You're a British journalist in colonial India. You print an article criticising some small case of corruption in the East India Company. What could possibly go wrong? Answer: EVERYTHING!
This is the story of Sandford Arnot, who was banished from India in 1824. The previous year, his boss James Silk Buckingham, was banished for similar reasons. More on him at a later date, as I'm also working on an article. But here's a picture of JSB having 'gone native'. 
Anyway, with Buckingham deported back to England by the EIC, young Sandford is left in charge of the Calcutta Journal, India's most popular English language newspaper. With the instructions from James, not to do anything stupid.
Having learned nothing from Buckingham's expulsion, Sandford writes a series of increasingly antagonistic articles aimed at the Company. Which, surprise, surprise, REALLY annoys the Governor-General, who summarily orders Arnot's arrest and deportation.
Sandford is evidently an enterprising young man, because rather than face some fairly rough treatment by the Company's enforcers, the seizure of all his stuff, and a perilous voyage back to Britain... he goes on the run!
But how do you escape the clutches of a globe-spanning, heavily armed corporate superpower? That's right, flee into the welcoming arms of a rival power who hate the EIC. In this case, France, who happen to have a colonial outpost in Pondicherry.
Sandford is understandably in a hurry, and through various means makes the journey of some - 1100 MILES - from Calcutta to Pondicherry in under a month. Hot on his heals are the Governor-General's agents.
So Sandford is safe right? NOPE! Never ones to respect borders, treaties or other such quibbles, the Company's men storm into Pondicherry, grab Arnot and drag him back into British territory. The French governor protests, but ultimately doesn't fancy a war over some dumb hack.
At this point it's not looking great for our guy, but the Company want rid of him sharpish. So they stick him on the first ship heading from India to any other British possession. This takes Sandford to Singapore, where the authorities there have some sympathy for him.
He meets the governor, Sir Stamford Raffles, who despite looking like he wants to give you, and everybody else a damn good thrashing, finds Sandford a place on a ship for England. This ship is the FAME, on which the returning Raffles is also due to sail with his family.
I'll pass the story to Raffles: "We had stood out to sea and lost sight of the land... at 8 o’clock Sophia retired to rest, and in about 10 mins I followed her and had just thrown off my outer garments, when a horrible yell – of 'FIRE! FIRE!' resounded through the ship."
All on board escape into the boats, including our man Sandford. But soon the fire has reached the powder store and the already burning ship of Fame explodes. Here's a cutting from the Singapore Chronicle.
After 18 hours in rough seas, the passengers and crew row themselves back to the port. They arrive in a pretty awful state as you can imagine. Raffles and his family have lost all of their personal possessions, as has poor old Sandford. Who is not having a great time.
In addition to Raffles’s entire body of research and scientific collections, gathered during his many years in SE Asia. In two months he redrew his map of Sumatra and commissioned new sets of natural history drawings. By the time they depart again, he has made 100+ new drawings!
EVENTUALLY, Sandford, Stamford and Sophia make it back to England, and none of them are too impressed by the EIC at this stage. Sandford successfully sues for compensation due to the loss of all his possessions as a result his banishment. The Company give him £1500.
With this he establishes the London Oriental Institution in Leicester Square and then later in Bloomsbury. Here he teaches future Company civil servants Indian languages alongside John Gilchrist. (When he isn't anonymously badmouthing the EIC in the British press).
And this is where I lose track of adventurous old Arnot. What he got up to next may be very boring, or it may be just as perilous. What I do know is that a Dr Sandford Arnot is buried on the Caribbean island of St Vincent in 1892. I wonder...
Did I mention this story before? Thought you might enjoy it @jonewilson, @18CenturyScobie @teadevotee
One thing I forgot to mention. Our man Sandford published one of the earliest Indian cookery books to appear in Britain, having translated a Bengali original. You can read it here - bit.ly/2HumMvj
