of Goudelour, etc., and in exchange and for the payment for the above house the above Mr. Manuchy made over, released and transferred to the above Mr. Dela Prevostiere a house of Mr. Manouchy situated at Grand-Mont near San-Thome. That house was bought from Mr. François thro' contract of exchange passed before the Tabellion (notary) of San-Thome on the 9th of August 1697; which Mr. Guetty bought from one Jean Antoine Flaman by name thro' contract passed before the Tabellion (notary) on the 27th of July of the same year." (Nole.-M. Dela Prevostiere was the Governor of Pondicherry from the 20th August 1718 to 11th October 1721).
22nd February 1711. Contract of sale made by Mr. Nicolao Manuchy to Mr. Edouard de la Cloche. Mr. Nicolao Manouchy residing in that town (Pondicherry) sold to Mr. Edouard de la Cloche, capitaine des vaisseaux, residing at present in Madras, some land closed with earthern walls, with a house and a garden situated at Madras beyond Thomas Clarke bridge (received from Thomas Clarke's inheritance thro' his wife) to the value of eight hundred pagodas.
The will being dated 12th January 1712, we may be led to think perhaps he died in the course of the year or in the ensuing years. Bearing this hypothesis in mind I went through the records of the "Etat-Civil," in which births, deaths and marriages are registered. It was a fruitless search. I found nothing about the date of his death ; but it was not all in vain; because in the course of my researches, I discovered a second will with its codicil made at Madras on the 8th January 1719. It is in Portuguese. The paper has also turned yellow; it is very difficult to read and make it out. For the paper is in a very bad condition, as soon as it is touched, it crumbles. If the paper had been in good condition we might have found some changes he might have wished to introduce in the disposal of his properties mentioned in the first will. This will is in four pages signed by the testator Nicolao Manuchy and Mie de M. Famirante, and then comes the codicil signed by Nicolao Manouchy and Mr. Quiel de Lima. At the end of signatures two seals are affixed in red wax bearing the arms of the Company. Then it bears the following statement: The present will is on this day the 23rd August 1720, deposited by the Capuchin monk, Thomas, missionary, in the registry of the Conseil Supérieur of this town, to be kept as original and copies to be handed over and delivered to those whom it may concern. Signed: F. THOMAS, CAPUCHIN MONK, M.A.,
Du Laurens. According to the wish expressed in his first will, Mr. Nicolao Manuchy wished to die at Pondicherry and to be buried there. His desire was not fulfilled, because, if he had truly