Hugh Crawford, Commercial Agent in Travancore during the19th Century
Hugh and Mary Ann Crawford R eaders of my blog may have noted that, in February 2008, I wrote an article titled “Some Royal Correspondence.” It dealt with an original letter dated 4th January 1893 sent by Maharajah Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma of Travancore (AD 1885-1924) to Mr. John Rohde, of the erstwhile Travancore Civil Service while the latter had gone to England for his holidays. Therein I had discussed at length on the historical personalities named in the letter. I received a few mails from friends and readers on this article about which I felt very happy because it had created quite a bit of enthusiasm about the 19th century Travancore and some of its colourful personalities. But, the email received from Mr. Robert Collingwood from England was very special and most heartening to me because he happened to be the great great grand nephew of Jack (John) Rohde, who was the Commercial Agent to the Maharajah. “John Rohde, like most members of his family, was born in India, as the son...