THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

IN INDIA

1 6 1 8— 1 6 2 1

A CALENDAR OF DOCUMENTS IN THE

INDIA OFFI CE,BRITISH MUSEUM AND

PUBLI C RECORD OFFICE

W ILLIAM FOSTER

EDITOR OF‘LETTERS RECEIVED BY THE EAST INDIA COMPANY

,IGI 5- 1 7

’

‘THE EMBASSY OF S IR THOMAS ROE TO THE GREAT MOGUL,

’ETC.

PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF H IS MAJESTY’S

SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA IN COUNCIL

OXFORD

AT THE CLARENDON PRESS

1 906

HENRY FROWDE,

PUBLISHER To THE UNIVERS ITY OF OXFORD

LONDON, ED INBURGH

YORK AND TORONTO

PREFACE

THE s tory of the in i t iation of Br i t ish commerce with the

pen i nsula of India has been already told at length i n the

documents p r i n ted in the s ix volumes of Lez‘

z‘

er s mcez'

wa’

éy Me B asl‘

I ndia Company f r om i ts S er vants in Me E ast,

1 602— 1 7 , publ i shed in 1 896— 1 902 . The presen t volume

cont i nues the narrative down to the end of the year 1 6 2 1 .

The papers here calendared number about four hundred

and s ixty, and comprise all those, e i ther emanat i ng

from or d irec tly relat ing to the Engl ish fac tories in

I nd ia, wh ich could be found e ither in the a rch ives of the

I nd ia Office or in the Manusc r ipts Departmen t of the

Br i t ish Museum,w i th the addit io n of a few from the East

I ndies se r ies at the Public Record Office . Of the I ndia

Office co llec tions laid under con tribution the most impor

tant are the O. C . (Or ig inal Correspondence) series , theMar i ne Records, and the S urat

,Patna

,and M iscellaneous

sect ions of the Fac to ry Records . The Bri t ish Museum

documen ts ch iefly drawn upon are Egem‘

oa M S S . 2 1 2 2 and

2 1 23 , the fo rmer of wh ich conta i ns cop ies of the le tte rs

dispatched from the S urat Fac to ry dur i ng the year endingFebruary, 1 6 20

,wh ile the latter includes t ranscripts of

the le tters received at the same fac to ry from A ugust to

November, 1 6 2 1 .

Most of the documents he re dealt w i th are en ti rely new

to h is to r i cal s tuden ts . Of the remainder,a few have been

p r i n ted , in whole or i n part , i n P amaas fa.! P z

'

lgm'

mes,7 7 7 g

Eméassy of S i r Taomas Roe (Hakluyt S oc iety, or

o ther wo rks ; wh ile , as the reader is probably awa re ,abstrac ts of those in the Q C . and Eas t Indies series have

already appeared in Mr. W . Noel S a insbury’

s Ca lendar

iv PREFACE

of S laz‘e P aper s, Easi l adies , 1 6 1 7—2 1 , published by the

Reco rd Office in 1 8 70. M r. S ainsbury’

s summar ies are ,

howeve r , much mo re condensed than those now g iven , and

mo reover his volume has been for some years out of pri n t .

The documents belong i ng to the collect ions at the Br it i sh

Museum or Publ ic Reco rd Office are spec ially indicated ;

all o thers are to be assumed to belong to the India Office

arch ives .

The method Of calendaring followed is based upon that

adopted in the reports of the Royal Commiss ion on H is

torical Manuscripts . A ll passages which appeared to be

of suffic ien t impo rtance have been quoted in full in o ther

cases merely a summary has been g iven . Spec ial attention

has been paid, not only to po i n ts of h istorical interest, but

also to any informat ion regarding the p roducts and manu

fac tures of I ndia , the we ights , measures , and co i ns in use ,

and o ther s im ilar topics . Native names and express ions

in the factors’

letters have been carefully no ted,as well as

any particularly quaint spec imens of seventeenth-centuryEngl i sh .

A cknowledgements are due to S ir Charles Lyall,and P rofes sor J. F . Blumhardt

,for ass istance in

explai n ing the many vernacular words occurring in the text ;to Mr . W i ll iam Crooke ,

Lieut.

-Co lonel J. R . Dun lop-Sm i th ,

and S ir Geo rge Watt who have helped wi th

regard to specific po ints ; to Messrs . A . W. Thomson and

G. T. Wo r thy , of the Record Depar tmen t,I ndia Office ,

who have ass isted in read i ng the proofs and compi ling the

index ; and to Mr. A . N . Wollas ton , the Reg is trar

and S upe r i ntendent of Records , under whose general supe r

i n tenden ce the volume has been prepared , and who has in

part ic u lar revi sed the spell i ng ,&c ., of the Pers ian and

A rabic wo rds in the text and notes.

INTRODUCTION

IN January,1 6 1 8

,the Engl ish factories in the dominions Of the

Great Mogul numbered five in all : Agra, Ahmadabad , Burhanpur

( in Khandesh) , Broach , and Surat . At the fi rst of these p laces

Jahangi r’s cap i tal , though he was Often away from it for a long

period— Francis Fettip lace and Robert Hughes busied themselves

in procuring indigo , carpets, and cal icoes for dispatch to England ,and in trying (with smal l success) to dispose o f thei r broadcloth

and o ther English goods to the traders of Northern India.

Will iam B iddulph , the head factor, was absent, in attendance upon

the Court , which was then at Ahmadabad . The regular facto ry in

the latter city was under the charge of John Browne, who wrote

poetry in the intervals of bus iness , and may be looked upon as the

earl iest Of Anglo-Indian versemakers .

I At this t ime he had

p robably l ittle leisure for such amusement,for the p resence of the

Emperor had caused an increased demand for fore ign goods ;and mo reover the Surat facto rs looked to Ahmadabad for a con

siderable proportion Of the lading Of the annual sh ip for England .

At Burhanpur, where, as the head quarters of the frontier force,sword-blades and scarlet broadcloth would natural ly be in request,a factory had been opened by N icholas Bangham in 1 6 16 but i t

was now about to be given Up , as, owing to the conclus ion Of peace

with the Deccan p rinces, and the consequent departure Of ShahJahan 2, trade had largely fal len Off. B roach was not only a con

venient halt ing-p lace on the Surat-A hmadabéd road , but an

important centre for the purchase of cal icoes , which were sent

thither from the surrounding distri cts in large quantities to be

washed and bleached . Surat , the O ldest and most important Of the1 In the scarce l ittle volume, publ ished in 16 16

,containing Coryat’s letters from Ind ia,

wi l l be found some facetious verses addressed to him by Browne, who is there describedas a Londoner born but now resident at Ahmadabad. Even in his business correspondenceBrowne adopted a rather affected style, and the Surat factors were sometimes sarcasti cregarding his poeti cal phraseology.

2 This was the ti tle conferred by Jahangi r upon his son Khurram in October, 16 1 7 , asa reward for h is servi ces i n the Deccan. The Ol d name, however, continued to be used, andin the present volume the factors for the most part ring the changes on various forms Of it.

vi THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

English settlements, was under the management of Thomas

Kerridge , an able and experienced merchant,who had come out

with Best in 1 6 1 2, and was now the sen io r o f the Company’

s

servants in India . H e was ass isted by Thomas Rastel l,and a l ittle

later the two were jo ined by a new-comer from England , G i lesJames . These three exercised also a general contro l over al l the

factories , in subordination , however , to S ir Thomas Roe, H is

Majesty’s ambassador, who had recently been invested by the

Company with plenary powers , even in matters commercial . The

annoyance Of Kerridge and his co l leagues at this arrangement is

only too man ifest in the ir letters , especial ly those written after the

ambassador’

s departure.

O f the events ofthe remaining year of Roe’

s embassy, a brief sum

mary will suffice, as the subject has been ful ly dealt with in a work

publ ished a few years ago .

1 Had he consulted merely h is health

and his own inclinations he would have gone home with the Ba ll in

February, 1 6 1 8 . But the Company had begged h im to stay, at

the same t ime putt ing into h is hands ful l authority to remedy the

abuses he had so strongly cri ticized ; and this in i tself constituted

an Obl igation scarcely to be evaded . He had also rece ived a letter

from King James himself,applauding his action in regard to Persia,

encouraging him to‘

r ipen and prepare that business’

,and em

powering h im to conclude a commerc ial treaty with the Shah,

shou ld such a course prove feasible. Further,there was the natural

wish to finish i f possible the work he had been sent out to perform ,

or at al l events to achieve sufficient to enable h im to return with

credit . Impel led by these cons iderat ions, he decided to remain

another year, although , as he wrote to Sir Thomas Smythe,

the Governor Of the Company,‘ my emp loyment is noth ing but

vexation and trouble ; l ittle honor, lesse p rofitt.’

The impossi

b i lity of concluding anyth ing of the nature Of a treaty— an ideautterly al ien to the po l itical system Of the Moguls— he fully

recogni zed but he stil l had hopes that , partly by the aid Of fresh

presents from Europe and partly by threats of force at sea, he

m ight Obtain some concessions which would p lace the Engl ish tradeon a basis that would be reasonably secure . When , in February ,1 Tlze Eméarsy of 5 £7 Tlzomas Roe as narra/ea

’ in 1123 youm al and Correspondence.Hak luyt Society , 1899.

INTRODUCTION vi i

1 6 1 8 , he dispatched h is annual budget of letters to England,the

outlook was d ist inctly p rom is ing. H e was on better terms w ith

Prince Shah Jahan,whose influence with h is father was now at i ts

height ; and he had lately managed to secure the friendsh ip Of

A saf Khan,by whom much of the current bus iness Of the court was

conducted,and whose s ister

,N

‘

I'

I r Mahal (Nfi r Jahan) , wielded

behind the para’a an almost irres ist ible influence over her imperial

consort . As a resu lt, Roe was fed with prom ises of ful l comp l i

ance with h is demands , and his hopes rose high in accordance ;but, however much friendship he m ight profess , Asaf Khan was

either unable or unwil ling to p rocure the prom ised satisfaction ,and

the year wore on without any real progress being made. At last ,in August

,1 6 1 8

,induced partly by the approaching departure of

Jahangi r for Agra (whither Roe had no wish to fo l low), and partlyseeking to profit by a dispute between the Portuguese and the

natives, and a consequent apprehens ion that the former would

attack the Gujarat ports, the ambassado r consented to do what hehad so long held out against

,vi z . to deal direct with the Prince and

content himself with such concessions as he could Obtain from h im .

This course he could the more reasonably take , s ince at the close of

the previous year the szZaa/z of Gujarat had been added to the Prince’

s

dign ities,and he was therefore now the overlord of the Engl ish at

Ahmadabad and B roach as wel l as at Surat in fact, Agra was the

only important station of the i rs outs ide his j urisdiction,and in

regard to that p lace the English had never yet found cause Of

serious complaint . The negotiations, which were characteriz ed

by the usual dup l icity and tergiversation , are detai led on p . 3 8 ;

also the general result , which was embodied in a f arman to the

local Officials . The Prince’

s am i ty towards the Engl ish was publ icly

acknowledged ; in the case of a Portuguese attack on the i r ship s ,the Surat authorit ies were ordered to assist them with boats

o r any other requisites ; they were to be allowed to trade freely,

and former abuses in the levying Of customs were not to be repeated

jewels were to be adm itted free Of duty ; goods passing to the port

were to be exempt from tolls ; the factors at Surat were to be

permitted, under certain restrictions, to hire any house they p leased

for a facto ry ; l iberty was given them to govern themselves according

to their own laws ; any refugee was to be surrendered , even if he

vi i i THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

had embraced Islam ; thei r nat ive agents were secured againstmolestat ion ; and the ever-recurring d ifficulty about the exam inat ion Of presents intended for the Court was settled . Liberty to

buy or build a dwel l ing-house was , however, obstinately refused ;and an attempt was made to l im it the number of Engl ishmen

permitted to wear arms in the city. The stipulation was natural ,considering the frequent disorders committed by the sai lo rs from

the ships ; but Roe was determined not to yield the po int, and at

last , by giving a written undertaking (p . 40) that his countrymenshould do no wrong or hurt to anyone he succeeded in Obtain ingthe withdrawal of the Obnoxious Clause .

Having secured this grant, and a general farmaa from the

Emperor himself for our reception and continuat ion in h is

domynyons’

, Roe towards the end Of September took his leaveOf Jahangi r and retired to Surat , there to spend in comparative

comfort the four months yet to elapse before the ship intended for

England would be ready. Of the events Of that period we knowlittle but it is Obvious that they included renewed diffi cult ies withthe native authorit ies, appeased to some extent by the presents

brought by a new fleet under Captain Robert Bonner, which arrived

at Swally (the port of Surat) in September, 1 6 1 8 . Evidently, too ,there were bickerings with Kerridge and his fel low factors and i t

must have been with no smal l sense Of rel ief that on February 1 7 ,

1 6 19, Roe ho isted his flag in the Royal A nne and sai led for

E ngland, after an absence Of four years.Roe

’s emb’

assy has always been regarded— and rightly so— as

a landmark in the histo ry Of Engl ish relations with India. Of

tangible results, i t i s true, he had l ittle to Show. The factors at

Surat wrote to the Company in most depreciatory terms of the

results of his efforts (pp . 59, and he him self put in the forefront

of his achievements the successful ini tiation Of trade with the RedS ea, merely Observing Of the privileges Obtained in India that theywere ‘

as much in general l as he could expect or desire ’

. Buta diplomatist

’

s usefulness, especially in deal ing with an Orientalstate, can seldom be measured by conventions concluded or conces

sions Obtained and if Roe had done no more than raise the prestigeof his country and Show the Mogul court that the English were notall Obsequious merchants or rough sai lors

,his mission would have

INTRODUCT ION ix

been amp ly just ified . However,he had effected much more than

this . At the time of h is arrival , the Engl ish factors were, as hesaid , ‘ in a desperate case — threatened by the Portuguese

, p lundered

by the local offi cials, and in imm inent danger of expulsion in fact,

only the dread of the guns of the fleet and fears of retal iation uponnat ive traders had caused the Mogul authorities to hesitate in taking

vigorous measures towards that end. The com ing of the ambassadorstayed all this . H is energetic demands for j ustice p rocured therecal l of the Governor of Surat (albe it a favouri te of Prince Khurram)and inst i lled into h is successors a who lesome dread of offending theforeign merchants who had SO powerful a friend at head quarters .The

.

favour Roe found in the s ight of Jahangi r made him,in the

language of Chaplain Terry ,‘a Joseph in the court of Pharaoh ,

for whose sake al l his nation there seemed to fare the better’

and

even Pr ince Shah Jahan, the future Emperor, i rritated though he

was by the bo ldness with which the Engl ishman thwarted and even

defied him at t imes, could not refuse a meed of adm irat ion to the

gal lant and unselfish envoy who carried out at all risks the duty

which had been entrusted to him by his sovereign . By drawing

over to h is s ide the Empress’

s brother,A saf Khan

,Roe secured for

h is countrymen a powerful friend both in the present and the

future and the good relat ions he established with o ther members

o f the Court, such as Muqarrab Khan (of whom we shal l hear

later) , were l ikewise to prove of signal service. In Short, if afterh is departure Englishmen found in India (again in the words of

Terry) a free trade , a peaceable residence, and a very good esteem

with that king and peop le i t was due very largely to the character

and abil i ty of the young courtier who had been selected to represent

King James in the realms of the Great Mogul .

The departure ofRoe left Kerridge in full control of the factories

in India, with the except ion Of those on the Coromande l Coast,which had always been under the direct ion of Bantam and before

long we find the pract ice establ ished of giving him the t itle of

President,and of referring to the merchants associated with him as

the Counci l . The appearance of des ignations which were destined

to become historic is of suffi cient interest to warrant a brief excursus ,

p remising, however, that in the absence of the Company’

s letters to

thei r factors in India something must be left to conjecture. At the

x THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

commencement of English trade in the East the various factoriesenjoyed a large measure of independence (though a certain primacy

was always conceded to Bantam) , and the t itle of Agent was usedby the head Of each of the more important centres . A s the Com

pany’

s operations widened , however, and the need of systematicsupervis ion was felt , a change was determ ined upon . The detai lswere left to the d iscretion of Captain Keel ing, but the Companysuggested that four groups shou ld be formed

,with centres at Surat ,

Bantam,Patan i

,and some p lace on the Coromandel Coast, the

heads of these to be cal led Agents,D irectors , Consu ls , or any other

t itle that might be deemed appropriate . The instructions were

never carried out. Keel ing contented himselfwith establ ishing Surat

as the head factory for the Mogul ’s dom in ions (February, 1 6 1 6)and left all the remain ing settlements under the chief at Bantam

wh i le no Spec ial t itle was decided upon in e ither case . Before

long, however, the des ire to place the ir Agent on a leve l with theDutch Pres ident led the facto rs at the latter p lace to give him

co l loquial ly the same des ignation ,and Bartho lomew Churchman

to ld the Company in 1 621 that h is refusal to address George

Ball (Agent in 1 6 1 7- 1 8) by the higher title had been warm lyresented by the latter. In 1 6 1 8 , when dispatching Jourdain to

take command at Bantam ,the Company at home adopted the

practice, though without mak ing any defin ite pronouncementon the subject, and henceforward the Engl ish chief at Bantamwas always referred to as the President. At the same timea letter was dispatched to Surat , giving instructions as to

‘the

course con [sidered] necessary for the goverment of

business [in] India’

(p . Whether this authori zed Kerridgeto assume the title of President is unknown, for the letter is notextant ; but in any case there wou ld be a tendency to use this

designation at Surat,i f only to mark its independence of Bantam ;

and on Roe’

s departure, leaving the chief authori ty in the hands of

Kerr idge and h is council , the term would naturally come into use.

The first instance of its emp loyment in the present volume is by

Methwold under date of December 7 , 1 6 19 (p .

1 It may be noted that Roe had al ready in August, 16 1 8 , referred to the Engl ish‘ President at Surat (p . but in this case he seems to be using the term in a generalsense, and not as a title. Simi larly there i s a vague reference made on p . 60 to ThomasKerridge hi s precedensy

INTRODUCT ION xi

We now revert to our narrat ive . Bonner’

s fleet left Surat at the

same t ime as Roe . The Dr ag on and E xped i tion ,under the com

mand of Bonner h imself,were bound for Achin and Bantam

,and

so pass out of the sphere to wh ich our attention is for the present

confined, though reference should, perhaps, be made to Hoare

’

s

interesting account (p . 68) of the vis its they paid on thei r way to

Dabho l , Bhatkal , and Ponani , and thei r negotiat ions at the last

named p lace with the Samorin of Cal i cut . But the destination

of the th ird ship— the Lion—was the port ofMokha in the Red S ea,

and the venture in which she was engaged had so important a bear

ing on the fortunes of the Engl ish trade in Gujarat that we mustfo r a moment or two look back to the circumstances in which

it originated .

The attempt made in 16 1 8 to revive the trade with Mokha, which

had been abandoned in consequence of the treatment received

by Sir Henry M iddleton at that port in 1 6 1 0—1 1 , was almost

entirely the work of Roe,who had for some time viewed with

concern the conditions of the Company’

s commerce . To his m ind

there was grave cause for apprehens ion in the fact that,to all

appearance, English goods were never l ikely to be in sufficient

demand in India to produce return cargoes without the aid of

a considerable amount of s i lver brought from home— a dra in

Of treasure which he,sharing the p rej udices of his time, regarded

as highly detrimental to the commonwealth. As a partial remedy,he advocated the establishment of a branch trade between Surat

and the Red S ea , where Sp ices from Bantam,and assortments

of English and Indian goods , m ight be so ld at very p rofitable

rates to the merchants from Egypt who frequented the p i lgrim

ports, and who mostly paid for thei r purchases in Specie . For

a t ime the treacherous behaviour of the Turkish authorities towards

M iddleton ,and the resentment the latter was supposed to have

aroused by the retal iatory measures he adopted, had discouraged

further experiments in that d irection. When,however

,the Dutch

under Van den Broecke made a successful voyage to Mokha in 1 6 15

1 6 , the danger of any repetition Of that outrage was shown to be

non-existent , and Roe became urgent in his recommendation of the

project . My councell i s,

’

he wrote to the Company in November,1 6 1 6

,that one of your smal lest shipes, with the fittest Engl ish

xi i THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

goodes and such other as this country yeildes , yearly goe in com

pany of the Guz erattes and trade for themse lves for mony, which is

taken in abundance ; and returne in September with them ,to

supply th is place. The profitt exceedes all the trades of Indya

and wi l l drive this alone ’

(E mbassy , p . And there was

a further cons iderat ion which appealed with special force to the

ambassador, baffled as he was by the indifference of the Mogulcourt to the demands he was pressing upon them . I t would give

the Engl ish a most usefu l ho ld on the Surat traders and offi cials,

and through them on the central authorities . If,as Roe was

sanguine enough to hope , the native merchants welcomed Engl ish

co-Operation and the protection i t afforded them against the

depredations o f other Europeans , not only would h is fel low country

men gain the benefit of the new commerce, but they would draw at

least some revenue from the work of convoying the j unks to and

fro . Cons idering that the trade was said to be for two mill ions

yearely’

(Embassy , p . and that a Portuguese pass for one

vessel is stated to have cost over (p . surely the grateful

owners,rel ieved from this tax

,would consent to contribute hand

somely towards the expenses incurred by the i r protectors . I f

on the other hand they Should oppose English partic ipat ion in the

Red S ea traffic , or i f either the local authorit ies or the Courto fficials denied the Engl ish j ustice in other ways , nothing would beeas ier than to prevent their ships from sai l ing, or to seize themon their return and ho ld them as hostages unt i l all grievances wereredressed . Such a course could scarcely fai l to bring local Offendersto their senses and at the same time attract the notice of the Court ,for some of the highest in the land were concerned in these ventures .Jahangi r and his advisers would real iz e that the Engl ish wereindeed , as they claimed to be , Lords of the Seas and would then

l isten with due respect to the claim of the desp ised foreignersto a free market and fai r treatment for themselves and theirgoods.To these arguments the factors at Surat l istened but co ldly,though later on they became determined promoters of the new

trade. That the prospect for Engl ish goods in India was so gloomyas Roe had dep icted they denied ; while his Objections to the

importation of si lver they met with arguments afterwards made

INTRODUCTION xi i i

famil iar by Mun in his D iscourse of Traa’

e I t was al l very

wel l to talk of sei z ing the native j unks, but what was there to pre

vent the Mogul from retal iating on the persons and goods Of theEnglish

,especial ly in the up

-country factories ? Moreover, they

knew how bitter was the feel ing amongst the Gujarati s against the

new-comers , who had already encroached so seriously upon their

commerce .

‘The merchants of this p lace,’

they wrote, are alsoe

undone by our trade to the southwards [ i . e. Achin,Bantam

,

which hath taken (as wee may terme itt) the meate out of the i r

mouthes and overthrowne their trade that way . Since our

coming,this porte is undone, which in thei r greefs they spare not

somtymes to tel l us’

(Embassy , p . The Red S ea traffi c,which had always been a specialty of the Surat traders, was now

the only commerce of impo rtance left to them ,and i f that was to

be taken away they would indeed be in so rry straits .

However, Roe had determined that the attempt Should be made,and the facto rs had no option but to acquiesce. Accordingly,in March

,1 6 1 8

,the A nne

,with Andrew Sh i l ling as commander and

William Baflin as one of the mates , sai led for Mokha in company

with a Surat j unk. Three factors went in her ; and , in order that

the new venture should have a fair trial,Roe took care that one of

these should be his own secretary,Edward Heynes . The chief

merchant he left to be nominated by Kerr idge, and Joseph S albank ,

an o ld and exper ienced servant of the Company , who had had some

painful experiences of travel in Arabia,was chosen for the post .

The vessel reached her destinat ion without difficulty, and the

Englishmen on board were received by the local governor with

every appearance of courtesy and good feel ing . Find ing it neces

sary to Obtain the sanction of the Pasha of the province, S albank

journeyed to Sana and procured from that functionary a farma‘

n

permitting the Engl ish to trade freely within h is j urisdiction .

With this and a compl imentary letter from the Governor of Mokha

to Sir Thomas Roe, inviting a repetition of the voyage the fo llowing

year, the ship returned in safety in September, The goods

the Surat factors had put on board had not been in much demand ,being chiefly remains of cloth

,&c .

,belonging to the first jo in t

1 See the correspondence in Tbe Embassy os'

r Tbomas Roe, p. 1 65.2 See the account, written by Heynes, in the first volume of P urebas (p .

xiv THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

stock the refuse Of India,

’

said Roe indignantly— but on the

whole the result was declared to be sufficiently satisfactory to

warrant a second venture. In February , 1 6 1 9, therefore , as alreadymentioned

,the Lion was d ispatched to the Red S ea, with S albank

again as chief facto r. This trade,

’

the ambassador to ld the Com

pany on reaching home,

‘ in tyme may be enlarged by the Engl ish,

as o ther comod ityes may be gotten from sundry other places of the

Indies,and w i lbe the l ife of the Surat and Persia trade , to supply

both those p laces with monye and he conj ured them to preserve

and contynue i t, notwithstand ing any d iscouragment that may be

objected by the factors at Surat , who are unwi l l ing to have that

trade prosper (Embassy , p .

But it was soon apparent that Roe had underrated the opposit ion

of the Surat merchants to the new venture— an Oppos ition in wh ichthey cou ld rely upon the backing of the local Officials

,who were

mostly drawn from the trad ing classes and had a d irect interest in

thwarting the commerce of the Engl ish . A lready,when co llecting

cal icoes for the Lion’

s cargo , the ambassador had met with con

siderable obstruction and when,in the spring of 1 6 1 9, the factors

commenced the i r investments for the fleet expected in the autumn,

a general boycott was organ i zed, and they were pla inly told that

unless they would undertake to abandon the Red S ea traffic, they

should not buy a yard of cal i co for that purpose whi le their pur

chases for export to Bantam or to England were to be confined to

Broach . They had now no ambassador to invoke the assistance o f

h is friends at Court, and the ir sh ips were far away so ,much against

thei r wi lls,Kerr idge and h is col leagues were forced to p rom ise that

they wou ld make no investments for Mokha. Even then they

were restri cted almost entirely to Broach , and an attempt they

made to Open up an independent source of supply at Baroda wasfo iled by p ressure brought to bear upon the Governor of that city.

To their remonstrances aga inst the latter restriction,Is-haq Beg ,

the Governor Of Surat,repl ied that he neather durst nor would be

the broacher of a new custome,heareby to incure the general l

exclamac ions of al l the people ; and therefore wisht us contenteourselves with our woonted lym itts , as beeinge a sufficient encroach

al lready , to there generall damage ’

. A s a matter of fact,the great

popu larity of cal icoes in England had led to large increases in the

INTRODUCT ION xv

Company’s demands, and

,the supp ly in Gujarat being l im ited ,

the Engl ish had in 1 6 1 8 swept the markets bare,w ith the result

that the’

offic ials respons ible for lad ing the Prince’

s j unk fo r the Red

S ea had been forced to fi ll her with tobacco (p . 92) and they were

determ ined that there shou ld be no repetition of this . In va in d id

B iddulph at Agra p ress the Prince to grant what h is Officers hadrefused . The principal men of Surat had already pet itioned h im

not to graunt us that trade, for yf hee did they were al l undon and

the c ittye begered , havinge noe other place to trade unto but the

Red S ea , wh ich they were contented with , leavinge the southwards

and other p laces for the Engl ish and B iddulph , who notes with

na’

I'

ve surprise that he found the Pr ince and all generallye tendringe

the ire owne peop les goods and comp laynts before our shutes and

ben ifitts received an absolut denyall to that trade, the Prince

wishinge mee to trouble h im noe more with that busynes (p .

O ther grievances had by this time been added to the factors ’ l ist .A caravan from Agra was despo i led of several packs of indigo and

some of the guards slain , owing, i t wou ld seem ,to the young

Engl ishman in charge foo l ishly refus ing to pay the usual tol l at one

p lace on the route . This was a comparatively smal l matter,which

after the usual delay seemed to have been settled by the issue

of orders for compensation , though as a matter of fact the money

was sti l l unpaid at the end of 1 6 23 . A l ittle later a second caravan

from the same p lace was stopped at Chopra under somewhat

s ingular circumstances . A year or so before,a Po rtuguese mer

chant named Francisco Soares had left some china with N icholas

Bangham at Burhanpur for sale on his account. When he departed

for England,Bangham handed over the balance to a fellow-facto r

named Sprage, who disposed of most of the goods and spent the

p roceeds. Soares now unexpected ly reappeared and,find ing that

Sprage was unable to account for the goods,sei zed h im and

demanded justice from the Knanbna'

na'

n (see note on p . 59) atBurhanpur. I t being obviously impossible to extract the money

from Sprage , Soares claimed to be compensated from the property

of the Engl ish Company, of whom both Bangham and Sprage wereservants ; and the K banbba

‘

na‘

n , taking the view that at leasta pr z

’

ma faez'

e case had been made out, o rdered the caravan to

be detained pending further investigat ion . The Surat factors

xvi THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

indignantly repudiated l iabili ty for private debts, and B iddulph ,who happened to be near Burhanpur on h is way back to Court

when the news of the arrest came, pressed the same view on the

K banb/za'

nan . But the latter was obdurate . On behalf of SoaresSeveral Armenians testified that in Turkey a Christian Consul washeld responsible for the defaul ts of his fel low-count rymen and

though the Surat factors on the other hand sent Up G iles James

with a certificate from the Dutch at Surat contradicting this , theutmost that cou ld be obtained was that the goods should be laid upat Chopra unti l the matter had been referred to the Court . The

Engl ish were of course extremely angry at this decis ion , and

hinted that the K /zan/enana'

n and h is officers had been bribed but

it seems clear that he really took pains to understand the case and

(as he to ld B iddulph) to do j ustice for Gods sake (p . How

ever,the matter had now passed beyond his j urisdiction , and the

factors had to put their p lea before the Prince . This entai led both

delay and expense, but in the end two success ive farmans wereObtained for the release of the goods ; and thus the matter was

satisfactori ly settled .

In the meantime, there had been much friction regarding the

house which served as the Engl ish factory at Surat. At the end of

May or beginn ing of June, 1 6 1 9, the Company’

s servants were com

pelled to quit the substantial and roomy dwel l ing which they had

occup ied during the past three years . Several attempts had been

p reviously made to oust them , as the local Officials (who could notrid themselves of the idea that the English intended some day

to seiz e Surat, or at least the castle , and make i t a second Goa)were uneasy both on account of the strength of the building and i ts

p roximity to the castle and the principal mosque ; but these had

with Roe’

s help been successfully resisted . Now,however

,the

three years’

lease had run out, and its renewa l was prevented ;so the factors had no option but to remove. The first house they

p itched upon was bought up in a panic by the ‘ d ivel ish CastleCaptain say inge wee should bee to neare him (p . 1 0 1 ) and at

last they were forced to take up their abode in three separate

dwell ings at some distance from one another, besides having to hire

three other houses for warehouses and a set of stables . S o ind ig

nant were the factors at this and other grievances , that by the

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xvnI THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

brought into Surratt but by strong hand .

’

Nevertheless,the cargo

on board Bickley’

s fleet was found to comp rise a considerablequantity of coral ; and on the Engl ish attempting to land it , thenative merchants were at once ‘

all in an uproare , withstand inge

your bring inge of that comod itie’

(p . After four days’ d is

pute, the coral was warehoused at Rander pend ing‘

a reference

to Court. Kerridge and h is fel low-factors at once prepared a

petition to the Pr ince setting forth thei r grievances in regard to thecoral

,the den ial of trade to the Red S ea, and the continued refusal

to find them a su itable dwell ing. This document reached B iddulph

uppon travell’

, for Jahangi r and Prince Shah Jahan , after a stay

of seven months at Agra— to the benefit of the factors there,

whose broadcloth and o ther goods were once more in demand

had,early in October

,1 6 1 9, started for Lahore, on their way to

Kashmi r ; and B iddulph with two other Engl ishmen had fo llowed

in attendance,chiefly with a View to the recovery of certain debts .

1

I t was no easy matter to get an audience during the progress ,espec ial ly with reference to a dista

’

steful subject ; and when B id

dulph at last managed to present h is pet ition ,he found that fresh

representations had been made from Surat against any concession

to the Engl ish and that the Prince was in no humour to reverse his

p revious decis ion . He absolutlye tou ld mee wee shou ld not trade

to the Red S ea nor bringe anye corral l into these partes to

sell and yf [we] could not be contented to have free trade for allbut Mocha

,wee m ight goe out of the countrye yf wee would, for

[he] must not begger his peop le for us ; but yf [we] would have hisfi rmaen for a house and free trade in al l other places, with good

usage,we should have one.

’ B iddu lph answered in surly fashion

that if [we] had not free trade to buy and sell in all places , as cos

tome ofmerchants were,wee needed not neither house nor fi rmaen

’

whereupon the Prince ‘ bid us trouble him noe more with that

1 The largest of these—an amount of rupees owing for some cloth sold toa native merchant—gave Biddul ph considerable anxiety. The debtor himself was in

prison for a debt to the King, and the Engl ish were forced to be satisfied for the presentwi th sei z ing the person of his surety , who was handed over to them by order of Jahangi r.A s h is only means of payment lay in some debts and property at Lahore, Biddulphthought i t best to take his pri soner with him ,

and thi s, as he rueful ly says (p.

‘ breeds my noe smale care and trouble leste hee should escape my hands In the end,

after considerable delay, a compromise was reached which was satisfactory to both sides.

INTRODUCTION xix .

busynes (p . The pert inacious Engl ishman , however , was notso eas ily si lenced . Enlisting the powerful aid of A saf Khan (who, .

S ince Roe’s astute bargain with him over a great pearl (p . had

been consistently the friend of the Engl ish) , he after the lapse of'

a few days again broached the top ic of his countrymen’

s wrongs .

Shah Jahan ‘ seemed verye much disp leased’

at his persistency,and repeated h is refusal with emphasis ; but, on Asaf Khan inter

ceding, at last ‘ hee graunted h is firmaen for sale of our corral l in

Suratt o r elcewhere for this yeare , and for our old house in Surat,

which they were turned out o f,or another to theire contents with

comaund of present d ispatch of our goods out of the costome

house,both inwards and outwards

,and to use our peop le kindlye.

For the Mocha trade,hee wou ld not here of itt (p .

This fa rman was del ivered a few days before Christmas, and

forwarded by B iddu lph to Surat.

I t satisfactori ly settled the d is

posal of the cora l ; but was either ignored or evaded in the matter

of the Engl ish house. Curiously enough , the division of the fac

tory staff into three separate fractions had just caused an incident

of a serious character,though in this case the fault lay entire ly

with our fel low-countrymen . In the middle of November, some of

the younger merchants,having been one night to sup with thei r

com rades lately returned from Mokha,came back att [an] unlawfull

houre escorted by thei r hosts. Probably they had all been drink

ing freely and were correspondingly no isy. The pol ice ,represented

by the Governor’s peons, interfered ; swords flashed out ; and

a skirm ish ensued wh ich ended in the revellers being driven into

one of the English warehouses . Shotswere fired into their p lace

of refuge , and some of their number were hit ; whereupon they

repl ied with birdshot, wounding one of their assai lants rather bad ly.

A rumour qu ickly spread that the Engl ish had killed a man who

was s imp ly do ing h is duty ; and Is-haq Beg , the Governor, whohad always had a grudge against them

,summoned Kerridge to

answer for the m isdeed . The latter refused to come without a

p ledge of personal safety, alleging that , in view of the excitement

prevai l ing , h is l ife would be in danger. Thereupon an interdict

was laid upon the Engl ish factory, all business deal ings proh ibited ,and the Supply of water and food stopped . Rendered desperate at

the latter deprivation , the merchants vowed that they wou ld cut

b 2

xx THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

their way out sword in hand . This alarmed the captain of the

castle,who feared retal iation by the fleet on its return from Pers ia

and by h is mediation an interview took p lace between Kerridge

and Is-haq Beg . I t proved unsatisfactory, for the latter loaded the

Engl ishman with fi lthy abuse, and got in rep ly some very candid

remarks on h is Character and behaviour . However,the popular

excitement being over, the persecution appears to have been re

laxed and before long the com ing of a new Governo r, Jamshed

Beg , put matters once more on the o ld footing.

Whi le the factors at Surat,stung by these hum i l iations, were

anx i ous e i ther to mend or end matters by forc ibly seiz ing the native

shi pp ing , and were p ressing th is View on the i r masters at home,

the latter were count ing with much satisfaction the gains they werederiving from the trade. At meetings held on the 2md and 9th

of November, 1 6 1 9 , the posi tion and p rospects of the trade wereful ly d iscussed . Thomas Mun— the future author of E ng land

’

s

Tr easure by For razgn Trade— subm itted a cal culation showing that

the stock of money and goods sent to Surat in five ships had

p roduced a net return (after al lowing for al l expenses at home and

in Ind ia, including Roe’

s embassy) of Deductingfor the delay caused to the other ships in company (who thus lostt ime in thei r voyage to Bantam

,&c ; ) and for the cost of

the goods and rials carried out, there remained a net profit of

This,as Mun put it ,

‘advaunceth the rial l [of eight,

taken at 4s . unto 1os . and he held that ‘ i t wi l l contynuea trade to make z os . uppon the rial l A lderman Hammersley, onthe other hand , est imated the net proceeds at 200,oool . , and the

gain at 1 20 per cent . , apparently reckon ing it not merely on the

quick stock ’ but also on the dead stock But

whatever the exact figures m ight be,i t was evident enough that, as

Mun said,

‘the trade with h is charge is a good and p rofitable trade

and the Comm i ttees in general assented to the view that although theexpenses had been high ,

‘

yet no p lace proveth so good , so sure,nor any trade so profitable ; and by the abbundance and vent of

cal l icoes 1 is in faire possibi l itie to prove more and more profitable.

’

1 Ind ian cal icoes had been at once taken into favour in England , as beingmuch cheaperthan l inens imported from the Continent. A few years later the Company declared that‘ instead of paying annually to Hol land and France for l inens, lawns and

INTRODUCTION xxi

The letters carried by B ickley’

s fleet to Surat in the autumn of

1 6 1 9 had ordered a largely increased supp ly of these cotton p iecegoods ,

‘and theire provisiones to bee made in such p laces as give

best hopes , as wel l for attayn inge quantitye as also for theire

p rocuringe to best advantage for price, condit ion ,&c .

’

(p .

These d irections , coupled with the man ifest impossibility ofobtaining

sufl‘ic ient quant ities in Gujarat

,caused the Surat Counc i l to scrut inize

carefu l ly all possible alternat ive sources o f supp ly. They wouldnaturally turn their attention in the first instance to Agra

,where

,

besides the ind igo of the ne ighbouring distri cts,considerable

quantities of carpets and cotton cloth were yearly purchased .

Much of the latter cons isted of a fine cloth known to them by

the half-Portuguese name of ‘sem iano

’

. B iddu lph had reported

that it was made in a town cal led Samana 1at some d istance from

Agra, and that the native merchants who so ld i t had to ld h im that‘ in theire towne wee maye buye them rawe

,and white them as

wee doe at Boroch , or readye whited , as wee p lease, takinge our

choyce of the sorts , and that in great quantityes, alwayes provided

two merchants remayne there the yeare about,to make theire

p rovis ions’

(p . and i t was agreed that a coup le of factors

might wel l be dispatched by way of A gra to Samana and Lahore— the principal entrepot for the carpets so much in vogue in Europe

2

— to settle a factory in one or o ther of those p laces , Samana for

cho i ce (see p . i f a short experience should show that such

cambri cs, half the consumption of those articles i s now superseded by the use of Indiacal i coes (Macpherson

’

s E uropean Commerce w i t/z I ndia , p.

1 In some notes made by Ni cholas Ufflet about 1 6 14, after deal ing wi th Lahore and

Sirhind he goes on to mention Sem iana ’

as‘a cittie whear your sem ianoe cal lico be

made and other clothinge, 20 or 30 choses [bos] from Lahore’

(Factory Records ,

M i scellaneous,vol . xxv) . Thi s and further evidence in some later correspondence point

unmistakably to Samana,a town of inhabi tants in Patiala State, about sixteen

m i les south-west Of the capi tal . Lieut.-Col . Dunlop-Sm ith , C .I .E late Pol i tical Residentat Patiala, who has been k ind enough to make inqu iries on the subject, states that inSamana (whi ch was the capital of an important province unti l the Emperor F i roz ShahTughlak transferred the head quarters to S i rhind) there i s sti l l a mobal la or ward cal ledNurpura , inhabited ch iefly by juZa/zas (weavers) , who possess farmans from the MogulEmperors exempting them from al l taxes on their trade. H e al so refers to Far/zang

A njuman Jrai Nasr z‘

, in which sama‘

n is described as a thin soft cloth of a yel lowi shcolour—the modern a

’

orZa .

2 It need scarcely be said that these carpets were used mainly as table-covers. Thosewho have seen the col lections at Amsterdam and the Hague wi ll have noticed how fondthe Dutch painters of the time were of introducIng their quaint patterns and rich colours.

xxii THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

a course would be advisable. Further, as the amberty’

cal icoesrecently procured at Agra from Behar traders were looked upon

with favour, i t was decided that two merchants should be sent to

Patna, the cap ital of Behar, to purchase an assortment, and at the

same t ime to see whether they could secure Bengal s i lk on

advantageous terms. The exped it ion to the northwards was

entrusted to Robert Young, who quitted Surat with a caravan of

goods in the spring of 1 620 and travel led by way of Ahmadabad

and Agra to h is new post . Beyond the fact that , after much delay at

Ahmadabad, he reached Lahore, invested his money and forwarded

the proceeds to Agra under the charge of John Bangham,we

know practically nothing about his proceedings . Apparently

he remained at Lahore, for in March, 1 62 1 , the Surat Counci l

decided to ‘experyence annother yeare there or at Samari a, which

ever Young m ight regard as the more su itable (p. We find

h im at Samana early in August,1 62 1 , but he then wrote (p . 25 7 )

that he should be leaving in the fol lowing month and that he con

s idered a permanent factory there unnecessary, as the cal icoes could

be bought as cheap ly at Agra, charges considered and later on in

the year the Surat Counc i l announced to the Company that they

had disso lved the factory at Lahore and reduced it to Agra, where

sem ianoes are to be procured and Lahor indico as eas i ly as at

Lahor,with farr less expence

’

(p . At this very time ,however, the Agra factors were writing to Surat that, learn ing fromYoung and h is fel low-factor Willoughby that the calicoes of those

parts could be bought cheaper at Samana by five or ten per cent .

than they could be got at Agra, charges considered , they weresending them again to those parts with a supp ly of money ; anda l ittle later we hear that the factors have actual ly started .

As regards the history of the Patna attempt , matters are for

tunately on a different footing . The letter-book kept by the twomerchants employed has survived (Factory Records, P atna , vo l . i) ,and from its pages we glean many interesting particulars of thei rexperiences . The task of establishing the new factory had beenentrusted to Robert Hughes

, who was at this time second at Agra ,and John Bangham had been dispatched from Surat to act as h is

ass istant in h is new post . Bangham,however

,was detained on the

way , and in June,1 620

, Hughes, fearing to lose the season for

INTRODUCT ION xxii i

investment, determined to start alone,taking no merchandise, but

merely some bil ls of exchange to the value of Rs. After

being nearly a month on the road , he reached h is destination on

July 3 , and found himself warm ly welcomed by the Governor o fthe province, Muqarrab Khan , who had previously had much to do

with the Engl ish , both in Gujarat and at Court. With his assistance

a house was secured in the principal part of the city ; and upon

the arrival in September of John Parker (who had been sent in

p lace of Bangham , diverted to Lahore) with a quantity of English

merchand ise,a start was made with the bus iness of provid ing

su itable investments for Europe . To the south of Patna lay

a large cotton-weaving district, centring at Lukhawur,from which

(as the factors reported) ten or fifteen thousand p ieces of an excel lent

kind of cal ico m ight easi ly be procured (p . Raw si lk,brought

in the cocoon from Bengal , was to be had in large quant it ies in

Patna i tself, and Hughes promptly purchased a stock and set

a staff Of workmen to reel i t off into su itable Skeins . Samp les Ofthese, with some bales of ca l ico and other goods

,were dispatched

to Agra at the end of November,together with a sanguine account

of the prospects Of the trade.

A longer experience, however, material ly abated the merchants’

hopes, especial ly when a somewhat d iscouraging report on the

goods already sent arrived from Agra. The s i lk was found to havebeen unski lfully wound ; and although the raw material could no

doubt be procured at a cheaper rate at Patna than at Agra, yet

when the charges of transport and the cost of the facto ry wereadded the result was unfavourable.

1 The only remedy Hughes

and h is col league could suggest was to send to Maksfidabad (the

present Murshidabad) , where‘ it maye be provided in infin ite

quantityes at least 20 per cent . cheaper then in anye other p lace o f

India, and of the choysest stufe, wound of into what condit ion you

shal l requier it , as it comes from the worme ; where are also

innumerable of si lk wynderes , experte workmen , and labour cheaper

by a third then elcewhere’

(p . That the cal icoes of Patna

1 This bore out Roe’

s contention, when discussing some years before the advisabi l ity ofopening up trade in this d irection ‘ the si lke of Bengala in my Op inion i s bad cheeperat Agra then you wi l l fynd i t there, to maynteyne a factory for yt, beeing this peopletravel l and live hardlyer then yours can (Letter to the Company, Dec. I

xxiv THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

were cheap and of excel lent qual ity could not be denied ; but it

was doubtful whether it wou ld not be better on the whole to buythem at higher rates at Agra than to maintain a factory fo r suchcommodities alone. In March

,162 1

,the factors sustained a double

m isfortune. The city was devastated by a fi re, wh ich laid the

greater part in ruins and cost upwards of 300 l ives . The factors

managed to save themselves , and the greater part of the ir goods ;but the house they had occupied was burnt to the ground (p .

Secondly, Muqarrab Khan,who was both a l iberal purchaser and

a good paymaster, was ordered to Agra, and Prince Parwi z

,

Jahangi r’

s second son,was appo inted Governor in his stead . H e

reached the c ity at the end of May or early in June,and at once

p roceeded to turn out many of the princ ipal inhabitants from thei r

houses,which he ‘ l iberalye bestowed

’

on his numerous retinue.

Amongst others the Engl ish Suffered a second eviction , and at the

beginn ing of June they wrote that they had been theise ten dayes

wandringe to cover ourselves and goods , thoughe but with grase, todebar the heate and raynes

,now in excesse (p . I t is scarcely

a matter of surprise that in these c ircumstances thei r enthusiasm

coo led rap idly, and we may wel l bel ieve that the decision of the

Surat Council to close the factory was by no means unwelcome .

This resolution seems to have been due partly to the death of

Fettip lace, and the consequent promotion of H ughes to the charge

of the Agra establ ishment,and partly to an intimat ion from the

home authorities that o r p ieces of ‘amberty

’ cloth

yearly would meet all their requirements,and that ‘ Bengala silk

was not to be sent home in future . After a t ime,however, the

President and Counc i l changed their m inds and followed up thei r

first o rder by a second , directing Hughes to proceed alone to Agraand Parker to remain at Patna unti l the arrival of another factor totake over charge . But the two merchants had acted so promptly

upon the former instruct ions that the accounts had been closedand their cap ital converted into goods, for the carriage of wh icharrangements had already been made. They ventured thereforeto d isregard the later directions ; Hughes started for Agra on

September 1 3 , 1 621 , and Parker fo l lowed a few weeks after. Thus

ended the first attempt of the Engl ish to establ ish a factory at Patna.

1

1 Twelve years later, by a strange blunder on the part of the Surat authorities, who

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xxvi THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

in that trade until they had further information . Moreover,

Connock’

s letter, written from Ispahan in May , 1 6 1 7 , and sent

overland , had not yet reached Surat, and consequently neither Roe

nor the factors knew what had been the outcome of h is m ission .

In these circumstances , it was dec ided merely to d ispatch a smal lvessel

,the Bee

,to Jask, under the charge of Edward M onnox and

another factor,in order to commun icate the Company

’

s instruc

tions,with Roe’

s d irections based thereon , and to bring back news

and any goods that m ight be ready.

The sh ip reached i ts dest ination on December 6,1 61 7 , and

found Connock awa iting its arrival . He was already in bad health,

and the d iscovery that the Bee had brought neither money nor

cargo ,that the entire contro l of the negot iat ions had been p laced

by King James in the hands of Roe (who had disapproved of theventure from the start) , and that the Company requ ired , as a con

d ition precedent to any rea l trade, a formal contract wi th the Shah

for the price of s i lk (which would necessitate a fresh journey to

Court), proved a fatal blow. After an i l lness of ten days , he died

on Christmas Eve at a l ittle village not far from Jask ; and the

direction of affairs fel l into the hands of his insubord inate second,Thomas Barker, who was then at Ispahan .

Barker had nei ther the ability nor the energy o f his predecessor

and the impression he made on the Pers ian monarch appears tohave been an unfavourable one. To an app licat ion for the grant

of further concessions,in the sense of the conditions laid down by

the Company, the Shah returned an uncomprom ising refusal ; hewas ready to abide by what he had prom ised Connock, and

he would agree to purchase al l the goods the Engl ish m ight bring,but he would not bind h imself to a fixed price for his s i lk ; theymust give the market value . For the present, however, the factors

had neither goods to sel l nor money with which to buy, and

their pos ition was one of anxious suspense. Fortunately, in

November,1 6 1 8 , the E xpedi tion arrived at Jask from Surat with

a considerable cargo,and two Portuguese prizes of some value

which she had p icked up on the way . The factors put on board

about seventy bales of s ilk, and with these, the first-fruits Of the

Pers ian trade,she returned to Surat in January, 1 6 1 9, in time to

send them home with Roe in the Royal Anne.

INTRODUCT ION xxvn

Meanwhile the steps which the English were taking to establ ish

themselves in Persia had aroused the Portuguese, to whom the

possess ion of Ormus was o f the utmost importance, and who had

al ready been alarmed by the threaten ing activity o f the Pers ians on

the neighbouring mainland . In February,1 6 1 8

,King Phi l ip wrote

to his Viceroy at Goa, urging him to put in order the O rmus

fortificat ions,and was assured in rep ly that the necessary steps had

been taken to ensure this . In the spring of the fo llowing year five

ships were dispatched from Lisbon under a brave and capable

oflfi cer, Ruy Freire de Andrade, with orders to clear the Persian

Gulf of foreign ships and then to proceed to the Red S ea to stopany native vessels that might be navigating those waters without

Portuguese passes . They fai led,however

,to reach their station

and were compel led to winter at Mozamb ique ; further t ime was

lost in stopp ing Indian ships bound for the Red S ea without

Portuguese passes and it was not unt i l the middle of June,1 620 ,

that Ruy Freire reached Ormus with four of h is ships . The news

of his departure from Lisbon had been at once transm itted by the

East India Company to thei r servants at Surat and on the arrivalof Bickley

’

s fleet in the autumn of 1 6 1 9, with a large sum in rialsto be forwarded (with some English and Indian commodities) tothe Pers ian factors, i t was decided to send his whole squadron ,strengthened by the addition of the L ion, to carry the money

thither . They sai led on November 7 , 1 6 19, and returned in the

middle of the fo llowing January w ithout mo lestation . The reports

they brought back d id not indicate any substantial progress.

King James’s letters had been presented to the Shah in the pre

vions June, in the presence of several foreign ambassadors , including

Don Garcia de S ilva y F igueroa 1, the Spec ial envoy of the Span ish

King. They were graciously received, and the Shah vowed that he

wou ld keep faithful ly the engagements he had contracted with the

English . True, he said the same of h is engagements with the Portu

guese, and professed his intention of mainta ining an att itude of

neutral ity but this was evidently for the benefit of the Po rtuguese

ambassador, and he would sometymes openly proclayme the valou r

of our nation , soe farre exto l l ing us above the Portingalls that he

would tel l those forraigne ambassadors then present that we would,1 Ofwhom and his mission see p . xv of the Introduction to Letters received, vol . vi .

xxvi i i THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

maugre al l the Portingal ls forces, have trade in his portes ; andsometymes he would seacretly whisper unto us that he had a reso

lution to take Ormus from the Kinge of S payne and del iver it untothe English nat ion ,

onely enjoyninge us to seacric ie unti ll it were

efl’

ected’

(0. C. A l ittle later the outlook brightened stil l

further. K ing Ph il ip’

s envoy had h is final audience and presented

letters demanding , first , the restitution of Gombroon and otherterri tories lately conquered by the Pers ians, which were claimed

by the Portuguese on behalf o f the t i tular King of Ormus, and ,

secondly, the exclus ion of all other Europeans from the Persian

trade . The enraged Shah tore up the letters , and swore that so farfrom restoring what he had already taken he would drive the Portu

guese from their fortress at Ormus ; wh i le he ordered a far man to

be made out , granting the sole trade in si lks by the sea route to his

new friends the Engl ish . This was Barker’s last ach ievement , for

he d ied at the end of November,1 6 19, leaving the management of

affairs to Edward Monnox . The latter wrote to Surat in March ,1 620

,asking for more money and a supply of Ind ian commodities

,

and expressing a hope that he would be able to bring down

bales of S i lk to meet the next fleet at Jask .

However,at Surat the September and October of 1 620 came and

went without news of an Engl ish fleet , and i t was not unti l Novem

ber 9 that the fam i l iar co lours were seen entering Swally Roads .

Even then i t was only half a fleet,for its commander, Captain Andrew

Shil l ing,told Kerr idge on arrival that, in accordance with the

Company’

s instructions , he had detached the Har t and E ag le a few

days before wi th orders to proceed direct to Jask, while he h imself

with the London and Roebncb went into Swally . He was at once

made acquainted with the danger that threatened any Engl ish ships

venturing to Pers ia, owing to the presence of Ruy Freire’

s squadronin those waters ; and it was decided that as soon as his ships could

land part of the ir cargoes and take in some necessaries they shouldsai l to the assistance o f the i r consorts. Ten days later saw them at

sea again ; and on December 5 they met the H ar t and E ag le, whichhad reached Jask

,but

,deem ing it unsafe to remain there in view of

the strength o f the Portuguese squadron,had prudently returned

to seek assistance . The reunited fleet now headed for Jask Roads ,for Shil ling was determ ined to fulfi l his mission , even i f he had to

INTRODUCT ION

try a bout with the redoubtable ‘ Pride of Portugall’

(p .

They reached thei r dest ination on December 1 6,and found the ir

opponents waiting to intercept them ,but after a stiff Skirm ish , and

an abortive attempt to destroy the Po rtuguese adm iral by means

of a fi resh ip , the enemy withdrew,and the Engl ish ancho red in the

Roads and landed their money and goods . After repairing damages,

Ruy Freire again made h is appearance , but baffl ing winds for a t ime

prevented Sh il l ing from attack ing h im . On December 26, how

ever,the English put to sea , fo l lowed by the Portuguese , and the

two sq uadrons anchored within a short d istance of each other .

On the 2 8th , find ing that there was no eagerness on the other side

to commence, and ‘

the Lo rd sending us apprettie easterl ie gale ’

(p . the Engl ish bore down on the enemy. The breeze lasted

only long enough to carry the London and H am! close to the Po rtu

guese squadron , and then died away ; with the result that thosetwo ships

‘ indured the hotest burden of this second daies fight ’

.

However, the Engl ish gunners had‘will ing m inds and readie reso lu

tions and they stood the brunt gal lantly unti l thei r two consorts

managed to come into act ion and redress the balance. By the

afternoon the Portuguese , whose gunnery appears to have been

parti cularly poor, had had so much the worse of the encounter

that,‘ unwilling after so hotte a dinner to receive the l ike supper ,

’

they cut thei r cables and drifted with the tide out of range, greatly

damaged. The victorious squadron fo l lowed as closely as they

were able , but finding their store of ammun it ion almost expended ,they deemed it prudent the next morn ing to go into Jask . On

the Engl ish s ide only three men had been s lain and five wounded,

two of them mortal ly ; but the latter included the gallant Shi ll ing,who at the commencement of the action was struck by a cannon

bal l on the left shou lder, and after l ingering ‘ verry godly and

patient unti l January 6, 1 621 , about noone he departed this l ife,shewing himselfe

,as ever before a reso lute commander

,so now in

h is passage through the gates of death a most wi ll ing, humble,constant, and assured Christian .

’ Three days later he was interred

on shore at Jask, and Captain R ichard B lyth assumed command

of the fleet . No further attempt to disturb them was made by

the Portuguese, and on January 14, having taken in about 5 20bales of Pers ian si lk for transmission to England , they sai led

xxx THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

for Surat,which was reached at the beginn ing of the fo l lowing

month .

The most p ressing bus iness now on hand at Surat was the

d ispatch of a Sh ip or ships to England. After much discussion it

was settled that the Har t and Roebacle should be sent home with

the Persian si lk , the goods p rovided in Gujarat , and those expectedfrom Agra. The last-mentioned caused great anxiety, for war hadbroken out again between the Mogul and the al l ied Deccan kings,and the general iss imo of the latter , the celebrated Mal ik Ambar

,had

invaded Khandesh, bes ieged Burhanpur , and pushed his l ight troopsacross the Tapt

'

i . . The English and Dutch caravans from Agra

paused for a time in Manda, hop ing that the Mogul troops would

appear on the scene and drive back the invaders but Shah Jahan,to whom the task had been entrusted

,was slow to move

,and the

Engl ish were forced to choose between hazarding thei r goods orlosing the chance of dispatching them to England that season .

A safe-conduct obtained by Hutchinson from the leader of the

Deccan forces seemed to Offer a way out of this d i lemma, and

the caravan was o rdered to resume its march . However, the Suratfactors waited in vain for its appearance . The Deccan so ld iery

recked l ittle of safe-conducts, and by the m idd le of March news

reached the coast that the whole of the goods had been seized and

ransacked . It was now too late to dispatch the half-laden ships,for the Company , warned by the diffi culty the Ball had experienced

in making a home port during the storms of winter, had given strict

o rders that none of thei r ships was to‘ fal l wi th the coast of

England after the month of August (p . The Surat Council

therefore determined that both the ships, together with the London,Should proceed in company to the Red S ea to spend there the

com ing monsoon . Before do ing so,however

,a forcible settlement

was made of fresh difficulties which had arisen with the local chiefs .

The Surat R iver was blockaded and the j unks about to sai l for theRed S ea

,includ ing the Prince

’

s own vessel , were held Up unti l

a formal undertak ing was given that the English should be per

m itted (amongst other things) to land and sel l their coral withoutmo lestation,

and to send thei r rials where they p leased ; wh i le the

Surat Offi cials agreed also to supp ly them (Upon payment) withthe shot and powder they needed to rep lenish B lyth

’

s squadron.

INTRODUCT ION xxx

Kerridge would have added a demand for the concession of trade

to the Red S ea but the majority of the Counci l thought it unde

s irable to’

revive so thorny a question , and the Pres ident gave way .

These demands having been conceded , on Apri l 6, 1 62 1 , the

London , Har t, and Roebuck, with a p ri ze renamed the A ndrew ,

set sa i l for the Red S ea . With them went Pres ident Kerridge .

He had been nine years in Ind ia, during five of which the chief

brunt of the administration had rested on his Shoulders . It had

been h is intention to return to England this year, and although

the detention of the homeward sh ips had frustrated h is p lans, he

decided not to upset the arrangements already made by remain

ing at Surat. He accordingly handed over charge to Thomas

Rastel l , and embarked on board the H ar t.

Detai led accounts of thei r voyage wil l be found in the text

(p . Two Portuguese vessels were captured and added to the

fleet , but the bad sai l ing of one of these much hampered B lyth’

s

ships, with the resu lt that the monsoon was upon them before they

cou ld even reach Socotra . They then dec ided to stand northwards

along the coast Of Oman . In so do ing , the Har t and Roebuck lost

company and put into a bay on the island of Masi ra ; the rest got

as far north as S I’

Ir,after a skirmish at Taiwi with the natives, egged

on by Portuguese emissaries from Muskat . From S r‘

i r,having

broken up one of the ir prizes and so ld the rice captured in her,they moved to a harbour near Ras-al-hadd , christen ing their an

chorage, in comp l iment to their flagship , The London’s Hope.

’

Having been jo ined by the Har t and Roebuck, on August I 5B lyth sai led for the coast of Ind ia. It had been arranged before

starting that they were to watch Off Chaul and Dabho l , the chief

ports ofAhmadnagar and B ijapur respectively, fo r the j unks returning from the Red S ea

,w ith a view to obtaining redress for the

seizure of the English caravan by the Deccan army. For morethan a month the blockade was maintained

,in sp ite of severe

storms,and then they learned that thei r time had been wasted

,for

the Dutch , who had made a voyage to the Red S ea partly fo r that

purpose, had already caught the intended prey.

1 Thei r only con

solation was that on the way to Surat the A ndrew (one of the

1 It i s amusing to note Captain Weddel l ’s vi rtuous indignation at‘these theevish

proceedings’

(p. 302) on the part of the Hol landers.

xxxi i THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

converted prizes) took a junk of Chaul wh ich prom ised to afford at

least a partial compensation . Further,there was hope of com

position in more peaceful fash ion . Before this capture , Mal ikAmbar had offered to negotiate with any one the Engl ish m ight

appo int, and Robert Jeffries , accompan ied by N icho las Crispe , hadbeen landed at Chaul for the purpose. Of this most interesting

embassy we have unfortunately but scanty particulars ; but i t

appears that they started from Chau l about October 1 0 and, pro

ceed ing by way of Junnar and Daulatabad,reached Mal ik Ambar’s

camp towards the end o f the month . But whatever the latter ’

s

intent ions had been when he invited the embassy, the news that theEngl ish had helped themselves to h is j unk had aroused h is anger

,

and he soon dism issed h is visitors with the answer that hee would

make noe restitution or satisfact ion’

(p . Jeffries returned

to Surat by land, arriving , i t would seem ,about the m idd le of

November (p . Finding there was no hOpe of procuring com

pensation by peaceable means , the Surat Counci l confiscated the

Chau l vessel and decided that next year another Red S ea voyageshould be undertaken

, partly for the purpose of capturing the Chaul

and Dabho l Sh ips further,they held up the Prince

’

s j unk on her

return to Surat and took out of her rials wh ich were al leged

to belong to passengers who were subjects Of the Deccan kings .

For this high-handed m easure, they wrote to the Company, wee

make accompt wee must beare manie oppositions’

; and theirwords proved prophetic .

The problem next to be settled was how to convey safely to thePers ian factors the goods and money the Company had sent for

their use . Fortunately, there was now in Swal ly Roads the largest

Engl ish fleet that had ever been seen in a Mogul port ; for Captain John Weddel l had arrived from England towards the end of

September, 1 621 , w ith s ix ships and a Portuguese pri ze, and therewere in addit ion B lyth

’

s three Engl ish vessels and one or more

p ri zes . News had come that Ruy Freire had been reinforced from

Goa, and i t was clearly impossible to send any but the strongest

squadron that cou ld be mustered . The Har t and R oebuck must

needs be d ispatched to England to make up for the previous year’

s

shortcom ings ; but it was decided to send all the remain ing sh ips

to Jask. The fleet put to sea on November 25 , Kerridge being on

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THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

against the Deccan p rinces . From Heynes and Hutchinson , whohad re-establ ished the Engl ish factory there in May ,

1 620 , we haveseveral letters . Some alarm was caused them by a revival of theclaim of the Portuguese Soares but th is they res isted with success .

The task of procuring from the Prince a fresh farma'

n,des ired

by the Surat factors for the redress of thei r many grievances , proved

a more difficult task . They endeavoured to make friends with

Is-haq Beg , their Old enemy, who about the end of September,1 62 1 , was reappo inted Governor of Surat by the Prince, apparentlybecause he had undertaken to increase the revenues from that port

by two lakhs of makmadz'

s yearly (p . He was profuse in his

p rom ises of favour,but they wrote to Surat that hee is a straunge

cunn ing dogg , powerfu l l , and wi l l bite shrewdly if you muzzle him

not’

. In a letter dated October 7 , 1 621 , there is an account ofa characterist ic interview the two factors had with h im and Afzal

Khan,the Prince

’

s right-hand man.

‘A fsul Chan began with

a long appol legee that the Prince was very earnest to put US from

his porte and wr it to his father to cOmmaund us out of h is country

but himself and Isack Beag had del ivered good words of us and

asswaged that heat (as they terme it) hee had against us. Wee

weare as rownd with them,and desired them to cal l us into the

guselchan where wee might heare as much from the Princes mouthand receave h is fi rmaen to that effect

,after which wee wou ld not

staye a daye longer then was necessary for our embarqueing .

Whereat that [they P] replyed noe they weare our freinds ; and

vowed by all their d ivells , as their fathers sowles, that within fewdayes wee should have our firmaen desired, written soe effectual ly

and such agreement made betwixt us before the Prince as neverhereafter there shou ld be breach of freindsh ipp : that al l Guzerat

was now J.’

The two Engl ishmen did not in the least

bel ieve the flattering prom ises made to them, but they hoped

to obta in at least something, for thei r feare Of US,which they have ,

and doe day ly discover, wil l doubtles bring themselves to con

formetie.

’

A later letter (p . 3 19) narrates an audience Heynes and

Hutch inson obtained with the Prince on the subject of the grant,

when he to ld them that if wee would l ive quietly with h is subjects

[and] trade civelly l ike marchaunts , not offer force to the people ofh is porte nor robb the juncks and boats of Mussallmen or Banians

INTRODUCTION xxxv

p assing the seas , either subjects to h imselfe o r other h is neighbour

princes , wee should then have content in all our desires , his porteand al l o ther h is p laces shou ld be ours , and more free to us then toany marchaunts ; y f not, wee had then h is lycence to leave his

porte and depart the country.

’

The factors repl ied by assert ing

that the Engl ish had alwayes l ived freind ly with h is people and

treated them c ivelly as became marchaunts,both at h is porte and

elcewhere’

; they comp lained in strong terms o f the extort ions

p ractised by the Surat official s ; and bo ldly told the Prince that

they found they cou ld not get‘any mannour of j ustice or hope

thereof from H is H ighnes’

. For our departure from h is porteand countrey ,

wee answered wee shou ld be ready soe to doe i f hee

p leased to give us firmaen [autho] riz ing us, whereby wee m ight

justifie our returne to the Kings Majestic of E ingland , by whosecommand , together with the lycence ofh is father and h im selfe

,wee

had this many yeares traded within his kingdoms .

’

The Prince,

without showing any resentment , referred them to Rustam Khan ,

whom he had just appo inted to adm in ister the province o f Gujarat,

and to Is-haq Beg , the new Governor of Surat , and said that what

ever those two officials agreed to he would confirm . This was by

no means satisfactory, and the pertinac ious Engl ishmen pressed him

to read and grant the art ic les which they presented . Whereupon

hee tooke our art icles and read them ; and to the last , which

concerned the landing of our curral l and buying of goods for Mocho ,

hee rent them in sunder and threw downe the paper, sayeing wee

should n i ther have lycence in the one or other of them , seeing that

nothing elce but the profi tt and bread of his peop le could content

us . S oe riseing , gave us order to come at n ight to the Gushall

Chon for a fuller answer .’ They duly attended, but only to find the

P rince ‘so fu l l of other busines that ours was not thought upon

and they had to be content with an interview the fol lowing evening

with Afzal Khan and Is-haq Beg . After much dispute , the former

undertook on behalf of the Prince that a f arman should be gran ted ,sanctioning all thei r requests excep t those for permission to trade

in coral and to purchase goods for a Red S ea voyage. These two

po ints were left enti rely to the decision of Rustam Khan and

Is-haq Beg ,and the factors cou ld only advise the i r superiors at

Surat to settle the matters with the latter offi cial . The farma'

n

c 2

xxxvi THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

was del ivered as promised , and was dispatched to Surat on

November 1 8,

In the meantime, however, the President and Counci l at Surat

had found themselves involved in a fresh dispute wh ich threatenedserious consequences. I t appears to have arisen from thei r daring

action in taking out of the Surat j unk money and goods al leged to

belong to Dabho l merchants (see p . xxxii). It was indeed scarcely

to be expected that such an outrage— as we should now term it ,although l ightly enough regarded in those days— would pass with

a mere protest. The actual course of events is obscure,for almost

all the information we have is contained in letters from the other

factories sympathiz ing with thei r countrymen in their more then

barbarous usage A letter from Ahmadabad refers to curtesies

done by the Dutch at Surat to the Engl ish ‘in tyme of there

freedom and your trowble, keepeinge you in there howse and

giveinge you meate and drinck when you were not perm itted to

buy any for yourse lves (p . 354) and another from Baroda (p . 345 )shows that a settlement had been reached which invo lved the

abandonment of that factory.

2 This d isturbance at Surat was

fol lowed by trouble at Cambay and Ahmadabad . At both these

p laces Safi Khan laid an embargo on the goods the Engl ish had

purchased , claim ing compensation for money of h is al leged to have

been taken by them in one of the Portuguese prizes. The close of

the year leaves h im stil l unsatisfied,and the factors await ing instruc

t ions from the President and Council .The documents included in the present volume contain several

references to the development of Dutch commerce in the dom in ions

of the Mogul— a subject on which but l ittle has yet been published .

The establ ishment of a factory at Surat in 1 6 1 6 by Pieter van denBroecke, and his d isastrous second vis it in the fo l lowing year, when

h is two ships were driven ashore'

and total ly lost, have already been

recorded in the Letters received by tae E ast Ind ia Company . The

1 Among o ther matters,the factors wrote, ‘

yt gives you lycence for your howseTh is seems to have settled for a time the long-standing dispute as to the Engl ish dwel l ing .

The Surat factors had al ready wri tten to the Company that freedome also i s graunted us

to bui ld a house for our best conveniencie, and is already hal fe finished ; yett the rent not

agreed upon’

(p .

1 From later documents i t appears that the Engl ish were forced to restore their booty ,which amounted to rials of eight.

INTRODUCT ION xxxvi i

story is continued in the p resent vo lume, from which we learn that

Pieter Gi llesz van Ravesteyn , whom Van den Broecke had left i n

charge at Surat, arrived at Court in January, 1 6 1 8 , and succeeded

in p rocu ring a sat isfactory grant of privi leges from the Prince.

‘The Flem inge is p lanted at S uratt ,’ wrote Roe to the Company,

[and] hath obteyned a firmaen upon as good tearmes almost as

wee. I d id my endeavour to crosse h im ,but they come in upon

the same ground that wee began,and by which wee subsist

,feare

(p . From a letter written by an Engl ish factor at Burhanpur

in August , 1 6 1 8 (p . it is clear that some of the Ho l landers hadrecently made an expedition to Agra, but of th is we have no details .

The troubles in the Far East prevented the dispatch of any Suppl iesto the Dutch factory at Surat dur ing 1 6 1 9, though a certain

amount of money was obtained by the sale to the local authorities

of the guns recovered from the i r wrecked ships . The conclusion of

peace gave the Hol landers an opportun i ty of making Up for lost

t ime, and in the autumn of 1 620 P ieter van den Broecke appeared

once more at Surat, this time to make that p lace h is head quarters ,with the title of D irecto r for Arab ia

,Persia

,and India Factors

were dispatched in various di rect ions to procure suppl ies of cal icoand indigo . In March, 1 621 , we hear o f a Dutch caravan being at

Manda on its way down from Agra (p . 243 and in the fo l lowing

month Wouter Heuten with nine or ten other Dutchmen arrived at

the latter city,where he was presented by A saf Khan to the

Emperor and graciously rece ived . A S regards Ahmadabad , we

have a reference on p . 354 to two visits paid by the Dutch to that

city ‘ in Mr . Brownes tyme and their hosp itable entertainment by

the Engl ish factors. A later vis it,however, roused feelings of a very

different nature,for Safi Khan prevented a Dutch caravan from

leaving Sarkhej pending sat isfaction of h is claim against the

Engl ish , and the latter,on be ing requested to acquit their rivals

of any responsibil ity, showed considerable reluctance to do so .

They compl ied after a wh i le , and the Dutch goods were releasedbut the dispute, and the language used by the factors in the i r letters

reporting the matter, Show that d istrust and jealousy had taken the

place of the p leasant relations of former days. S o long as the Dutch

were weak, and thei r competition a negl igible quant ity, the merchantsof both nations were on excel lent terms ; but now that they were

xxxvii i THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

strong and wel l provided with funds the aspect of affairs was entirely

altered . We leave them watching one another with susp i cion and

i l l-wi ll— an att itude which unfortunately was now a normal one

between the two nations throughout the entire East.

On the eastern s ide of India the only places at which English

facto rs were stationed at the beginning of 1 6 1 8 were Masulipatam ,

the principal port of the Go l conda kingdom , and Petapol i (Pedda

pal l i) , a coast town— now known as N i zampatam— about thirty-six

m iles to the southward. These factories were chiefly engaged in

providing goods for the trade in the Eastern islands,and were

suppl ied and contro l led from the English head quarters at Bantam .

They were thus invo lved in the fortunes of the latter settlement ;and for the adequate comprehension of many al lus ions in the text it

is necessary to summarize, however briefly , the important events

which were taking p lace in the Far East during the years covered

by the present volume .

The rise and progress of the rivalry between England and

Hol land in that region have been described at some length in theintroductions to the later volumes of the Letters received by tko

E ast I ndia Company1, and we need only resume the story from

the po int at which it was dropped . When , in the autumn of 1 6 1 7 ,

the Comm i ttees of the second jo int stock were preparing their

first fleet for dispatch to the Indies, the gravest question they found

themselves cal led upon to face was the attitude to be adopted

towards the Dutch claim to exclude the Engl ish from the Mo luccas

and the Bandas , on the ground that the trade of those islands— the

sole source of the more valuable sp ices— be longed so lely to Hol land ,in consequence of concess ions procured from the native chiefs .

This claim had always been strenuously resisted by the English

Company at home and disregarded by thei r servants in the East .Some of the Comm ittees

,recogn iz ing the seriousness of the s itua

t ion,were in favour of opening negotiations with the Dutch East

India Company for a peaceful settlement of thei r di fferences but

previous efforts of that kind had uniformly proved futi le, and the

majority were convinced that the only possible att itude was one of

fi rm ins istence on thei r rights . John Jourdain , who had recently

returned from serving for three years as Agent at Bantam , gave1 See also Tbejournal of Jobn jourda in, recently publ ished by the Hakluyt Society.

INTRODUCT ION xxxix

it as his Op in ion that the F lem ings either dare not or will not sett

upon the Engl ish’

; and the Comm ittee decided that thei r best

pol icy would be‘to send the more sh ippinge, not to oppose the

Ho llanders in hosti le manner butt to countenance the ir buysines ,that they bee not putt downe or forced from thei r trade (which ittseemes they doe intend in al l partes) , butt to send a good strength

,

both to the Mo lloccoes and Banda and doe itt to purpose once forall , and trye what the Hol landers wil l doe , i f a man of couradge

maye bee had that wi l l not endure thei r wrongs butt as yett they

have onely given hard words but perfourmed noe deeds ; and the

Compan ies intents have bene, and st il l wi l l bee, not to dryve

a warre with them, butt to defend and resiste the wronge thatt may

bee putt upon the English’

(Cour t M inutes , September 25 ,As a man Of weight as wel l as of

‘couradge

’

was needed to giveeffect to this pol i cy, the command of the fleet was entrusted toS ir Thomas Dale

,whose administrat ion of Vi rginia had procured

h im a reputation for firmness and abi l ity, wh i le h is service in theLow Countries had made him wel l known to the States-General.With him went Jourdain as President for all merchand izing causes

in the Indies having,in conj unction with his Counci l , j urisdiction

over all the Company’s factories in the East except Surat and its

dependencies (these , as we have seen , had been special ly p laced

under the contro l of Roe), besides the contro l of the Company’

s

shipp ing.

Dale and Jourdain sai led with s ix Ships in the early spring of

1 6 1 8 . Except for an encounter with a Portuguese carrack, which wasforced to ransom itself by the payment of a large sum

,the voyage

was un iformly disastrous . At the Cape the two leaders were nearly

drowned by the upsetting of a boat ; in the m iddle of Novemberthe S un

,the finest vesse l o f the fleet , was wrecked on the is land of

Engano with great loss Of l ife ; and when , on November 1 9, 1 6 1 8 ,

the rema in ing ships reached Bantam , the long voyage had rendered

them almost unseaworthy and S ickness had reduced the ir crews to

an alarm ing extent. G loomy news awaited them . The pos ition

in the Bandas was almost desperate . Courthope’

s two ships were in

the hands of the Dutch , and he himself was blockaded in PUlO

Run ; an attempt made to rel ieve h im in March , 1 6 1 8 , had ended

in two more ships being taken within sight of thei r goal ; while,

x1 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

although the Dutch had general ly refrained from active hosti l ities

Outside the disputed region,their attitude was extremely threaten

ing , and more than one m inor co l l ision had occurred . H i therto ,

retal iation had been out of the question for want of means but now

w ith Pring’

s fleet , which was lying in the roads when Dale arrived ,the Engl ish were for a time in a stronger pos ition than their adver

saries . At a consultation held on November 28, it was‘with one

consent resolved to lay ho ld Upon al l occasions to red eeme the

disgraces and losses done to our Kinge and countrie ’

(Hague

Tr anscr ip ts (translations), series I , vol . i i i , no . civ) ; and accord

ingly a week later a r ichly laden Dutch ship , the Black L ion,was

seized in Bantam Roads and held as a hostage for the redress of

Engl ish grievances . With the i ll fortune that attended all Dale’

s

p roceedings at this time, the seizure produced the worst results , for

not only did i t p recip itate a general war in th e Far East between

the two nat ions,but the vessel herself with all her cargo was acci

dental ly destroyed by fi re, owing to the carelessness of some sa i lors

rummaging for l iquor, and the Engl ish had later on to face

a j ustifiable demand for compensation for the loss.

The Dutch answered the capture of the Black Lion by destroying

the Engl ish factory at Jakatra, on the pretext that preparations

were being made within i ts precincts for attacking thei r fort. On

December 23 th e two fleets met off that port , and an indecis ive

action ensued . The fight was renewed next day , and ended rather

to the advantage of the Engl ish . The Hollanders,finding them

selves the weaker side, reso lved to withdraw to Amboyna ; and Dale

thereupon jo ined the natives in besieging the Dutch fortress at

Jakatra . The garrison was soon obliged to make overtures forsurrendering to the Engl ish but just when an agreement had been

reached , the Pangaran of Bantam interfered and insisted that thefort should be made over to him . Being thus prevented from

carrying out the proposed terms of cap itulat ion , Dale withdrew his

men and guns and returned to Bantam ,with the result that the

garrison was easily able to hold out unt i l rel ief came.

A t thebeginning ofMarch , 1 6 19, fourDutch ships were attacked byPring in the Straits of Sunda, but succeeded in mak ing thei r escape .

Meanwh i le, Jourdain and Dale were debating the next move . Thei r

ships were in bad condition and short both Of men and of stores ,

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xli i THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

the gal lant Pres ident would not l isten to the advice of those around

h im,who urged h im to stand out to sea and make a running fight of

i t. He answered that ‘ it should never be reported that he wou ld

runn away from a Flem ing ’

; and so his vessels quietly awaited

their doom . Next morn ing (Ju ly 1 7 , 1 6 1 9) at daybreak the battlebegan . A s their antagonists adm itted

,the English defended them

selves with stubborn bravery,and only abandoned the contest when

further res istance had become impossible. Negot iations were now

commenced for a surrender ; and wh i le these were go ing on,

Jourdain,who had incautiously shown himself on deck , was ki l led

by a bullet a imed at him by a Dutch sharpshooter.1 This victory

was quickly fo l lowed by others . In August the S tar was capturedin the Stra its of Sunda ; and at the beginning of October Robert

Bonner, who , with four ships , was waiting at T iku for the laggard

Pring , was surpr ised by a Dutch squadron,h is fleet taken , and he

himse lfmortally wounded .

2 Reckoning the four previously captured

in the Bandas , but ignoring the Speedwell (seized off Bantam ,but

subsequently released), the English had now lost in al l eleven ships,to say nothing of the damage done at thei r factories ; and the i r

only set-Off against these m isfortunes was the capture of the Black

L ion,from which

, as we have seen,they sustained in the end more

damage than gain .

At last , on December 1 0,1 6 1 9, Pring sai led from Masul ipatam

and proceeded to Tiku , where he effec ted a j unction with a squadronof three ships from Surat under John B ickley. In March , 1 620, the

united fleet set out for Bantam ,with the intent ion of trying thei r

fortune once for all against their enterprising adversaries . On

Apri l 8 , however, they were met in the Stra its of Sunda by an

Engl ish ship , the Bull,bringing news that an arrangement had

been concluded at home,by which the two Companies had agreed

to a modified partnership in the Far East , the English to have one

third of the trade in the Mo luccas,and one-half of the Bantam

pepper trade , and both parties uniting in providing a fleet for

1 See Tbejournal ofjobnjourda in (Hakluyt Society, p . 368 .

1 One of the vessels thus captured was the D ragon ,Lancaster’s ol d flagship . By the

i rony Of fate , she spent the next few months in drudging backwards and forwards wi thtimber and stone for the bui lding Of the new Dutch fortress at Batavia (Jakatra) , and gotso worn in th is servi ce that on the conclusion of peace the Engl ish factors refused toaccept her again, preferring to stand out for her supposed value at the time Of surrender.

INTRODUCTION xli i i

defence against the Spaniards and Portuguese. Three days later

the two fleets met, not as enem ies , but as al l ies , and on the fo l lowing day they anchored side by s ide in Bantam Roads to exchangecongratulat ions and concert measures for un ited action in the

future .

I t would have been surprising i f the attempt thus made to induce

two antagonistic bodies,whose pass ions had been inflamed to the

h ighest p itch , to wo rk together in harmony for thei r common profit,had turned out a success. A s a matter of fact

,the reconci l iation ,

both at home and abroad,was but a hollow one ; both part ies

smarted under a sense of injury,and disagreements ensued almost

from the outset . R ichard Fursland,the successor of Jourdain

as Pres ident of the Engl ish , found himself obl iged to fix his head

quarters at Batavia— the fortified town estab l ished by the Hol

landers on the S ite Of Jakatra— for the Pangaran of Bantam refusedto have anything to do with e ither nation and thereupon begana long series of wrangles regarding the status of the Engl ish inDutch territory (as the latter considered the settlement to be) , the

interpretation of the Treaty (particularly of the clauses relating

to the restoration of the captured Ships and goods) , and half a dozenother points . Of the measures taken in concert on ly two are

strictly germane to our narrative. The one is the d ispatch of

a jo int fleet in the autumn of 1 621 under Admiral s Dedel and

Fitz herbert to b lockade the Portuguese possessions on the Malabar

Coast l ; we have here on ly the in it iation o f the enterp rise and the

papers printed in the text need no further elucidation . The otherwas the adm iss ion of the Engl ish to a share in the trade of Pul icat

,

the fortified station which the Dutch had establ ished on the coastof Coromandel , in the territo ries which st il l remained under theshadowy rule of the H indu sovereigns ofVijayanagar. The seventharticle of the Treaty of Defence had declared that ‘

the Engl ishCompanie shal l freely use and enjoy the traffique at the p laceof Pell icate and shal l beare the moyetie of the charge of the main

tenance of the fort and garrison there this to begin from the tyme

1 The Truce ofAntwerp had expired in Apri l , 1621 , and the Dutch were now againformal ly at war wi th the King of Spain and Portugal . The Engl i sh share in thi svigorous ‘ defensive ’

pol icy was j ustified on the ground of the hosti l ities whi ch thePortuguese had carried on against them ever since their arrival in Indian waters.

xliv THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

of the publ ication of this treaty in those parts .

’ 1 The latter stipu

lation the Dutch agreed to wa ive unti l the Engl ish factors shou ld

actual ly arrive at Pul icat, wh ich was not unti l June 9, 1 62 1 and

the conditions agreed Upon for the jo int prosecut ion of the tradethere (p . 253 ) appear to have been framed in a spirit of conc i l iat ion

creditable to bo th s ides . The growing exacerbation , however, i s

man ifested in a letter quoted on p . 299, in wh ich the Dutch

Governor-General warns his subordinate at Masulipatam to ho ld

the Engl ish strictly to the letter of the agreement, and to afford

them no assistance beyond what was abso lutely necessary. The

ful l effect of this we shal l see in the later correspondence.

The factory at Petapoli was d isso lved upon the Engl ish establish

ing themselves at Pulicat, as it was considered unnecessary to have

two branches for the purchase of the same class ofgoods . Matthew

Duke, who had been in charge of that factory, cons idered th is action

unwise (p . 304) but it was evidently a j ustifiable course to adopt

in the circumstances, although in the end the experiment Of a

partnership at Pu l icat proved a failure.

From Masulipatam itself we have several letters, but they relate

mostly to comm ercial detai ls and cal l therefore for no specialremark . Wi ll iam Methwold took over the charge of the factory

there from Adam Denton in the summer of 1 6 18 , and was st i ll chief

at the end of 1 621 , though under sentence Of recal l by the Companyfor alleged pa rtic ipation in excessive private trading. Several of

h is letters refer to the d iscovery of a d iamond m ine at Kol l ii r,

on the Kistna , and to a vis it paid to it by Methwold and h is Dutch

co l league, Andries Souri . Further particulars of this mine wil l be

found in the Rela tions of tae K ing dome of Golckonda ,written by

Methwo ld after h is return to England , and publ ished as a supp le

ment to the 1 626 edition of P urckas kis P i lg r image.

The mention in one o f the letters from Masul ipatam (p . 266)of a young Englishwoman who came out in a Dan ish fleet andafterwards escaped in a native boat to Pulicat, where she was afterl ittle stay there honn[estly] married to the preacher of the fortrem inds us that in the period covered by the present vo lumeDenmark made a bo ld endeavour to Obtain a share in the trade tothe East Indies . The Danish East India Company was established

1 Factory Records, java, vol . ii . part 1 .

INTRODUCTION xlv

by Christian IV in March , 1 6 1 6 and, two years later, on the

representations of a Dutch merchant named Marcell is de Bosch

houwer,Who claimed to have been autho rized by the King of

Kandy to invite assistance from Europe against the Portuguese ,it was resolved to found a co lony in the island of Ceylon . The

Ocr esund was dispatched in August , 1 6 1 8, under another Dutch

man named Roelant Crape, who is supposed to have been previously

at the court of the Nayak ofTanjii r and had now entered the service

of the Dan ish Company. He reached Ceylon in safety, but , aftersending word to the King that a fleet was fo l lowing , passed on

to the Coromandel Coast . There he was attacked by six Portu

guese gal leys under André Botelho da Costa . In the confl ict

Crape’s vessel was driven ashore , and he and a handful of h is men

took refuge at Tanjfi r, where they were wel l received by Raghunatha,the Nayak Raja. Meanwhile the main fleet, composed Of two men

of-war lent by the King and three merchant-Ships equipped by the

Company, had started in November,1 6 1 8

,under the command of

Ove Gjedde , with Boschhouwer as chief merchant. The fleet

arrived at the Cape in July, 1 6 1 9 (pp . 1 24 , and Ceylon wasreached some months later . Boschhouwer had died during the

voyage, and Gjedde found the King of Kandy by no means ready

to make good all that the supposed ambassador had p rom ised in

h is name . Finding that his negot iat ions with that monarch were

not l ikely to yield satisfactory results,the Danish adm iral thought

it best to push on to the Indian coast , in o rder to discover what

success had attended the attempt of Crape to obta in a settlement

on the mainland . Thei r un ited efforts resulted in the formal cess ion

by the Nayak in November, 1 620,of the port Of Tranquebar .

There a rudimentary fortress was built,under the name of Dans

borg, and Hendrik Hess was left in charge with about twenty

persons and a few cannon . One Of the merchant-ships was d is

patched direct to Europe from the new settlement . Gjedde, in h issh ip the E lepkant, proceeded first to Ceylon to take off a party hehad left there

,and then sai led in May , 1 621 , for Copenhagen ,

which was reached in safety the fo l lowing spring. The o ther twovessels were not so fortunate one

,the vice-adm i ral Of the squadron

,

fel l into the hands of the Portuguese ; the other i s stated to havebeen wrecked near Trincomalee. Such in brief is the story of the

xlvi THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

adventurous expedition which gave Denmark the first of her Indian

possess ions.

1

We have now run over the main topics of the vo lume— or at

least those which are susceptible of narrative treatment. But the

correspondence abounds in other points of interest . There are

many valuable detai ls , for instance, regard ing the econom ic state of

Ind ia at this time— i ts chief products and manufactures,their prin

c ipal centres , and the pri ces they commanded ; the means of

d istribution and cost of carri age ; the weights and measures in

use in various parts ; the current co inage and the mechan ism of

exchange by means of b i lls . Much l ight is thrown on the generalcondition of the country. We note the poverty and conservatism

of the weavers , the bad state and insecurity of the roads, the weak

ness of the central government , the tyranny and venal ity of the

local officials . On the other hand we discover at t imes in the

Empero r and h is leading nobles evidences of a painstaking desire

to act fairly by al l and to consider the welfare of those under them

and we have (p . 14) S ir Thomas Roe’

s emphati c declaration that‘ thei r j ust ice is generall ie good to strangers and that many of the

troubles of which the Engl ish complained so loudly were caused by

their own disorders . Further, there is no trace of into lerance or

persecution of any man on account of his rel igion— a statement

which could scarcely be made of any European country at the same

period .

Interest of another kind attaches to the hints given of the internal

economy of the Engl ish factories. With the origin of the t itle

of Pres ident we have al ready dealt but attention may be d irected

to the appo in tment of the merchant next in standing to be A c

countant or Bookkeeper, and of the Th ird in Counci l to be Ware

housekeeper (p . 1 90)— an arrangement wh ich became the settled

rule the appo intment of a Register ’ or Secretary to the Counci l

(p . the pract ice of requiring the j unior members to record

their op inions before the sen iors Spoke (p . the rule that all

p resents received from natives should be handed over to the general1 The foregoing account i s based mainly on Tbe H istory of tbc Tranguebar Ill i ssion ,

by J. F . Fenger, who refers to Schlegel ’s S ammlung z ur Dan isc/zen Gesclz ic/i te, vol . i ,

part 2, where Gjedde’

s log is publ ished . Some detai ls have been added from the Hague

Transcr ipts (series I , vols . iv and v) at the India Office, and from a note by M r. DonaldFerguson in thejournal cy

‘tbe Roy al A siatic S ociety , 1 898 , p . 625 .

INTRODUCTION xlvi i

treasury (pp . 47 , and the orders p rohibiting the Company’

s

servants from either marrying in the country or bringing their wivesfrom England (p . Outs ide the ranks of the mercantile staff

,

we may note the professional z eal o f the Surat factory’

s surgeon

a worthy pro totype (were it not for his intemperance) of the IndianMedical Service— who , being summoned to attend the Governor ofB roach , could only prom ise a hurr ied vis it, because (as h is superiorswrote)

‘a dangerous cure , which (unknowne to us) he undertook

uppon a poore man that hath an impostume,wil l [require] his

speedy returne or indanger the mans l ife ’

(p . Equal pra isecannot be given to the chap lain at the same p lace, who gave rise tomuch scandal by levanting in Moores apparel l to Ahmadabad

,in

pursuit of the three Engl ishwomen who had come out in the samefleet (p . 3 2) but against h is backsl idings we may set the p ious andcorrect behaviour of his co l league

,the Reverend Patrick Copland .

The latter, by the way , was the first Angl ican clergyman to

convert to Chr istianity a native of India, vi z . a lad ‘ borne in the

Bay o f Bengala’

,whom he brought home with h im from the East

in 1 6 14 . This youth , after being taught at the East India Com

pany’

s expense, was publ icly bapti zed at St . D ion is Backchurch,

Fenchurch Street, on December 22, 1 6 1 6 , by the name of Peter,to

which King James is Said to have added the surname of Pope. He

returned to India with Cop land in 1 6 1 7 , but what became of him is

not known , though three letters of h is , wr itten in Lat in , which were

printed as an appendix to Copland’

s sermon, Vi rg inia

’

s God be

t/zanked Show that he was al ive in 1 620. Cop land himself

ended a most chequered career by dy ing in the Bermudas.

‘Nay, looking into other Old log-books, I discern, In the Far East too ,

a notable germination. By Portuguese Gama,byDutch and other trafli ckers

and sea-and-land rovers,the kingdoms of the Sun are opened to our dim

Fog-land withal ; are coming into a kind of Contact with it. England

herself has a trafli c there,a continually increasing traffic . At Surat

and elsewhere, certain poor English Factories are rising

— in Spite of “the

Portugals of Goa Shah Abbas, Jehangire, Great Mogul , and fabulous

real Potentates of the uttermost parts Of the Earth are dimly disclosed to

us ; Night’s ancient curtain being now drawn aside.

’ —Carlyle’

s Hi stor ical

Sketc/zes, p . 90 .

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2 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

which they buried twenty-three persons, the Un icorn sai led fromTiku on October 8 , and reached Bantam on October 22, 1 6 1 7 .

(Holog raplt. E ndorsed Receaved by the H ope, 1 September,1 6 1 8 3 2

1

, pp .)

S IR THOMAS ROE AT AHMADABAD To ALL COMMANDERSOF THE COMPANY’

S SHIPS, JANUARY 20, 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

‘Wheras the honourable lord Asaph-chan hath sett out fromthe Great Mogol ls port of Goga [Gogha] , in the Bay of Cambaya,the shipp cal led the e kang ier under the commandand conduct of Eclaus [Ikhlas] , captain , and Bahaud [Bahadur P] ,p ilat , to passe into the Redd S ea in course of merchandi z

,

’

and has

app l ied to Roe for a safe-conduct,these are to desire all Engl ish

commanders to refrain from mo lesting that vessel and its mariners.

Notwithstanding, yf any ship of India or ei ther of Goga, S uratt or

Cambaya happen to come or fal l in company Of the English fleetehomward bound , as they come into S uratt I wish them to

keepe company, and to stay them at the Barr of Suratt until l they

heare from shore how our trade continewes.

’

I f all be wel l ,‘ then

to suffer them quiettly to goe at thei r p leasurs .

’

(S ig ned copy .

I sl In .)

INSTRUCTIONS FROM S IR THOMAS ROE TO THE FACTORS IN

PERS IA,FEBRUARY 4 , 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

To urge the Shah to prevent the Portuguese from mo lestingEnglish vessels in h is seas . Arrangements for purchas ing Pers ian

silk. In case of Thomas Barker’s death,Edward Monnox is to

succeed h im as Agent . (Copy . E ndor sed by Roe‘To be conveyed

by the way of Syndu by Mr . Ker[ridge] , the ship not go ing ’

.

2 3}pp . P r inted in Tbe Embassy of S ir Tkomas Roe p .

S IR THOMAS ROE AT AHMADABAD TO THOMAS K ERRIDGEAT SURAT [EARLY IN FEBRUARY, 1 6 1 8] (0. C.

Has received h is letter of January 21 .

‘For the Red S ea ,

I understand your conclusions . And it seemes you thinck Dabul l

1 For the circumstances in which this pass was given see p. 5 .

THE ENGL ISH FACTORIES 3

wi l l vent al l your dead comodities, for feare ; which i f it doe, the

riddance is fayre,and no more question with them ,

if also they wi l l

contract for a yearly trade with us. But I am perswaded i f wee

fynd not a juncke at port , they wil l not bee drawen to take Off such

comodities as I ayme at to vent, and then beeing shipt to the

sowth what can bee done with them ,if not to the Red S ea ? Wee

must proceed Upon some grounds, and cannot force them at the

port but by the chance of a juncke, which is a chance . Then

I say wee shall yet bee sure to meete some of them at sea, wher

wee may effect our purpose . Wee must chasten these peop le ;ther is noe remedie and be feared of all sydes

,els wee shal l doe

noe good . Yet suppose they bought of these goods at port , the

quantetie is not such that i t meetes with all the ends I ayme att ;

for I would goe to in itiate a trade there,and the payment I tooke

at Dabul should bee goods fitt for the Redd S ea. And though

that stock were smal l, yet the returne of i t would be better. Fo r

the returne of that I confesse I would not goe , i f that only were

our hopes ; but the mayne matter you mention not, which is soe

employing of a sh ip upon th is joynt s tocks account,that shee

m ight bee laden upon yt , and the great remaynes not bee trans

ported to losse to the new. I f you consider it, i t i s of as great

consequence as anything you can forecast ; and to help to beare

the chardge of soe much tyme spent (which I would consent too ina harbour, if any here fitt for us , unlesse you can direct some new

way to have a ship from the sowthward , which I bould now

impossible) . I declare my op in ion that in case I traded not at

Dabu l for goods fitt for Mocha,I would more then trade wherever

I mett them . Yf they m isenforme not from M esolapatan , ther i s

great store of ind ico shipt at some ports to the sowth,all which

take curtasses of our enem ies 1 and pay them duties fo r l icence as

lords of the sea, which wee wi l l not acknowledge

,and as thei r

a l l ies I would make them prize. If wee doe i t not,the Dutch wil l .

I had rather wee begunn to compel l them to take us for thei r

protectors then another,and by this course wee shal l hinder and

brid le the Portugal l of h is profitts and force h im to some com

pos ition with US,when hee sees wee beginn soe round a course .

Now he letts us rust and decay in reputation , wh i le hee getts1 i . e. a pass (cartaz ) from the Portuguese.

B 2

4 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

creditt and hart . The compan ie of our shipps will awe the Gu z erattS , as I have often urdged , and make them see our frendsh ip

necessarie to them ; for my Op inion is wee canno t hould long in

peace with them . For any juncke or ship of D ieu whatsoever,

I wou ld take her. They l ive under our enemies,as subjects to

them ; and the woorst is, if the Mogo l quarrel l it , to compound asdid the Portugal ls . When wee are in possess ion , wee can bee

no loosers . Therfore in the poynts you know my op inion, and

I declare it ful ly that I th inck i t fi tt to send a Sh ip th ither1 upon

these tearmes, to returne hither in September ; if you thincke

otherwise, without any farther dispute I yei ld to yow,and Shal l

noe way be discontent, but only wi lbe free of any excep t ion

to be taken by the Companie that I forecast not their profitt ;and in case you send not

,I pray give your reasons to the Com

panie, as doubtlesse I Shal l give myne.

’

Leaves to Pring the

cho ice of a suitable Ship for the voyage. As regards merchants ,

Steel is who lly occup ied with h is waterworks scheme, and SO i snot avai lable ;

‘ his ayd to the Red S ea is qu ite given over. ’

‘Here hath beene some question aboute th e voyadge among

themselves, and all merchants loa th to adventure . Asaph-chan

hath encouraged some soe farr as to fraight from Goga the Cc

lzang ier . Shee hath her cartasse without stopp ing at S uratt and

upon conclusion sent to mee for my passe, els the merchants would

not stirr ; that only stuck. At whi ch I went to court and found

them with E timan Dowlatt 2 and Asaph-chan s itting in th e

amkass 3 making of screetes 4, the captain mal um 5and princ ipal l

adventurers . Presently they tooke occas ion to renew thei r feares

of us , and Asaph-chan (wi thout any prom ise of mee) undertookefor us, at which I rep lyed they had experience of us that wee

1 To the Red Sea.

1 Itimad-uddanla (Mi n a Ghiasuddi n Muhammad) , father of Nfir Mahal and AsafKhan. H is beautiful tomb near Agra is well known.

1 The hall in whi ch the Mogul held his publi c recepti ons. Berni er, Speak ing of the

palace court at Delhi , says ‘ i t is in thi s extensive hall that the King gives audi enceind iscriminately to all his subjects ; hence i t is call ed Am-Kas [dm-o-klza

'

s,

“simple and

gentle ”

] or audience-chamber of hi gh and low'

(Constable’

s translati on , p . See

also Thevenot’s Voy ages, vol . v . p . 1 27 (ed . W i lson has the form klias-o-a‘

f n,

high and low,

’which is probably the m ore correc t.

Notes or agreements ( Ital . scri tto) .1 Arabic mu’

al/im instructor a p i lot or sail ing-master.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 5

defended them ; that the subjects of the King durst not wrong

them while our masters were in peace, but that was not all the

danger ; the Dutch , French or piratts m ight , and the jealouz ie

after wrong US . Therfore I desiered a declarat ion in the poynt

whither they nor the King would not expect and require at our

hands the faults of other men ,those trading under H is Majesties

authoritie beeing newtral ls . The father, sonne and merchants

replyed i t was al l reason ; the King expected not any thing from

us but for ourselves . Then I shewed him the danger of others,and made publ ique our offer two years made to the King in the

name of H is Majestie to safe conduct thei r goods and shipps toour powers ; that wee had now a fleete ; wee were ready with one

or two to serve H is Majest ic or the Prince, to goe with them or to

take in the i r goods, and this I thought a ful l proofe of my masters

affection and our intents to them . To this Etimon Dowlutt

rep lyed hee never hard so noble an offer ; no brother could say

more ; and that he would enforme the King Of i t. The merchants

first tould him for freighting in our sh ips , they never would ; weewould bee masters of our shipps , and they could not have that

l ibertie nor content they desired ; and bes ides the ships of the

countrie would by that meanes decay, and wee enter into thei r

trade ; soe that utterly they refused to fre ight in US . To goe withthem , they thancked mee and accepted of it , but desiered EtimonDowlatt to know if I expected noe pay . I replyed reason wouldenforme them that yf wee spent our tyme, paid our men, consumed

our provisions and victual ls, it was fitt wee should have recom

pence i t was enough wee fought for them but that i f they would

propound any thing, they shou ld see how ready I would bee to

Show this offer was for love, not for profitt. The merchants as

round ly answered they would rather s itt at home then give Usanything ; they knew our chardge, and they would not venturetheir goods to give U S the profitt . At this al l were blanck .

I asked if they would move the King. Etimon Dowlett replyed

not ; hee thought wee had gone for love only,and t he merchants

would give us nothing. Then they proceeded upon the first poynt

if I would give a passe ; which I could not deny, beeing yet in

peace. I prom ised I would , upon these conditions, that if weecame into the Red Sea they should be contented with our company

6‘

THE ENGLISH FA CTORIES

and trade , helpe us and ass ist us as frends, as wee would doe

them ; and so i t ended. Since wh ich tyme for the ~ sayd Ship ,

capta in , and merchants I have geven my lettre to al l English,

spec ifieing the conditions ; which if wee breake with them is voyd ,for it depends on the peace here [see p . This I am fal len

upon to lett you see how l i ttle hope from them, yet that they feare

us, and when they see wee wi l l joyne with them,wil l fynd they

must seeke us on better tearmes. I see noe reason but why wee

should take cartasse mony as well as any , for wee are lords of the

ports ; the Portugalls dare not appeare in them .

’

A s Steel is not

avai lable for the Red S ea voyage , thinks M onnox might be sent as

chief,with two assistants, to be chosen by Kerridge. The secound

poynt is what course of trade ; wherin I advise them not to bee

engaged ashore with any goods ; to trad by two at once ; to putt

o f the ir comoditie, and not to settle this yeare, but to treat upon

conditions for the next ; to enforme themselves of the Moores

courses and comod ities and taking al l other mentioned chances in

the way , returne to Suratt, i f possible in compan ie of the Guz eratts,

that they may have one at command at thei r arrival ], for the bridle

o f these unconstant peop le. Yf the Mochars take i t offensivly that

by taking Dabullers or Dieu men or any other thei r trade is

mo lested , i t may bee left in the d iscretion of the captain and

merchants to compound upon such conditions as may oblige both

parts for a future trade. The disso lving of Brampoor factorie

I not only approove but have ordered thei r sales and dispatchdowne, i f my lettre m iscarrie not, which I desier you to second

effectual ly . Amadavaz is c loyed ; and those accused to mee are

reconci led among themselves. Now I know your op inions that

lesse may serve, I wil l at the comm ing of the last goods cleare

and settle i t as wel l as I can. Mesolapatan, corresponding with

Bantam ,cannot expect a Ship from US ; the season is late

,and

your councell good . Agra shal l have fower, the two now re

mayning and Mr . Biddo lp , who must settle there, for the King isremooving ; and to assist him ,

some one of these. If you send

Bangham theither also , when they are joyned they are suffi cient.For the recoverie of the debts M r . Biddolp must yet fo l low yt ;

and if M r. Steele make a water woorke it must bee in Agra and

hee will not only emp loy himselfe in that. It is great chardge to

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 7

send in and out, and so from hence i t may bee supp lyed. For

your owne you motion s ixe, your selfe, M r . Rastal l, Mr. Mart in,

and two yowths and a steward or weeke booke keeper ; al l which

I al low, provided that these youths bee such as the Company

entended to stay and your booke keeper one of the merchants

alread ie enterteyned by the Company. Mr. Mart ins imployment

i n Baroach I wel l approve as the best course, to res ide there and

buy cloth as i t i s made at beas t hand ; one of the boyes to l ivewith him

,the o ther with you ; and all attendants unnecessarie

resh ipt in the qualetie they fi rst came out. I am very glad of

your stay and allowance. Breefly , you Shal l find mee right,and

that I wil l assist you in al l th ings , dimin ishing you in noeth ing ,

with this one provisoe that you respect mee as I have done you,

of which I doubt not. If I approove not your Op in ion , thenI shal l expect to have mine fo l lowed without disgrace to you.

But in your course of marchand i z e I referr them to you and therinwhat I wr ite i s but Op in ion ; i t shal l not bynd , nor bee d iscurtes iethat you use better judgment . M r. Bangham hath my consen t

to returne as merchant of (Copy . I ncomplete. 4 pp . )

JOHN BROWNE AT AHMADABAD To THE COMPANY, FEBRUARY 1 0, 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

In rep ly to thei r letter of February 6 , 1 6 1 7 . The confusion in

the accounts was partly due to the sudden death of Robert G ipps ,who kep t them . He sends an inventory of the latter

’

s estate, andalso of that of Will iam Bel l . Has no information regarding

Thomas Aldworth ’s effects. Excuses the late dispatch o f Keel ing’

s

fleet from Surat . He has endeavoured this year to procure a

good quantity of indigo before the ships’

arr ival , but the necess ityof awai ting a Supp ly of money from the fleet has delayed them .

‘The exchange of your ryal ls1 is of some consequence, partely

for the losse of time in attending for thei r del ivery and retourne of

mony in Amadavad when our buisines lyes in S erquese3, then

1 This letter is wri tten on nati ve-made paper , which is sti l l in an excellent state of

preservati on. Ahmadabad was famous for i ts paper-making.

1 Into rupees.Sarkhej , six or seven m i les south-west of Ahmadabad

,was the centre of the ind igo

industry in that neighbourhood .

8 THE ENGLISH FA CTORIES

the d isadvantage in thei r sale ; whereof of eyther a word . Your

Honours and Worships maye be pleased to understand that themynt master h is offi ce heere is in nature of a monopol ie, and that

the sheraffs 1 are poore and begerly , soe as the truth is for my

parte I dare not adventure to trust them further then a pawne

or reddy money, nor cann they in all my t ime compasse the

buyeing a chest of ryal ls at once ; soe as we must attend their

abi lities to fetch itt awaye at many times, or sett i t att hazard .

A gaine, some t ime when the mynt master or chei fe exchanger

knoweth of much store , as that t ime of the yeare affordeth, both

of ours and the Mocha shipps , he will not suffer the mynt to goe,whereby as nowe these five weekes it hath beene shutt up , and we

compel led to leave a who le chest [of] ryal ls and three ingotts

unexchanged . Next in the po inte of exchangeing to proffitt or

losse, the difference will appeare best by those sold in Apri l] att

2 rupp[ees] I I p i ce, and those in November and December at

2 rupp [ees] 7 p ice ; the losse hereby I advised per the Globe [seeLetters Received

,vol . v. p . as I d id formerly per R ichard Steele

from A gmere concerning the cho ice of your ryalls, both for waight

and goodness, advising then also the nescessity of good bal lance and

waights for thei r del ivery heer, that wee bee not stil l compel led to

del iver our ryalls by the 1 00, in a payre of bal lance fi tt for 40 but

y f my insufficiencye made my advice in this po inte unworthy your

considerac ion , lett me nowe once againe intimate to your Honours

and Worships that the want of bal lance, waights , cho ice at home,and fi tt time of sale looseth you yearly above 3000 rupp[ees] , asI have Observed it nowe by four yeares experyence. And to

strengthen it a l ittle more,lett you be p leased to looke on the

p resent yeare in the exchange of your ingottes , every of which

I was compel led to melt downe into l ittle ingottes, for their easier

del ivery, and thereby what t ime wee lost wee knowe, but what

waste God knoweth, for that your invoyce, or at least that fromSurratt

,expresseth neither waight or certa ine value, but in ryalls

of 4s . a peece, wh ich is by proofe of them erronious .

’

He repudiatesKeel ing

’

s charges of evi l-l iving, and protests that he is gui lt less in

the matter of private trade. In future no salammoniac or Op iumwil l be sent, as these commodities are found to be unprofitable.

1 S izrmj} , money-changers and bankers (Arabic sarrdf) .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

1 0 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

Chan,at good pri ces , and sithence disgraced in the K inges presence

by A ssuff Can, as be ing h is refuz alls . But to drawe to the po in te ,

y f these nescessary favours had beene profferred to Muckrab Chan

in due time, y tt is certaine the Company had wel l proffi tted by

the i r sale, our provissions had beene large, and our care had beenelesse, and therefo r I most humblie intreate your : . HonourS and

Worships lett not a li ttle d iscourse in the theorick cause us to be

led by such an ignorance in the practick as Shal l make all loosers

but one . For those quilts party cul lored , we shal l by Godes gracemake tryal l for ther provission according to your order in some

smal l quantitie , and for those also of cuttaine 1, but to noe greate

nomber,for that we cannot gett taylors enough to worke . What

we shal l doe nowe the King is gone I doe not knowe,but hereof

I dowbt not butt Surratt w i l l take notice, where both taylors are

more p lentifull and worke better Cheape . For conserves my ac

counts Shewe the store sent home, the one halfe whereof are ambo 1

o r mangoes. I cannot tel l what esteeme they wilbe in in England,

but heer highly esteemed,and to be provided in Maye

,whenas

I provided these ; the other halfe are of greene ginger, m irabi lons ,and beeles 3 , the best these partes afl

'

ord , and heer preferred beforethose either of Cambaia or Surratt . The jarres are al l fi ld , stoped

close,skyned , and marked with the distinction of the fruits .

’

He

has bought and sent home some bloodstones . Nowe concerning

the inquisic ion Of the carr icks 4 ladeing outward and homewards,whereof i t seemeth (notwithstanding your order) you have rece ivedno advice , i t i s more easie for those att Surratt to informe themselves then we that l ive from the sea ; yett, according to my weake

j udgement,I will

,under correction , deliver my opp inion both waies .

For the i r lade ing hither, I can guesse at it but by thei r trade heere,and fynde i t l ittle different . First

,it is not to be doubted but thei r

mayne estate is ryal ls of p late, then lead , tynn , qu icksi lver, and

e lephants teeth of both sorts,curral l &c . ; and of all these sorts

1 H ind . gutn i , made of cotton .

’ Valentyn , in his l ist of Surat cotton goods, hascoetenys and gecattoeneerde dekens Ufllet (Factory Records ,M i scell . , vol . xxv) definescuttenees as a kinde of satten , hal f cotten , half si lke1 The Gujarati name for the mango tree.

3 Bael or bel fruit (A eg le marmelos) . This has always been a favouri te remedy in Indiafor dysentery and similar di sorders, and the dried frui t i s now imported into England.

The Portuguese ships (carracks) trading between Lisbon and Goa.

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 1 1

they bring some quant ities to Cambaia, tog ither with some spicerie

from the Southwards.’ Prices at which the Po rtuguese so ld the ir

goods (tin , lead , quicks i lver , China s i lk,nutmegs

,cloves, mace ,

verm i l ion , and ivory) at Cambay in June, 1 6 1 7 . Fo r thei r

retournes to Christendome, their entries att Lisbon can best in

forme the truthe : but as I conceive yf al l the Oryent retournes

o f the Honorable Company were, as theirs, confyned to one or two

p laces of ladeing , as many bottomes for transport, and one certaine

seazon for passage, there would be found l ittle difference in variety,wealth , o r qual itie, albeytt their provisions trend from Mosambique

to the Mulluccas.

’

He wished to sel l lead , &c .

,in compet ition w ith

the Portuguese, but the Surat factors refused a supp ly, on the

ground that they could dispose of such goods to more advantage

at Surat ; yet‘the sales at Suratt cannott be hindered byAmadavad ,

because Amadavad is supp lyed from Cambaia, as S uratt doth

Decan , Brampore and those southerne and south-easterne countries ’.Hopes to return to England shortly .

‘ By the last fleete we t e

ceived heer a barrel l of wyndowe glasse, but notwithstanding my

advice to Surratt of Muckrab Chans des ire to experyence the use

thereof,I could gett no glasier (they being gone to Persia and I woott

not whither,to lesse purpose) against the Kings com ing hither .

Att fleets arryvall , understanding by your letter of another, I men

c ioned i t againe to Muckrab Chan , who exceedingly des ired itagaine, and thereupon I wrott for his com i ng up , but in va ine as

the former,for I could not have him til l after the Kings coming

towards the end of December, when also he came Up without too lesand soe retourned without either proffi tt o r experience, and suchan occas ion lost for tryal l as I expect not againe, bes ides the hopes ,

yf the K ing had affected the worke , which I beleive will nowecome to nothing.

’

Fears the pearls , &C.,sent out wil l prove a bad

investment , though Muqarrab Khan m ight have bought them if

they had not been reserved for A saf Khan. I pray God A ssuph

Can deserve soe wel l of our nat ion as his Lordship Op ineth of him ;

but herein the ends why, by the end itsel fe wi l l try all .’ They note

the powers entrusted to Roe . R ichard Stee l and h is p rojects .A quant ity of gumlac purchased for a trial . The unicorns hom e

1

1 The bel ief that the horn of the unicorn ( rhinoceros) would detect and neutral iz e poisonwas general at this time (cf. Letters Received, vol . vi . p. For the history of this

1 2 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

I brought up last yeare from Surratt and shewed it to M [uckrab]Chan att 5000 rupp[ees] pr ice, a price to high only for the Shape ,and five t imes too meane yf it had the vertue he expected , and

made tryal l of by the l ives of a p igeon , goate, and man ,which they

loosing,itt also lost h is esteeme ,

and soe I retourned i t aboard from

whence I had ytt.

’

Price of quicks ilver. Borax and sugar candy

sent home in the Globe. (H olog rap/c. E ndor sed Rece ived by the

Bul l,the 1 3 February 7

-1pp .)

S IR THOMAS ROE To THE COMPANY, [FEBRUARY, 1 6 1 8](0. C.

Critic ism s on R ichard Stee l’

s projects .

1 A S regards trade with

Pers ia,Jask is the on ly port yet known , and there trade ‘ must

eyther bee by contract with the Portugal l or by force sufficient to

withstand them . The trade betwene Syndu1and Ormus is passed

by the Portugalls frigatts and so to Pers ia, or by the ir cartass but

it is not so great as pretended , nor the p rofitt to the Portugalls

a tenth parte. The ould trade is given over for the great aveneus3

layd by the Portugal ls .

’

To convoy native traders on payment

may help in the establ ishment of trade, but i t would be more

profitable for the English to supp ly the goods themselves . More

over, the Engl ish cannot keep the"

seas Open all the year round ,and when thei r fleet had departed the Portuguese would take

revenge upon the nat ives .

‘ In summe,the Portugal l houlds al l

the coast in abso lute s laverie,and ther is no way to remedie i t ,

unless eyther the Kyng wou ld build or give us a port and hyre our

Shipp ing ; but he wi ll not bee drawen to alter his conditions,

because he is not senc ible of the d ishonor, giving reason he con

quered Guz uratt “ and keepes i t in the same condition he found yt

and upon the same articles and contracts made by Bahud [BahadurShah] , Kyng of Guz uratt, who made them with the Portugal ls

particular specimen see Tbe Embassy of S i r T. Roe, p . 290. It appears to have final lyfal len into the hands of the Dutch , who sold i t in Hol land for 4001. (Ca l . of S tate P apers ,E . Indi es , 1 622-4, p .

1 For these see Letters Received,vol . vi . p. 95 Tbe Fi rst Letter Book of tae E . I . Co. ,

p . 45 7 ; and Tbe Embassy of S i r Tkomas Roe, p . 477 . Their nature may be inferred

from Roe’s remarks.

1 Lari bandar (D inl-Sind) , at the mouth of the Indus.

3 Exactions ( Ital . avan ia) .A cbar, the father of this kyng, conquered it (marginal correction) .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 3

before this monarchy was un ited .

’ Sending sp ices , &c ., to Persia

would no doubt be a good investment ; such commodities wou ld

also sel l to p rofit in India . A s regards convoying the nat ive j unks

to Mocha,

‘the Guz uratts are weary of the Red S ea as i t is

,and

will by no meanes bee drawne to give U S any recompence, becausewee canno t protect them from the Portugall alway, but they must

pay to both .

’

For the water woorke,I cannot conceive how you

can make any profitt .

’ Stee l and h is m en have been entertained

by the K ing and are to go up to Agra ; so the Company is easedof that charge. Roe would send home Hatfield

,the painter

brought out by Steel , but fears the latter would comp lain to the

Mogul that ‘ I cross his p leasure in paynting’

. (Holog rapk. 2 pp .)

S IR THOMAS ROE‘

AT AHMADABAD To THE COMPANY ,FEBRUARY 14, 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

Fo rwards a transcript of h is journal and Cop ies of his letters totheir various factories. Answers their letters received by the last

fleet . The Gulf of Cambay has been searched ,‘ but can fynd noe

p lace fi tt for your head residence but S uratt .

’

To convoy nat ive

ships to the Red S ea will never pay . I t is useless to ask per

miss ion to build a fort ;‘ Upon bringing brick ashore to found

a shipps bel l, i t rang to court , our peop le disarmed in Suratt,and I am not yet cleare

'

of l iberties lost upon yt , though I have

made the Prince 1 ashamed at the weakenes of the susp ition to

confesse a handfull of men could take a p art of thei r countrie by

force. But it is true wee would bee lords there , and have com

m itted soe many insolenc ies that I have woondred at their patience.

’

Reprehends the overbearing behaviour of some of the Engl ish ;

yet I patch it Up .

’ Praises Capta in Pring . A suitable port wil l

never be ceded they are weary o f us as i t is ; and indeed wee see

wee have empoverished the ports, and wounded all their trades,

soe that by much perswas ion of the Governors the merchant goesto sea . A nd i f you began to build and p lant here, quarrel l

would arise,the enemie 2 exasperated (who may now bee drawne

to composition) and all your proffi tts eaten in garri z ons and dead

1 Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan) , now Viceroy of Gujarat.1 The Portuguese.

14 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

payes. It is noe way to drive your trades by p lantat ion . The

Dutch have spoyled the M oluccoes which they fought for, and spent

more then they will yei ld them ,i f quiett , in seaven yeares . Syndu

you may free ly goe too,lade and relade ; but it is inhabited by

the Portugall ; l ies noe way well for your stock (excep t you

scatter it) ; i t vents only your teeth 1 and affoords good cloth

and many toyes . But if the sorts you have seene serve your

marketts, you are nearer seated and may have what quanteties

you p lease ; and for your teeth , the marchant wil l fetch them at

S uratt. Bengala hath noe ports but such as the Portugal ls

possesse for smal l sh ipp ing. I t will vent nothing of yours . The

people are unwill ing, in respect of the warr (as they suppose) l iketo ensue in thei r seas ; and the Prince hath crossed it, thinck ingwee desired to remoove thither wholy , and that, if wee stay in

India, hee takes to bee an affront. But now I may obteyne one

ship to come and goe , upon hope of rubies from A racan and Pegu

but I knowe not what profitt you can make by any residence

there , and I speak upon searching t he bottome of all the secretts

of India. If you wil l have patience to trye one yeare, you shal l

see one thing effectually done is woorth twenty by fragments.

You wil l find it is not many factories here that getts you a penny.

I will forecast your ease , and by Gods grace settle not only your

p rivi ledges but your profitts . This two yeare the Pr ince hath

beene my enemie, and if I had yielded I must have beene h is Slave .

This last I have stood out to the last and adventured the feircnes of

his wrath . I t hath succeeded better then I expected . Wee are

soe reconci led that hee is now my effectuall mediator and w i ll

p rocure mee content . Indeed , hee only can give i t ; h is father

growes dul l and suffers h im to write all commands and to governeall his kingdomes . [M arg inal note by R oe.

—When I wrote this,

I had woords enough ; but such delayes in effects that I am weary

of flatteries as of i l l usadge .] You can never expect to trade hereUpon cap itulations that shalbe permanent . Wee must serve the

tyme. Some now I have gotten,but by way of firmanes and

p rom ise from the Kynge . A ll the goverment depends upon the

present will , where appetite on ly governs the lords of the kingdome.

But thei r j ustice is general lie good to strangers ; they are not

1 Ivory elephants’

teeth

THE ENGL ISH FACTORIES 1 5

rigorous , except in scearch ing for things to p lease, and what

trouble wee have is for hope of them and by our owne disorders .

The Fleminge i s p lanted at S uratt, [and] hath obteyned a fi rmaen

Upon as good tearmes almost as wee.

1 I did my endeavour to

crosse h im , but they come in upon the same ground that wee

began , and by which wee subs ist,feare . A nd if I fynd not al l

performed with mee now p rom ised , I shalbe so bould as to chasten

them once agayne ; els the Duch wilbe before hand and doe i t

fi rst,and then hee wilbe the brave man.

’

H is endeavours to

Obta in satisfaction for debts and inj uries . Now I am upon best

tearmes , and if the court were settled would soone fin ish thesemy tead ious labors . You shulbe sure of as much privi ledge as any

stranger, and right when the subject dares not p lead his .’

The

experiment of taking goods up the river to Surat has resulted in

fai lure, owing to the many sandbanks. ‘Wee must sticke to

Swal ly Roade .

’

Roe has tried to compound for the custom s for

a fixed annual payment, but the terms demanded were too high .

Has hopes of concluding a peace with the Portuguese , and the

Jesu it at court 1 has written to Goa to further it . The Viceroy hassent a representative to greet the Mogul on h is vis iting Gujarat ,but Jahangi r refuses to rece ive him unless he brings fit presents .

Should he appear at court, Roe will make overtures to him for

the conclusion of a three years’ truce .

‘ If I can , Upon safeand honorable tearms

,effec t i t, I shal l thinck i t of good meritt

toward you.

’

The best way to force the Portuguese to consent

is ‘ by chastising thei r neighbowrs for the i r sakes’

, as by obl iging

the Indian traders who take Portuguese passes to pay as muchto the Engl ish ;

‘ for the Portugall hath noe other right but as

lords Of the sea, which it is evident now he i s not , and therfore thetribute due to us .

’ It is partly for this that Roe has p ressed the

sending of a ship to the Red S ea . Another way i s for the fleet

to b lockade Goa instead of remain ing for months at Surat . Pring

would have undertaken this but for the leakiness of the Royal

1 See the account of this Dutch m ission (whi ch was under the charge of P ieter Gi l leszvan Ravesteyn) in Tbe Embassy , p . 45 7 . In h is report to the D irectors at Amsterdam(Hag ue Transcr ipts, Seri es I , vol . i i i . No . 96) Ravesteyn says they were wel l treated and

obtained a farman from the Prince granting them a number of privi leges, though not al lfor which they had asked.

1 Francisco Corsi , for whom see Tbe Embassy , p. 3 14.

1 6 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

7 ames and the absence of the Bee. Des irabi li ty of having goods

ready at Surat to obviate the necess i ty of the sh ips stay ing so long.

Advantage of forgo ing returns for one year in order to have a goodstock in the country for this purpose . N icho las Bangham praised .

The factory at Burhanpur withdrawn ,‘as of no profi tt now the

army is disso lved .

’ Private trade is diffi cult to suppress , espec ially

as the Company are too indulgent to some offenders . Remarks

on Kerridge, Browne, Fetiplace, and others . The debts at court .Proceedings in Pers ia. The Portuguese in a strong posi tion thereby thei r possess ion of Ormus .

‘To surprise or take their seateby force is not easely done . I confesse that were an end of the

question ; but it will cost a great chardge , and such enterprises areuncerteyne ; and after i t would engage you into a warr .’ He

thinks negotiations in Europe the best course. As regards tradein Persia, they must not rely on the sale of cloth and other English

goods . Sp ices and porcelain from Bantam wil l sel l to advantage ;a lso sugar, cal icoes, steel , and other Indian commodities. The rest

must be supp l ied by money. They must not forget the distast of

the Grand S ignior’

, who will los e by any diversion of the trade,‘ hee reap ing as much by custome as the S ha by the primecomoditie.

’ Steel is engrossed by h is waterworks scheme and

refuses to help in Persia. Roe wil l do his best for that trade as

long as there i s a chance of success . Steel’s other projects . H is

wife and the workmen he brought wi th him . Captain Towersonand his wife are disappo inted in thei r hopes , and angry with Roe forhindering their p rivate trade. Notes on the p resents sent. Thei r

value depreciated by the sale on low terms of the goods brought

by the sailors and others. The natives are fickle in thei r taste .

They im i tate every thing wee bring,and embroder now as wel l

as wee .

’ Sends a l ist of suitable goods and presents ;‘ but noe

man can advise certeynly except upon jewells .

’ Thanks th em for

some gifts . Had intended to return by this fleet,

‘ but your earnestdes ier prevayles above myne owne occasions.’ H e thanks them

also for procuring the letter to him from K ing James .

1 Notes onthe value of pearls and other jewels .

‘ I give you assurance youmay sel l [pearls] for 50,000l . yearly ready mony, and for as much

more in any sort of stones by mee spec ifyed ; and this way only1 See Tae Embassy , p . 5 56 .

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I 8 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

mee a few priviledges , and reconfirmed our trade and l iberties at

S uratt,but wi ll heare of noe more ports .

’

If he can shortly obtainh is ‘ des iers of un iversall p rivi ledges that shalbe of power in all

parts of h is dom in ion , and recover our debts ’

, he wi ll retire and

rest unti l the arr ival of the next fleet . If not , I will take myleave and bee ready at S uratt to meete with the ship I expectfrom the Red S ea ,

who shal l both pay mee al l that is due and

make those conditions bee o ffered which now I seeke withd espayre . Assure you, I knowe these peop le are best treated

w ith the swoord in one hand and caducean in the other.’ Wil lalways use h is best endeavours in the Company

’

s service.

(E ndor sed ‘ Receaved 4 January, 1 7 71, pp . P r inted in

Tbe E mbassy p .

E nclosure.

ADVICE FOR GOODS FOR SURAT (0. C.

Broadcloths, coral , quicksilver. No lead for two years . A l ittlevermil ion . No wine

,hot waters [i . e . Sp ir its] , swords, glasses,

‘nor

an ie such l ike trash .

’

Pearls , rubies , emeralds, &C.

, especial ly large

and rich stones . Arras,cloth of gold and S i lver, gold lace, cam lets,

shirts of mai l, embro idered coats of Indian fashion,buckler cases,

quivers,cush ions

,great glasses

,embro idered boxes , and some

Norwich stuffs. For presents, once in three years o (with a royalletter) will suffi ce. I t is unnecessary to give so much

,as the King

is quite ready to purchase. Articles su itab le for presentation .

Sp ices , po rcelain , Chinese cabinets , &c .,wi l l sel l to as good

profit as in England . Taffetas in demand . Of cochineal only

a smal l quantity can be disposed of. Enamel in some demand .

(Copy . 3 pp . P r inted in Tbe Embassy’

, p .

S IR THOMAS ROE [AT AHMADABAD] To CAPTAIN PRING ,FEBRUARY 14, 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

Has sent instructions for the Red S ea voyage (p . Answers

objections . Cannot advise as to the cho ice of a ship for England nor

as to the disposal of the rest of the fleet . Warns h im , however, not

to keep too near the Malabar coast on his way to Bantam ,

‘ for the

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 9

Viz eroy (as wee heare) p repares a fleete to goe about the Cape for

the Coast of Cormandell and wi lbe ready this month ; yf you bee

alone, i t is not good to tempt them . Concern ing thejuncks o f D iu,I understand that M ochrebchan and some M ogo l ls fre ight from

thence . Wee cannot take notice o f on mans from anothers that

mingle with our enem ies . I would not spare any of that port upon

the best pretence. Our warienes wi lbe to keepe the j unck itselfe , to

putt a merchant and purser Upon it , untill returne to S uratt. If it

bee prooved Mogolls goods, and that the King stirr in yt, I know

this people— restitution alway makes peace , and wee Shal l have theadvantage of some good condition for resti tution

,and make them

feare to freight in the Portugal ls and rather offer themselves to us .

Untill wee Show our selves a l ittle rough and busye they w i l l not

bee sencible. The woemen1are almost arrived at court

,but I hope

I shal l depart this towne before, the King goeing out suddenly,which makes mee now take my leave .

’

Roe sends P ring a small

carpet as a present ; also forwards a box of papers for England .

Takes leave of him . P .S .— Commendat ions to others in the fleet .

Requests his favour for John Hatch,master of the Bee. From

letters just received he learns that no supply can be sent to Jask

and soe that unfortunate busines must lye in its wounds unti l better

occasion Encloses instructions for the Red S ea, and has sent hisservant Heynes to take part in the exped ition . Complains of

slanderous reports , especial ly by h is late surgeon . IS surprised tosee the m inister, Mr . Go lding, here [see p . He has come up

without Roe’

s perm iss ion and shal l be sent back .

‘ I expect noemore to heare from you, for the King is entering into the woods .

The God of heaven blesse you and all your company, and send mee

once more to l ive among men of honesty.

’

(S igned copy . 4 pp .

P r inted in par t in Tbe Embassy p .

ROE’

S INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE RED S EA VOYAGE ,[FEBRUARY 14, 1 6 1 8 ] (0. C.

The ship to be selected by Capt. Pring and a cargo provided forDabho l and Mocha by M r. Kerridge. To proceed to Dabhol , and ,

i f necessary, compel the inhabitants to trade by surprising their

1 M rs. Steel , M rs. Towerson,and Mrs. Hudson.

C 2

20 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

j unk ; this wi ll‘force them to understand the interest of free

commerce ’

. Then to sail for the Red S ea, and on the way to

endeavour the capture of anyjouncke of Diu o r of any other po rteunder the dom in ion of the Portugall or of any other peop lewhatsoever beinge in league with our enemy, e ither of the S amo rine

o r Decanines’

. On arrival at Mocha a farman must be obtained

from the Governor of the province for the free sale of goods and thesafe res idence of the factors . He should also be asked to procure

the Grand S ignor’s confirmation of these privileges . If trade be

refused,they may force any vessels in the road to exchange goods

with them . Merchandise belonging to Portuguese or to natives

res id ing in Portuguese territory should be confiscated . The captain

and cape merchant may agree with the Gujarati traders to convoy

their ships on suitable terms . On thei r return they are to detain

the latter unti l the state of the Engl ish on shore be ascertained .

Edward Heynes to be one of the factors sent. ‘ I have herew ith

sent you the Persians bil l that oweth us money, l ivinge at Gulkhandah [see p . that yf you meete with any juncke of Dabull

,

you may pay yourselfe and give them the bi l l to recover the debte

o f the Persian .

’

(Copy , sen t to tlte Company by P r ing . 3 pp. Tbere

is a second among tke 0. C. Dupl icates . P r inted in Tbe Embassy

of S ir Tkomas Roe p .

WILLIAM BIDDULPH 1 AT AHMADABAD To THE COMPANY,FEBRUARY 1 5 , 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

H e cannot give full information about the progress of thei r

business , as all the letters,&c .

, go now to Roe,‘who wil l acquain t

anye with what and when hee p leaseth .

’ Goods and presents sent

from Surat to the royal camp . Litt le yet d isposed of, excep t the

great pearl , which Roe has sold to A saf Khan , i t is feared at a loss .

The other pearls remain on hand . Noe pearles here in request bu t

those from ten carrat to thirty and soe to the greatest can be gott

and those not overbought wi l l yeald proffitt and readye monye to

1 Went out in Best’s fleet in 1 6 1 2,and was placed by Keel ing in charge of the factory

at the Mogul court. He returned to England in 1623 , and was sti ll l iving in Sept. , 1 635 ,when the Company rem itted the freight on a bale of East India tobacco sent home to him

as a present. Roe pronounced him to be ‘ faithful l but a l i ttle opiniastre, and of

good ord inary ab il i tye’

. He was probably the writer of the letters from Aleppo and

Jerusalem ( 160 1-3) printed by Purchas in Book 8 of his second volume.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 21

the valew of 1 0,000l . sterl ing for one yeare, provided they be per

fect and orientall .’

For the crimson French ‘

shagge’

A saf Khan

offers fifteen rupees the covado1,

‘which is an English yard with in

three inches .

’ ‘The hangings and greatest parte of the rich em

brodred goods are given to the K inge, Prince, A sufchan, etc .,with

the p ictures, globes and kn ives.’"Wine and strong waters not in

request . The window glass useless . The cochineal must be sold

below cost . Bone lace and cutwork bands wil l not sel l . Muscovy

h ides , kerseys, and cloth in no demand ; but they may be able to

barter part of the last for indigo . It would be advisable to forbearsend ing broadcloth next year, and not to invest in future in the

commodities already ment ioned or in swords , enamel,conyskins ,

lambskins,gloves

,scarfs , 8cc i The fittest and best goods to rayse

a some of money is greate pearle , verey large emeralds of the ould

rocke (new worth l ittle), bal last rubyes and perfect coullored rubyes .

The Portingalls cheife trade is in these comod ityes ; I have knownethem to sel l bal last rubyes for 7 , 8 , and starl ing apeece,

present monye.

’ Three or four suits o f fresh-coloured tapestry

would sel l ; also a few velvets. The debts at court are Slow in

com ing in , but he trusts to recover them in t ime . B lames Roe for'

not send ing home Steel and his wife,as it is ‘

an article in your

commission that who ever shal l have a wife in these parts shal l

uppon knowledge thereof be forthwith dismissed of his p lace and

service and sent home Roe’

s expenses. The King has departed

for Manda and B iddulph must fo l low h im . P .S .— Wi ll iam Hemsal l ,

the King’

s coachman 1 , died about February 1 1 . D isposal of his

estate. (H olog rapk. E ndor sed ‘ Receaved by the Bull the 1 3 th

February 2% pp .)

S IR THOMAS ROE To K ING JAMES , FEBRUARY 1 5 , 1 6 1 8 (P ubl icRecord Ofi ce : E ast Ind ies

,vo l . i . No .

Humbly thanks H is Majesty for h is letter. Recounts briefly the

negoti at ions in Persia. H e has del ivered the royal letters and

1 Port. covado or cubi t. The Engl ish appear to have adopted the term as the equivalentof the native gaj.

1 He had come out wi th the coach brought by Roe for presentation to the Mogul , andhad been taken into the servi ce of the latter. Previously he had been empl oyed byDr. Farran and my Lord Bishopp of Coventrye and Lychfeild (Court M inutes,

Jan. 3 ,

22 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

p resents to the Great Mogul ,‘which were received with as much

honor as their barbarous pride and custtooms affoord . to any the

l ike from any absolute prince, though far inferio r to that respect

due unto them . I have stroven , sometimes to disp leasure, with

their tricks of unmeasured greatenes rather then to endure any

scorne. I have sought to meyntayne Upright Your Majesties

greatenes and d ign itie, and withall to effect the ends of the

m erchant but these two sometymes cross one another,seeing ther

i s no way to treate with so monstrous overween ing that acknow

ledgeth no equall . He hath written Your Majestie a lettre ful l

of good woords but barren of al l true effect . H is generall [commands are yet to publ ish ; what hee wi l l doe I know not . To

article on caven tearms he avoyds , and boulds mee to h is owne

customs o f government by new fi rmans Upon new occasions , in

which hee is j ust and gracious .

’"Encloses a translation of Jahangi r

’

s

letter, but retains the original unti l h is return . He assures the K ing

that he will not l ive and suffer Your Majesties royal l name t o bee

d im inished for any consideration ; and for the success of my em

p loyment, that I will establ ish Your Majesties subjects in as good

tearms for theire trafique and res idences as any strangers or the

natural ls themselves enjoy, or at last by our force teach them to

know Your Majestie is lord of al l the secas,and can compel l that

by your power wh ich you have sought wi th curtesie which thisK ing cannot yett see for swell ing The Portuguese rather envi

OUSly hinder us then l ike noble enem ies hurte Us’

; yet want of

a peace with them (which by your royal l authoritie were easy ly

commanded) makes al l these trades of Indya and hopes of Persia

heavy and dangerous to the undertakers ’

. (Copy in Roe’

s band . 1 p .

P r in ted in Tbe E mbassy of S i r Tkomas R oe’

, p . 495 a lso in tae

i ntroduction (p . xxvii) of tbc Calendar of S tate P apers , E ast Indies ,

1 6 1 7- 21 1)

THE GREAT MOGUL TO K ING JAMES, [FEBRUARY , 1 6 1 8 ] (Br i t.

M us . A ddl . M S . 4 1 55 , f .

Salutat ions and comp l iments . He has received the letters and

p resents forwarded by the hands of Sir Thomas Roe and has given‘ my general l command to all the kyngdoms and ports of my

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 3

dominions to receive all the merchants of the Engl ish nat ion as the

subjects of my frend ; that in what p lace soever they choose to l ive

they may have reception and res idence to their owne content and

safety, and what goods soever they desire to sel l or buy, they may

have free l ibertie without any restraynt ; and at what po rt soever

they shal l arrive,that neyther Portugal l nor any other Shal l dare

to molest the i r quiett and in what cytty soever they shal l have

res idence, I have commanded al l my governors and capteyns to

give them freedome answerable to their owne desires,to sel l

,buy,

and to transporte into their countrie at theire p leasure’

. He hopes

K ing James wi l l order h is merchants to bring al l sorts of raret ies

and rich goods fi tt for my pal lace and will wri te by every oppor

tunity,‘ that our frendship may bee enterchanged and eternal l.

’

(Tr anslation , in Roe’

s band. 1 p . P r inted in TbeE mbassy’

, p .

S IR THOMAS ROE AT AHMADABAD To S IR THOMAS SMYTHE ,GOVERNOR OF THE COMPANY, FEBRUARY (P ubl ic Record

Ofi ce : E ast Indies, vol . i . No .

He fears he wi l l not be able to effect much in India.

‘Ther is

no treaty wher ther is Soe much prid , nor no assurance wher i s no

fayth . A ll I can doe is to serve p resent turns . The peop le are

weary of us . The King hath no content, who expects great presents

and jewel ls , and reguards no trade but what feeds his unsat iableappetite after stones

,r ich and rare pelces of any kind of arte.

Feare only keepes us in ; and unti l l they feele us once more and

that his owne subjects petition for US , wee shal l never obteyne morethen to run out in a chardgable trade, with much servitude. Myemployment is nothing but vexation and trouble ; l ittle honor, lesse

p rofitt .

’

H e has decided to remain another year, s ince Smythe

wishes i t . I t w i ll not be necessary in future to send presents in thename of the King. The contro l they have given him over the irservants wi l l cause him trouble and envy ’

,but he wil l do h is

best. He has induced K erridge to remain .

‘ I must say truth

his payns is very great and h is parts not o rdinarie only hee loves

dom in ion .

’

Thanks the Company and Smythe for the ‘ tokens ’

sent him . Requests a payment to Christopher B rooks on his

Where wi l l be found a note on other versions of this letter.

24 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

account . State of affairs in Persia . Troubles with R ichard Steel,Captain Towerson,

and o thers . (Copy . 3 pp . P r inted,in par t in

Tbe Embassy’

, p .

W ILLIAM N ICHOLLS AT ACHIN To GEORGE BALL AT BANTAM,

FEBRUARY 26,1 6 1 8 (0. C.

Affairs at Achin .

‘ The Kynge of S oll imatt1 sent me a letter

and present of two sorts of pantathoes1per the capta in of his shipe,

importing that i f the Ingl ish wil l settle factorye there, they shal l

have al l kynd entertainement and freedome of trad,which the

Hol londers have oft times petitioned for, but st i l l denyed by

exper ience of their del ings in other p laces ; and knowing that

blachioes 3,chindeys

4, and gobarrs

5are there to be had with other

comodities, which otherwise the Hol londers would not keepe so

neare there, I reso lve it t a p lace worth the looking after,as from

M eslepotan to send first over land , and thereafter att your p leasure

to determyne ; but , by the way , if factories be noe better stocked

then this hath beene this three yeares , p laces of trade were betterleft then sought after.

’

Ne s from Tiku . (Copy . 2% pp .)

INSTRUCTIONS FROM CAPT. PRING, FEBRUARY 27 ; 1 6 1 8,To

ROBERT ADAM S,MASTER OF THE B ULL

,HOM EWARD BOUND

FROM SURAT (0. C.

H e is to take charge of the ship and men , while N icho lasBangham wi ll be respons ible for the cargo . Nautical directions forthe voyage . To be cautious in go ing into Table Bay , lest Portuguese

o r p irates be there. Certain qu i lted coats, made for the mariners

by the Company’

s o rders to keep them warm , are to be served out

1 This i s evidently identical with the Coll imatt’ and Coungematt of Letters

Received , vol . i i i . p . 233 ; vol . iv. p . 70 ; vol . v . p . 295 . Some place on the CoromandelCoast i s meant, but in what part is doubtful .

1 P intadoes, painted’ cloths . In 165 5 John Evelyn saw in Lady Mordaunt

’

s house atAshtead a roome hung wi th P intado, ful l of figures greate and smal l , prettily representingsundry trades and occupations of the Indians, wi th their habi ts

1 Some unidenti fied variety of piece-goods. In a letter written from Masul ipatama few months before (Letters Received, vol . v. p . 294) it is cal led balacha1 Ch intzes. 1 Compare Letters Received, vol . i i . pp. 3 2, 58 , and vol . iv. p. 35 .

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26 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

about 200l ., which as it came freely and vo luntarily from our peop lewee hope your Worship and Worship ful Company wi ll a s wil lingly

pay the same .

’

I ll behaviour of M r. Go ld ing , the other chaplain .

Such preachers as th is can never persuade Japheth to come and

dwel in the tents of Shem ; wel may they harden them in thei ri do latry. Now I Shou ld make an end, but that I cannot pas seby a memorable accident

,whereof S ir Thomas Roe

,H is Majesties

Ambassador here,in one of h is letters to mee maketh ment ion of.1

Not long s ince (saith be) here l ived a Raja,or great p rince, much

favoured of the King, who in his l ife and profession was a desperate

atheist and contemner of God , and in al l publ ique disputes glor iously maintained h is sensual thoughts . S itting among h is women

one of them p luckt off an hayre that grew on h is breas t,wh ich

be ing fast rooted caused a drop of blood to issue. The wound was

not regarded ; in few dayes i t gangrened incurably and almost

miraculously. He,seeing h is estate , sent to take leave of [the]

K ing,and receiving from h im by the med iation of some great

p ersons many comfortable messages , repl ied :“ No

,I must dye ;

you all know that I have been a desp iser Of the Godhead and wouldnever acknowledge H im,

but Opposed myself against the D isposerof al l creatures . I was a souldier ; who wou ld have thought

I shou ld have had a wound lesse honorable then of a lance or

sword ? But now I confesse that great God whom I scorned needed

no greater a weepon then a hayre to revenge H imself and H is

name Upon a wretched man, and hath wounded mee with scom e to

my confusion .

”Happie wound i f i t had strooke his heart aswel

with the worship of that God as with the knowledge of H im ; but

however,honourable and glorious is the profess ion ,

worthie to be

recorded and written in the foreheads of all atheists .

’

(Holo

g r an . 2% At . )In 1 695 the d istrict was separated from Wh itechapel , and the chapel became a pari shchurch (St. John’

s) . It was demol i shed about 1 760, when the present church waserected a short distance away . The ga l lery was not transferred to the new bui lding, andthere i s now no record of the benevolence of Pring

’

s sailors.

1 Roe himself repeated the story to the Archbishop of Canterbury , who , in hi s reply ,expressed hi s appreciation of this ‘ marvel lous example of the power of God uponrebell ious atheists ’

(Ca l . S . P . , E . I ndies , 1 6 1 7-21 , p . It i s also to be found inthe narratives of Coryat (Pure/cos , vol . i . p . 600) and Terry, and in a scarce pamphlet inthe Briti sh Museum

,enti tled A True Relat ion of S trange and A dm i rable A ccidents

(London,

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 27

S IR THOMAS ROE AT BROACH To CAPTAIN PRING ,MARCH 10

,1 6 1 8 (0. C.

Has not heard from him or Surat for more than a month . He

is sorry to hear that the A nne‘ hath no other cargason then the

refuse of India I am confident on the grounds that Surratt wi l l

never be a trade unles the Red S ea both supply yt and awe the

Guz eratts .

’A s to sending a ship to Masul ipatam . I heare that

a fleet is preparing for the Dutch p lantacion [Pul icat] below yt,and I feare a smal l ship canno t stay in safety. Breefely ,

that

factory is worth nothing,’ but he wil l not d iscourage a supply if

Pring thinks i t des i rable . Pun ishment of h is late surgeon . A s to

the A nne cal l ing at Dabho l . Is glad S albank is go ing chief mer

chant in her. S he is not to wait upon the Prince’

s junk butt loose

her and leave her to her fortune’

. (Copy . I % pp . P r inted in

Tke Embassy’

, p .

THOMAS K ERRIDGE,ABOARD THE R OYAL yAM Es , To THE

COMPANY,MARCH 1 2, 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

In continuation of the factors’

letter finished at Surat [not extant] .Troubles with the o fficers of the custom-house detained them ti l lMarch 4, and then the need of purchas ing additional indigo to fi l lup the Bul l caused further delay. In lading, some bales of cal icoes

were damaged by water and had to be kept back . One hundredmamoodes 1 advanced to the factors go ing home for provision or

necessaries. Thirteen chests of rials sent to Bantam in the R oya l

3’amcs

, three to Sumatra in the Gift, and two to Masul ipatam in

the Bee. The fleet is now a bout to sai l . (Holog rap/z. E ndorsed‘ Receaved the 4 January 1 2

1, pp .)

CONSULTATION ABOARD THE R OYAL yAMEs , MARCH 1 2,

1 6 1 8 (0. C.

It is decided that the A nne Shal l sai l d i rect to the Red S ea, as

the t ime is too far spent to permit of her touching at Dabho l as

desired by Roe. S igned by Martin Pring,Thomas Kerridge

,and

Thomas Rastell . (Copy . 1p .)1 M abmudis, the usual currency in Gujarat ; a silver coin Of the value of nearly an

Engl ish shi ll ing.

28 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

CAPTAIN ANDREW SHILLING 1 AT SWALLY To THE COMPANY,MARCH 1 2, 1 6 1 8 (Br i t. M us . Eg er ton M S ; 2086 ,f .

He is about to sai l for Mocha. If the goods he carries ‘ be nottvendable and that an honest trade Upon equal l tearmes cannott be

p rocured, then I hoop powder and shoot , S ir Henery M iddelltonscomod ittie

,wi ll passe

’

. H e is to return to Surat from Mocha to'

lade for England . By report Roe is minded to go home in theA nne. Praises Capt . Pring. (Holog rapk . S eal . I p.)

COMMISS ION FROM CAPTAIN MARTIN PRING TO CAPTAIN

ANDREW SHILLING FOR THE VOYAGE OF THE ANNE TO THE

RED S EA,MARCH 14 , 1 6 1 8 (O. C.

He is to fo l low stri ctly the instructions (see p . 1 9) given by Roefor this voyage. (S ig ned copy . ap.)

MATTHEW DUKE, IN PRING’

S FLEET AT S EA ,To THE COM

PANY,MARCH 1 6

,16 1 8 (0. C.

Account of the voyage from England to Swally , whence he wassent up to Ahmadabad with the convoy. Muqarrab Khan

engrossed al l the ind igo ,by which means the factors were much

hindered in their purchases . Duke and James B i ckford were sent

to Cambay, but found the indigo there not worth buying. Returned

by way of Doulkey1 but could get none there. S et out from

Ahmadabad for Surat on February 5 with a caravan of goods .

Roe is a very noble gentleman , both discreet and learned , and such

an on as i s very carful l of your good and wellfaire and very frugallin all h is expence

’

; but Duke thinks an ambassado r unnecessary.

Steel has gone for Agra. H is marriage. Long detention of the

ships at Swally for want of provision of stock beforehand . (Holo

g r apa. E ndorsed Receaved the 3 January I 6 1 8 [1 9] 5 pp .)

1 Commander of the Royal Anne. He i s stated in the D iet. Nat. Biogr . to have beenoriginal ly a petty offi cer in the royal navy, and to have ri sen by 1603 to be one of the six

chief masters of the navy. Elsewhere he is mentioned as commanding the A ngel in

a voyage to Constantinople when S ir Thomas Glover was Agent there ( 1607 He

went out to India with Fring’s fleet in 16 1 7 , and returned wi th Roe two years later. H is

subsequent voyage and death Off Jask are described in the present volume.1 Dholka, twenty-two mi les south-west of Ahmadabad.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 29

CAPTAIN MARTIN PRING 1 , ABOARD THE R OYAL 5‘AMES ,To THE COMPANY, MARCH 1 8

,I 6 I 8 (0. C.

Account of the outward voyage. Capture of R ich’s privateers.

Reached Swally September 24 , 1 6 1 7 . S ilver to the value of

rials landed and dispatched , part to Agra by b i l ls of

exchange and part to Ahmadabad in specie .

‘ Soone after our

arrivall the merchaunts of the Dutch factory came to congratulate

our safe arrival l,and withal l to condo le the losse of the R otterdam ,

a shippe of 1 000 tonnes, with her p innace, both being cast away

upon the coast of India nere unto Gondavee 1 by comm inge to

t imely. The one sh ippe was put on shoare the 1 8 th,the other the

1 9th‘

of July, which was two monethes before the westerly monson

was ended. The captain of the greate ship , Peeter Vanderbrooke,

with his marriners marched from hence by land to M esso lapatan ,

in which h is passadge hee was oftentimes besett by the country

people and had divers conflictes with them,and at lenght escaped

thither with the losse of a few men.

’

Leak in the yames . The

sai lors mutinous for p riz e-money, but appeased by a grant of one

month ’s pay . I was in good hope at first that our smal ler sh ippes

might have roade in the river of S uratt, and by that meanes our

grocest goodes to be sent up by boates, to ease the grate chardge of

portadge by land but I have since caused a d iscovery thereof tobe made and finde yt so full of shoalds that the smal lest shippe wee

have can r ide no where afloate to commaund the river. I have

also discovered the coast on the wester side of the Gulfe of

Cambaia from Goga unto Jungee [poss iblyJanjmer, near Goapnath

Po int] , w ith many of the sandes and shoales that lye in the

entraunce of the said baie, a description whereof [not extant] I sendherew ith unto your Worships for the benefitt of succeedingvoyadges. We finde a fayre channel l over from Swally untoGoga , and a bould coast from thence unto Jungee. Al l that came

short of my expectation was the shoalds of the bay of Goga,our

1 The commander of the 16 1 7 fleet. Fo r an account of h im see Tbe Embassy 0]

S i r T. Roe, p . 420 . H is journal of the voyage w i l l be found in P ur cbas (vol . i . p .

There i s a second copy of thi s letter among the 0. C. Dupl i cates.

1 Gandevi , about thi rty m i les south of Surat. For the Dutch sh ipwreck see Letters

Received, vol . vi ; Tbe Embassy , p . 404 and Van den Broecke’

s Rey sen Pringi s wrong as to the name of the ship , wh ich was the M iddelburg , not the Rotterdam.

30 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

shipps being not floaty enough to r ide neure the shoare to land anygoodes in safety. The daunger in passing money to Amadavarre

caused me to hasten this discovery, I being informed that Goga waswithin three daies jom ay of Cambaia , so that yf wee cou ld landour money there the conveyaunce would bee Cheape, secure and

Speedy, whereas from S uratt yt is chargeable, tedious and ful l of

daunger. Yf ever we have occasion to leave the po'

rte of Swal ly and

make use of Goga, there must bee a small vessel l of good defence to

r ide within the great sh ippes , or els the Portugall friggatts passe at

theyr p leasure betwene them and the shoare and so put them by all

theyr business .’

Consultation as to the lading of a ship for England .

more rials landed for this purpose. The Bee d ispatched toPers ia on November 1 4 with Edward Monnox and Francis Tipton ,but without any cargo .

‘ The want of supp ly this yeare I hope

wi lbe fayrely excused to the Shaw, and the next I doubt not but

your Worships w ill send such a cargason as may convert the whole

trade to England and then yt w i lbe worth all the other in India,

for by that meanes wee may come to serve other nat ions at our owne

price ; but yf yt bee not roundly fol lowed at first wee Shal l int ime finde the Dutch to interlope

1, and when they once enter all i s

spoy led , for they are better able to serve them with all sortes of

sp ices at cheaper rates and at greater quantities than wee , and thosecommodit ies wi l l bid any nation wel come to Persia .

’ Thinks i t

wil l be necessary in future to send the whole fleet to Jask . I under

stand by M r . Hatch that there is a salte water creeke in the bay of

Jusques , as by his descript ion herewith sent may appeare plainely1,

having 1 1 or 1 2 foot water at the spring upon the barr and three or

four faddam within at a lowe water. At th is place a smal l shippe

m ight ride al l the yeare longe, occasion so requiring, yf there werebut a l ittle forte bui lte by the water s ide to repell the forces of the

Portugal l , who cannot approach the p lace but with friggattes and

smal l vessels , and those are as much to be feared as so many

butterfl ies . But when I consider the remotenes of Jasques from

1 An early instance of this interesting word.

1 Among the charts publ ished by Alexander Dalrymple i s a‘ Plan of the Road of

Jasques, from a MS . book in the Bodleian Library ’

,wi th ‘Notes by M r. John Hatch,

M aster in the B ee, 16 1 7 This is no doubt the survey here referred to. See also Letters

Received, vol . Vi . p . 28 7 .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 3 1

S pahan and the chief marte townes of Pers ia , meeth inkes wee

shou ld not alwaies be confined to that place, but rather seeke into

the Gu lfefor some roade where wee may remayne neare unto our

buisines, somewhat to ease the tedious toy le and great expence in

so great a journay by land . Whi le the Bee was absent I ymployed

the Frazmees and the Lyon by turnes to the southwards the better

to discover the coast with the shoales adjacent,and withall to looke

out for Portugall forces, because I had advi z e of the arrival l of

E l Conde de Rotundo 1, a man sett forth with no smal l hope of

great actions , but as yet wee cannot heare of any preparationsagainst us

,which gives me hope that hee wil l prove a very qu iet

man .,

The goth November the cafi‘i lo 2 of Cambaya passed by ins ight of us

,to the nomber of 1 50 friggatts, and I 7 sayle of the

Armada friggatts came by us about a moneth before to wafte 3 thecafli lo in theyr returne to Goa . These were al l (a few straglingfriggatts excepted) that came in our s ight al l the t ime wee were inSwal ly ; but after wee were out over the barre and reddy to departe,which was the 27th of February

,another caffi llo of 230 passed by

us ageine. January the l gth the Lyon ,comm inge over the barre of

Swally , shott a p iece of ord inaunce out of hir gonneroome , where

the fire out of hir toutchole (as yt is most l ike ly) tooke hold of thebandeleros 4 and other loose powder, that blew up hir deckes abafte

the maste and sett hir soddenly of a l ight fire, which grew instantly

so vio lent that none of the boates durst approach hir. Three or

four of the men were so schorched that yt cost them theyr l ives ,and the rest that escaped lost al l that they had . Shee drove in

betwene the 7 ames and the A nne and at lenght the winde forced

h ir a shoare. Shee burnt downe to the bui ldge, consum ing almost al l

th inges but hir ordinaunce. Here was the wonderful l mercy of Godshewen in preserving the rest. God give us grace to be truly

thankfull for H is greate del iveraunce . The 1 7 January the Bee

returned from Persia,bringing the Kinge of Persia his letter and

a packett of M r. Connockes,and a few papers of copp ies of letters ,

with a p iece of an accompte to l ittle purpose.

’ Short supp ly of

1 Dom 1050 Coutinho , Conde de Redondo , Viceroy , 16 1 7- 19.

2 Arab ic geyZ/a ,a caravan . Here i t means the fleet of l ight Portuguese vessels that

came regularly to Gujarat from Goa.

3 Convoy. 4 Bandoleers, or belts holding musket charges.

3 2 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

indigo from Ahmadabad , in consequence of which they are obliged

to send home the Bull in l ieu of the larger Gift. D ispatch of the

A nne to the Red S ea. Vagaries of R ichard Stee l and his wife .

‘At the instant request of M r. Steel I gave leave to M r . Gouldinge,

the preacher of theA nne,to keepe his

1 wife company at Surat in his

absence , where he remayned three or four monethes, during which

t ime he was loth to trouble the Engl ish house with to many ser

mons . When the gentleweemen were to departe from Surat to goefor Amadavare, hee was straungely importunate with me to give

h im leave to goe, and M r . Stee l as desi rous to have his company.

Both there requestes I utterly denied,commaunded h im to stay,

and gave chardg to M r . Kerridge to stop his passadge . For a daie

or twoe he dissembled his intent,in which time hee fitted himselfe

secretly with Moores apparel l, which being procured and all thinges

els fitt for a fugitive , hee takes leave of M r . Kerridge, pretend ingto come aboard the A nne. Hee was no sooner over the r iver but

hee altered his course, put on h is Moores apparell , and took h is wayfor Amadavar. The Lord Ambassador, hearing of h is arrivall and

hearing by my letter the manner of h is departure from S uratt, sent

for him ,where after a sharpe reprehens ion he advi z ed h im to returne.

This extravagant , having made many fayr promises to H is Lordship ,tooke h is leave with all speed to _ come aboard the ships , being

accompan ied with Mr. B ickford , Mr. Heynes and Henry Dodsworth .

The second daies journey comming downe, hee was des irous to ride

before to showe his horse,which indeed was only to pay them with

a slippe, for from that daie to this wee never heard more of h im ,but

wee suppose that hee doth fo l low the leskar2 in company of Mr. Stee l

and h is wife ; yet I hope H is Lordship wil l finde h im out and

dispeed him away that hee may not disgrace our rel igion and

country. When I consider the van ity of th is man,I praise God

that sent M r . Copeland [see p . 25] with me,whose v irtuous l ife,

suting so wel l wi th h is sound doctrine,is the only meanes to draw

m en unto God , and that ought to bee your Worships ch iefest care

in these voyadges to choose men that are approved for theyr

1 Steele’s. On M r. Golding’s escapade see also p . 1 9. He appears to have remainedat Surat as chaplain, as the factors there announce h is death in a letter datedFeb . 1 8 , 1620.

2 The camp (Zarlzéar ) of the Emperor.

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34 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

of the greate V i z ear of S inan 1, Mahomed Pauchaue , whome the

greate God give greate strenght and power in his kingdome,and

by the faithfullnes , true meaninge and command of mee,Ragab

Baggae2,now Governor o f the towne of Mocha

,to bee geven

the greate nation of the Engl ishe with al l fai thful lnes . I,the

Governor, Ragab Bagga, doe give l ibertey and l i cence to the

Engl ish nat ion to come heather to this porte, to receave frendly

entertaynment, to bringe ashoare there goods, to by and sel l with

all freedum, to carrye al l suche goods thay buy aboard without

lett ore h indrance ; and haveing maid contracte with them thatfor al l goods thay land thay shal l paye three per cent . in goods

(not in monye), and for all suche good[s] thay buy and carrye

aboard thay shal l paye three per cent. in redye mouye, so itt beemerchandize and not p rovision for ther shipes , victual ore suche

l icke ; that thay shal l paye neather more nor lesse but as itt is

agreed and contracted by our agreement ; that the inhab itance

of this towne and peop le of the countrey , e ither Turcke ore Arrab,

shal l not inj ure them , but have al l l ibertye to thei r contente ; and

that this my firmaen and contracte i s geven them with a good

harte and true meanynge to see i tt performed , I witnes the truthebeefore the most high God and our ho ley Prophet. S ined withmy chap the 14 daye of May in the yeare of the bearthe 3

of our

Prophet Mahamed (Copy . p .)

B . The eoppye of tne letter sente up to the P anekan of S inan .

Mocha,June 1 7 , 1 6 1 8 .

Having come, by command of Sir Thomas Roe, Engl ish

Ambassador to the Great Mogul,

‘

to seecke frendly traide and

commerce and also to free the seas of p ierates and men of ware

which may roob and injoure the traiders that useth to this porte,’

1 Sana , the cap i tal of theYemen, and seat of the Pasha in charge of the province. The

latter is stil l cal led Z enan.

1 Rajab Agha, of whom see Tli ejourna l ofjo/znjourda in , p . 7 7 .

3 This i s of course an error. The Muhammadan era commences from the F l zgfit of theProphet, or rather from the first day of the year in whi ch the Fl ight occurred. A .H . 1027corresponds wi th A .D. 1 6 1 7- 1 8 . Purchas queries the date given, wh ich appears from

Heynes’s narrative to be about a fortn ight too late. Probably I 4 Jumada I i s intended,

i . e. Apri l 29.

1 This was the complimentary letter carried up to Sana by Salbank.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 35

they desire his farman for their good usage and entertainmentand for perm ission to settle facto ries at

‘ Sinan,Ties 1 , Mocha

,

Aden ’

Or other towns at thei r d iscretion . Request the Pasha’

s

confirmat ion of all such art icles,&c . , already granted to the Engl ish

by the Grand S ignor ; also a written p rom ise that he wil l procure

the Grand S ignor’s farman approving the same against their next

com ing to this port . Signed by Andrew Shil l ing, Joseph S albank,Edward Heynes, and R ichard Barber. (Copy . 1 p .)

TRANSLATION OF THE FARMji N FROM THE PASHA OF SANA

(0. C.

‘ In the name of God ,this letter written with the words Of

truthe of the most h ighe God to all nationes , governors, and

o fficers of this peop le under my goverment . God keepe you all.

Knowe you that wee have geven our fa ithful l firmaen into the

bandes of S ignor Andrew Sh il l inge, captain of the good Engl ishesh ippe cal led the A nn Royall , att this presente rid inge in the roade

of Mocha , and to Joseph Salbancke his frend , which are come to

this porte with there frends and acquantance Edward H eynes

and R ichard Barbar, merchants, att Mocha,and to anye of ther

natione hearafter to come and goe to this porte ore any other

portes with in our goverment,with ther sh ippes and goods affore

sayd,and there to buy and sel l al l maner of the i r marchand iz e

freely and with al l contente ; and wee doe further give them our

fi rmaen, in the fayghte of our greate lorde and in the fayghte

of our Mahamed , and in the fayght of our greate kinge , whome

God allwayes presearve, and in the fayghte Of my selfe,Governor

of Sinan , the Pauchaue, free l isence to sel l and buye and to bringe

here and to all other portes as freely and quiet ly as any of the

traiders and merchants which comes to that po rte of what natione

soe eaver,and doe consent and agree with them to paye for

custome three per centum when they come in,in goods

, and

what goods soeaver thay shall buye to carrye awaye,three per

1 Tan ,fifty-five mi les east-north-east ofMokha. The factors had probably heard of i t

through M iddleton, who , in his journey up to Sana, had passed through ‘ Ties, whichi s foure dayes journey from Moha ’

(Purchas, vol . i . p . 2

1 A sl ightly different version is printed by Purchas in his first volume (p . Thereis also a copy among the 0. C

'

. Dup l icates.

3 6 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

centum l ickewise to paye in monye. A nd further wee doe freelyeg ive them all other priveledges or l ibertye which is granted unto

theire nation in A stambole 1 ; and doe prom ise and sweare in the

true waye of annothe 2 and geven you here, thereby to knowe that

wee wi ll keepe our word in this agreement, that thay shal l payeneather more nor lesse, and that thay shal l have neyther injureynor hurte nor anye d iscontente by anye pearsone ore pearsones

what soeaver in our goverment , and l ickwise that noe injuery nor

hurte bee done unto anye of their goods what soeaver ; and that

th is i s my faithfull meanynge, th is firmaen which comes to your

hands shal l bee as a witnes of the truthe . Written this 1 8th daye

of Ju ly.

3 Geven under my scale in S inan . Mahamed Pauchaue .

In the yeare 1 027 of our Prophet Mahamed .

’

(Copy . 1 p .)

AFZ AL KHAN 4

, DIWAN OF PRINCE KHURRAM ,To [THE

GOVERNOR OF SURAT,] J ULY 1 3 , 1 6 1 8 (T ea ties

,vo l . i . p .

Whereas I wrote you to take Coja Arab’

s house for the Pr ince,

being anciently h is m int-house 5 , and to give the Engl ish another

I wi ll you to give them as good a house as that, such as may

content them ,and to use them l ike friends, and in no case to let

them be unprovided of a house to remove unto.

’ 6(Copy made in

1 7 89. 1 p .)1 Constantinople.

1 An oath .

3 This date does not al together harmoni z e wi th Heynes’

s narrative, where i t i s statedthat Salbank received the farman two days after hi s arrival , wh ich is inferred to havehappened about the end of June. A s in a previ ous case (p . 34) we may conjecture that1 8 Rajab i s real ly meant, corresponding to July I .

4 Mul la Shukrul lah Shi raz i , the Prince’s fai thful servant and fr iend , was gi ven the ti tleof Afz al Khan by Jahangi r when on behal f of h is master he presented Prince Karanat court in token of the submi ssion of Udaipur He d ied at Lahore in January ,1639. The di lapidated tomb on the east bank of the r iver at Agra, cal led the Chi ni -karauz a, i s supposed to mark hi s p lace of burial .

5 Surat i s mentioned in the Ai n-i -A ééar i (vol . i . p . 3 1 ) as being a mint-town for si lverand copper . Them int appears to have been d iscontinued for some time, but ( asw i l l be seenfrom documents on a later page) was started again in 1620 . The earl iest Surat coin at

the Br i ti sh Museum i s dated A .H . 1 03 3 (A .D. 1623-4) from that date they are frequent

(Lane-Poole’

s Cata logue of t/ze Coins of tbe [Mogul Emperors) .6 For a note on the Engl ish factory at thi s time see Tlze Eméassy , p . 5 1 0. The agree

ment wi th Khwaja Arab , dated May 27 , 16 16 , for the lease of the house to the Engl ishfor three years at 600 ma/znzfi dz

‘

s per annum,wi l l be found in Letters Received, vol . v.

p . 74. Apparently the owner had just d ied, and the house had escheated to the Prince.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 3 7

TRANSLATION OF A FARMAN OF PRINCE KHURRAM REGARD

ING THE ENGLISH FACTORY AT SURAT, AUGU ST, 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

6 75 )‘There hath come to us a pet ition from the English res ident

in Suratt that there was a house belonging to Coja Arab

Turbethee 1 lying in S uratt, for the which the sayd English have

(as they afli rme) given mony for the tyme of three yeares to the

peop le of Coja Arab , and accordingly have taken a writin[g] intestemony of the same of the sayd Coja Arab or h is assignes .

[WhereofP] take knowledge ; and if it bee S0, and that the owner

Of the sayd house bee content that the English shal l remayne

and abide in the sayd house,then is i t our p leasure that they abide

in the sayd house ; but if the sayd English have not payd or given

the sayd rent aforehand for the tyme of three yeares , but thatthey remayne therin by force, contrarie to h is l ikinge , upon receipthereof you shal l putt the said Engl ish foorth therof

,and de[l iver]

therof into the hands of the sonne of the sayd [Coja Arab todispose therof according to his will and in l ieu ther[o f you Shal lgive the] sayd English another fitt house, such as shalbe to thei r

content and hereof s ignifie unto mee the answere of the prem ises.

’

(In Roe’

s nand . E ndor sed : ‘Translate of the firman for CojaArabs house in Suratt sent downe 3d . A ug , i p. P r inted

in Tko Embassy p .

NATHANIEL HALSTEAD AT BURHANPUR To JOHN BANGHAMAT AGRA , AUGUST 7 , 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

He and Robert Hutchinson were sent to this place‘in the

beg ininge of the rayne ’

to sel l some ivory and rem i t the proceeds

to Agra ; but h itherto have not succeeded in dispos ing Of thei r

goods . Letters received two days ago from B roach state that‘the English are putt out of thei r house [at Surat] , i t beingefal len to the Prince ’

; also rumours that Shill ing has cap tured

some prizes, and that the Po rtugals have fourteen Ships and one

or two hundred frigates at Daman,and have landed men

there. Sprage slandered N icholas Bangham and others to Roe

when the latter was here,

‘and it is h is Lordships quallitie to favore

1 Probably Turbati , i . e. of Turbat.

3 8 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

those that tel l tales , though never such knaves . Hence his making

Sprage a merchant and dispatch ing him to Go lconda‘

to recover

a debt . The Dutch from Agra were expected here before this .

(Holog r ap/t . Endorsed : Received in Connowaye, the September,neere Agra, S eal . 1 p.)

THE GREAT MOGUL TO KING JAMES, [AUGUST 8 , 1 6 1 8]

(P ubl ic Record Ofi ce : E ast I ndies,vo l . i . Nos. 6 7 and

Compl iments . He has received with del ight the King’s letter offriendship and the presents which accompanied it ; and has now

issued orders that the Engl ish merchants bee given freedome and

residence ’

, and that none of his subjects Shal l inj ure or mo leste ither them or their ships and goods . The care of this matter

has been committed to Asaf Khan,who has been instructed to

grant the English all their desires . ( 1 p . P r inted in‘T/zeE mbassy

’

,

p . 559)

S IR THOMAS ROE’S NEGOTIATION S WITH PRINCE KHURRAM,

AUGUST,1 6 1 8 (0. C.

Roe’s draft of a farman . 1 . The Prince having ‘ received the

Engl ish nation into h is protect ion and favour’

, the local Officialsare to publ ish the accord and act in confo rm ity. 2. As the Portu

guese are common enem ies to thei r peace and traficque , i t shalbelawfull for the Engl ish to land with thei r armes and to pass wi th

them for defence of thei r persons and goods’

. If the Portuguese

assai l the English ships, the Surat Officials shal l assist the latterwith ‘ frigatts

’

and in al l other ways . 3 . The Engl i sh are to be

perm itted to buy or hire houses in the Prince’

s ports , and dwel l in

them without d isturbance. 4 . The Engl ish ambassado r is to be

received at Surat wi th ‘ honor and curtes ie’

, and wel l-housed and

wel l-treated during his stay. 5 . If the merchants fai l to agree withtheir present landlord there , a portion of the money paid in advance

1 In Roe’s own hand . It is headed Articles proposed to the Pr ince Sul tan Goronne,Lord of Amadavaz and Suratt , by the Ambassador , upon the breach with the Portugal ls,August 1 5 , and endorsed Articles and Treaty wi th the Prince , Amad.

,August,

1 6 1 8 The breach ’referred to was probably caused by the demand Of cartaz money

for the Queen’

s junk, which was resisted by the natives, with the resul t that the vessel losther voyage (see TbeEmbassy , p.

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 3 9

is to be retu rned . 6. I t shal l be lawful for the English ‘to land

any sort of goods and to relade at their p leasure and upon the land

in any part to trade, traficque, buy and sel l according to their owne

wi l l ’ . Abuses in the custom-house to be reformed . No duty to be

levied on jewels or precious stones ; and no tol ls to be demanded

on the way to or from the port . 7 . The Engl ish to be allowed to

l ive ‘according to the i r owne rel igion and lawes

’

,without inter

ference . 8 . D isputes among them to be regulated by thei r

Pres ident. Engl ish fugit ives are to be del ivered up to the factory .

D isputes between the English and‘any Moore or Banyan ’

are to

be settled by the native authori t ies accord ing to just ice. 9. The

l inguist and brokers serving the Engl ish are not to be i l l-treated for

carrying out their instruc tions. 1 0 . Presents shal l be inspected at

the custom-house, sealed by both parties, and then del ivered to the

Engl ish to send up to court at their p leasure. 1 1 .

‘ In all causes

of complaynt or controversie the Governors and Caz ies 1 of the

place should doe them speedy justice and protect them from al l

injuries or Oppressions whatsoever and should ayd and entreat them

as freuds with curtes ie and honor,’ such being the command of the

great King and the wil l Of the Prince . No te by Roe that these

demands are‘ bare j ustice and no more then the lawes of

nations doth freely give to all strangers that arrive,without any

contract ’ ; and that if they be not accepted the responsibil ity for

the consequences wil l be on the Prince . Roe adds that he had

found h imself obliged ‘to rel inquish many poynts Often insisted

upon,when I could gett nothing, and to make Offer Of these few as

the most necessarie to settle a trade and wh ich might give the leastoffence and m ight pass with ease, leaving the rest to the general lo rder Of the Kyng to receive j ustice from our Procurador GenerallAfter many disputes with Afzal Khan ,

the who le matter was d iscussed before the Prince, with the fo l lowing result . The firstart ic le was accepted . As regards No . 2, the loan of frigates wasagreed to, but the wearing of arms was restricted to the merchantso f the factory and not more than ten others at a t ime, though

Engl ishmen on convoy duty m ight retain the ir weapons for defence .

For the third, the purchase or occupation of any house near thecastle or the river was absolutely refused , but the English were to

1 H ind. (from Arab ic) gaz i , a judge —the Cadi of the A rabian N ights.

40 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

be assisted to rent a suitable dwel l ing in the interior of the city.

The fourth was granted ; also the fifth , but i t was intimated that

the tenancy of the present factory must in any case cease, partlybecause i t was the o ld m int and partly because i t stood against thegreat mosque. The sixth and seventh were agreed to . In respect to

the eighth , a stand was made against the surrender of any Engl ish

man who m ight turn Moo r,but in the end the po int was yielded to

the ambassador’s ins istence. The n inth was accepted ; also the

tenth, with a proviso that anything passed as a p resent should payduty afterwards i f the English so ld instead of presenting it. The

eleventh was agreed to . Matters being thus settled, a farman was

drawn,sealed, and sent to Roe ; but , to h is disgust, on reading it

he found several restri ct ions inserted and some of the concess ions

omitted. H e therefore sent it back with a strong remonstrance

and a threat that the next fleet should seize all sh ipp ing belonging

to the Prince’

s ports . This produced fresh negotiations , and‘after

many intri cate and perp lexed disputes , a new draught was made of

all my demands and anew agreed unto on condition that he too

should covenant that our peop le should not land in hosti le manner

to annoy the peace and other articles. A farman [not extant] wasthus obtained to Roe

’

s satisfaction . (E ndorsed : Articles and

Treaty with the Prince, Amad[avaz ] ,-August, 7 pp . P r inted

in Tko Embassy p .

S IR THOMAS ROE’

S UNDERTAK ING ON BEHALF OF THEENGLISH [AUGUST, 1 6 I 8] (Treaties , vo l . i . p .

1 . That the English shal l not build any house in or about Surat

without leave obtained of the King,but on ly hire a conven ient

dwel l ing for their merchants t i l l the ships’

arrival . 2. That no

goods brought in the fleet that may serve for the King’s use Shal l

be Concealed from the port authorit ies : that i f the price cannot beagreed upon there, it shal l be left to be settled when the articlesarrive at the court ; and that presents for the King or Prince Shal lbe brought up unopened to the English representative there.

1 This appears to be the undertak ing referred to above. No contemporary copyi s avai lable, the one here used having been made in 1 789. The original was endorsedArti cles required by Sul tan Cotonne and signed by me.

’

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42 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

bought heere yeeld not o rdinari ly SO l i ttle as centum pro cento

profli tt’

,he has urged Bantam to send the necessary means for

continuing the trade . The cap ital left by Lucas A ntheunis was

a l ittle over pagodas . The Bees arrivall from Surratt with

lead and two chests of ryalls, and ours from Bantam [with] six

chests and o ther vendible commod ityes, enabled Mr. Denton toextend h is investment [to a good somme of 1 2 : 5%

pago [das] , part whearof was laden uppon the Bee and sent forBantam ,

who departed hence the 14th J uly anno 1 6 1 8 . The

Dutches inso lency,or our impotency, have al lmost

,and wil l I feare

a ltogether , deprive us of the best part of this trade, which in somesmal l quantetyes of nutts and maces brought along in the Un icor newee have made tryal l of

,which , though trash , were sould for good

profli tt, and yf better greater quantetyes vent to more gaine. The

Dutch have sould C loves heere at 14% pago [das] per maen,an

unheard of price, yet their confidence none can prevent them have

assured them to insist uppon i t . Commod ityes of Chyna l itle at

p resent requested , as i t wil l appeare by the pri ces of such as are

sould and the quantety remayning . The great profli tt porcellan

first produced heere hath fi l led al l mens hands with p lenty , whichmakes ours not sought after

,though I doubt not in one yeare to

sel l to good proffitt . The inventory of goods remayning in thesefactoryes, acknowledged and subscribed by me, doth amount to the

somme of pagodas 6115 ,

as per the part iculers , a good

part wheareof beeing readey money helpes us somewhat in the

unvendiblenesse of the rest. Lead hath beene sould this last yearefor 20 pag[odas] per candy readey money, but at present not

woorth above 1 6. Quicksilver and vermi lion not woorth above

1 6 pago [das] per maen readey money,and now lately in barter

sould for 1 8 pag[odas] , which is hardly the price i t cost in England .

Indeed th is p lace never yet (nor wil l it better) gave vend to any

quantety of our commod ity, nor produced lading proper for our

country. The Pegu adventure, with the undertakers , I accompt

desperate. Their letters give small hope, and that is al l I know of

that proceeding ; the rest I have but by report, and that wil l beemore largely yours . Such severall sorts of goods as Bantamrequires

,vi z . white moryes, white percal laes, white salamporyes ,

white and redde beteles, dragons malaia, dragons salala, fine gobare

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 43

serasses , fine tappy serasses,fine and course Japon tappes , tape

chindees, tape anacke,caine goulons

1, and such l ike, shal l with my

best care and j udgement bee seasonably provided and sent them ,

not doubting but to receave from thence frequent advise how to

rule ourselves in these or other such like commodityes to your bes t

profl‘i tts . For the better supply o f these factoryes attendance

,

I have,with thei r consents

,detayned heere R i chard Thomas and

Wi ll iam Hughson out of the Unicorne,and one John C larke from

the Bee, three persons onely in supply of seven gone, whearof two

dead, two gone for Pegu , and three now departing with this shippe .

Wee are heere in the accompt of merchants onely Mr. Jones and

myselfe , and at Petapoley Fraunces P uttur and Mathew Dukeequal ly joynd in the care and dischardge of that businesse. Jeremy

Suger, left heere as an attendant by Captain Pepwell , for his di l igent

and honest service wee have by consultation countenanced with the

name and imployment of an assistant , and because his meanes

came Short of h is maintenance, resolved to give him halfe h is

yearely wages , beeing 30 rials of e ight .’ Apologises for his brevity .

(Holog rapb . E ndorsed : O f good importance.

’

2 pp . )

THOMAS JONES AT MASULIPATAM To GEORGE BALL AT

BANTAM,AUGU ST 1 6

,1 6 1 8 (0. C.

The Bee sai led for Bantam July 14 . M r. Denton is ready to

follow in the Unicorn, with a cargo amounting to over

pagodas , though part of i t is of poor qual ity. Denton’

s private

trade . P rices of nutmegs, &c.

‘M r. Lucas ordered us by com

m icion to send one Henry Forest and John Stavely to Peegooe for

the recoverey of certaine moneys and goods beelong ing to the

Seventh Voyage 1, and to send alounge with them s ix pees of

stametts, which cloth with charges amounted to 534 pa. 1 3 : 2% cas

and was imbarked in the K inges Ship of this country with Forest

and Stavely the l oth of September fo l lowing ; God graunt them

a faire and good end . Mr. Denton can best advise you in al l

part iculers towching this busines, whoe hath thei r letters rece ived

in January and March past aloung with him ,which yf you p lease

1 For these piece-goods see notes at p. 45 of Letters Received, vol . vi .1 See Letters Received, vol . i i i . pp . 15 3, 322 vol . vi . p. 257 .

44 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

to peruse you may perseave l ittel l hope of recoverey either Of theformer or that caried with them more then thei r persons, wh ichI wishe weare heere.

’ Present value of Sp ices, lead , and si lk. Porce

lain sti l l unsaleable.

‘M r. M eathold is determ ined to forbeare

investinge aney th inge for a moneth , about which tyme the mon

soone serveth for Tenassereye, Pegooe, and other ports ; soe that

the Moores shipps beeing gon wee shal l have none to hinder us

[but P] the Duch,whoe are at present p roviding [goods for

Hol land , as co tten yarne and indico and a kinde of wh ite c loth of

30 yards lounge, which I imagine thay vent in G inney and B inney ;which commodities can l ittel l h inder us in our busines, soe that

you may presume two-thirds of the cappitall lefte us wil l bee reddy

for a Ship by the fine of December, about which tyme I hope youwill bee p leased to remember us with a ship and a larger capp ital l,and then wee prom ise our cares and best indevors for the provid inge

a competent quant[et]y of each sortt of commodities requ ired in

your last advise,and in the meane tyme prom ise noe neglect .’ The

p resent cap ital of the factory is pagodas , mostly in ready

money. (Holog raplz . E ndorsed as received December 3 1 , 1 6 1 8 .

3 re)

THOMAS JONES AT MASULIPATAM TO THE COMPANY,AUGUST 1 6

, 1 6 1 8 (Abstract only . Factory Records , M iscellaneous,

vol . i . p .

B lames Denton for taking goods refused by Lucas A ntheunis.

Arrival of a ship from Hol land . The factory must be well supp l ied ;else the charges wil l eate out the gain .

’ Advises a supp ly of coral

and pearls . The Pegu adventure. Timothy Mal lory died at

Petapoli in August, 1 6 1 7 . (3p . )

RAJAB AGHA,GOVERNOR OF MOKHA, To S IR THOMAS ROE,

AUGUST 1 7 , 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

Arrival of Joseph S albank and Edward Heynes at the port of

Mokha.

‘A l l the merchants of these ports and all o thers are well

satisfyed in them . God our creator make Your Lordship and the

Engl ish nation to bee frends with us and grant unto both our

desiers .

’

S albank has obtained a grant from the great Mahomett

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 45

Basha Dama ’

[Muhammad Padshah Damad] . Lett Your Lord

ship know that the port is at your service, to come with one ship or

with ten ; wee wi ll embrace and wel lcome you in our harts .

’

Trusts Roe will write to h im ,for my love to Your Lordship and

your nat ion is ancient ’ ; also that S albank will write and acquaint

h im with the ambassador’

s des ires . (Translation , in Heynes’

s

handwr i ting . p .)

ACCOUNT OF THE VOYAGE OF THE E XPEDI TI ON FROM SURATTo JASK AND BACK , BY JOHN ROWE, MASTER (M ar ine Records ,

vol. xxvi i i) .

Sai led from Swally October 3 1 , 1 6 1 8 . On November 14 passedby an island which ‘ by the cuntry peop le is called A stella 1

,but

the Portugals cal l it I lho dos Bannupanos, that is, the Bannyans

i land,for, saye they, that when the Bannyans sayle by it they

heave vittuals overboard and o ther things , as a sacrifice Offred to i t,

and that in times past they had a pagod or howse to worship on

that i laud,but now i t i s fal len downe and not repared againe

’

. On

November 20 captured the Nossa S enbora da P or ta S eg ura, of

60 tons, bound from Goa to Ormus and belonging to the GovernorOf the latter p lace. M r. R i ckman was p laced in charge of the

pri ze, with fifteen men . On the fol lowing day they chased another

Portuguese vessel Of the same s ize. The E xped i tion could not keepup , but the priz e held on and captured the new-comer without

resistance , al though there were at least a hundred men aboard her.

A l l three Ships anchored in Jask Road on the 22nd. Messrs . Barkerand Bell came aboard

,

‘certyfy ing me of the poore estate they weare

in,saying that i f they had not had supp ly this yeare they showld

not have had bread to put into thear mouthes .

’

The goods broughtfrom Surat were landed , as also those captured in the p rizes.

Most of the prisoners were set on shore . News from Ormus that

the Portuguese had two gal leys and seven frigates ready to attackthe Engl ish, and three ships were expected from Goa to assist .The Governor of Ormus twice sent to beg the surrender of the

pri zes , or at least the papers found on board them . Both requests

were refused . On December 1 1 the E xpedi tion set sai l with her

1 A stalu Island,off the Makrén coast.

46 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

p r i zes , much against the will of the factors,who al leged that they

had not finished the i r letters .

‘Writing worke enough they wil l

find,i f i t be but one to accuse thother, for of al l those I saw one

cannot give thother a good worde .

’

Combran [Gombroon] wou ldbe a much more suitable port than Jask . It is ‘

a towne wel l

peopel led, a p lace wheare merchants much resorte, both Turks,Pers ians, Mores and other merchants of trade. To i t belongeth

a s trong fo rte or castlle, which did belong to the Portugals but now

the Pers ian hath gotten it from them .

’ Ships may ride close in ,but the grownd i s very loose and bad ancor hould ’

. During thehomeward voyage the Expedi tion lost company with both her

pri zes , but one was met again on January 2 and the other wasfound at anchor when the Ship arrived at Swal ly on January 1 0,

1 6 19 (71n .)

FRANCISFETTIPLACE 1 ATA GRA To THE COMPANY,DECEMBER I ,

1 6 1 8 (Abs tract only. Factory Records,M iscellaneous

,vol . i . p .

Excuses the detention of the Ships at Surat. Notes the Com

pany’

s decisi on to have lesse ind icoes and more cal l icoes’

. The

Portuguese forestal led them in the purchase of‘sem ianoes Samples

of gum-lac,‘ in stickes and graines

’ respectively, sent for trial . Great

quant it ies may be had ,and the cost of carriage from Agra to

Surat is only one and a half rupees per great maund . O f cheetes 1

or p intadoes the best and greatest quantytyes are to be had at Agra .

’

They will o rder some pintado qu i lts. Neither dutties 3’

nor car

nation cal icoes are procurable there. Samp les sent of‘amberta ’

and ‘sahunn

’ cloth .

‘1 A ‘ large discourse ’

of Bengal raw Silk ;patterns forwarded . Pers ian s i lk is worth 15s . a seer, and none to

be had . The report sent to England that quantit ies of rare stuffs

may be had in Agra is not true.

‘The Flemyngs have imp loyed

thei r meanes in Agra, making great shewe of buying quanti t ies, but

1 He appears to have gone out to India in Downton’s fleet. Roe praises him as

a right true merchant , not easi ly matched1 Chintzes (Port . clzi ta , Mahr. clz i t) .3 A very coarse and strong cloth , from which dbotz

‘

s were apparentlymade. M r. Crooke(Hobson-jobson ,

zud cd., p. 3 14) says that at the present time a coarse cotton cloth woven

by Dhers in Surat i s known as Doti .1 See the l etters from Agra and Patna dated Dec. 1 5 , 16 19, and July 1 2, 1620,

respectively.

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 47

bought very little ; not above 80 fardles of indico . The Flem ings

en imyes to their owne and our trade also . No t poss ible for our

factors in‘

S urrat to accord with the Duitch .

’ Estate of Franc is

Tipton . Tin ,ivory, quicksi lver, verm i l ion ,

coral, &c .,wi l l sel l better

at Surat than at Agra,cons idering the cost of transport . Sp ices

are at3

h igh pri ces . Porcela in in smal l request . NO need to send

more broad c loths to the court they have fifty unso ld,which wi l l

be enough for a year yet . One hundred per annum wil l be sufli c ient

to send to Surat, whereof two-thirds should be reds and stamets ,

and one-third greens, pop [injays] and straw-co lours . The plague

is hott in Agra .

’ 1 They account to Surat for wages , &c . A l l gi fts

and remunerations wil l be put to the Company’

s account,as o rdered .

C loth’

put Off in barter for indigo . They are overstocked with cloth ,though they have so ld 1 70 p ieces in two years . They have dis

patched to Surat 95 1 fard les of indigo,20 bales of cal ico

,and 6 bales

of carpets, paying 1 2—1

2rupees for each camel . B iddu lph intends to

go home. 20 to le 2 52712 to le make a seere of 30 pices of musk

sent as a sample. No good mu sk or civet to be had in these parts .

They received lately by exchange rupees, having al ready

in hand . They are to buy 350 fardles of indigo this year ;wi l l also try to provide pieces of sem ianoes, but it wi l l be

difficul t. Wish to know ‘Of what finenes you would have your

carpetts, for those that are made for sale are usual ly from 23 to 39-

3

ruppies the coveds square ; but some bespoken are made from8 to 1 0 rupp ies per covads

’. (13pp .)

MATTHEW DUKE AT PETAPOLI To THE COMPANY , DECEMBER 9, 1 6 1 8 (0. C.

Forwards an analysis of the accounts of the factory. I am butnewly returned from viseting cometies 4 and weavers in the cuntrie

,

whet I was all this last weeke looking over ther clothe and yearne ,

wherof I let none pase without carful l vew ,comparing it with the

1 See Letter s Received, vol . vi . p . 1 98 .

1 A tole i s five graines les then one-third of an ounce troy ’

(margi na l note) . Thiswould make the told 1 5 5 grains, which seems an understatement.

3 Sent via Surat.1 i . e .

‘ comm ittees,’

the m iddlemen who contracted wi th the Engl ish factors for thesupply of cal icoes

,and who received the customary advances for distribution among

the weavers.

48 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

musters, and what I found grose I thrue out or cutt ; but , to saytruthe ther is no great faulte to be found eyther wi th cloth or

yearn . This year they have g iven better p rices and thus procured

far better goods .

‘The Duche at M esulepatnam have receaved

a great affront by the Governor of that place, whoo did first

chabucke 1, or beat with a wand , one of the princepal ls—of the Duche

marchant [s] , which ther President2 hering of went forth to know

the cause ; and understanding the ingurie don, meets with an ofl‘iser

named the Cutwal l 3 (somewhat resembling the office of a marshal lin London) and laid bould on him , thinking to carie him to the

Duche house, but the Governor hering therof sent his souldiers ,which reskud ther Cuttwall and beat and woonded Hance Dehais

and those that wer with h im so sorely that one of the Duche dyed

o f that beating (or, ut d isetur , of morbus Gall icus) in few daies after .The t ime of this busines is now a moneth s ithe thence

,but not yet

accorded, notwithstanding ther hath ben great meanes made to

Dehaies for reconsi lement, but wi l l not harken to i t. H ee was

thother daie redye to depart for Po lycatt, being recovered of his

woounds, but at the instant nuse was brought of the takinge of

a Shipe of Coocheine by one of the Duches frigets on the coast of

Jengelie4 bound for Bengalla, and they have caried hir for Po lycatt,

but is thought they wil l del iver the shipe backe againe, for that they

tooke hir r id ing at anker near the coast, a th inge contrary to ther

agreement with the King of these parts as is said . H er is nowlately arived a smal l Duche shipe from Bantam ,

ladne with spyces ,

as the Duche report, but wee have no letters com in h ir nor yet canunderstand eyn ie newse of them more then this

,that they have

takne two of those latter three Shipes of the Engl ish that went fromBantam for the Molockas.

5 Theis buterboxes are groanne soe

1 H ind . clzcibub, a horse-whip . This i s an earlier instance of i ts use in Engl ish than i sto be found in Yule’s Glossary.

1 Hans de Haz e of Amsterdam ,Chief at Masul ipatam ,

16 1 5- 19. For his account of

the brawl see H ague Transcr ipts, series i , vol . i i i . NO . 1 10.

3 Kotwci l,an official answering to our superintendent of pol i ce

’

.

4 The strip of coast between Coringa and Jagannath,where the ‘ Orissa Coast ’ began .

5 The S olomon ,Tltomas

,and A ttendant left Macassar on March 7 , 16 1 8 , under the

command Of Cassarian Davi d, to carry a stock of provi sions to Courthope

’

s l i ttle garr isonat Pulo Run. The TIzomas parted company, owing to bad weather, and the remainingtwo

,when within sight of their destination , were captured after a short fight by four

Dutch vessels (March 25) and carried into Neira.

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50 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

trade to Bengala shal l occuere i t canno t but bee somewhat helpefullto our proceed ings .

’ 1 Sends h is ‘ duety’

to Lady Roe ,

2and good

w ishes for the ambassador’s homeward voyage. Encloses a letterfor S ir Thomas Smythe . (Holog rap/c. S eal . 1 % pp .)

S IR THOMAS ROE [AT SURAT] To [JOHN BROWNE AT

A HMADABAD PJ, DECEMBER 14, 1 6 1 8 f .

Commercial detai ls . Their caravans have arrived safely, and

their b i l ls of exchange have been paid . Requests some papers

concern ing R ichard Steel . (A muc/z damag ed copy . 4 pp .)

[S IR THOMAS ROE] AT SURAT To CAPTAIN BONNER,

DECEMBER 1 6,16 1 8 f .

Regard ing the payment of certain customs. Sends back a run

away from the ships and begs he may be forgiven . He has sent in

pursuit of another and doubts not to take h im . Heynes met with

them both at Cambay. (A damag ed copy . 1 p.)

[S IR THOMAS ROE] AT SURAT TO EDWARD HEYNES [ATDECEMBER 1 7 , 1 6 1 8 (M id ,f .

Refers to the runaways . Desi res him to be at Surat by

January 1 5 , as others are urging thei r c laims. Rep roves h im for

p rivate trade, and requests a l ist of goods provided for Bantam , the

Red S ea, &c . (A damaged copy . 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RASTELL AT SURAT To

THE COMPANY,FEBRUARY 9 AND 1 5 , 1 6 19 (f rom a copy (50 pp .)

i n Br i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 21 22, f . 1 ; and an abstrac t in I . 0.

Factory R ecords,M i scellaneous

,vo l . i . p . 6

The A nne made smal l profit in the Red S ea,owing to d ifferences

between the merchants and the captain . The factors were wel l

received . They gave many presents to procure farmfins wh ich

1 For Roe’s attempts to procure a farman for trade in Bengal see Tbe Embassy (p . 349,

8 m. ) and Letter s Received ,vols. iv to vi .

1 Methwold had brought out w i th h im a packet of letters from the lady whom Roe

had secretly married before hi s departure (see Tbe Embassy , p .

1 The quotations are in m any cases from the abstract,as the copy of the letter i s in

a very bad condi tion.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 5 1

would have been granted freely . Most of the Engl ish goods

(except cloth) were brought back unso ld the rest were barteredfor M oCheares which wi ll fetch l ittle at Surat . The unso ld goodshave been turned over to the new stock

,and sent again to the Red

S ea in the Lion . The voyage of the Bee from Surat to Masul i

patam and thence to Bantam . The Un icorn carr ied a cargo of

rials from Bantam to Masulipatam ,and returned with goods

for pagodas. Nathaniel Salmon,master of the Gif t, died

about Apri l 1 0,1 6 1 8

,and John Hatch succeeded h im

,Wil l iam

Newal l being made master of the Bee. Arrival of Bonner’s fleet at

Surat with the Company’

s dispatches , to wh ich they now reply.

Reasons for the late dispatch of the Globe last year. Every factory

wi l l forward cop ies of letters received and sent . The Ahmadabad

facto rs wi l l be instructed to send the indigo in strong baskets. No

more sugar candy will be sent home. The cost of carriage from

Burhanpur to Surat i s about 1 % mahm t'

idi s the great maund,or

nearly a halfpenny per pound from Agra , 3—3mahmfidi s per camel ;

from Ahmadabad and Cambay , 13 mahmfidi s the smal l maund,

bes ides 1 71, per cent . custom on all goods ‘ there passed over the

water ’

. Refined gum-lac is to be had at Surat for 20 mahm ii di s

the smal l maund . The sorte in graines at Agra for rup[ees]the great maen

,and the sorte as i t groweth , without fyning at Agra ,

also for 53 rup [ees] the great maen .

’

The Ahmadabad factors wi ll

exp lain why they have not suppl ied borax and green ginger as

ordered . They were unable to purchase qui lts there this year, but

will supp ly some p intathoe’ qu i lts from o ther p laces . A s to the

provis ion of Lahore carpets,‘ isams

1o r particoul lored c loath

carpets ,’ ‘

necan ies striped cal icoes for napkins, and dutt ies .

‘ Dutties to be dyed watchetts 3 you may be provided of.

Incam ad ine narrow fine cal l icoes , none to be had .

’ ‘

S em ians’

ordered from Agra . They wil l endeavour to procure p ieces

Of broad baftas. The brokers do much abuse our peop le in buying

1 Perhaps the ascim ,or Ind ian prayer-rug, i s here intended . I t is usual ly striped blue

and white .

1 From the Cour t M inutes of Sept . 22, 1624 , i t appears that ‘nicanees were stri ped

cal icoes of a somewhat higher price than usual . Valentyn in h is l ist ofSurat piece-goods(bk . 4, pt. 2, p . gives ‘

niquanias 14} el ls long and 1 3 broad .

3 VVatchets were blue-coloured wool lens made at the Somersetsh ire town of that name.

Here the term is appl ied to the d istinctive colour of these stuffs.E 2

5 2 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

of cal licoes,’ but they have recently been forced to refund

mahmti d i s . Baftas two yards wide cannot be procured . The

Dutch have had some made 28 yards in length . Four or five

thousand p ieces Of narrow baftas wil l be sent home. B loodstones

are d ifficu lt to get .

‘A ggat or babagoria1 beades ’ can be fur

n ished and they have sent some crystal beads and‘

agate cups.

Measures taken to procure samp les of Bengala s i lk . Those Obtainedwere j udged unfavourably. They refer to the Agra factors

’

letter

[see p . 46] on this subject . Patterns of raw s i lk now sent . Roe’

s

advice of musk , civet , and rare stuffs of Cambaya was only from

hearsay. Al l that they can find worth send ing is a kind of m ingled

musk, ofwhich they have fo rwarded a samp le. The Dutch at Surat

want means to compete with them , and it is at present unnecessarycather to accepte or ma[ke proffer of any] such co [mpact as you

prOpounde’

. They justify thei r action in the Persia venture. The

last year’s fleet expended mahmfidi s while at Swal ly . The

resorting of the sai lors to the factory at Surat is an inconvenience,but i t is di ffi cult to remedy it. They praise the commander

’

s

enforcement of discip l ine. The directions for rendering accounts

wil l be Observed . Concerning private trade from port to port, they

think ‘ there are no great matters so transported’

,but what the

masters and pursers do, they cannot say . They wished to send theCbar les to Masul ipatam ,

but Pepwel l chose to dispatch the Bee

instead . They blame the rem issness of the Bantam facto rs in not

advis ingA ntheun is of the danger that befel l the Globe in her voyageto Masu lipatam . NO Sp i ces have yet been sent to Surat fromBantam

,in sp ite of the Company

’

s orders . A s regards the reduc

tion ordered in the number of factories,they report the disso lution

of that at Burhanpur,‘ Occas ioned by meanes of the Princes

departure.

’ That at Ahmadabad should,in their op inion , be con

t inned , though possibly the number emp loyed there may be lessened .

Roe’

s advice to withdraw the factors at Agra,and rely upon native

merchants to bring goods from thence to Surat, is very unsound .

They are glad to hear of the Company’

s reso lution concern ing‘ land men and vo lentaries

’

.

‘ Our hopes to fortefie, if wee haveany ,

m ight perhapes be induced on H is Lordshipps prom ises or1 H ind . bcibag/z zi r z

'

, the whi te agate of Cambay, so cal led from the patron saint of the

d istri ct in whi ch the m ines are si tuated.

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54 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

sent in Bonner’

s fleet , they have left three chests on the Drag on

and one in the E xpedi tion ,intended for Sumatra the rest

,with the

bul l ion , they have landed . The 1 50 broadcloths sent are more than

are l ikely to sel l . D isposal of the lead . About maunds wi ll

sell yearly ; but it is no commodity for Persi a, the cuntry ittselfe

afford inge store thereof.’ Stee l’

s waterworks scheme 18 a fai lure ;‘ h is eng iners beeinge diceased , and al ltogether given over thattdes igne.

’ NO sale for iron at Surat. The sea morse teeth rece ived

last year were disposed of at a loss . Sale of ivory . They havetaken up at interest mahmfidi s . They advise against

further cons ignments Of cochineal , pearls , enamel , &c . The arras ,&C. , not yet c leared from the custom-house. They deny Roe ’

s

statements regard ing the profits to be made from such goods , andcompla in of the arrangement he has made regard ing thei r purchaseby the King or Prince .

‘A gentleman [of the] Princes, passingethouroughe this [town] on [a messa]dge to Idelshawe, Kinge Of

V icepore1,

’ bought some cloth of gold , satins , &c . Fo lding-cases ,table-books

, purses . and so on are Of l ittle use,even as presents .

Bone-lace and gloves wi l l not sell . Cham letts mohares’

are

brought from the Red S ea at cheaper rates than the Company’

s .

Feathers in no demand . The swords sent ‘are neather the right

make nor very good and are besides SO exceedinge heavy as few

men can use them The kn ives are too large. The ‘allegant

2

wil l serve H is Lo rdshippe to drinke homewards and gratefie h is

frinds’

; both that and strong waters useless except for p resents .

‘ Pictures, i f rare (butt not Of men) . the fittest to p [lease the]fancy of this kinge and people that Eng [land] affo rds but no

p rofit to be made on the sales will recompense the trouble of getting

them through the custom-house .

‘ Corral l a commoditie to send

large quantyty , but the merchants of Surratt w i l l not suffer it to bebrought into Surratt but by strong hand .

’

Amber beads will give

a fair profit . Tin sel ls wel l. ‘ This peop le are not unaquaynted

with the use of i tt ; they usual ly have had good quantety both in

to be rather a draft or signed copy than a real letter ; and that i t was evidently addressed,

not to the Company, but to a relative , probably S ir W i ll iam Throgmorton (Dale’

s

brother-in-law ) . A letter from Dale to Throgmorton of the same date and deal ing withthe same subjects is described in the seventh report of the H ist. MSS . Comm ission as beingin M r . Molyneux

’

s col lect lon .

1 Adi ] Shah, King ofBijfipur.

1 Wine from Al icante.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 55

there owne shippes and by the Portingales from [the] sowards , wh ichof late yeares [hath] somth inge fay led .

’ Sale of quicksi lver and

verm i lion. The price Obtained for the former is not l ikely to exceed1 50 or 1 60 mahmfid i s a maund

,

‘att which rates [the Dutch] do

supp ly Messellapatan and the Port ingall [Cambaya] with qu icksilver of Chyna, as good as that of Europe , which allso is broughtfrom Mocha cheaper then your heartofore hath beene invoyced .

’

Of Bulgaria 1 hides 100 or 1 50 yearly wi ll be sufficient. They knownot whether ‘ Saunder-wood ’

grows on the is land of St. Lawrence

[Madagascar] [see p . but it is in good request at Surat andthe Dutch have sold some at 50 mahm i

‘

i d i s the maund ; Kerridgeand his co l leagues have accord ingly wr itten to the Bantam factoryfor a supp ly. A lso for torto ise Shells

,which are vendible at

5 1 mahmudi s the seer ; the blackes t culler and thickest Shel ls are

most in request . How the ships of the fleet were d isposed of. The

Expedi tion sen t to Persia with a cargo of mahm iid i s 25 p iceshe left Swally November 1

,and reached Jask the 22nd ; left

again on December 1 2 and arrived at Swal ly January 1 0 . Theyrefer to Roe for particulars ; yet , as regards Conno ck ,

they ‘are

humbly bould to remember you that though mal icious callumn iatorsceace not to add scandal l unto the memory of the dead , he performe d mo re in thatt negotiacion with the Sophie in three monthes

then hath beene e ffected in Ind ia this three yeares, nor hath any

th inge s ince his death beene performed to your ben ifitt ’

. Greatdissensions among the Pers ian factors . Francis T ipton , who came

thence overland , died before reaching Surat . Disposa l of h is effects .

The E xped i tion on her outward voyage surp rised two Portuguese

gal liots . D isposal of the prize goods . A factory at Cal icut not

worth troub l ing about . The S amorine of thatt country so m isserably

poore as hee wou ld be glad of occac ion to cate on your stocke .

Pepper is neather so Cheape as those factors wrote , nor quantity

suffi tiente (if to bee had) to defray the charge in fetchinge ; besidesthe porte unaccessable with great sh ippes to comand the shore ;whose provicions for refresh inge are frute , butt no cattle , and there

1 As po inted out in Hobson -jobson (s . v . Bulgar this term has nothing to do wi thmodern Bulgaria . I t was used to denote ‘Russia leather ’

( cp. the Muscovy hides ’

of

p . from the fact that the region of manufacture and exportwas original ly Bolghér, onthe Volga.

5 6 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

water brackish , not worth the indangeringe of caske to fi ll itt .’

They will,however , advise the commander to cal l there to recover

if poss ible the moneys due to the Company. Overtures received

from certayne Mallabars who inhab itt a cuntry one the sea coastsome 20 leauges to the sowards of Goa, called Ekaree

1, the p rince

an Indian Raja that hath beene long in leange with the Fortingal l

The Drag on and Expedi tion are to p roceed to Sumatra. Goodsand money sent in them . Affairs at Tiku and Achin . George Pikeleft at Surat , Dan iel White go ing in h is p lace to the southwards .

They blame the Bantam factors for not advising what Surat goods

are most in request there. The L ion , the remain ing sh ip o f the

fleet , goes to Mokha,encouraged by the results of the former

venture. The Surat merchants oppose the trade ‘as very preju

d ic iall unto them and not to bee indured’

. To prevent it they

forbade all deal ing with the Engl ish in commodities suitable for the

Red S ea,and imprisoned a coup le of merchants who ventured to

supp ly them . They threaten fu rther measures if the trade be per

sisted in ;‘and therefore i t is very requisite your Worsh ips bee

p leased to declare in your“ next letters how farr you wil l hazard

this trade to continew itt .’ ‘ Your factors have general ly taken

notice Of your pleasure conserninge what may bee given the Agent

att court by the K inge or others in retribuc ion for presentes given

or whatsoever o ther cons ideracion 1,which wee doubt not in

material l th inges wil l be Observed . H is Lordsh ipps guiftes hath

not beene so great as that itt Should give any hopes [to] hissuccessors of great matters .

’ They cannot obtain any defin ite

information as to the possibil ities of trade with Abyssin ia.

‘The

Guz eratts trade from these partes unto Z ealan3,Barbarye

4, Aden ,

Mocha,besides sundry o ther portes within the Red S ea

,cannot

bee contrad icted. The commodities they usual ly transporte from

hence you will att large understand by copp ie of the invoyce goods

on the Lyon intended thether, which al lso are generally useful l att

1 The petty kingdom of the Kelfidi chiefs of Ikkeri , now a town Of smal l importance inthe Shimoga district of Mysore. The port of Bhatkal , twenty-fivem iles south of Honi var,

had been added to their territory some twenty years previous to this date. The out

come of these negotiations wi ll be found in Hoare’s letter on a later page.

1 It appears from the abstract that these were to be brought to the Company’

s account-a rule ever after maintained.

1 Z ei la.

1 Berbera.

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5 8 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

especial ly the river Quamma,wh ich is in the latetude in the mappes

1 8 53

; degres and d istant from Mosambyque to the northwardes

thereof aboute four degrees , where the Captain Of thatt porte dothusual ly trade with the k inge o f Monopatab

1,lord of the said river,

and hath res idente some few Portingalls fifty leauges upp with in

the same in way of trade . They do yearely buy greate store o f

el lephantes teeth . ambergreece and gou ld,of which no doubt there

is abundance, whereby the Governor of Mosambique is greately

inriched ,havinge the so le trade confirmed to h im and h is people by

the kinge of S payne in recompence of his service .

’

They th ink it

would be worth Wh i le to endeavour to discover these coasts , the

trade of which is the princ ipall of the Portingalls wealth in India

They have sent 540 maunds of wheat on the Dr ag on to Bantam ,

but fear i t wi l l suffer from heating and worms . The un icorn’

s horn

[see p . 1 1 ] sent to Ach in . [The favour P] extended to M r. Jurdane

wee perceave and the course you have con [s idered]necessary for the goverment Of your bus iness [ in] India. What theLo rd Embassadour hath o rdered h

'

eare in th is poynt , and sundrie

o thers that depend there one, you wil l perceave by coppy thereof

1,

firmed allso by us, which H is Lordship wil l de l iver you.

’ Francis

Fettiplace has dec ided to stay another year. They do not know

of a John Ferrars . The royal letter to the K ing of Achin wi l l be

duly del ivered . That intended for Cal icut is now use less. Robert

Hutchinson adm itted a factor. Henry Edmonds and other youths

remain in the Surat facto ry . The Company’

s orders regard ing

G i les James and o thers wil l be Observed . They note that cotton

yarn,cal ico lawns

,shashes 3

,and sal-ammon iac are not to be sent

home. S ix thousand p ieces of sem ians have been ordered for next

year’

s sh ip ; also broad baftas,and dutt ies . They

hope to procure Lahore carpets of the breadth desired . Benjam ine

[benzo in] is clear and not a commod ity to be expected . Hard wax

sent fo r trial . Cardemum cometh [from] the cuntry of Mal labare

heather,butt in huskes , worth now 30 m [ahmfidi s] the mand and

therefore have not sent any .

’ Some bloodstones provided . The

musters of s ilk provided by the Agra factors are forwarded , together

with the ir advice . The remains of the first jo int stock have been

1 ‘ M onomotapa ,’wh ich Burton explains as

‘ Lord of M ’

tapa’

(M’

wene M’

tapa) ,a nati ve kingdom on the Z ambesi . 1 Not extant. 1 Turban-cloths.

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 59

transported to the new. Window glass use less . Roe appo inted

Wi ll iam B iddulph agent at court . They w i ll send letters via

Mokha and Cairo Sho rt ly. Thei r troubles with the nat ives about

the ir dwel l ing. Roe has been unable to obtain any concess ion o f

value in the matter. The privel idges he sought weare ever den iedin capitulac ions, the custome of other princes . H is Lordsh ipp att

departure had only two severall fi rmans, one of the Kinge and

another of the Prince,confirm inge our trade and continewance ;

the K inges general l for our recepcion and free trade in all h is

domin ions ; the Prinses , more particulerly proh ibitinge wronge and

inj ustice,hath could ly refo rmed itt

,as may appeare as wel l by there

detencion of our goods in the custome house thus long as therenot provid ing us a fittinge house ([who P] abso lutely intend aftersh ipps departure [to ] remoove from hence) and sundry particulers

[not P] greatly materyal l to bee heare related , see inge none o f the

comaunds are exactly performed longer then agreeable to the w i llsOf the Offecers or there masters profitt, and under pretence thereo fdo us any inj urie, which wi l l not bee reformed by intercess ion .

’ !

Anagent at court is therefore of l ittle use except to sel l cloth , &c . ;

and this the chief facto r might be left to do if, as seems l ike ly, the

K ing settles at Agra. For neare the Kinge is lesse wronge , more

j ustice and soonest reformac ion then in any other p laces .

’

The

best remedy is to stop the nat ive junks til l grievances are redressed .

An excel lent Opportunity presented itself last year when the j unksreturned from the Red S ea with the A nne, but Roe did not take i t .

They now require definite instructions on this po int . The debts atcourt. Sprage

’

s miss ion to Go lconda, and h is arrest on h is return

by Soares,who carried h im back to Burhanpur ; thence he has fled

both from the Portuguese and the Company’

s service .

‘Your Agracaph i la in there com inge downe weare sett uppon by theeves on theway some 22 dayes j urney hence, thatt tooke from them 1 4 churles

Byana indico and ki l led four or five sarvantes thatt attended itt .

Of those thus lost , the Lord Embassadour wil l give instruc ions toWm . B iddulph to demand justice for of the Kinge, and wee hope

the vallue may bee restored by the lord of that p lace where th is

vio lence was com itted , if his greatness (beeinge the Chan Channas1

1 Khan-kh i nfin ( ‘ lord of the ti tle of M i rza Abdul Rahim,one of the leading

nobles of the time. He was the son of Akbar’

s celebrated general , Bairém Khan, and

60 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

sonne, chiefe of the nobi ll itie) prevente i tt not.’ Money paid by

the new stock on behal f of the o ld . Of indigo churles 1 wil lbe provided for next year. R ichard Steel fo llowed the court fromAhmadabad , but

‘fal linge into some difference or dis l ike with

M irm iran 1,a gentelmans of the K inge to whom the care of [h is]

workemen was comended , was [by] the said gentleman'

d ispossesed

of h is camels and other cariadge and left to his owne provic ion forh imself and famely H e at first tried to reach Mand i

—1,where the

King was supposed to be, but gave up h is intention and returned .

He has now left for England in the Royal A nne. Papers sent

home , including Surat factory expenses from‘ Thomas Kerridge

his precedensy’

. Several commodit ies found deficient in weight ,the Surat maund being taken as equivalent to 33 lb. English .

Estates of R ichardWood roffe and Francis Tipton . mahmudi s

d isbursed on account of the Royal Anne since her return from the

Red S ea .

P . S .— Renewed overtures from the Malabars [see p . who

declare they can fi ll the Exped i tion With pepper in less than fifteen

days . The fleet wi ll accordingly touch at their port . The Lion is

to cal l at Socotra on her way to the Red S ea, to buy aloes and

sanguis dracon is. She is also ‘to passe unto the A bex s ide for

further inquiry of P rester Johns cuntry and the other particulers

by Your Worsh ipps prescr ibed’

. Presents given by, and money

advanced to,the Lord Ambassador. Private trade of Towerson ,

Steel,&c. Invo i ces of the cargo of the Royal A nne are sent

herewith.

3

first distingu ished himself by crushing Muz affar Shah’s attempt to recover the throneof Gujarat. He held in turn the governments of Jaunpur, Multan ,

and Sind, and was

at this time in charge of the Operations against the Deccan princes. With ington(P ur clzas vol . i . p . 483 ) refers to him as Chon Chin Naw

,the greatest of the Mogol l

Nobi l itie

The son here referred to was Shahnawé z Khan, often styled i-Jahfingi ri , to distinguishh im from another person of the same name.

1 The uni t by wh i ch indigo was general ly bought. It i s often termed by the factorsa bundle (or fardle) . The greater churl was a l ittle over five maunds in weight ; thesmal ler , about four.

1 This may mean either the Ami r Mi ran, or a title—mi r chief of chiefs.

’

1 I t appears from the abstract that Kerridge added a further postscr ipt begging for a

continuance of the 50 per annum al lowed h im by Keel ing, for adventures in the jo intstockes and for a gratuity

,al leging that he had ful ly intended to return to England this

year, but remained at Roe’s special request.

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62 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

Eramees1,

’

7 covids long and 15 broad

Baftas coloured , [599 P] p iecesInd ico S erquese,

’small maunds 24 seers

Ind igo dust (not rated)Dutties, 24 corge

Gum-lac, 166 maunds 1 85 seersTurm er ic , 49 small maunds 3 5 seers

Baftas narrow, wh ite, 99 corge 1 7 p ieces

S eal ing wax, 5 smal l maunds‘ Baftaes mames or watchetts 95 covids long and

1 145 broad, I o corge 635 16

Dutties Dulcae I éi‘ covids long and 1571 broad, 20 corge 30

Indicoes S erquese ,’

15 small maunds 645 20

Pedaeria various 897 2

M ahmfidi s 14

Besides some cinnamon, Ch ina roots, and benz oin taken from the Portuguesepri z es.

( I r .)

GOODS SHIPPED To THE SOUTHWARDS CAPT. BONNER’

S

FLEET (Ibid . , f .

Brawles 58 corge

Dutties,various

Tapseeles 20 corge

Cadia cotten ,’

5 corge

M entasses,’

5 corge

Bem imas pancharwira,’

3121 corge

Ditto sattevilas,’14} corge

Grobades panchawira,’

5 corge

1 Possibl y there i s some connexion with i /zr a“ m, the cotton dress assumed by the

p i lgrim on entering Mecca. In a later letter (Oct. 29 , 1 6 19) the term i s used as

syn onymous wi th d/zotz‘ s.

1 From Dholka .

1 A general term for precious stones and gems (Port. pedrar ia) . Roe speaks of pearle

and otherpedrer i a (0. C.

1 The Oxfora E ng . D ict. defines brawl ’ as a blue and whi te stri ped cloth manufactured in India ’

. Possibly the name may be derived from the H ind . bi ral ,‘open in

texture, fine.

’

5 Ufli et (see p . 6 1 n) describes tapsels’as a str ipe stuff w ith silk and cotton, from

seven rupees to twelve.

’

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 63

Cannek ins ,’

930 corge

Pangeries,’1 2 corge

P itcharies,’1 5 corge

Baftas, various, 214 corge

A llejaies,’20 corge

Tricand ies ,’100 corge

Ditto, 6 191

16 corge

P i lgar chawdar,’

20 corge

M ittfoones 20 corge

Pettolas 127 corge

S ahouy, 5 corgeNewlee ,

’l ittle, I o corge

Mavee,’25 corge

S era‘

s,

’

30 corge

Buckar,’

corge

Casseeds,’

33 corge

Byrames blew,

’

40 corge

Ch intes,’

50 corge

Red Scalas,’1 20 corge

Byrames wh ite ,’

10 corge

Gadelles,’

20 corge

Gingames,’

corge

S tuffs, variousCotton wool , 193 bags

S teel , 188 corge

S erebaffes,’

397-5 p ieces

Corn, 540 maunds of 39 seers

S pangles, 1 box

Iron,Engl ish, bars

D ivers toysD itto for barter

Iron for barterKn ivesB rass ordnance for the KingApparel

R ials

Deduct : 61; corge of dutties wrongly entered

Mahmfidi s

( 11m)1 Apparently the same as madafunum

’

,described in Letters Received

,vol . i . p . 74, as

chequered and somewhat fine

64 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

GOODS SENT To THE RED S EA IN THE Lt ozv (Ibid . ,f .

M abm .

Cannikins,’

64 corge

Bocar,’135 corge 493

Dutties of Dalka,’

92 corge‘Allejas,

’

7 9a; P] corgeByram es b lew ,

’22 corge 14 p ieces

Chawders,’

1 7 3 corge

Longees called cor ias 1 1 131corge

S tufl'

s of various sorts‘Eramees,

’

7 5 corge

Shashees,’

1 16 p ieces‘Longees,

’1 1 corge 16 p ieces 27 3

Baftaes narrowe,’80 corge

Indicoe Jambusar 1,

’1 2 churls

‘S hashes,

’

50 corge

Gum lacke one stickes, called ruslake 107 small maunds 29 seers 1

S eribaffes,’100 p ieces 560

Look ing glasses, 25 229

Kn ives , 336 1 56

Broadcloth

Tobacco, 1 55 maunds at 4 m . 1 8 p . 707

Fowl ing pieces, &c . 1 85

Sword blades, 791

S hashes, 4 bales (priz e goods, not rated)Cash 300 o

Deduct : Broad cl oth not sent 284

Mahmfidi s [ J( I r .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RA STELL,

AND GILES JAMES,

ABOARD THE DRAGON IN SWALLY ROAD , To WILLIAM N ICHOLLS

AT ACHIN,FEBRUARY 1 5 , 1 6 19 (O. C. 7

Forward the Company’

s instruct ions addressed to h im also H i s

Majesty’

s letter to the King ofAch in about presents .

5 The invo ice

1 Perhaps H ind. bora“

, plain , unbleached.’

On lungz'

s (wai st-cloths ) see Hobson

jobson ,2nd cd .

, p . 5 19.

1 Jambusar , in Broach distr ict, was formerly a centre of indigo export.1 Crude lac (H indi ras , crude1 There is a copy in B ri t. M us . Eger ton M S . 21 22 (f:5 Consisting of dogs , spangles , and a brass cannon nine feet l ong , wi th a bore of two

feet, whi ch had been sent in response to the request made by the King ofAchin in a letter

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66 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

D IRECTIONS FROM THE SURAT FACTORS TO MESSRS . SAL

BANK,HEYNES AND WALLIS , BOUND FOR THE RED S EA ,

FEBRUARY I5 , 1 6 19 (M id , f .

To pay due regard to any instructions they may receive from

Roe. To p revent embez zlement of goods. To cal l at Socotra on

their way and procure fifty quintals of aloes , and four or five

quintals of sangu is draconis. They are also to del iver a letter

from King James to the King of Socotra, together with a suitable

present . (Copy . 1 7} pp .)

D IRECTIONS TO MR . FURSLAND AND OTHER MERCHANTS OF

THE FLEET,FEBRUARY I 5 , 1 6 1 9 (M id ,f .

To del iver to William N ichol ls the goods intended for Achin ,together with the royal letter and present for the King. Disposal

of the Expedi tion if the expected Supply of pepper be not procured

at Bhatkal . (Copy . p.)

ROBERT PRICE , PURSER OF THE E XPEDI TI ON, AT SURAT

TO THE COMPANY, [FEBRUARY , (A bs tract only . Factory

Records, M iscel laneous , vol. i . p . I

The voyage of the Expedi tion to Persia and back . He accuses

the master and others of purlo ining goods from the prizes, but

commends Chamberlain, the steward . G, p .)

WILLIAM MARTIN [AT SURAT P] TO THE COMPANY, FEBRUARY1 5 , 1 6 1 9 (M id ).

He was emp loyed in buying cal icoes at Broach . Detai ls of

purchases . p .)

LIST OF PRIZ E GOODS TAKEN BY THE EXPEDI TI ON, FEBRUARY

1 5 , 1 6 1 9 (M ar ine Records , M iscellaneous, vol . iv. No.

Del ivered at Surat : logwood, betlenut , coco-nuts and copper

basins . Intended for England : cinnamon, benzoin , China roots,t in

,l inens . Spent in the voyage or dispersed among the

fleet : rice, coco-nuts, gunny (for sai ls), sugar , rack and wine. List

of goods m issing. (G; pp .)

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 6 7

S IR THOMAS ROE AT SURAT TO THE GOVERNOR OF MOKHA ,FEBRUARY 1 6

,1 6 1 9 (0. C.

He received his letters [see p . 44] with much joy .

‘Ther hath

alway beene good respondence and ametye betweene H is Majestieof England and the Grand Signior, and i t is reason all thei r good

subjects should by all meanes maynteyne i t ; and wheras enter

course and trafique is the princ ipal l bond of am itye, wee doe desier

on our parts to resort yearly to your port , ther to trade in love and

frendship as honest merchants .

’

H e doubts not the Governor wi l l

confirm the privi leges granted last year, and procure the l ike and

more amp le from the Grand Signior and the Pasha of Synan [see

p . whereby the Engl ish may be encouraged to bring al l sorts

of goods , as wel l from Europe as sp ices from the southwards andcloth from India,

‘ by which meanes your port wi lbe more famous

and become the mart of all Asia .

’

Declares in the name of H is

Majesty that this the Engl ish mean to perform , and‘ keepe your

seaes and ports from al l troubles to our uttmost , and not to mo lest

nor doe injurie to any peop le or merchants your al l ies trading to

your port, the Portugal ls (our utter enemies) onely excepted A t

his request Roe has sent the same men as last year,and trusts he

will receive them as friends . ‘ Herein you shal l doe according to

your honourable name,and procure great p roffi tt and quiett to your

port .’

(A s igned copy . I p . P r inted in Tne E inoassy p .

CAPTAIN ROBERT BONNER , ABOARD THE DRA GON IN SWALLYROAD

,TO THE COMPANY

,FEBRUARY 1 7 , 1 6 19 (A bstract only .

Factory Records , M iscellaneous , vol . i . p .

He touched at St. Lawrence [Madagascar] July 1 3 , 1 6 1 8,and

inquired for David M iddleton ‘ ; also searched for saunderwood

1 David M iddleton sai led from Bantam for England in the S amar i tan , Apri l 3 , 16 1 5 .

A rumour from Dutch sources affi rmed that she had been wrecked on Madagascar , thather crew had succeeded in getting on shore with the goods, and that one of them had beenseen by the Dutch at the port of Casseen (Kishin) in Southern Arabia (Letters Received,vol . v. p . 1 59, vol . vi . p . and some years later ( see Jeffries

’letter of Nov. 1 8 , 1621 )

came a report that she had been lost at Mauritius. Evidently the Company hadinstructed Bonner to make inquiries for the castaways .

2 Linschoten (fol lowing Marco Polo) dec lares that Madagascar has ‘ great store of

woodes of redde sandale, whi ch are there l ittle esteemed for the great abundance’. It

was probably this passage that p rompted Bonner’

s search .

F 2

6 8 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

but found none. Obta ined , however,‘ good refreshing ’ there in

barter for si lver chains . Masts must be looked to ; he broke his

foremast . The Portuguese recovered most of thei r money and someordnance from the sunken carrack.

l Hearing of an English youth

at Casseen [Kishin] , he wrote to him to come to Socotra to meet thenext fleet . A ship should be sent to discover Mel inda [Mal indi] .No torto ise shel ls were found at the Comera [Comoro] islands .Smal l bel ls are the best commodities to barter for victuals there.

G iles James, a swaggerer and wrangler,much discommended .

’

They were unable to touch at Socotra, owing to bad weather.Arrived at Surat September 1 7 , having lost eight men sinceleaving the Cape. The Exped i tion sai led for Jask October 30, andarrived there November 22 . Not less than four ships should

compose the Surat fleet, to repel Portuguese attacks . They should

be fitted with ‘sheerehooks 2

,etc.

,to keepe off bording also lan

gri l l 3 and chaine Shott ’ . The E xpedi tion returned January 10,

having surprised two Portuguese frigates . Some of the priz e goods

were purloined . The value of them al l was 3 7 72l. 2s .,of which

the ship’s company demanded one-sixth , but were denied ; they,

however, had the p i l lage of both frigates. The factory at Tikudissolved, but he hopes to re-establ ish it. H is biscuit and beer

starke and stincking’

. Not more than one mastiff should be sent

in a ship . Intended trade at Bhatkal . R i chard Fursland praised .

DiSposal of the prize goods . p .)

WILLIAM HOARE 4 TO THE COMPANY (0. C.

Narrates the proceedings of Bonner’s fleet from the t ime Of their

leaving Surat . ‘The Dragon and other sh ippes of that fleete parting

with the A nne the 1 7 Februarie 1 6 1 8 the 24th5 fol lowing

1 Destroyed by Joseph’s fleet in 16 16 (see Letters Received , vol . v. p . 142,

2 A kind of sickle, formerly appl ied to the yardarms for cutting the rigging of a

vessel running on board (Smyth’

s Sa i lor’

s Word B ook) .3 Case-shot fi l led with rough pieces of iron and used to damage an enemy’s rigging

and sails.

4 A factor in Capt . Bouner’

s fleet. H i s letter, written about May, 1620, has been

printed in Purchas’

s first volume (p . though with some mistakes. We have hereextracted the portion relating to the fleet’s voyage down the western coast of India, andi ts attempts to trade at Dabhol , Bhatkal , &c .

5 The 21 5t, according to Purchas’s version.

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70 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

good shippes the tryal l wherof being by consultacion assented to,they both attended the fleete to this place. And heere one of

them desired leave to depart before to the King to adviz e of our

comm inge, that his pepper might be in the more read inesse against

our arrivall,and that an Engl ish marchant might accompany him

to View the comodity and cutt price with the K inge,“

for whome

sufficient hostage should be left aboord the Drag on ; which wasl ikewise agreed upon . M r. Wight , marchantt

,and John Tucker

with him for l inguist, were d ispeeded with h im , and e ight of the

pr ime men in both frigotts left for pledges . The Lyon being

formerl ie disposed of for the Red S ea , yt was ordered that sheshould keepe the other sh ippes company to Dabul l, there to vent

(yf possible) partt or al l those remains brought from the Red S ea,

for read ie monye, or to force them trade, and the proceede therof

to be toward lading the E xpedi tion with pepper at Batacala. But

the unfittnesse of those comodityes for the Dabulleers, thei r fayre

promises and kind usage, procured the ir quiett this yeare. For

which cause the Lyons company beingj udged needlesse anye farther,the 27 present shee was dispeeded upon her voyage. But beforeher departure 600l . sterl ing , intended to be transported to Suratt,was detayned for speedier lading the Expedi tion . Having left

letters to be sent to S uratt, toward n ight the Dr ag on etc . sett sayle,intending next for Batacala.

’

No news at Dabho l of Thomas

Sprage.

‘The first of March we anchored at Batacala, shooting

three peeces to give notice of our arrivall . And the next daye,

about noone, M r. Wight with the other Mallabar frigott came

aboord , by whom we understood that at the Kings towne (some

three dayes journey thence)was pepper to the quantitie of I 50 toons

or upward , but the price was held hard at 50 rials of eight percandee

,and would not be brought lower then 47 , the pepper worse

then that ofTecooe, and in all l ikel ihood he had noe intent to sel l ,but to keepe yt for the Portingal ls with whome he hath continual l

trade,and this to be but a device off those rovers to free them

selves from commaund of the English. The candee at this p lacecontayneth nete 500 pounds. Our hopes of this p lace prooving noebetter, the 3d present we sett sayle thence. Running along this

coast, we sawe and mett with many jonckes’

of the Mallabars,and

not finding ought in them save coquonutts and such trash , presentlie

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 7 1

d ismissed them,one excepted belonging to the S amoryn , which

Captain Bonner caused to retourne with him , the sooner to p rocuresatisfaction for goods and debts left there by Peeter Needham etc.

[see p . which juncke certifyed of another of the S amoryns,laden with pepper, ryd ing at Panana 1

,some 1 2 leagues to the

southward of Cal l icutt,and bound for the Red S ea ; at which p lace

allso the Samoryn then kept his court . Where arriving the l oth

ditto, a messenger was sent to advertize the shippes arrival l , to

require satisfaction for his debts etc . , and to renue a trade with us ;all which motions he seemed will ing to entertayne, promising the1 2th fo l lowing to meete and confer with Captain Bonner upon theshoate neere the sea syde, and after an ende made o f the Old tobegin a new businesse . The King came at the tyme p refixed

(having the daye before drawne ashoare and unladen his juncke,shee riding within a river at the mouth whereof was a great barr

hindering our sei z ing her), whom Captain Bonner (attended witha guard of 50 small shott etc .) mett , del ivered our Kings Majesties

letter with a present to him ; and after long debating yt wasconcluded that in regard we knew not the some due by goods left

with him and others , not having any not ice thereof, the payment

should be deferred ti l l information from Needham might be pro

cured ; and with advice of his merchantt, consented to sel l us

pepper, at p resent seven or eight hundred candees or more , at

30 rials of eight, free of al l charges (the candee we found , by tryal ltherof with our E ngl ish weights , to contayne 502 pounds nete) .He[r]eupon reso lving, yt was concluded that the next dayeM r. Wight and myselfe should view the quantetie and qual litie Ofthe comoditie, which we were to certifye Captain Bonner (then

aboord the smal l p innace neere the shore) , who would thereuponhave landed monye étc . and gone to wey ing . But that n ight theKings mind changed , and we landing earl ie next morning wererefused sight thereof, unlesse the King gave expresse order thereto ;to whome allsoe go ing, he demaunded when our captain would

land,which we certifyed him would not be t ill we had seene the

pepper and could j udge of the quantetie, and that then we would

make s igne for his comminge. He then sent us back with one

of his kinsmen to the merchantts howse, will ing us there to staye

1 Ponani,in lat. 1 0

°at the mouth ofa river of the same name.

7 2 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

t il l he eyther came h imselfe or sent order for dispatch ; but there

we attended while past noone, and then not hearing o ught , re

tourned to the King, who by his jurabassa1 fel l to discoursing

of our countrey manners , had tumblers p laying before him,and

with such trifl ing delayes putt of the ryme unti l l meere four

afternoone, when we entreated him to give us answer, that wemight retourne to the captain , who all this while expected our

comm inge . WherUpon, taking us asyde into a roome from sight

of h is peop le, he to ld us that he had manye matters of import

whereof to confer with the captain , which he wb uld not have his

owne peop le to take not ice off, and to that end had appo inted

a privatt howse to be prepared for his entertaynement not farr from

his court ; and therefore willed that Mr. Wight should tarrye and

accompany h im presentlie thether , and that I should returne to

the captain and bring h im to the p lace assigned . I des i red to see

yt , but he refused , appo inting one Of his attendants to goe with

me to the sea syde, there to tarrye Captain Bonners landing and

conduct him to the foresaid howse. But by the way consideringhow indiscreete yt would seeme to motion his go ing to a p lace

I had neyther seene nor knewe, eSpeciall ie in such a treacherous

p lace , I told my companion that unlesse I might first see where

the King intended to meete, I would not adviz e the captains

landing. He, perceiving me reso lute, left me and d irected one of

his slaves to shewe yt, who lead me meere two English miles uppe

into the countrey , and at length brought me to a l ittle howse (buthandsome ynough) , sited in midst of a smal l wood , about which

was a fayre p layne a quarter o f a mile everye waye, and withoutthat round environed with thi cke and hye woodes ; which p lace

ministring justl ie great cause of susp ition,I retourned to the King,

whom I mett upon the waye, with 40 or 50 attendants commingthether with him ; al lso Mr. Wight , to whom I shewed my opynion

of the p lace and that yt nowe grewe late, and therefore nothing to

be done that n ight . Comming to the howse, the King sate a good

while m using wi thout speaking, when we desired leave to depart,

yt being now neere night and past tyme for the captains landing,and that yf he p leased we would agayne retourne on the morrowe,

as allso certifie his desire of privatte conference with the captain ;1 Interpreter (Malayjnruoanasa, master of speech

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74 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

camells ladinge are pucka 70 camells are cutcha 1 , and make

pucka 5 8 ; soe we pay for 1 5 7 camells ladinge pucka of 9 maunds

per camel l, which at 14% rup[ees] per camel ls ladinge pucka

amounts to rup [ees] 23 15 ? A lso sent , some loose p ieces of‘

ambertes as samp les , some mulmulls z’

, and some handkerchiefs .

The 26‘terandaz es 3

’ have been paid for a month‘

and a half.

In addition,a horse and furn iture

,camel-ropes, 6 p ieces

‘ tant 4 ’

and one hide to mend fardles , a‘ deage

5 ’

,

‘serpoose tent and

furniture,massack bow and arrows

,&c . ( 15pp .)

JOHN BANGHAM AT GWALIOR TO THE FACTORS AT SURAT,

FEBRUARY 25 , 1 6 1 9 (O. C.

Advises his dispatch from Agra with a caravan . Wee havemade six manz ells 8 from Agra to this p lace. Wee shoulde goe

faster, but the muckadames 9 of the cammells are not yett come tous

,wherefore theise cammellmen will make a mukame 10 here to

morrowe for them ; but howsoever the next daye wee will settforward and make what hast pos ible towards you. I shal l expecte

your farther order after receyte herof. I am sorrye to heare of

John Younges d isaster [see p . 59] etc .,yett am in good hope of

better sucksess, which God graunt. If the waye twixte Brampoareand Surratt bee growne soe dangerous , havinge your order I will

h ire ten bundauckdares 11 there . As for B aytah 12, I knowe not

howe the case standes with us there at present, but expecte to

heare from you betimes .’

(S igned copy . 1 p .)1 A very early example of Engl ish use of the wel l-known antithesis of tacti c/ca

“

(raw,

temporary, sl ight) andpath ? (ri pe, permanent, sol id) .2 H ind. nzalnzal , musl in.

3 H ind. ti randa'z , an archer.Hind . tant, thread, fibre

,&c.

5 H ind. d ig , a large cooking-pot.6 H ind . sarp zi s/z, a cover. 7 H ind . mas/cat , a leathem water-bag.

8 Marches or stages (Arabi c manz i l ,9 M ukadda in, a head-man or leader.

M agam , a halt ; Cp . Finch (Purc/zas, vol . i . p . whi ch made us make inutont’

‘

(marg. note inn/torn , stay for11 B andugdar , a musketeer. Bangham had in the first instance written shott ’.1“ Dhaita, on the road from Burhanpur to Surat, near the junction of the Surpini River

wi th the Tapti . Here Partab Shah, the chief of Baglan, levied transit dues on al l

caravans, though Roe had recently obtained afarman from him prom ising exemption forEngl ish goods (Letters Received, vol . vi . p .

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 75

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT TO THE FACTORS AT AHMADABAD , FEBRUARY 26 AND 28

1 6 1 9 (Br i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 21 22,f .

Early provision of goods necessary . Supp ly of quilts , blood

stones, and Chintz hangings . They crit icize Roe’

s l ists of goods tobe purchased .

‘And now agayne wee may beegin our last yeares

lamentation for our dwel l inge house. Our landlord wil l nott his

[s ic] , nor the cheifes perm itte us any of strength , cather to defendourselves or Offend them . One was profered , much better thenthatt wee have, butt they consent not nor provide us other. H is

Lordsh ipp continewed there frindship to the Compan ies cost ;

presented the King, Prince and others heare, att his com inge

downe, in sundrye toyes to the val lew of sterl inge, as itt

cost in England , to no other pur[pose] then requ ite ther curtesy forhis garden house 1 , and yett the rent is unpayed . S o wee doubt

not his kindnesse will prove a charge[able] custome for bribes tothese ofli cers .

’

A S to the provis ion of cal ico at Dho lka.

‘The

Company desires greater quantetyes of broad baftas then can bee

provided in Barroch [Broach] . Wee shal l experience Brodera

[Baroda] , as wel l in [that] as sundry other commodities,and thinke

you shal l do [wel l] to make tryal l in B ulka. [Wee wish] i f

possible cloth of double the breadthe of dutty . Our broker is of

opp inion the workemen of Cambay may bee induced to make 1 73 (i’

)covids broad

,which wee pray you experience .

’Directions for

accounts . ‘The prizes lad inge by the Persian factors and the

comander and many of the com[pany P] imbesseled and converted

to particular uses . Only wee weare no sharers . H is Lordsh ipphad a who le butt of Chi na dishes , a guilded bedsteed and such

like novi lties,that stop t the examinacion of othere more private

passages .’ 2 They send cop ies of consultat ions and instructions

1 Roe had stipulated (see p . 3 8) that a sui table dwel l ing should be found for him ;

and Terry ( Voy age to India , p . after describing the pleasant abodes of the wealth iernatives, wi th their gardens, tanks, &c . , adds : ‘ in such a garden-house, wi th al l thoseaccommodati ons about it, my Lord Ambassadour lay with his company at Surat the lastthree moneths before he left East India.

’

3 The factors did not dare to make this ridiculous charge against Roe in their letters tothe Company ; but as Copies of al l correspondence were sent home, they no doubtcounted upon its com ing to their masters

’notice in this indirect fash ion.

76 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

drawn by Roe, to wh ich they consented‘ for avoydinge Of his

accustomed b itter cavelacions , experienced by req inge sub

scripc ion to some other of l ike nature ’

. Dispatch of the fleet

for Achin and Bantam . D ispute over a bargain for ivory . (Copy .

5 or )

GOODS TO BE PROVIDED FOR PERS IA (fora , f .

In Agra : Shashes 1 , white and striped sugar powder and sugar

candy ; and‘ch intes of sundry sortes

’

. In Ahmadabad : ‘ch intes

’

;

raw dutties of Dho lka ; writ ing paper ; ginger,‘m irabalons and

billes [see p . 1 0] in conserves .

’ In Broach : White cal icoes , and‘eramees

’

[see p . In Surat : Steel,including ‘ long gades 2

cal led henselle ’

and round peeces cal led butt’

[see p . dry

ginger ; ginger ,‘m irabi lons and bil les in conserves

’

; shashes ;cass ia fistula ; turmeri c ; cardamoms ;

‘ lacke for dyers’

; dutties ;‘nashader 3 or saleramoniacke

’

;‘chintes of Brampore

’

; pepper ;i ron op ium tamarinds ; gunny ; cotton wool . N .B .

—No bale isto exceed in weight 1 30 lbs . avo irdupo i s , or four Surat maunds .

(Color 2on)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT. To [WILLIAM] MARTIN A-T

BROACH, MARCH 6,1 6 1 9 (Ibid., f .

Has received his letter ‘with our coach return He is to buy

sixty maunds of cardamoms without delay. (Copy . 5 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RA STELL AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT To THE FACTORS AT MASULIPATAM , MARCH 8,1 6 19

(M id , f .

They agree that no further attempt should be made to trade at

Cal i cut . Capta in Bonner,‘ i f he can meete with any vessales

belongi nge to the S amorine, wil l indeavore restitucion for the formerremaynes left in h is cuntry to bal lance thatt accompte.

’

The Dutchat Surat ‘ seemed peaceable, or elce there wantinge occacions

keepeth them more quiett ; whose expectacion of supp ly from

1 Turban-cloths .

2 The term gad was appl ied to both bars and ingots .

3 Pers . n i s/zci a’

ur , sal-ammoniac. ’

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78 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

Bangham,and which at the latter

’

s departure had been entrusted

to Sprage. H e‘ having consumed the same, and not able to give

account, i s fled both from him and our masters service,without

givinge any account or relacion of his Decann progress , and , as wee

are informed , is agayne returned into Decann,in company with

a vi llayne , a Fo rtingal l Musquette’

They reqri est that theMasul ipatam factors wi l l

‘advice Cornel ius the Dutchman att

V icepore1 that he be not induced to lend the fugitive money. If

he arrive at Masul ipatam , they request that he be apprehended andword sent to Surat . (Copy . 5 pp.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE , WILLIAM B IDDULPH ,THOMAS RA STELL

AND GILES JAMES AT SURAT To THE COMPANY,MARCH 1 2

AND (0. C.

They wrote at length by the A nne [p . but as that letter maymiscarry and they have now an opportunity of sending by a

different route, they wil l run over'

again the most material po ints .

Arrival of Bonner’s fleet , and distribution of i ts cargo . A glut of

broadcloth in India, though the price i s not much stood on (whenwanted) , beeing used by the King and nobil lity

’

. Supp ly should

be interm itted for a year. Reds, greens and yel lows are most in

favour,in that order. Kerseys are in fai r demand

,but bayes is of

l ittle use D ispute with the ‘Customer’

over the ivory, two

thousand maunds of which will sel l yearly . The ‘ Customer ’ has

detained all their lead, with intente or pretence to buy i tt but he

wil l not give the price they ask . Of the t in hal f was sent to Persi a,

and the rest landed . Supp ly of coral , hides, beads , quicksilver , and

vermil ion . Sword-blades,guns

,knives

,strong waters, &c .

, should

be sent only for use as presents . Cochineal , pearls , bonelace, gloves ,&c .

,are unprofitable ; also cham letts mohares and other Turkey

goods, which come more cheap ly from Mokha. Sat ins wil l sel l , but

tapestry, p ictures , gold lace and so on yield more vexat ion than

1 Bi japur . The person al luded to i s probably the Dutchman , great wi th the King’

mentioned in Letters Received, vol . v. pp . 1 74, 3 23 .2 This letter, sent by a native junk to Mokha for conveyance overland , is partly written

in cipher (explained by the factors as being your carracters sent forth on Captain Bestsbut the d i sgui se i s very thin. A longhand copy wi l l be found in Br i t. M us.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 7 9

gain . The conditions concluded by Sir Thomas Roe with theseCheefes concern ing them is that such parte as they shal l l ike fo r

thei r masters use bee pactt upp together, sealed with thei r scale , anddel ivered the appo inted agent to carrie upp unto the court, there

to make sale of what the Prince shal l l ike, as they can agree, pre

tending itt to reserve them only for his first sight ; which howinjuste you wil l soone perceave ; and yett to this day wee cannot

p rocure thei r cleereing , alleageing this protracc ion to thei r muchbuisnesse for dispatch of this junck, which when departed they will

perhapps bee att better leasure . This detention , as i tt is an unsupport

able wrong , soe i tt inthralleth us to many other inconveniences

and hath detaind Mr. B iddulph heere to the hindrance of the courte

affairs, sale of the goods , and investing the proceede (wee feare) forthe next retorne ; which , i f H is Lordship had p leased , m ight long

ere this have bine remedied by stopp ing

barr for a genneral l reformac ion of all

faction of al l your debts abroade ; which Oppertunity

through the Kings departure for Agra wil l never aga

ta ined ; the distance from hence thether soe greate wil l

expence of tyme , and that againe harte burning t

p rej udices before the King can have the

which in A madavas (besides

and H i s Lordships repute) had bine performed in fifteen or twenty

daees att moste .

’

D isposal of the bull ion brought . A reasonable

quantity may be sent yearly in l ieu of rials . The Exped i tion ,

returning from Persia , brought two Portuguese prizes, worth

(i rrespective of their cargoes) some two or three thousand pounds

sterl ing. State of the Pers ian trade. Some Engl ish commodities

wil l sel l there, but in thei r Op in ion the large supp ly demanded by

the factors should not be Sent unti l further cond itions be obtained .

The A nne sold only part of her cargo at Mokha, and that at

low rates . S albank thinks , however, that a hundred broadcloths

wil l sel l there yearly. They consider that Indian and‘ S outherne

’

commodities wi ll do better there than Engl ish goods . As regards

the S ituation at Surat, the papers sent by the A nne wil l Show ‘the

poore remedie wee have receaved , not on ly of our former injuries ,butt many others since, and thereby alsoe be ascertained of the

meane grace H i s Lordship stood in with this King and Prince, that ,

80 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

after three yeares attendance,att h is departure by earnest inter

cess ion could not procure the guifte of a house nor ground, nor

lycence to bui ld us a habitat ion, nor soe much as cont inue us in

this,from whence (our ryme neerely exp i red) wee shortly expect to

bee remooved . Wee have al ready sought oute and obteyned from

the ownner another, but these Cheefes wi l l nott consente wee shal l

have any nere the waterside ; and elcewhere, in the inner parte of

the towne , there is not any strong nor for us conveniente, excepte

such as belonge to bannyanes1, who wi ll not t lett them soe where

to be accomodated , as yett wee know nott . The debts remayn ing

att courte, and manner of H is Lordships lycence, you have no doubtreceaved relacion from them presente. What hee heather brought

for the establishing of your trade (h is capitulacions refused , as per

our laste advised) was only a firmaen from the King, and another

from the Prince ; the first genneral l , for our recepcion and continu

ance in h is domynnyons, as many others (more amp le) heeretoforereceaved ; the latter part iculer, for th is porte of Suratt. The fruicts

which both have produced you may please to perceave by yourgoods detencion these s ix months in customehouse

,and yett nu

releaced,and our dwel l ing uppon every triviall humor subject to

change, wherof att h is com ing to Suratt discern ing the d iscomode

t ies,hee endeavored by letters and presents to the King

,Prince

and nobillity to releeve us, and rec eaved another firmaen from the

Prince to as l i ttle purpose as the former ; wherby itt is evi dent they

have commaunds Of sundrie kindes and know which to obay, other

wise the Princes severitye cou ld not be jested with by h is servants ;the considerac ion and laste tryal l wherof caused a c leerer sight of

the omission paste, and himselfe to propose the juncks detencionnext yeare, wherin by reason of the many d ifli culti es beeingopposed, hee lefte i tt to the discrec ion Off Councell (if not releeved

in the premises), whoe wil l not eas i lie bee induced to attemp t

itt wi thout expresse order from Yo ur Worships to warrant itt , as

wel l for the affiance you had in H is Lordships wisedome (whothough hee had authoritie could not bee induced therto himselfe) ,as the K ings present remote residence 2, which perhapps, throughthe stop ing of your buisnesse err the questions decyded, might

1 A well-known term for the H indu traders of Gujarat.Jahangi r, on leaving Ahmadabad in Sept. 16 1 8 , proceeded to Agra.

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82 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

news of the result. If the venture prove futi le, she will take in the

goods sent for barter on the Expedi tion . She is also to cal l at Socotraon her way to the

'

Red S ea . The Portuguese have lately visited

Swally , and are loud in the ir threats of what they wil l do next year.You may nott therfore bee secure, for though itt bee their cu

’

stome

to threaten long, they come att laste.

’

Rumoured expuls ion of theEngl ish from Tiku . The Dutch at Surat have rece ived no suppl ies,but seem to expect some soon . No further news. Your factories

stand all in health ; the plauge increaseth in Agra ; the King att

Fettipoore1 within twelve course 2 therof. ’ The Masul ipatam

factors have received nothing from Bantam this year . This ‘ letteris sent via Mokha and A lexandria. They advise the Company tomake arrangements with some one at the latter p lace to receive andforward correspondence.

POSTSCRIPT (MARCH

Att instantt i s arryved a messenger from Goa with letters forsondry bannians here, importing dispatch o f the Port ingal fleete,

who att there coming foorth were five shipps , three of whome are

returned laden for Lisbone,and two gal l ions detayned with intentt

to joyne the other three built new this yeare (menc ioned in our

letter), and such other vessells as shalbe useful l, to possesse yourroad of Swal ly befo re your fleets arrival l , thereby to preventt yournextt yeares trade ;

4 which maye easily be performed , there gal l ies

and frigats comand ing also the r iver,and yours nott possibly

re leeved butt by fyring there shipps within the porte of Swally ;

whereto good strength is expedyentt, which wee hope in your

1 Fatehpur Sikri , twenty-three mi les from Agra.

9 HobsonJobson for tos, the usual measure of distance in India. It varies widely indifl

'

erent parts, but may be roughly taken at about two m i les .

3 In Kerridge’

s handwri ting.

4 Thi s alarm was not wi thout some justification. King Phi lip wrote to the Viceroy at

Goa in Feb. ,16 1 8

,urging that a squadron of gal leons and frigates should be sent to occupy

the port of Swal ly‘

before the arrival Of the Engl ish fleet ; but the Vi ceroy repl ied a yearl ater that he could not carry out the scheme for want of men, money, and muni tions of

war. In March, 1620, the King again urged the project, but the same answerwas returned .

Two years later he suggested that two old ships laden wi th stones should be sunk at the

entrance of the port in order to block it ; to this the Viceroy objected that such a coursewould probab ly anger the Great Mogul , and would merely drive the Engl ish to neighbouring ports. See the Li sbon Transcr ipts at I . O. , Documentos Remettidos, vol . v.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 83

expected flecte you have sentt,and maye nott continual ly relye on

so smale strength as was this lastt . God wee hope will turne there

m ischevous attempts to theire owne ru ine. Wee have written the

Ly on of this newes,thatt shee maye be warie in her returne .

’

(S eal.

E ndorsed as received over land f7anuary 1,1620 . [ n al l 145pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO THE FACTORS AT MOKHA ,MARCH 1 5 , 1 6 1 9 (Br i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 2 1 22,f .

Forwards letters for the Company, to be d ispeeded by way of

Ca iro and A lexandria, unless some better conveyance be found .

H e has also sent identical letters , one for the Venetian and the

o ther for the French Res ident at A lexandria, requesting assistance

but preference should be given to the former, as more trustworthy.

The factors should advise the Company what has passed since they

left Surat. Some white baftas now sent for sale. They are to

buy somemyrrh,sp ikenard , and turbith .

‘The factors in Persia,advisinge for commodit ies there vendable, do menc ion cowha 1 to be

there worth 24 shahees the mand Shaw 2,which mand is 1 297 l i .

haberdepoy z e and the shahee 3 the 1 3 parte of royal l of eight.’ I t

is also saleable at Surat ; so 1 00 Surat maunds Of the very bestshould be purchased . S ince the fleets departure the frigatt

armado hath beene heare, visited this juncke and taken [from]thatt of Goga m [ahm t

’

1di s] for hir lysence ; who havediversly devulged there intente and reso lucion to possesse our

po rte of Swal ly next yeare and keepe us out ; which allso wee

finde confirmed by letters from Goa to sundry banians heare , that

advise the detencion of two gall ions of the last Lisborne fleete and

the preparednesse of three o ther new built att Damon , Basineand Goa th is yeare. That att Damon arived with good art i llery

etc . and departinge to Goa, as i s allso the o ther from

Basseene .

’

The master of the L ion should be warned accordingly,and should do his best to advise the incom ing fleet . O f course

this may be mere bluster on the part of the Portuguese,but it is

wel l to be prepared . Whatsoever there intentes are, with Gods

assistance wee doubte not they w i l l find as reso lute hartes in our

p eople as heartofore.

’

(Copy . 3% pp .)1 Coffee (Arab. qa/zwa) . 9 Man-i (royal maund) .3 The sli d/ u

“

was worth about fourpence (Letters Received, vol . i i i . pp. 1 76,

G 2

84 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

THOMAS KERRIDGE , THOMAS RASTELL, AND GILES JAMESAT SURAT TO THE FACTORS AT AGRA , MARCH 1 6

, I 6 i 9 (Ibid .,

f

As to the robbery of John Young’

s qafila . They blame the

Bolloches 1 for the disaster. The robbery is bel ieved to have beencomm itted by ‘ some of Shaw Narasaus [see p . 60] servantesunder pretence of custom or radaree 2, whereof it seemes demand

was made and not paid ti l l afterwards They suspect the

Bolloches of purloin ing some of the packages . The Caze hererefuses to give the certificates necessary to make a c laim for

restitution,and the chiefs wil l not force h im to do so . D irections

as to accounts. They think it probably cheaper to buy lac at

Agra, though the dana 3 and the refined lacke cal led chupra“ may

be procured nearer hand’

, as al so ‘the ruslacke [see p . 64] both

on stickes and in clodes’

. The first and last may now be had at

Surat for about 1 1 or 1 2 mahmfidi s per maund, but if the prices atAgra

,with charges added , come to about the same

,they will not

trouble them . They approve the factors’

purchases of indigo, andurge them to buy more ; also 200 p ieces of ch intes

’

for Persia.

D irections for the quilts required ;‘ some, all of on kinde of

chinte 5,the lyninge and upper parte of one and the same ; some

of differinte ch intes, yet such as eather side may be used ; and

some to have borders only of different cul lers,aboute a covide

deepe, to hange by the bed side on all sides al ike, and the inner

parte of the quilte allso to bee both sides al ike. This last i s most

used in Ind ia, and wee th inke wil l be most pleasinge in England .

They must be a l ittle thicker and stronger sticht then ordinary, for

there better lastinge. Lawne quiltes wee do [not conceave soe

fi tt for England as if they were of semianoe, amberttes or sahume

cloth , which wil l be much more lastinge , stichte with birdes ,heastes or worke very thicke, such as used by the Mores insteed of

carp itts . Of this sorte there comes, itt seemes, from Bengala.

1 Baluchi s,employed as guards.

2 Pers.-H ind . ra’

bddr i’

, or charge for guarding the road .

3 Seed-lac ( ldblc Shel l-lac (cbapra l i b/c) .5 It is evident from this and other passages that the factors used chintes as a plural .

Our chintz es ’is therefore a redupl ication. Cf. the remarks in the Oxford E ng .

D i ct. , s. v.

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86 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

Agra. The indigo was bought ‘ in the aldeas l’

at 24 and 25rupees per maund , and l ikly sti l l to fal l In pri ce.

’ They request

an expression of op in ion whether in these circumstances it would

not be better to buy less at Ahmadabad and more at Agra . A

samp le of cloth dyed carnat ion should be forwarded to Agratogether with that now sent . Supp ly of ambertees

,gum-lac , and

camphor .‘

(Copy . 1 p .)

PASS GIVEN BY THE SURAT FACTORS TO A SURAT JUNK,

MARCH 22, 1 6 19 (Ibid ., f .

Recommend the bearer, Hacka Parracke 2, beeinge servante to

V irgee Vora [V i rji VOra] , merchante of this c ittie,

’

to the

courteous usage of al l English ships . (Copy 5 p.)

CAPTAIN MARTIN PRING,ABOARD THE ROYAL

,IN

THE STRAITS OF SUNDA,TO THE COMPANY

,MARCH 23 ,

1 6 1 9

(0. C.

Forwards a copy of h is previous letter [see p . After the

departure of the Bull , the rest of the fleet held on the ir course

down the west coast of India . In lat . 1 1°

25’ they descried the

Portuguese fleet from Malacca making for Goa , and chased butcould not overtake them . On Ap ri l 2 [ 1 6 1 8] they anchored in theBay of ‘ Brenjan

’

[see p . and spent three days taking in

water , goats , hens , &c . The peop le are treacherous , and i t would

not be safe for a single ship to water there. On April 7 saw Cape

Comorin . Nathaniel Salmon , master of the Gif t, died on the

1 oth ; he was rep laced by John Hatch, while R ichard Newel l was

made master Of the Bee. On'

Apri l 14 the latter ship was

dispatched to Masul ipatam . Next day the Gif t parted companyfor Sumatra, leaving Pring in the 7 ances , wi th the F rancis and a

Portuguese priz e, to sail direct for Bantam . On May 13 the

Francis was cast off as unserviceable. They arrived at Bantam

Vi l lages (Port. aldea ) .9 Possibly Haq Parak . The Paraks were an eminent family of banyas in Surat and

Diu. They are often mentioned in the Company’s correspondence with Surat

’

(Hedges’

D iary ,vol . i i . p . On Jul y 20, 168 3, the Court voted to Bingee Parack, the Companies

Banyan at Suratt’

,a gold medal and chain of the value of 1 501.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 8 7

June 1 9. [The rest of the letter deals w ith the quarrel with theDutch , the siege of Jakatra

,&c .] (Holog rap/c. 1 5 pp . A copy ,

sent via M asulzpatam and S ura t,i s among Di e 0. C. Dupl icates .)

D IRECTIONS FROM THE SURAT FACTORS To ROBERT

HUTCHINSON,PROCEEDING TO BARODA

,MARCH 26

,1 6 1 9

(Bri t. i ll us . Eg er ton M S . 2 1 22, f .

The slowe d ispatch of our form er yeares investment in Barroch ,

and the provic ion which the M ogul l merchantes of this and other

p laces do usual ly p rovide in Brodra ,both for the Red S ea and

sowards,hath given us occacion to determ ine your repayre thether

to experience as well the commod ities of the p laces mencioned as

thebroad baftaes and other [goods fi ttinge England .

’

Haggee

[Hajs] i s to accompany h im as broker, and he i s to take with him

mahmfidi s in bil ls and cash . On arrival he is to procure

musters of the goods required and forward them to Surat ; and

further ‘to publ ish unto the brokers and wol lners of the towne

your intente to sett them a worke in the makinge of broade baftaes

such as wee now provide att Barroch He should give out

mahm iidi s to four or five of the most suffi cient brokers,and urge

them to start work at once. Kerridge wil l come up later‘to

indeavore the lowe cuttinge of the first prices &c . They havedel ivered patterns to the broker, and o rdered others from Broach .

List of musters to be provided at Baroda. (Copy . 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RA STELL,

AND GILES JAMES

AT SURAT TO WILLIAM MARTIN AT BROACH,MARCH 26

,1 6 1 9

(Ibid . , f .

Request him to del iver patterns of certain cloths to RobertHutchinson . Money due from the brother of the Governor of

B roach . They hope to hear how many broad baftas he has

ready, and as to the prices . (Copy . 5 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT TO

WILLIAM MARTIN AT BROACH,APRIL 1 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid. , f .

H is bil ls have been paid , and he may draw for more . Purchaseof cardamoms . Of the baftas sen t, the coarse are extremely dear

,

and the fine not very cheap . Have sent him bil ls for

8 8 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

mahmfidi s . Wee are sorry your governor hath the customes of

Borroch,fearinge he will be worse then hearetofore .

’

(Copy . 1 p. )

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL

,AND GILES JAMES

AT SURAT To JOHN BANGHAM,APRIL 2, 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

,

Learning the trouble he has had on h is way [from Agra] toBurhanpur, they send one of thei r brokers ‘

to cleere your goods

att Dayta [see p . 74] and Badore 1,which are the p laces of

greatest tol l twixt this and Brampore’

. B iddulph and John

Young left Surat four days ago for Agra, and will doubtless have

told h im all the news. (Copy . 5 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT TO’

THE FACTORS AT MASULIPATAM,APRIL 4 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

Wrote last on March 8 [see p . The quantities specified in

thei r l ist of goods to be provided for Tiku seem unduly low.

‘The

iron you mention to be cal led looba boot2 is not heare knowne.

A sorte of steele heare is cal led by that name, made up in another

forme,way inge 45 seare of 1 8 p[ ice] the seare

,and i s worth at

presente 24 m [ahmfidis the] corge or skore. Heare is al lso

another sorte of [steel] that is cal led hensta3, which is drawne

longer, in gads l ike the skoole ferrel, and weyeth meare aboute

25 seare the peece, worth some 1 1 m [ahmfidi s the] corge.

’ They

request further details. I f any intell igence comes from Bantam of

Surat goods vendible there,they would be glad to hear as soon as

possible. (Copy . 1 73

, pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL

,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT To WILLIAM B IDDULPH , &C . [AT BURHANPUR P] , APRIL6 AND 7 , 1 6 1 9

Have learnt by his and John Bangham’

s letters of the detention

of the caravan at Burhanpur by‘ that neast of rouges

’

,and his

1 Bhadwar. Finch (P urclzas, vol . i . p . 424) places i t 1 0 kos east of Dhaita and 7 bos

west of Nandurbar ; he describes i t as a filthy towne and ful l of theeves He also saysthat this towne i s the last ofnote in PectOpshaws [Partab Shah see p . 74 n .] land whichaccounts for the levying of tol ls there.

2 H ind . lo/za'

,

‘ iron,

’and bota

'

,‘a lump or piece.

’ The ironworker of Gujarat is stil l

cal led a lo‘ bdr .

3 The hensel le’

of p. 76 and‘henslaus

’of p . 94. The derivation is not known.

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96 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

p rom ised to give them a letter to the Khankhanan on thei r behalf,but in l ieu thereof has this morn ing sent them a threatning of

constraynte i f wee come not to agreement with the Pattan They

mean to return a reso lute deniall They forward a letter (open)to the Khankh

'

anan explain ing matters . (Copy . 35 pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RA STELL, AND GILES JAMES To

‘ THE OFFICERS OF S URATTE APRIL 6,1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

,f .

Have examined the papers sent to them regarding the claim for

ch ina entrusted to N i cho las Bangham , but find it i s entirely a

private transaction . The claim against the Company is manifestlya p lo t , and the w itnesses are Armenians , that are ignorante of our

customs and affayres.

’

I f,however

,they deem it j ust , ‘

you have

goods in your power of our masters to satisfie i t,but not with our

consentes thereto ,nor can wee give al lowance . It is very well

knowne wee pay where wee owe,without compulc ion .

’ Theyrequest a letter to the Khankhanan that the fugitive [Sprage] maybe del ivered to them , in accordance with the Prince

’

s farman,and

that resti tution may be made for the loss of goods and their servants‘ in h is sonnes jeaugeere

1

(Copy . 1 p .)

THE SAME To JOHN BANGHAM AT BURHANPUR , APRIL 7 , 1 6 1 9(Ibid ., f .

A re sorry to hear of his mischance (for which he i s not in any

way to blame), and hope that B iddulph on his arrival wil l be able

to put matters straight . They have accepted his bi l l , and wil l see

to i ts payment . (Copy . 5 p .)

PET ITION OF THE ENGLISH RESIDENT IN SURAT To ‘ THE LORD

CANCANA,SHIELD OF THE SOULDERS APRIL 8 , 1 6 19 (Ibid .

,

An English caravan from Agra of camels is detained at

Chopra2, and the Engl ishman in charge carried back to Burhanpur,

at the sui t of a Portuguese who claims to have left certain china

two years ago with the Engl ish res iding in that c ity . They urge

that if the allegation were true,Soares ought to have made his

1 Pers .ja‘

gi r , an assignment of land and the income derived therefrom .

1 On the road from Burhanpur to Surat , about sixty m i les from the former ci ty.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 9 1

claim before the person to whom he entrusted the goods embarked

for England and-they think the whole matter has been concocted

by ‘an

’

Armen ian fugitive from the K inge of Persia, a runaway

Portingall cal led Musquette, and an Engl ish servante fled from us’

.

The Cristians law in this case injoyneth the receavers to satisfaction

only , [as] doth that allso of the Musel lman, according whereto [we]doubt not Your H onnors sentence

,which our brother M r. B iddulph ,

who is go inge to the K inges derbarre1, wi ll attend and certefie Your

H onnor the damage sustayned by this detenc ion .

’ Second ly, they

beg for compensation and j ustice for the attack on a previous

caravan pass inge betweene Mandarabarree and S undelva ,your

famous sonne Shawnawaschans [see p . 60] province Further, they

request that Thomas Sprage may be arrested and del ivered to

M r. B iddulph , in order that he may be sent to Surat for trial, in

accordance with the Prince’s farman . (Copy . 15 pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE, THOMAS RA STELL, AND GILES JAMES ATSURAT To THE FACTORS AT AGRA , APRIL 8 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

Recommend a sheraffe [see p . 8 n .] named Nattashawe [NathtiShah] , who has res ided at Surat the last two or three years and has

often done bus iness with them . He i s now removing to Agra in

consequence of the King’

s departure from Gujarat . (Copy . 5p .)

THE SAME To THE FACTORS AT AHMADA’

BAD,APRIL I O

,1 6 1 9

(may . 73 )

The rials they paid on the last bi lls from Agra,‘beeinge d ispeeded

towards Mo l ies were stolen and some Of the attendants ki lled .

Four of the robbers were captured, and three have paid the penal ty

with their l ives,sp itted on so many stakes . ’ This loss

,which is of

upwards of mahm ii di s, and the deferring of ‘the Princes

caz ana3,al lso many dayes s ince intended to be del ivered for

exchange to Agra ‘makes the towne destitute eather ofm[ahmfidi s]

to exchange or good takers but they hope to make rem ittancesshortly. They relate thei r troubles , for which they blame Roe.

1 Court (Pers. darba‘

r ) .1 Probably Mulher , near Jai tépur, in Baglan,

i s intended . Finch in 16 10 speaks of

Mul iere, where the mamudees are coyned (P ure/car, vol . i . p.

1 H ind . Hzazdna,‘treasure.

’

92 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

On sending Hutchinson to Baroda to sett afoote the makinge of

broad baftas proh ibic ion , by letters to that Govem or,.presently

fo l lowed and on thei r commencing purchases in Nosfiri and

Broach,the authorities have given cutba 1 to the brokers of both

p laces that they shal l nether sel l goods to us nor buy any for the

Engl ish ; the l ike they have al lso done in S uratt ; wherof requiringethe reason , they answered , as to H is Lordship and as they formerly

p rotested, that they will not give way to our trad in the Red S ea

nor sufl’

er us to buy any of the goods exported thether, and under

cu l ler of these indeavor our prevencion of al l other and wouldlymitte us our broad baftaes , say inge our last yeares provicion

hindered theres and made them loade the Princes shippe with

tobaccoe . These arguments wee indeavored by reason to confute,and the concluc ion is wee shal l be suffered to buy in Barroch our

woonted commodities,but none for Red S ea, and in no other p lace

menc ioned .

’

Still,they wi l l do their best to provide the quantities

required for England and e lsewhere . Another trouble has arisenfrom a claim made by Soares for china left with N icholas Bangham ,

of which part was passed on to Sprage ; the latter consumed it ,and has now consp ired with others to make the Company respon

sible . A ‘Pattan has arrived from Burhanpur to require sat isfact ionfrom the Surat factors

,mak inge the custoomes of ban ians i n that

kind a presidente, pretend inge meere j ustice .

’ This they have

abso lutely refused . Meanwhile the Agra caravan has been detained

at Chopra, some th irty course on this side Brampore,’ by the orders

of the Khankhanan . B iddu lph wil l endeavour to obtain i ts release,and the apprehension of Sprage, for whose emp loyment,

‘after

knowledge of his loose l ife and profuse expence ,’ they blame the

late ambassador. Commercial detai ls . Cuttonees [see p . 10 n.] for

qui ltes should not be sent,as they intend to employ the tailors to

make some of white cal ico . Forward a l ist of Bantam commod ities

to be provided in Ahmadabad . Kerridge intends to proceed shortly

to Broach and Baroda. The Dutch, having sould there fayrebrasse ordinance 2

, disperse there factors to invest the proceede in

1 Pers. bi ta‘

ba,

a wri tten order.’1 These were the gunswhi ch had been saved from the wreck of the M iddelburg . They

were sold to the native authori ties, who mounted them on the wal ls of the castle see Van

Twist’s Generate Besc/zr i/vinge van l udion , 1648 , p . 10.

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94 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

THOMAS KERRIDGE, THOMAS RA STELL, AND GILES JAMES ATSURAT To WILLIAM B IDDULPH [AT BURHANPUR] , APRIL 1 2

,

1 6 1 9

Progress of the dispute with the Pathan , whi ch has been referred

to Burhanpur. They deny any knowledge of the china transaction

but the poynt wee must incist one and that you are to al leadge i s

that, both Swarez and wee beeinge Cristians , the difference must

bee decyded accord inge to our own lawe, which never compe l ls

a master to satisfie sarvantes debtes, except procured by h is order.

’

They hope he has succeeded in obtain ing the release of the caravan

if necessary , a bribe may be proferred . (Copy . 1 5 pp .)

THE SAME TO ROBERT HUTCHIN SON AT BARODA, APRIL I 5 ,1 6 1 9

They fear the effect of IS-haq Beg’

s letter to the Governor of

Baroda . He is therefore to address himself to the latter, and

sol ic it permission to trade, po inting out th e benefits l ikely to accrue

to the inhabitants , and appeal ing to the K ing’s grant of free trade in

all h is dominions. If the Governor will agree,they wi l l acknow

ledge his curtes ie some other way in his part icu lar’

; if not, they

will provide elsewhere . Hutchinson should ask the principal dealers

to join him in the pet ition . They also enclose a letter they have

wri tten to the Governor to second his request. (Copy . 1 p .)

GOODS TO BE PROVIDED FOR SUMATRA (Ibid ., f .

In S urat : Cotton wool ; seribaffes ,’

blue,white

,and red

,the last

to be dyed at Burhanpur steel of sundry sorts, vi z .

‘l ickmapOre

’

(Lakh impur P), smal l , m iddle, and grand ,‘ henslaus,

’

and‘ butt ’

[see p . Surat gird les or‘iekatt p ingar

1 ’

;‘ byrams wh itte of

Derngam [Dharangaon] red ditto, to be dyed at Burhanpur. Total ,mahmfidi s In Broacn: Canekeens trycandees

’

;‘baftas

’

of various kinds ;‘sealas

’

; and the fo l lowing stuffs : ‘necanee

,

capparia, hussaree, popi llee, jaro lee, chiram (grand and li ttle),chokerian

,chekar red .

’ Total,mahm i

‘

rdi s In A /i rnadabad

and Cambay :‘ S ealas red

’

;‘mutfoone

’

;‘

cheentes’

;‘ baftas red

’

;

1 Malay i leat, to bind,

’andp i ngang ,

‘the wai st.

’

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 95

‘tapich inde

’

;‘

pattolas si lke ’

;‘byrames blue.

’ Total,rupees

(Corr 25 112)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL

,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT To WILLIAM MARTIN [AT BROACH] , APRIL 20 , 1 6 19

He is to press forward the buying of narrow baftas, as thei r hopes

of procuring suppl ies elsewhere are utterly extinguished . They

fear trade at Baroda will not be granted , and i t appears that orders

have been given even at Broach ‘to prevent us of the Red S ea

commodities ’. He is to purchase al l he can get . For canekeenes

and‘

trycandees1you may a llso begine to provide baftas and dutties

fittinge into your house.

’ Kerridge hopes to be with h im shortly .

The cardamoms he bought have arrived , and they are troubled for

room to stow them , beeinge day ly called uppon to del iver up our

house [and] unprovided of any other.’

(Copy . 15pp .)

THE SAME TO ROBERT HUTCHINSON [AT BARODA] , APRIL 2 1 ,1 6 1 9 (Ibid . , f .

Perceive he has invested part of his cash , and urge him to

d istribute the rest speedily. If the Governor wil l resist the pressure

put on him from Surat, they wil l gladly make a much larger investment than they had at first intended . Vaggee [Hajfl see p . 8 7]the broker must be satisfied with one per cent . (Copy . 15 pp .)

THE SAME TO THE SAME,APRIL 25 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid ., f .

Wee are not ignorant of the benifitt that p lace [Baroda] would

yeald us, as wel l in the cheaper buy inge of our commodities as

conveniency in there dispatch , if wee m ight bee suffered freely totrade, which now is beecome the question . Your Governors answere

,

though [ it] seeme p lausable, differeth not from the innate d issimulac ion that is in al l of them .

’

A s a means Of influencing him , they

1 Canekeen is said to be from the Mahratt‘i bbandabi (Sanskrit khandaka, a piece orfragment

’

) through the Port. canegu inz ; and in trycandee’We may perhaps trace the

Sanskrit and Mahratti’ tr i t a‘

ndo,meaning ‘

three sections From th is passage and a letter

to Persia given below (Oct. 29, i t appears that the former was made from bciftasand the latter from dboti

'

s,and that their names were due to ‘ theire shortnes and

dying respectively.

96 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

now send ‘a firman of the K inges, perm ittinge our free trade in al l

his domin ions, obtayned by Mr . B iddulph, as effectuall in our

Oppinions as that procured by S ir Thomas Roe’

. They would

have sent the latter, as being of more recent date, but it has beendispatched to Burhanpur to he lp in clearing the Agra caravan .

A bottle of strong waters forwarded as a present to‘Casalba Chan

[the Governor] . They await the promised musters . (Copy . 1 p .)

THE SAME TO THE SAME,APRIL (Ibid .

, f .

They have received his letter, but at present have nothing toadd to theirs of the 25th . (Copy . 5 p .)

THE SAME TO WILLIAM MARTIN [AT BROACH] , APRIL 29,

1 6 1 9

He i s r ight to be careful in his buying,but must avo id delay, as

other purchasers‘will day ly assuredly increase, both from hence

and Dabul l , as they have yearly done towards the approch of the

raynes ’. H e has underestimated the quantity of narrow baftas

required , including‘coorse sortes to make canekeenes By earnest

suit they have obtained perm ission to emp loy mahmfidi s

which was in Nunsery and partly invested before the proh ibicion

With these and what they can purchase secretly they hope to get

p ieces ; the rest Broach must yield . K erridge’

s journey is

sti ll delayed . N0 news yet of the release of the Agra caravan .

‘ Certayne Fortingal l frigates hath been twice wi thin this monthatt the shore [att] Swally , sounded the roade, shoules and channel ls,

publishinge and makinge shew of reso lucion to attempt our fleetethe next yeare ; confirmed allso by writtinge from Goa.

’

(Copy .

15 or.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To JOHN BANGHAM [ATBURHANPUR] , MAY 3 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid . , f .

Certify that the bearers (‘ these Balloches ’

) yesterday del iveredto him the pn soner, Thomas Sprage. They have been given twomahm iidi s ‘

enaume 1’

. (Copy . 5 p .)1 Arabic indm ,

a gi ft. ’ The word i s used in Western India as equivalent to bab/zs/z islz(see HobsonJobson , zud ed., p .

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98 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

forwarded . If the Governor should sti l l refuse perm ission to trade,Hutch inson is to sol icit leave to invest merely the Small sum he

took with h im . Should th is be granted, he i s to make the investment

as soon as poss ible, and then repai r to Broach . If the Governordenies all concession , he must leave h is money with one of the

securest brokers , that underhand may provide the goods youappoynt and send them securely to Barroch The musters are

very satisfactory . He i s to return the farmans to B roach speedily.

Copy . 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RA STELL, AND G ILES JAMES

AT SURAT TO WILLIAM MARTIN [AT BROACH] , MAY 1 2 AND1 3 , 1 6 1 9

Would be glad to hear of quicker p rogress in his investments .H i s advances to the brokers should not be on too l iberal a scale ;‘ i t is l ikely they imp loy our monyes to other uses or make profitt

by interest .’ Fear the Baroda attempt wil l be a fai lure . B i l ls for

mahmfid‘

i s sent. (Copy . 1 p .)

THE SAME To ROBERT HUTCHINSON [AT BARODA] , MAY 1 4 ,

1 6 1 9

On further consideration they send a certified Copy and not the

original farman . If he cannot obtain permission to invest his

money himself,he is to del iver it ‘ with al l privitie unto two

Bannyans, brokers o f that towne, cal led [J]angee Madoytee [Jz’

moji

Madhoji P] and Ramlecba [Rémr ikhbhai who are parteners and

respondentes of Tapydas [Tapi’

Das] , a cheefe broker of thatt

p lace, who is now heare’

,and has written to those merchants

accordingly. He is then to repayre home as quickly as possible .

(Com/ i

THE SAME To THE FACTORS AT BROACH, MAY 1 4, 1 6 1 9

Have sent mahmfidi s by the bearers,‘ i n three bagges

made fast about there m idles .

’

(Copy . p.)

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT TO

THE FACTORS AT BROACH,MAY 21 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid. , f .

Forward mahmfid i s by the bearers .

‘Your latter letter

importinge the send inge of our surgean [to P] your Governor wasseconded by one from himselfe to the [same] effecte ; whom wee

may very wel l spare for the sm [all] use wee have Of h im in

respecte Of ourselves, but a dangerous cure, which (unknowne to

us) he undertook uppon a poore man that hath an impostume, will

[requ ire] h is speedy returne, or indanger the mans l ife ; which

[wee] p ray you s ign ifie unto the Governor. Wee p ray you further

to have an especial l care [to] keepe h im sober, that wee be not

through h im genera[lly] skandal ised by these infidel ls ; which ,excep t you looke [very] narrowly to him (if any stronge drinke besti rringe) , you wil l hardly performe.

’

P . S .— TO-morrow they wi l l

send a case of A l icante to the Governor,and some gunny for the

factory . (Com/ 1 5 P11 )

THE SAME TO THE SAME,MAY 22, 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

They forward 1 95 corge of gunny,which cost with carriage 3495

mahm ii d i s . (Copy . 5 p .)

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS

RA STELL TO GILES JAMES,PROCEEDING TO BURHANPUR ,

MAY 23 , 1 6 1 9

In passing through Chopra ,he is to see whether the goods there

are p roperly housed . At Burhanpur he may ei ther address the

Nawz’

ib direct or through one of h is best esteemed servants,using

for such purpose the presents supp l ied to h im . If he succeeds in

Obtaining the release Of the goods, he should get a formal certificate

of the j udgement, and also advise M r . B iddulph , in order that he

may get a confirmat ion from the K ing or Prin ce, as a securi ty

against future cla ims . I f j ustice be refused , B iddulph must agitate

the matter at court . Goods to be procured at Burhanpur and

Dharangéon . He i s also to inquire about some broad white

l inen cloth from Go lconda , made in the fash ion of sheets, cal led

]etan’

, 45 covids by 25 ; also ‘a kinde of stufe cal led

H 2

100 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

tessa[ Both these are l ikely to be suitable for England .

E nclosure.— Goods to be provided in Burhanpur and Dhi rangaon .

( I ) For Persia : sal-ammoniac and ‘chintes

’

. (2) For Bantam‘byrames

,

’ wh i te and red . (3) For Sumatra‘serebaffes

,

’ whiteand red

,and by rames

’

of the same co lours. (4) For Mokha‘ byrames ,

’ white , and‘serebaffes

’

, white . (5) For England °

‘ byrames ,’ white and red . A lso to inquire as to gum

-lac, pepper,copper, and dry ginger. (Copy . 3 pp.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RASTELL AT SURAT To

THE FACTORS AT BROACH,MAY (Ibid . , f .

They are sorry to hear of the impediments put in the way of

thei r bus iness . Forward a bil l of exchange which they have taken

at the request of the late Governor, [Jamal Khan] .

A s to the payment of other bil ls . They would do wel l to ceasebuying narrow baftas fo r a t ime

,or e lse beat down the price, to

force the weavers to supp ly the broad baftas wanted . If the

surgeon is not needed,he should be sent back . He was only

dispatched at the Governor’

s urgent request ;‘ but they would

seeme to s l ight him to make h is reward the lesse .

’ Wee tryed al l

the meanes wee could to have procured commodities from Brodera ,

which since itt prevayleth not,i t must be parcell Of our sufferance ,

which with many other abuses heare makes our greefe compleate .

’

(Corr I t in . )

THE SAME TO THE FACTORS AT AHMADABAD, MAY 29, 1 6 19

(Ibid ., f .

Their letters rece ived . As to the supply of indigo . B i l ls wil l

shortly be sent to p rovide funds for further investments. They

comp la in o f the abuses under which they suffer,but can see no

immediate remedy. Mr. B iddu lph had conference with the

Khéinkhénan about the detained indigo , but was unable to effectits release

,as certain Armenians test ified that ‘

the custome o f

Turkee ingageth the consul l or che i fe to answer the defectes of al l

other men Of there nacion The claim is for rupees . Theya l lowed B iddulph to Offer to compound the matter but this

i s useless,as they hear that the Nabobe and his cheife sarvantes

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THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

‘

pettolas’ in the Cambay l ist because they thought that the

cullers best requested will soonest bee procured bespoken They

are aware that ready-made ones,‘ that come from Patt1mee

1,

’

may be purchased at either Cambay or Ahmadabad. They haveset down the cattle of the latter factory at 147 rupees 40 . A s to

the marking of bales . They have received Offers for their bul lion,

but have not yet dec ided . The exchange at present is 4 15 rupees

per hundred mahm iidi s . Mr. Freeman died May (Copy . 5pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RASTELL AT SURAT TO

FRANCIS FETTIPLACE , &c ., AT AGRA , JUNE 6 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

,f .

B iddulph will have told them of the detention of the caravan and

the measures taken to secure its release.

‘Wee have procured the

Dutches certificate, test ified by the Casee and Cheefes , consern inge

the customes of Cristendome,in contrad ic ion of what was there

alleadged by the A rmeanians,and have allso written unto Swarez

att V i z eapore’

[see p . If these means fail,they must rely on

Biddulph’

s efforts at court. John Bangham is sti l l at Burhanpur.

The sugar caravan has arrived in safety . The transporte of goods

without Eng[ l ishmen] wee see is [both] more speedy and lessechargeable, and doubtlesse, [if those] intrested bee honest, moresecure , the cuntry every[where] incrOch inge one strangers, who at

t imes,knoweinge [not] when to give nor where to restrayne , run

into need [less] dangers , as the former yeares cafila 3,by stand inge

out for a petty dutye to a chowkee 4 (if the Bal loches informac ion

be true) , came to that prej udice .

’ They find l ittle o r no saving in

p rice by bringing sugar from Agra, i t being usual ly procurable at

Surat for eight or nine mahmfidi s per maund of 1 8 p ice . A s,

however,they cannot rely on the local market for a quantity

sufficient for their needs,they request that an endeavour be made

to contract for maunds of sugar and 200 of sugar candyyearly, to be del ivered at Surat instead ofAgra, such commodities

beeinge usual ly transp orted on oxen and not on camel ls .

’

Accounts

and debts . Supp ly of indigo , semians,

’ ‘ambertees,

’ ‘ch intes,

’

1 Probably Patan, on the Saraswati , in Baroda terr itory.1 Robert Freeman was appointed a factor in Oct. , 1 6 1 7 , and went out in Bonner

’

s fleet.Roe selected him for employment at Agra , but he did not l ive to take up the post.

1 See p . 3 1 n .

1 A customs or tol l-station (H ind. c/zaulzi ) .

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 103

Bengala qui ltes and Chowtars John Wil loughby to be third atAgra ,

and John Parker fourth . (Copy . 4 pp.)

THE SAME To WILLIAM B IDDULPH AT AGRA , J UNE 6 , 1 6 1 9

(M ida f . 95)

Have received his account of his proceedings at Burhénpur and

the Nawab’

s‘ unj ust sentence for satisfac ion Of the Chyna, together

w ith your opynion in stopp inge there juncke for itts releace’

, or

K erridge’

s repair thither to compound matters . The goods have

s ince been taken to Burhanpur, and p laced in the common sera 1

to await the further orders of the Nawab , who has given the factors

one or two months to procure rebutting evidence from Surat .‘Wee p rocured these Cheefes to require of the Dutch as wel l the

custome of English and of al l other Cristians in this particuler ;which

,after sundry delayes uppon considerac ion or distrust of ther

owne damage , they effected,wherto the Dutches answere was

l iberal ly in express ion of the truth ; which by the Caz ee and the

said cheifes were s igned , and the same (Mr. Rastells accounts not

finished) sente by M r . James to Brampore, together with our

second peticion to the Nabobe, expressinge these wronges .

’

If thisfai ls to secure justice they must consider composition ; but theyfear the latter course wil l be expensive and difficult to j ustify to

the Company. They place their hopes rather in B iddulph’

s effortsat court to remedy that and other abuses. Deta i ls Of the latter.‘

Last ly, you shal l perceave wee are now expulsed our house and

setled in three others of lesse magnitude,whereof on is that R i chard

S teel le had,and thother two so neare adjoyninge as by high

rentes wee cou ld procure , and our fam i l ies ar devided into them ;

bes ides which wee have al lso two o r three warehouses, and had the

Agra or Amadavas goods come downe,must have had twice as

many more. Wee were prom ised one that, though in some p lacesruinated

,would have served us al l , and gave our quondam Governo r

a bribe in hope thereof ; but the Captain of the Castel l opposed ittas too neare him .

’ They are unwi ll ing to hazard the trade of India

by s trong measures , but des ire the op in ions of the Agra factors on

the po int . They have released Sprage in consideration of his good

behaviour . Death Of Freeman . (Copy . 45 pp .)Caravanserai (Pers .

1 04 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT TO THEFACTORS AT BROACH

,JUNE 8 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

,f .

To ll levied on the gunny sent . U rge them to buy p lenty of

narrow baftas . Payment of a bil l of exchange. They are sorry thesurgeon was sent for on a bootless errand . (Copy . 1 p .)

THE SAME TO THE SAME , JUNE 1 3 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .,f .

A s to payment of a bill of exchange . They deprecate making

large advances to brokers. The better course i s to deal d irect,by

cal linge the wo rkmen home to our house.

’ Kerridge wi l l come as

soon as he can get away, but they must push on with the purchaseof baftas. Have sent s ix servants with mahmfidi s . (Copy .

l ace )

THE SAME To GILES JAMES AT BURHANPUR , J UNE 1 8,1 6 1 9

(M id-J 99)

They are sorry to hear of the Khankhanan’

s refusal to rece ive h im ,

on the pretext that the petition was not properly made up ,‘when

indeed it is much more submiss ion in del iveringe itt open, ac

customed heare to the Kinge butt any thinge may serve whereis intenc ion to wronge .

’ From Swarez wee have this instante

receaved answere of [that] sente him ,wherein he refirreth h imselfe

to the j ustice att [Burhanpur makinge a large apol ig ie in excuse,but Offereth no con [dit ions P] of agreement other then the informa

cion of the vallew,already given ; so there is no expectance of

ought from him butt the worst h is m ischevous harte can devise.

’

If no remedy can be obtained there, rel iance must be p laced on

Biddulph’

s efforts at court . Rem ittance of money . Provision of

c loth at Dhé rangaon . One of the‘

guetunes1 ’

should have

been sent to confirme us in the commodity ’

. A hundred maunds

of gum-lac to be bought for Persia. They send b i lls for

rupees mahmfi d i s at 4 15 and 4 15 rupees per hundred

mahmud i s),‘

payable at four duble dayes as per custome.

’

(Copy .

an .)1 This i s probably the same as Van Twist

’

s goutom which he describes as a si lk clothwi th coloured stripes (Generate B escbri/vinge van l nd i en , p .

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1 06 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

THE SAME To THE SAME , JULY 5 , 1 6 19 (Ibid .

, f .

Has rece ived the bil ls of exchange . Advises the raising of the

price of lead . As their present residence has‘ lym itte of only four

mouthes ’

,he thinks a special warehouse should be hired for the

lead some stronge wal led house In the bazar neare the custome

house.

’ Amber should be so ld . Regard ing the scarf appropriated

by the Customer. (Copy . 1 p .)

THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT To THOMAS KERRIDGE, &c .

,AT

BROACH , JULY 5 , 1 6 19 (I bid .,f .

Advises a further remittance . They have sold five bags of rial s

at 5 mahmfidi s 5 p ice per rial . By a coup le of‘masores

’

and

a‘cahare they send the A l icante and other things wanted for the

Governor. The hides are‘ covered over with a mumjama

1 to

defend them from wettinge’

.

‘ By a torye 2 of Ragapore3(there

lately arrived) is newes brought of the Princes sh ipp and our Lyons

safe arrivall before Mocha,where by reason Of none other as yett

there arrived,and few th is yeare expected , all sortes of goods ar

said to bee in great request .’

(Copy . 15 pp .)

THOMAS RASTELL AND ROBERT HUTCHINSON AT SURAT TO

THOMAS KERRIDGE , &c . , AT BROACH,JULY 10

,1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

,

f .

They are glad that B iddulph has Obtained a farman from the

Prince, but fear the intentions of the Khankhénan are‘ unj ust and

partiall’

. The Customer has made an offer for the who le of thei r

lead,but Rastel l thinks i t should not be accepted , as this

‘ monopal is inge unto himself the so le advantage and benifitte of

[our P] stap lest commod itie’

may constitute an awkward pre

cedent . Negotiations for the sale of amber. Relaxat ion of

the restrict ions at Nosar‘

i but the Governo r ‘ will not beare of

B rodera’

. Sa le of three bags of rial s at 5 mahmfidi s 2 p ice .

(Conf 19.-er .)1 H ind . nzonzjaina , wax-cloth .

’ 1 H ind. tar t", a boat.’3 Rajapur , in Ratniigiri district.

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 1 07

THOMAS KERRIDGE,WILLIAM MARTIN

,AND R ICHARD BARBER

AT BROACH TO THE FACTORS AT S URAT,JULY

The bills of exchange have been du ly received ; they request

or mahmfid i s more. The Governor now affectsindifference regarding the hides

,&c . ; possibly he expectes them

p isquesh1 Regarding the further detent ion of the Agra caravan

by the offi cial s slightinge the Prince h is nashan2 they find ‘

the

firmand n ivis 3 had ful l informat ion of the cause, and wroteeffectually to itts c learinge, yett wi th reserved honor and tearmes

of love to the Nabob , wh ich increaseth adm iracion itt wrought no

other effecte’

. The brokers at Baroda are afraid to invest the

money entrusted to them ; send therefore an earz edash 1’

to the

Governor of Surat to remove the prohibit ion . They must not give

way to the Customer’s purchasing thei r lead ;‘i f wee should now

yeald, wee justly deserve l ike deal inge in the future .

’

H is appropr ia

t ion of a scarfw ithout payment must also be resisted . (Copy . 25pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL TO G ILES JAMESAT BURHANPUR

,JULY 1 4, 1 6 1 9

They are sorry to hear that the caravan is sti l l detained . Attthe Nabobes so slender regard , after the perusal l of the Prince hisorder , wee very much marvay le .

’

If a second app l ication has failed ,James should advise Mr . B iddulph in order that a farman may be

Obtained from the King . Provision of goods at Burhanpur and

Dharangaon . A remittance of mahmfidi s advised . Ch intes

for hanginges to be bought for England . (Copy . 15 pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT BROACH TO WILLIAM B IDDULPH,

FRANCIS A GRA, ] ULY (Ibid .

,pi m p

M r. James has advised the receipt of the Prince’

s n ishan, and‘

the Nabobes s lender performance and neglect of the contentes ’

.

1 A present to a superior (Pers.

H ind. n i s/zan ,a S ignet or emblem hence a signed order &c .

3 H ind. farma‘

n-navz'

s,an ofli cial whose duty i t was to draw up farm i ns and simi lar

documents.

1 H ind. a r c a written peti tion or memorial .5 Sent open to Surat, where Rastel l added his signature and di spatched the letter to James.

1 08 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

I t is to be feared that,‘ in regard of Swarez h is neat e aquayntance,

beeinge factor, as wee are informed,for some of Chachanas cheife

m inisters,’

the matter is purposely p rotracted to give Soares time

to apply to the Prince for the revocation of the o rder . B iddulph

must put the case before‘A fsull Chan 1

and A fsul l Chan [see p . 36

the Kinge and Princes cheife agentes po inting out the loss caused

by the detention of the caravan , and so l i c iting its release, the Engl ish‘ havinge in so many partes of this kingdom sufficiente meanes to

satisfie whatsoever justise, after hearinge the case,shal l determine

in h is behalfe’

. If necessary, he should appeal to the King or

Prince to dec ide the case, Chan Chana havinge already declared

h imselfe a pars iall j udge in the cause .

’

Commend their other

grievances to his intercess ion ; and would be glad to learn his

Op in ion as to the advisabil ity of stopp ing the Pr ince’

s sh ip to force

satisfaction .

‘What you d id att S urainge2 wee perceave, and the

reason you d isl iked from p rovid inge the quantety of chyntes

injoyned by S ir Thomas Roe ; those Of Agra beeinge lesse fine

and more stronge will not,wee knowe , bee m isl iked for hanginges

i n England,and therefore des ire you will at least provide some few

sortes for tryall . ’ Taylors in Suratt are not plent ifull enough to

worke what wee would sett them too,’

and time wi l l not perm it the

making of any‘ch intes

’ into quilt s ; so they must be sent to

England unmade. Urge the early dispatch Of goods . If the two

princes 3 difference might bee to our advantage and the remove of

our lord , wee Should not be sorry to heare i tt ; butt the K inges

p rogress to Cashmeare will bee many wayes prejudicial l unto our

bus inesse, which some occacion beafore the t ime of h is departure

wee hOpe may alter.’

(Copy . 25pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,WILLIAM MARTIN

,AND R ICHARD BARBER

AT BROACH TO THE FACTORS AT SURAT, J ULY (Ibid .,

f.

Send letters for Agra and Burhanpur also one from Ahmadabad .

The arrival of certayne Dabul lers from Cambaya invest[ ing for

1 A sl ip for Asaf Khan1 Sironj , in Tonk State, Rajpfi tana, on the Burhanpur-Agra road .

3 Khurram and (perhaps) Parwi z .

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1 10 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT TO [THEFACTORS AT BROACH] , JULY 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

Send by the bearers a quantity of mahmfidi s ‘ made upp in

wascotes of duttie, which they weare underneath there clothes formore ease and safetie

,accordinge to the manner used by the

sheraffes in l ike transportac ions’

. They would be glad to learnwhether there is any chance of p rocuring baftas from Baroda .

(Copy . 1 p .)

GEORGE BALL AT MASULIPATAM To THOMAS KERRIDGE AT

SURAT,JULY 23

1,1 6 1 9 (0. C.

‘ Since the seal ing of the inclosed,dated in Narapela

2, here

arived the shipp P epercorne, one of S ir Thomas Dales fleet, forced

by exstremity of weather from the rest of her company, riding at

Ingana 3 in quest of what was lost in the S une whoe, in her coursecom ing hether, not farr from the said islande mett with a Ho l lands

advi z er called the Orania Bome, [Oranje-boom] or Orang etree,

skypper or master Cornel is Harte, whoe del ivered the master

a letter frome the Cape of Good Hope written by Thomas Barwick1,

the copp ie whereof I herewith sende you . H e to lde him likewiseof the death of our queen and Sir Walter Rawl ie 5 , and the overthrow of h is project ; that the two Companys of Ho l land and

England were un ited and that he had letters for [each of the]Presedents. This shipp of the Flemings cam a month or six

weekes out after ours,and therfore the newes may be true, albeit

I can give noe cred itt therunto . He tel ls him further that there is

1 This date has been wrongly read as July 1 3 in the Cal . of S tate P apers : E . I ndies,

1 6 1 7—21 .

2 Ni lapal l i , on the Coringa branch of the Godavari . Fring’s fleet from Bantam had

been driven by contrarywinds to the north-east ofMasul i patam and had been forced to anchorin the Bay of Coringa. Ball went in the ship

’

s boat up the creek to Ni lapal l i , and thencedispatched letters to Masul ipatam . Methwold at once hastened to the fleet and arrangedfor a supply of provisions for their use. He and Bal l then proceeded to Masul ipatam ,

arriving July 19. Fring’s sh ips did not reach that pl ace ti ll Sept. 7 .

3 Engano,an i sland off the south-west coast of Sumatra, about 1 25 miles from the Straits

of Sunda. The S un , of S ir Thomas Dale’s fleet, was wrecked there on Nov. 16 , 1 6 1 8 .

1 Master of the B ear . See Tbe Embassy (p . 5 19) for h is meeting wi th Roe at the

Cape, and the letter sent by the ambassador to Jourdain in consequence of Barwick’sinfo rmation that the two Companies were on the point of reconci l iation.

5 Queen Anne d ied March 2,16 19. Ralegh was executed Oct. 29, 16 18.

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 1 1 1

eight shipps more to followe out of Englande and as many out of

Hollande. Yf you have newes of the certentie berot per these

sh ipps that shal l touch ther I pray particepat thereof by exspresse

unto this factory , that we may the better knowe howe to rule our

selves in the affaires of the Company . For other newes M r . Meth

wolds letter may serve .

’

(Copy . 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT To THE

FACTORS AT BROACH , AUGUST 5 , 1 6 1 9 (Br i t. JWus . Eg er ton M S .

Send bil ls of exchange for mahmfidi s. They must meet

the competition Of the Dabhol buyers by increasing their rates , as

it is important to secure as many baftas , &c .

,as possible . (Copy .

1 528 )

THE SAME TO WILLIAM B IDDULPH AT AGRA , AUGU ST 9

AND 1 0, 1 6 1 9

A re sti ll wa it ing for the release of the caravan . Yesterday they

induced Is-haq Beg to wri te to the Khénkhéinan on the subject,butt wheather cord iall, out of intent to do us good , or craftely to

secure himsel fe from trouble att there junckes returne,wee are not

certayne, though conceave the latter.

’

G iles James has been

directed to return by the m idd le of next month to take charge Of

the accounts , as Kerr idge is to return to [England] , Browne to

succeed him,and Rastell to take Browne’s p lace at Ahmadabad .

They hOpe that if by that time the caravan is not released ,B iddulph wi ll be at Burhanpur to look after matters . There is a

great stir made about the horse p icture presented to the Kinge

without the Prince his knowledge, who ,inraged that he receaved

no not ice thereof in the rol l from henc,chabacktt [see p . 48 n .] the

haddee 1 (and sente in hope o f favour) that went Upp w i th the

1 For an interesting note on the A /zad z'

s see the new edi tion of H obsonjobson , p . 408 .

They were a c lass of gentlemen-troopers in attendance on the sovereign or (as in thi scase ) h is sons

,and were largely used as messengers or for special m i ssions. Hawkins

estimates their number at to wh ich Purchas adds that ‘M [r. W.] Clarke (whi chdivers yeeres served the Mogol in hi s wartes and was one of these hadd ies) sai th(P i lgr image, p .

I 1 2 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

goods in your company’

,and ‘ by expres farmane comanded

the l ike as well to the Governor, Jumull Chan , as Isake Beag and

the Costomer, or,d isl ikinge the wh ipe, ar injoyned each

rup [ees] penaltie They have lai d the blame on the English , andthreaten rigorous search to prevent such smuggl ing in future .

This will damage business more than the sale or gift of twenty

such pictures can be o f benefit . P .S .—He is to procure, i f

possible, some jasames [see p . 5 1 n .] of partye coloured clothe for

England .

‘ There is allso a kind of Bengala stuff of si lke [or]grasse cal led tessar 1 , and some allso of cotton [and the] said

grass,usual ly contayning 1 35 and 14 covids in length and 15 in

breadth , which last is commonly bought in Brampore for rup[ees] 4the peece .

’He should purchase some for England, if procurable.

(Corr n .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RASTELL AT SURAT To

G ILES JAMES AT BURHANPUR,AUGUST 10

,1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

Express sat isfaction with h is investments. They agree with

h im that the ‘quetion

’

[see p . 1 04 n .] of which he forwarded a

pattern wil l not do for England , yett for further satisfacion to our

masters who th inke they have formerly beene neglected in ther

returne, they would gladly have sent home samp les . They

inquire also for tessars’

,of which N icholas Bangham took

home some on his own account ; and for ‘ isames or jasames

carpetts’

,a consignment of which

,bought in Burhanpur, was

dispatched to England lately . They fear the Prince’

s order for

the release of the goods was only a usuall court comp lement to

abuse necessiteous sutors whilst h is expectac ions may be satisfied

in other desired trifles , for by such S ir Thomas Roe was held in

servitude a longe t ime, as all strangers are I f no rel ief comes by

the beginning of next month, he is to leave everything in the care

of John Bangham and return to Surat to take charge of the

accounts , Supply of sugar candy . They enclose a letter from

Is-haq Beg to Afzal Khan , to be forwarded to B iddulph . (Copy .

38 re.)1 There seems to be here a confusion between tasar si lk and the grass-cloth (berba) ofBengal .

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1 14 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

THOMAS KERRIDGE To IS-HAQ BEG, GOVERNOR OF SURAT,

AUGUST [20 P] , 1 6 1 9

The expectation of the speedy arrival of the Engl ish fleet obliges

them to rem ind him that the commands of the King and Prince

for the p rovision of a suitable dwel l ing for them have not been

obeyed ,‘our goods and persones scarsly contayned

‘

in eight or

nine severall howses,which beefore were in one.

’

(Copy . 5 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT To

THE FACTORS AT BROACH,AUGUST 20, 1 6 1 9 (Ibid . , f .

They send bills for mahmfidi s, and will forward morein ready money to-morrow. (Copy . 7

3

, p .)

THE SAME To THE FACTORS AT AHMADABAD, AUGUST1 6 1 9

Prom ise an early remittance . (Copy . 1 p .)

THE SAME TO THE FACTORS AT BROACH, AUGUST 23 , 1 6 1 9

f .

Forward a supp ly of cash . They must not relax their efforts toobtain a ful l supp ly of cal icoes. (Copy . 1 5 pp.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO GILES JAMES [AT BURBANPUR] , AUGUST 25 , 1 6 1 9

Purchase of commodities . They have not sent any money,being themselves out of cash and about mahmtidi s in debtbut they forward letters of credit from V irgevora [to] his sarvantCal l ian Shagger

’

[Kalyén Shégird] to supply his wants . Pepper,ginger, and copper to be bought for Pers ia. He is to defer hisdeparture as long as possible, in hope of the release of the caravan .

Patterns of cal ico sent . (Copy . 3 pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT To

[AUGUSTINE SPALDING,GEORGE BALL , &c .

,AT MASULI

PATAM P] , AUGUST 26 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid. , f:

Have received their letters of July 20 and 23 [see p . and

have learnt with regret the troubles with the Dutch and the loss of

the S un. They note the advice not to provide any great quantity

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 15

of goods for the southwards this year , but the warning has come

too late. I f, however, Sir Thomas Dale and his council order the

expected fleet to be sent on immediately to meet him at Priaman

in October,as proposed , there wil l be no time for them to lade any

goods . They doubt whether the Company wil l rel ish this d isap

pointment . A s to the suppl ies for the fleet. Our corrivals

heare 1,expectinge supp ly, have invested in clothinge for sowards ,

indico of both sortes, and some musters callicoes for there cuntrye

al l there cavidal l 2, which if any come to fetch wee shal l indeavore to

effecte your ad [moni]c ion in thei r seasure, though should far more

rejoyce to be asertayned of some f[inal] le reconsi liacion ' and

agreement att home to end these differences .’ They doubt, how

ever, the rumours as to the latter. The story of Queen Anne’s

death by the queenes infirmities is not unlike if true [the Kinghath] lost a gracious and good lady ’

. Sir Walter Ralegh’

s end

wil l ‘ finish his trouble, whose projecte was meerely contrived for his

lyberty’

. They relate thei r own troubles , which‘ caused considera

cion and allmost reso lucion att returne of there juncke to expostulate

these wronges by hir detenc ion att barr, which though itt would have

caused us some trouble and [in] some respec tes our hinderance, weedoubte not the evente would have releeved us in many particulers ;which in regard of your general l differences (not [to] sett al l in

hazard) wee have who l ly rel inq uished , to our longer sufferance

in some,and such remedy in others as private giftes may induce

’

.

The Portuguese have been loud in thei r threats of attacking the

new fleet , but it is understood that they are obliged, by want of men

and money,to wait unti l their L isbon: fleet arrives. (Copy . 5 pp .)

THE SAME To WILLIAM METHWOLD , 5310 AT MASULIPATAM,

AUGUST 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .,f .

Thank them for the i r intel l igence of the trouble with the Dutch,

&c . At Ach in,Indian cloth has fal len much in price, and pepper

is at the same time scarce . They note thei r wish for a d irectsupp ly of goods from England . Wil l in the meantime send On

such commodities as are l ikely to vend at Masulipatam . A s

regards the return cargo , they remind them Of ‘ Our masters desirefor increase of there lynnens returne, which (by s ight of some

1 The Dutch .

1 Capital .

1 1 6 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

sortes from thence) wee perceave are better and cheaper then

ours besides they may in time no doubte ass ist to furnish the Red

S ea trade, i f p rosecuted , wh ich heare both by Pr[ince] and peop leis peremptory l ie den ied and forbidden us. Wee receaved your

musters Bengala silke, which (though [you] dist inguish nott) ar of

two sortes,differinge in fineness more in cleare wind inge.

The better is something worse then the samples sent from England ,whereof [wee] send you two skeynes hearewith . The fine is thatt

[which] the Company exceptes agaynst and will none of itt ; the

[other P], if you can equall att the price in yours mencioned,and

p rocure itts windinge in long skeynes (according to derec ion) is thecomodity required ; wherein allso that you mistake nott the S ize,wee have sente you a skeyne wounde upp after the Persian forme

,

which is the length our masters desire , or att least three quartersthereof. ’ A quantity should be sent to Surat by the j unk Of that

p lace, if she remain long enough if not, by Cojanaz ans [KhwajaN i zam] convayance overland ’

; some specimens of various cloths

should also be forwarded for transmission to England . As for !

trade in Bengala, our masters have often required [the P] attempte,

in expectacion, itt seemes , of some profitable comodities thence forEngland [see p . 50 n .] butt , as the case standes, wee see not how i t

can as now be undertaken .

’

The sammes of indigo sent are very

good,and the prices are cheaper than the ordinary Sarkhej indigo ,

which has of late years improved in price, while that of B iana hasfal len . The Company , however, comp lain that they are over

stocked with indigo,and wish rather for l inens . Goods for the

southwards . Steel for Achin . The troubles with the Dutch .

P .S . There is very l ittle difference twixt our ynch [and] thetessan [see p . 93 n .] of this p lace, thirty-seven whereof contay [ne]one English yarde .

’

Request inquiry as to Bonner’

s success at

Ekerree’

[see p. (Copy . Damaged . 55 pp.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To GEORGE BALL AT MASULIPATAM , AUGUST 27 , 1 6 19 (Ibid .

,f .

Refers him for news to the public letter [of yesterday] , whichshould be shown to Methwold . Begs instant advice if i t be deter

m ined that the Surat fleet shal l be summoned to meet the Bantam

ships at Priaman. (Copy . 5p .)

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1 1 8 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

abandonment of the p rojected seiz ure of the Prince’s junk. IfBiddulph

’

s efforts at court have not preva i led, James may informthe Khankhanan that the Surat factors are willing to give suchsecuritie , eather of Moores or Banians

,as h imselfe shal l require to

answer Soares’s claim at law, if the caravan be now released . Theyl eave it to James to spend

‘any reasonable matter

’= in bribes, i f

necessary. The ginger and pepper intended for Persia should notbe bought , as the S owtharne accidentes have made the dispatch

of a ship thither doubtful . The byrames and serebaffes’

for the

Red S ea should also be omitted, as that trade is utterly refusedus both by the Prince and these his ministers The goods for thesouthwards,

“

however,should be hastened

,as the fleet from England

is expected shortly . (Copy. Damag ed. 25pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RASTELL AT SURAT TO

[WILLIAM B IDDULPH] AT AGRA, SEPTEMBER 1,

1 6 1 9 (Ibid .,

f .

He is no doubt aware of ‘the slender effectes the Prince his

fi rmane prodused’

,though apparently it was effectual enough in

form and they fear Soares wil l appeal to the Prince. If he does,B iddulph must p lead that

‘wee are not l iable to answere ought

butt whatt consernes our masters busines that the Engl ish are

forbidden to trade with the Portuguese : that Soares has no ac

knowledgement from N icho las Bangham to show for the goods

and so on . He shou ld protest strongly against the detention of

the caravan as unnecessary, the Engl ish‘ havinge so great an

estate in th is cuntry to satisfie al l demaunds and should complain

of the loss caused to them by this procedure. If possible he should

obtain ‘the Kinge or Prince h is effectuall firmaen to proh ibitte

’

such action in future. He is also to urge sat isfaction for the indigo

sto len from a previous caravan . They note his proceedings for the

recovery of the debts at court . The enclosed letters wil l give himthe news of the troubles with the Dutch to the southwards . Theyare afraid the ‘ S otharne Counci l l

’ wil l insist Upon the new fleetfrom England jo in ing them if so

,al l idea of the dispatch of ships

to the Red S ea and Persia must be abandoned , but they will eu

deavour to get perm ission to send home one vessel , probably the

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 1 1 9

Lion. A l l Biddulph’

s efforts,therefore, should be devoted to the

speedy release of the caravan . Errors in the invo ice Of goods .

(Copy .

‘

Damaged . 4 pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO THE FACTORS AT BROACH,

SEPTEMBER 1 6 19 (Ibid ., f .

Forwards by the bearers mahmiidi s. (Copy . Damag ed . 5 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT TO

THE FACTORS AT AHMADABAD, SEPTEMBER 1 6 1 9 (Ibid . ,

f 1 3 2)

A re unable to send them money at present. Comp laints from

the shroffs. A s regards the suggested dispatch of goods from

Cambay to Surat by water, they must be cautious , as i t is rumoured

that the Portuguese frigatts armado of Dew’

[Diu] have takentwo Surat boats laden with timber from Noséiri . They find thatconserves , &c.

,are cheaper at Surat than at Ahmadabad . Sale of

thei r lead . (Copy . Damag ed. 2pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To THE FACTORS AT BROACH,

SEPTEMBER 1 6 1 9 (Ibid ., f .

Memorandum of the dispatch of bills of exchange. (5p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT TOTHE FACTORS AT BROACH

,SEPTEMBER 8 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .,

Send a further supply of money. Thei r goods should be got

ready for speedy dispatch . Thomas Sprage is to return to Surat

at once, but he wil l be sent back shortly . Request from Masul i

patam for the purchase of provis ions for the fleet. They have been

prevented from buying at Surat, and therefore request the factors

at Broach to procure what they can. (Copy . Damag ed . 2 pp .)

[THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL] AT SURAT TO

[GILES JAMES] AT BURHANPUR, SEPTEMBER I O,1 6 1 9 (Ibid.

,

f 1 34)

Send Robert Tottle to be his l inguist, attend the caravan,&c .

(Copy . Damaged. 1 p .)

1 20 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

THOMAS KERRIDGE To THE ACTING GOVERNOR 1 OF SURAT,SEPTEMBER 1 1

,1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

The Engl ish have been prohibited by the Camongoo2 from pur

chasing wheat, &c . , for thei r ship , which is expected from the Red

S ea and is then to prepare for a voyage to P r[iaman P] . Theyrequest the removal of this embargo , or the assignment Of a reason

,

S ince the right of provis ioning has been granted by the King’

s and

Prince’

s farmans. If he distrusts thei r intentions, he may lock up

the door of thei r warehouse. (Copy . Damag ed . 5 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT To THE

BANTAM COUNCILL ATT MUSELLAPATAM’

,SEPTEMBER 1 1 , 1 6 19

(Ibid ., f

They would be glad to hear whether the Council persist in re

quiring the dispatch of the fleet to thei r assistance. An endeavour

has been made to purchase the provisions they have asked for, but

the Acting Governor has, on some foo l ish susp icion , prohibited this

pending the Governor’s return . A S regards powder, the Dutch

have forty barrels, saved from the wreck of their vessel [see p . 29

but it is doubtful whether they wil l sel l . (Copy . P ar t i l leg ible. 2pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To THE FACTORS AT MASULIPATAM

,SEPTEMBER 1 1 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

Refers to the accompanying letters [see preceding entry ] fornews . (Copy . Damag ed . 1 p .)

THE SAME TO IS-HAQ BEG, GOVERNOR OF SURAT, SEPTEM

BER 14 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid., f .

News has arrived that at the Prince’

s command the Khankhanén

has released the caravan , and that orders have also been issued tocompensate the Engl ish for the robbery of thei r indigo. He t e

minds the Governor that they have hitherto forborne to comp lain

regarding his non-provision of a suitable dwell ing for them , and

hopes that steps to content them will be taken immediately. (Copy .

Damag ed . 5 p.)1 Apparently the Captain of the Castle2 Pers . ban zZn-gu,

‘an expounder of the law.

a revenue officer.

1In Upper India the term is appl ied to

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1 22 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

reasons. They propose to stay the junk on arrival for a few daysto extort , if possible, some redress of their grievances , but wi ll notact in earnest ‘ unti l l our re-establ ishment att sowards ’. I f thedetention of his ship be brought to the Prince’

s knowledge, you

may impute [ it] to the pride and obstinacy of his m in isters, thatt

wi l l not performe h is commands,though sufficiently ample.

’ They

are glad to hear of the sale of the camlets and mohairs . D isposalof cloth and provis ion of indigo.

‘ I tt is rumorde heare thatt thePr ince C[horoo]m is disgraced by h is father ; which were much tobe desired , for so longe as the master is not our favorer, his ser

vantes wi ll l ittle befrind us .

’

The Portuguese threatened to occupy

Swally Road before the fleet arr ived, but‘certayne inti lligence

affirmeth they cannott come soe soone, wantinge both men and

mony If they come at all, i t wi ll not be much before December.

(Copy . Damag ed. 3 pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To JOHN BANGHAM ATBURHANPUR

,SEPTEMBER 1 9, 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .,f .

They have sent Robert Tottle with ‘

perwans’ from the late

Partab Shah to facilitate the pass ing of goods at‘ Dayta

’

[see

p . 74 (Copy . Damag ed. 5p.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL,

AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT To JOHN BANGHAM AT BURHANPUR,SEPTEMBER 25 ,

1 6 1 9

Advise dispatch of Tottle , who wil l see to the clearing of the first

caravan at Dhaita ,‘ which

,as itt is reported, is l ikly to bee

suddanly possessed by Chan Chanas sarvantes , and therefore hOpe

i tt wi l l passe the easier by virtue of his perwane.

’

Both the latterand Partab Shah

’

s parwana will then be sent to Bangham . NOnews yet Of the ships from England or o f the Lion. (Copy.

Damag ed . 1 5 pp . )

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO ROBERT TOTTLE, SEPTEMBER 25 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

,jt

D irections for clearing the caravan and sending the Khankhanan’

s

parwana to Burhanpur. Money forwarded for his expenses . (Copy .

Damag ed . 5 p .)

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 23

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL, AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT To THE FACTORS AT AHMADABAD , SEPTEMBER 25 ,

1 6 1 9

They cannot yet decide whether a ship can be spared for Pers ia.

Release of the goods detained at Burhanpur. No news yet of the

fleet or of the Lion . They are awaiting directions from Masulipatamor from home. (Copy . Damag ed. 2pp .)

THE SAME TO WILLIAM B IDDULPH , &c ., [AT AGRA P] ,

SEPTEMBER 30, 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .,f .

No t idings yet of the fleet from England nor of the L ion from the

Red S ea . Rumours of Khurram’

s disgrace.

‘The ]Sherseslyberty i s devulged , and thatt great some [S and mony

have beene presented him by the [K ing P rays inge of him

wil l be the fal l of the other whose high expectac ion

would [by no means be P] induced to conformitie.

’

AS regards thegoods des ired by Asaf Khan , they wil l gladly comply if he wil l

send his servants to the fleet to fetch them . I t is probable, how

ever , that the Prince’s servants wil l refuse to al low any such goods

to pass, as Khurram was very angry recently at thei r letting sl ipthe p icture of a horse which B iddulph presented to the King

[see p . and ordered them to be more careful in future ;‘the

Governor of Barroch with a raged reg imen t beeinge allready heare

arrived under pretence thereof, though wee knowe this mach ivi ll 1

divel l, Isake Beage,hath wrought itt rather to confirme his

pretended suspecte of the danger the towne is in duringe the

t ime of our sh ippes , if not stored with soldiers,whereof he hath

3none . Transcripts of thei r former letters sent. (Copy . Damag ed .

1 12 1911 )

THE SAME TO THE FACTORS AT BROACH,OCTOBER 1 6 19

(Ibid .

, f

Have been prevented from sending ‘ dubas 1 ’

for the butter.News has j ust come from Gandevi that three vessels are in sight ,

1 Machiavel lian.

1 H ind. dabba/z, a tub made of hides to hold gbee or butter.

1 24 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES“

‘whereof two are crosse sayles and the third the juncke, either ofthis p lace or Goga.

’The same intell igence j ust received from

Nosari . They conjecture that the two crosse sayles are the Lion

and her p innace . (Copy . 1 p .)

THE SAME TO THE COMMANDER OF THE ENGLISH SHIPS ATSURAT BAR, OCTOBER 2, 1 6 1 9 (Ibid. , f .

The Customer (P) , be ing about to send a boat to inquire news of

the Prince’s junk,has desired a note to request the English

commander to give what information he can . He may do th is, but

should not perm it any one to land unti l the factors come aboard ,which they hope to do this even ing in Swally Road . The j unk

should be kept at Surat Bar for the present . There is no danger of

attack from the Po rtuguese . (Copy . 5p .)

HENRY CROSBY’

S JOURNAL OF HIS VOYAGE 1 IN THE CHARLESTO SURAT

,MARCH-OCTOBER

,1 6 19 (M ar ine Records , xxix, 1

Passed the Lizard March 2 1 .

'Reached S ouldany baye [TableBay] June 24. While there the Daynes came in with six sayle

’

.

2

Bickley’

s ships sai led for Surat on July 1 2. Refreshed at the

Comoro Islands . Arrived at Swal ly October 3 . (9pp.)

CAPTAIN JOHN BICKLEY’

S NOTES OF HIS VOYAGE FROM THECAPE To SURAT [JULY-OCTOBER, 1 6 19] (0. C.

Passed ‘the Cape of A gulias July 1 7 Reached Mohil la

[Comoro Is lands] August 1 8 . The Cnar les alone had 97 men S ick,

most of whom recovered their health at th is place. Their anchorage

was off‘M irengona

’

[M iringon i] . Left August 23 and arrived at

Swally October 3 . (Holog rapn. 3 pp .)

1 In the fleet commanded by John Bickley (or Bickel l ) , consisting of the Ozark s, Ruby ,

and D iamond. The P alsgrave, E l i zabetlc, and Hope, bound for Bantam, were in companyas far as the Cape.

1 This was the fleet dispatched in Nov.,16 1 8 , by the newly-founded Dani sh East India

Company (see introduction) . It consi sted of five vessels (not six, as stated above ; of.p . and was commanded by Ove Gjedde.

3 Mainly nauti cal notes and directions.

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1 26 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

advise ought conserning i tt . Some of the States 1 were in England

att departure of these shippes, and greatly blamed by,

the Kinge,yett no concluc ion , though the expectacion therof d[etai]ned thewho le fleets dispatch till Mar[ch , w]hereby they tucht not att

Succatora .

’ N0 news yet of the L ion or of the Prince’

s j unk . The

Company’

s letter will Show how the fleet is to be disposed of, and

the large supp ly they have ordered for Persia. Any goods provided

at Ahmadabad for that purpose Should be sent down at once. A smatters stand , the investment ordered by the Company for Bantam

must be held over, but that for Sumatra should be provided in ful l .

The Company’s op in ion regarding indigo and desire for increase of

all l inen commodities should be noted . (Copy . Damag ed . 2pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE , THOMAS RASTELL, AND GILES JAMESAT “SURAT TO WILLIAM B IDDULPH

,&c .

, [AT AGRA] , OCTOBER1 6 1 9

Arrival Of the fleet. Copy of the Company’

s letter sent herewith . The Lion has not yet returned. A lready they have had great

inquiry for tophas1 but they are hindered by the officers

’ ‘accus

tomed musseroes 3 They urge h im to take every opportunity ofdisgracing the latter, espetially to I sake Beage, whose innatehatred debarreth us all meanes of negosiacion, not only in de

privinge us of fitting houses, butt al lso molestinge us with prohibicions in [al l] the passages of our businesses .

’ They send a petition

for presentation to the Prince. Provision of si lk . The Company’s

complaints regarding the qual ity of the semians and also of theway

in which they were packed . (Copy . Damag ed. 3 pp .)

PETITION To PRINCE KHURRAM (SHAH JAHAN) , OCTOBER 7 ,16 19

Peticion of the humble supplyante Thomas Kerridge and Com

pany, Engl ish merchantes res ident in Surat , who , p rostrated with

1 Representatives of the States-General . For these negotiations see the preface to the.

Calendar of S tate P apers , E . Indies, 161 7—21 .

1 Pers. tu/zfa ,‘a present.

’

1 This word (wri tten later musserad’

) is probably the Pers. masarrat, a cause ofjoy,’

appl ied to the Prince’

s written or spoken approval of h is ofii cers’

actions . The sense hereseems to be that the latter, in their eagerness to earn the Prince’s commendations, lookedvery sharply after al l curiosities from England, ofwhi ch by agreement hewas to have firstchoice.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 27

due and accustomed reverence, do with all humill itie petic ion the

high , m ightie, vertuous and resplendant Prince, master of the world1,

and for whose increase of fel icitie wee allwayes pray.

’

After acknow

ledging the Prince’s favour in releasing the caravan , they comp lain

of the proh ibition ofthe Engl ish trade with the Red S ea. They recal l

the rescue oftheBeg um S earnfrom the p irates1and the help afforded

last year by the English sailors when the Prince’

s j unk went aground .

‘Profitt wee seeke nott but they cannot send ships to convoythe j unks unless al lowed to recoup themselves by trade for the

expense. Every yeare in many occac ions wee do Your H ighness

service , whereof itt seemes you have not receaved informacion nor

wee the musero [see p . 1 26 They further beg ass istance in therecovery o f a debt from ‘

One Groo ’

[Guru] , the removal of theembargo on purchases at Nosari and Baroda

,and permiss ion to

return to their former factory, which is stil l unoccup ied , whi le they

are forced to make shift with eight houses , not one of which is con

venient. I f this cannot be perm itted , they sol i cit l icence to build asu itable dwell ing. (Copy . Damaged . 2pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL, AND GILES JAMES

AT SURAT TO THE FACTORS AT MASULIPATAM,OCTOBER 8 ,

1 6 19

Express aston ishment at not having heard from‘the remooved

Bantam Co [unci l]’ whether they sti l l insist that the ships from

England should jo in them at Priaman. Arrival of the fleet. No

pacification yet concluded with the Dutch . The Company wish forlarger l inen investments and less indigo . I t has been decided to

send the whole fleet to Persia, as the Company have advised thedispatch of four carracks and six gal leons from Lisbon th is year.Provision of raw s i lk [from Bengal P] .

‘The arrived fleete [met]att the Cape with S ix shipps belonginge to [the] Kinge of Denmark

,

thatt (as themselves reported) were bound for Scalon with weomenand (Copy . Damag ed . 35pp .)THE SAME TO WILLIAM MARTIN AT BROACH

, [OCTOBER 8 P] ,1 6 19

To dispatch immediately all goods intended for Persia. Thosefrom Burhanpur have already arrived . (Copy . 1 p .)

1 i . e. Shah Jahan (the Prince’

s ti tle) .1 See Letters Received, vol . vi . p. 1 73 , &c.

1 28 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO CAPTAIN B ICKLEY AT

SWALLY,OCTOBER [8 P] , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid., f .

Letters rece ived. Berthing of the D iamond. Provisions for thefleet. (Copy . Damag ed. 5 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE , THOMAS RASTELL, AND GILES JAMES

AT SURAT To [THE BANTAM COUNCIL] , OCTOBER 9, 1 6 1 9

Arrival of ships from England . COp ies of the letters brought by

the fleet have been sent by way of Masulipatam . D isposal of theShips. The Lion i s not yet returned from the Red S ea . The Com

pany having sent a large supp ly of money and goods for Pers ia , i t

has been reso lved to order the who le fleet thither. (Copy . P ar t

THE SAME TO WILLIAM MARTIN AND R ICHARD LANCASTER

[AT BROACH] , OCTOBER 9, 1 6 1 9 (Ibid . , f .

They are to refrain for the present from passing any goods over.

the river , but to house them securely and awai t orders . (Copy .

Damag ed. 5 p.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO [CAPTAIN MARTIN PRING P] ,OCTOBER 9, 1 6 1 9Thanks him for h is letter. Arrival of the fleet , which left the

Downs March 1 6 . News brought by the ships. Their intended

dispatch to Persia. The L ion has not yet returned from Mocha.

(Copy . M ac/t damaged. 25pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE, THOMAS RA STELL, AND GILES JAMES ATSURAT TO [CAPTAIN JOHN B ICKLEY AT SWALLY] , OCTOBER 10,

16 19 (Ibid., f .

As to the discharge of h is cargoes and purchase of provisions for

the ships. They beg him to send some rials by the merchants .

(Copy . Damag ed . 15 pp .)

THE SAME To THE MERCHANTS ARRIVED IN THE FLEET,OCTOBER 10,

1 6 19

Have now,as prom ised , sent a coup le of coaches to convey them

to Surat . To avo id trouble in the custom-house they should bring

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1 30 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

thirdly,the seamen declare they cannot reach Priaman by the

t ime fixed . Goods for P ers ia and Sumatra. They have landed

the rials,but cannot yet procure bills for transm ission: The L ion

has arrived from the Red S ea, having lost but one man , and so ld

her cargo ‘to contente ’

. Trouble at the custom-house over the

coral brought by the fleet. (Copy . M uc/t damag ed . 3 pp .)

[THE SAME] To [WILLIAM MARTIN , &c .,AT BROACH P] ,

OCTOBER 1 8,1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

Goods and letters rece ived . As regards the investments,they are

by al l possible meanes to inlarge those enjoyned for England , bothin narrowe and broad baftes, accord inge to order receaved from our

masters,where more are required then this cuntry wi l l afforde

’

.

Troubles with the Ofli cials . Money forwarded . (Copy . M ucic

damag ed . 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To JOHN BROWNE , &c ., AT

AHMADABAD , OCTOBER [ 1 9 P] , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid ., f .

Have got their spec ie cleared from the custom-house, on under

taking to reship the coral if so commanded by the Prince. In the

meant ime they have housed the coral at ‘ Raneel l 1, the housechaptt

1 both by them and us The Mokha factors calcu late theyhave made nearly a hundred per cent . clear profit . This trade is

too good to be lost , and they wil l further consider the means of

p rosecuting it . (Copy . 5p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE , THOMAS RA STELL,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT TO WILLIAM B IDDULPH , &c ., [AT AGRA] , OCTOBER 1 9,

1 6 1 9

The Lion arrived on the 14th , having been [fifty]-four days onher return voyage. This was partly due to their wai ting too long

for the Prince’

s j unk,which

,l ike that of Gogha

,has lost her monsoon

and cannot return t i l l next year. Further troubles wi th the Offi cials .

The latter fo rbade the landing of the coral from the fleet , and would

not perm it i t to be passed over the river . Thereupon the Engl ish

1 Rander, on the right bank of the Tapti , two m i les above Surat.

1 Seal ed (H ind. cit/zap , ‘a seal-impression

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES“

1 3 1

refused to pass over thei r S i lver, threatening to return both to theships . [P ar t i lleg i ble] They beg him to rep resent their grievancesand to Subm i t the enclosed petitions . Presents, &c .

,for the Pr ince .

To A saphe Chan you may al lso al leadge the cause o f our not

br inginge tofne [see p . 1 26 and reso lucion not to bringe anye more

t il l assured remedy for whome wee will send the pearle mencioned

in our masters letters, in hope both of h is payment and frendsh ippe .

’

Other goods will be forwarded to him as soon as poss ible . It wi l l

p robably be necessary to send the whole fleet to Jask. (Copy .

M uc/t damag ed . 3 pp.)

PETITION FROM THE SURAT FACTORS To AFZAL KHAN,

OCTOBER 20, 1 6 1 9

Their ships have brought a quantity of coral ,‘which the Governor

and merchantes, consultinge together, prohibitt us to sel l,and have

written a joynt petic ion unto the Prince Shaugh Jehaune H is H ighnesse for h is n ishane [see p . 1 07 n .] to forbid itts sale and our further

trade in thatt comod ity , pretend ing our deal inge therein to bee

p rejud iciall unto them and H is H ighnesse.

’ But the latter wou ld

benefit by the increase of the customs paid by the English , while

the loss to the merchants cannot be great , seeing that much coralis a lready imported from the Red S ea and Christendom ,

‘

all whichis yearely spent in the cuntry of Decann .

’ They beg him to use

h is influence with the Prince to redress this grievance,and further

to procure them l iberty to trade to Mokha, in which case they

wou ld be able to p reserve the Prince’s ship from p irates . They

hear that th is year several vessel s have come‘belong inge to a

cuntry cal led Denmark ’

; the ir intent ions are doubtful , and i t

would be wel l to safeguard ‘ both h is and your Honors sh ippes’

.

(Copy . M ucndamag ed . 15 pp.)

PETITION FROM THE SURAT FACTORS TO THE PRINCE,

[OCTOBER 20, 1 6 1 9]

They recite their grievances and p ray redress . They mention

that thei r ship from Mokha nearly lost her monsoon in waiting to

convoy his j unks,hop ing thus

‘to have manifested our service to

Your H ighness’

. (Copy . M uc/t damag ed. 1 p .)K 2

1 32 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To [ROBERT] YOUNG [ATSWALLY] , OCTOBER 22, 1 6 19 (Ibid .

, f .

Fo rwards some bows and arrows sent from Ahmadabad by

Browne as a present to Young. Kerridge has appeased the

Governor Of ‘U rpal l1 ’

and the sai lors may now Obtain water fromthence. Requests that some [strong waters P] may

"be sent up .

(Copy . Damag ed . I p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE , THOMAS RASTELL,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT TO THE COMMANDER AND MASTERS OF THE FLEET ,OCTOBER 22

1,1 6 1 9 (Ibid . ,

They entrust the fitting up of the p innace to Captain B ickley .

Cur[t is]3appo inted master of her. [John] Weddell ‘1

appo inted a member of the S ea Council . (Copy . Damag ed . 15pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO WILLIAM MARTIN ATBROACH

,OCTOBER 22, 1 6 19 (Ibid .

, f .

Has arranged for housing the goods brought by the caravan ,except those for Pers ia, which must be embarked at once

,as the

fleet is to sai l shortly. The purchase of l innens should be pushed

on as fast as possible. (Copy . Damag ed. 1 p .)

[THOMAS KERRIDGE] AT SURAT TO CAPTAIN B ICKLEY AT

SWALLY,OCTOBER [28 P] , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

P rotests his s incerity. Goods sent and required . Preparation of

the fleet for the voyage to Persia. (Copy . Damag ed. 5p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO THE CAPTAIN OF THE

GUARDS [AT THE WATERING-PLACE P] , OCTOBER 28, 1 6 1 9 (Ibid . ,

f .

Communicates some comp laints and requests investigation .

(Copy . Damag ed . 5p .)

1 Olpad , about twelve m i les north-west of Surat. Cf. Letters Received , vol . iv. p . 3 29.

1 The copy i s dated the 23rd , but a subsequent reference, and i ts position in the book ,Show that thi s is a sl ip .

1 Probably John Curti s,master

’

s mate of the Li on .1 Master of the Lion.

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1 34 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

left the B uoy and the p innace behind ) they find Swally occup iedby the Portuguese in force, it would be wel l to awai t the arrival of

those two ships before making any attack . (Copy . Damag ed .

312

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RA STELL , AND GILES JAMES

AT SURAT TO THE COMPANY, NOVEMBER 3 AND 5 , 1 6 1 9

(0. C.

Refer to the i r p revious letters of February 1 6 and March 1 2.

The ivory brought by Bonner’

s fleet was detained by the custom

house offi cials over four months , to thei r great loss. Thei r lead

was also detained until two months ago , which has frustrated the

year’s sale ; they are further hampered by‘ itts transportinge to

o ther parts beinge prohibited , and of late more narrowl ie looked

unto However, of both these commodities the quantities formerly

advised Should be yearly sent,as also S ixty Chests Of t in .

‘Your

tapestr ie &c . mercerie wares , after longe ly inge in the custom

howse,were sealed by the Princes o fficers and sent to their master

at court , where also after certaine monethes detention beinge

opened , the Prince tooke Cho ice of what he l iked and appo inted

part of the rest to the Kings usse which beinge yet unpaid for, we

canno tt certainelie advi z e the benefitt that wi l l arise thereon .

’

Some more Should be sent for p resents, according to the l ist

enclosed also forty or fifty p ieces of satin of good co lours . The

commodities l isted by S ir Thomas Roe for the lading Of the Lion

are nearly ready ;‘Onlie in the lynen comodities we have bene

verie much backwarded by the Governour and merchants of this

p lace , whoe by all possible meanes have and doe stil l endeavour to

p revent any large investment therein .

’

The indigo caravan from

Agra arrested by Soares it has now been released at a cost ofabove 1 501. Charges

,bes ides other damages . ‘

Presentl ie uppon

disspeede of the j unke of this p lace for the Redd S ea, by whomewe sent our letters of the 1 2th March

,these merchants

,falinge into

cons ideration of thei re owne and our bussines, perceiveing we

began in several l p laces our lynen investmentts, caled togetherall the brokers Of this towne and parts adjacent, straightlie

1 There is a damaged copy in 8 7 27 . fil m. Egerton M S . 21 22, f . 169.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES I 35

Charg inge them under great penalties not to buy, sel l or deale for

the Engl ish in any comod itie whatsoever,forceinge writeinges from

such as had formerl ie dealt for us,by greater feare to restra ine

them and not contented by abridg inge us this p lace and Nunceree,

wrote letters also to the Governours Of Baroch and Brodera that i t

was the Prince h is pleasure we Shou ld not buy any l inen comod ities ;

to the latter o f whome, haveinge never before had any residence in

h is towne,we sent the Kinge and Princes fi rmaens in contradict ion ,

which were of no validitie soe longe as the Governour [of] Surratreq[u ired the] contrarie ; not for that he is of more power then any

o f them,but because he pretended to have the Prince his authoritie

for h is order. Thereuppon , after sundrie conferrences and publ icke

p rotests on both parts , an assemblie Of all the m erchants wereconvocated by the Governour, where both in the Prince h is name

and for themselves they publ ickl ie protested against our trade into

the Redd S ea, vowinge never to suffer i t, nor any other i f wee

immediatel ie gave it not over or had the least intendment thither

and fynall ie proh ibitted our lynen investments in al l p laces on th i s

S ide Amadavad , confineinge our emp loymentts,both for England

and southwards,to Baroch onl ie, which , as i t is the p lace of

common recourse for all men,soe is i t indeede the dearest of all

o ther the rest,as Surratt, Nunceree, and Brodra, they reserve for

their owne investments,which they alleadge afford not comodities

sufficient to lade the Prince h is sh ippe for the Redd S ea, and therefore required the withdrawinge of our moneie ; wh ich , soe great

a necess itie (as there stoppinge the whole course of our busines)compel l inge, we condescended unto ,

and promised not to make any

investments for the Redd S ea until l the Prince h is p leasure werefurther knowne ; whoe uppon our requirie beinge therein sol icited

by Wm . B iddu lph (your agent at court) hath two severall times

by his owne mouth given abso lute denyal l ; whereby unt i l l Your

Worships Shall ordaine and authorize a remed ie , you are utterl ie

frustrated of that trade. Our dwel linge howse, by vertue of

a fi rmaun sent downe before S ir Thomas Roe his departure (thecontracted t ime of three yeares being exp ired), was also taken fromus , and we exposed to sundrie pettie habitat ions, whereby our

troubles are greatl ie encreased , Your Worships damnified in sundriekindes, and busynes protracted ; for which as yet, it beinge now

1 36 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

five monthes S ince, we finde no rel ieffe, there beinge indeede no

convenyent howse in all the towne to be p rocured , for rent, except

meare the river s ide, where they wil l not permitt us to dwell ; andto buy or bu i ld we were three yeares since by the Prince h isexp resse comande forb idden .

’

Letters rece ived on August 25 from

the Bantam Counc i l announcing thei r arrival at Narrapel lie’

[see

p . and from the Masul ipatam factory advising that Dale hadreached that p lace with his fleet. Cop ies of these letters forwarded .

B ickley’

s fleet arrived on the 2nd [October] . News from the Cape;

where the 1 2th d itto [July] arrived a lso five Dan ish shipps, whoe ,though they p retended to be bound for Ceilon, to inhabitt, i t is tobe feared they have some more facill designe Thei r business hasbeen much retarded by first the Bantam Counci l

’

s demand that thefleet should be sent to their assistance

,and

,secondly, the delay in

the arrival Of the Sh ips, which made them doubt whether any werecom ing this year. ‘ The Lyon , whoe the last yeare was sent totrade into the Redd S ea

,stayinge over longe for dispatch at Mocha

,

returned not hither unti l l the 14th Current1,haveinge bene 54 daies

on the way and had almost lost her monsone (as both the j unks ofthis p lace and Goga have done, for [they] are not returned from

Judda) whose voyadge, for the quanti tie of goods shee carried, hath

returned to good accompt . The English cloth (soe much as was

merchantable) sould at Synan to good profitt, where 20 or 30

clothes may yearlie finde vent ; but the comod ities of this p lacewould indeede give l iffe to that trade, al l sent beinge sould at cent .

per cent. profitt , and the returnes in read ie specie whereof in our

next per sea we shalbe more large , and wish you may be pleased toconsider and determ ine on the course we Shal l el lswhere p roposefor itts contynuance. Of the specie and comod ities come on this

your fleete we have here landed the p roportion by Your Worships

des igned,and left the rema inder a board intended for Persia, as by

you enordered ; wherewith for more saftie (in regard of a rumour

Of four gal l ions gon for Ormus) we have determined the who leflecte for Jasques. In the d ischardg inge of your goods here we

landed first your specie and currall , as haveinge present usse of the

former and Decan merchants attendinge with desire to buy the

latter which expectinge to transport over the river, we were1 ‘ October is meant.

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1 38 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

trade into [the] Redd S ea, &C soe, the profli tt thereon ariseinge

from the lynen o f this countrie , they wi ll even to the uttmost o f

their power hinder our investments therein for though th is countriebe esteemed ri ch

,we finde the common inhabitants to be verie

need ie,and have not meanes , nor indeede wi ll (beinge subject to

the tyranny o f everie Officer) , to make provis ion Of°

-

any store of

comod ities beforehand,contentinge themselves rather with what

everie daies labour affordeth ; wh ich also keepeth low the p rizes

when there is l itt le usse , and maketh a p resent dearth and scarcitie

uppon the least extraord inarie occasion . The p lace al lo tted to

you is onl ie Barroch, as aforesaid

,wh ich by good experience we

finde w i l l not yeild the eighth part of your demandes, beinge the

common receptacle of Decans and all other traders both to the

Red S ea and southwards . Brodra also,which is a towne of great

trade and under the K inges j urisdiction , is free unto al l men,onl ie

the Engl ish are exempted . The meanes of remed ie hath bene

argued and contrasted in our last and former registers sent you,and our letters per the Ba ll gave you a tast thereof

,whereto your

answere beinge too spareinge for warrant , we wil l more particularl ie

touch the po inte, and referr i t to your more seryous considerat ion .

I t were needelesse , we know,to shew you that the cause Of our

settl inge here was for feare of your sh ipps, and that our beinge is

a burden to these,whoe have ever rep ined at and covertl ie hindered

your des ignes ; wh ich nowe themselves grown prosperous , and

secured by your estate in the countrie, they more apparantlie

declare ; wherein by our sufferance also they are grown impudent,and wi l l sti l l continue to a further height of oppress ion ,

if you

enforce not a feelinge of the like inconvenyenc ies on them . The

course we propose is the stoppinge of their junks [5 22] with the cheiffeOf their peop le in her and meanes at [the] barr [of] Surratt, andthere also to bringe that o f Goga, if convenientlie to be gotten ;thereby to enforme the Kinge [that] our wrongs are insupportable,and ascertaine the Prince you wil l rather leave the trade thenendure them ; which doubtlesse would procure whatsoever priviledges you Shal l des ire lesse prejud ic iall then the subvers ion of

the ir trade , wh ich they know cannott subs ist, your peop le beinge

hence ; and then the articles Of your res idence wi lbe confirmedboth by Kinge and Prince

,and your servants (for a t ime) releived ;

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 39

whome when they againe Oppresse, you have the same remed ie .

The uttmost damadge that hereto can be aledged i s the m issinge

Of one yeares returne, wh ich through timel ie provision may also be

p revented and your goods sh ipt aboard before theirs released . I t

wi ll doubtlesse be cause of troubles and prej udice to your bus ines

for the t ime,but much more to theirs

,and benefi tt to yours in the

future. Wh ich if you conceive necessarie to hazzard , you may

p lease to give amp le authority for i tts effectinge ; otherwise, i f

reservedlie,i t wil l not be undertaken , the successe beinge doubtful l

and of most hazzard to the factors whoe Shal l direct i t on shoare .

By th is course of constraint you may also,i f you please, in itiate

a trade at Dabul l , where most of the comod ities you hither send

wil l vend , and that p lace affords some c lothinge both for Red S ea

and southwards ; for England we conceive i t too fine, yet were i t

not am isse to be experienced . Your securitie and assurance Offaire deal inge must be their junks, thei r nature and necessitie

cohei reinge with thei r neighbours of Suratt . A further necess itie

a lso urgeth your trade into the Redd S ea ,for by the recourse Of

those newcome Danes and other pyratts i t is greatl ie to be fearedsom é

'

Of their junks may come short,whose losse wilbe soe sensible

as not onl ie your returnes wi lbe hindered,but your estate in the

countrie questioned of whome though we have earnestlie laboured

to make them apprehend the danger, and the securitie our trade

thither wi lbe unto them,they are st i l l incredible

,and al ledge that

there are onl ie three Christian nations, the Portugal ls, Engl ish, andDutch

,of whome they are secured . With this feare we have

endeavoured to possesse the Prince, and Shall farther Instance i t.And if these attempts have approbat ion in your judgment , be

p leased for the fi rst to enorder your fleetes arrivall about the 1 5 thor 1 6th September, that soe they may be here before the j unks,whoe usually come the 2oth or 22th ditto , or

,meetinge on the

waic , to accom [pany] and detaine them unti ll your factors comeaboard , but moderat ion as they be not greived nor

have Occasion to [jealousy P] . A nd if you intend to settle at

Dabull also ,strength Of sh ipp inge is requis ite

,that soe Persia

may be securelie supp l ied and a part of your fleete emp loied in theinterim at Dabul l, sc inge the first settlinge must needes require

some time ; which if they refuse, thei r shipps that yearl ie goe both

140 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

to Mocha and Sumatra wi ll repaie your Charge ; and if they

rece ive you, one fleete may afterwards supp l ie jasques, S uratt,Dabul l , and Mocha yearl ie : the sh ipps for Mocha to returne hither ,and the rest to proceede for Dabull

, Sumatra,and Bantam wherein

be p leased to give the larger instructions , for that it is vericdoubtful l some of us whoe now project these shall not be here tod irect or see the effectinge.

’

The commodities provided in Indiafor Pers ia amount but to mahmfidi s 30 p ice. They havenot been able to send sp ices, &c .

, as none have come from Bantam ,

and in India they are too dear . The Lion will be sent home on

her return from Jask,whither she accompan ies the fleet. S he

Shal l be dispatched as soon as poss ible, but they fear it will be theend Of February before she can sai l . P .S .

—~They enclose letters

rece ived from the Bantam Counci l and Captain Pring at Masul i

patam , announcing the death of S ir Thomas Dale,&C . (8 pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RA STELL

,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT To THOMAS BARKER, &Cl, IN PERSIA, OCTOBER 29 AND

NOVEMBER 6,1 6 1 9 (O. C. 8 1 7) .

l

In answer to the ir letter from Jask dated December 10 , 1 6 1 8 ,

addressed to Sir Thomas Roe . Expenses and estates of the late

Francis Tipton. The rials they borrowed from the company of the

E xped i tion have been debited to their account . They ought before

this to have advised the pri ces obtained for the goods sent in that

ship , as that would have been a usefu l guide in regard to the supply

now dispatched to them . Wil l iam Blundstone is to be reshipped,as ordered by S ir Thomas Roe. Some of the bales of silk received

from them were opened , and the qual i ty gave satisfaction ; they

were then covered with cotton and gunny,and all sent home on

the Royal Ami e. No more shou ld be sent unti l orders come from

home. You say that thirteen shahes2and one casbegg is a royal l of

e ight,and that two shahees maketh a ma[hmfidi ] ; which cannott

bee, except the royal l bee worth m [ahmfid i s] and one casbegg,

wh ich you knowe is seldome heere at five Thei r

request that the fleet may remain at Jask the who le season cannot

1 There i s a damaged copy in B r i t. Mus. Egerton M S . 21 22 f 162.

2 See p . 83 n . Ten eosoegs went to the sbalz i .

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1 42 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

of three different sorts white powdered sugar fromAgra and sugarcandy ; various k inds of cal ico (

‘and whereas you require camn i

keens,tricandees and dutties white, wee p ray you to bee advertised

that theire shortnes and dying gives the two former that name [see

p . 95 the camnikeen beeing made of baftaes and tricandee of

duttie the first therfore you may receive in the bafta-i nvoyce and

both the latter in the eramees’

[see p . 62 Shashes , 45 3 in al lcassia fistula a true drug and too s l ight a commoditie for marchantsof our masters qual itie

’

; they wil l send no more unless it yieldstwo for one profit) ; tamarinds, packed in gunny ;

‘saffron de la

terra or z awchobe 1 cardamoms sal-ammoniac ; gum-lac ; copper

(as none could be got except at excess ive rates, they have melted

down ten maunds of p ice) iron which , i f a commoditie, you may

have large suppl ie op ium five bales of Dho lka dutties for mer

chand ise , and a quantity Of coarser for embal ing thei r silk,with

a supply of cords , gunny, cotton , &c. ,for the same purpose ; and

paper from Ahmadabad . O f Socotra aloes they have none to

spare ; and they have not sent indigo ,‘ conceiving an error in your

advice.

’

Camphire, which you say is brought from India into

Percia overland, we injoyned the Agra factory to provide ; who ,informing themselves concerning it , could not be ascertained of

any such commod itie, and do affirme i t is not there to be had .

’

They request the Pers ian factors to inform them which of the com

modities now sent are the most stap le and then they wi l l furnish

them w i th good quantities . For southerne commod ities our

masters have also ordayned your supp l ie from Bantam which this

yeere you are nott to expect, by reason of the disso lution of that

factorie and our contraverses with the Duch, which are come to

such a he ight as without the uniting both compan ies wi l l hardl ie bereconciled ; which though the Duch Company hath endeavoured

,

both by surprisal l of our masters shipps abroad and sol l ic ited at

home, is nott yett concluded .

’

The enclosed letters wil l give them

the particulars . As regards Pers ian commodities for sale in Ind ia ,they desire first to receive samp les for trial ; but they do not

expect great results , and they advise the Pers ian facto rs to turn

their attention rather to give our masters satisfaction by returnes

1 Not saffron but turmeric (Port. afafrci o do terra) . Z awchobe is the Persian name,

z ard-cnzi lzalt .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 43

for England ’

,which wil l add reputat ion and give l ife to that trade

’

.

In negotiat ing with the Shah ,‘we wish you to be sparing of larger

prom ises unti ll our masters may bee better assured of the benifitt

that may arise thereby. In the interim you shal l doe wel l to sol

l ic ite the King so to fortifie the fort [port P] ofJasques that Our shippsfrom southwards or o ther p laces may ride there S ingle

,free of the

Po rtUgalls danger. Or ray ther i t weare to bee wished that some

more secure and conven ient porte were found farther upp within

the Gulfe which we commend to your requirie and advice .

’ Three

factors sent in th is fleet for Pers ia, of whom Robert Jeffries is torank next to Barker and M onnox

,and John Purifie and John

Benthal l to be fourth and fifth respective ly. If two factories have

been establ ished,Monnox is to be Ch ief of the second

,and Jeffries

to be Barker’

s ass istant at the first. Cop ies sent of the Company’s

instruct ions for the prevent ion Of private trade. They urge the

Pers ian factors to cease thei r quarrel s , which have already given

them a bad name .

‘A nd nowe wee p ray you farther to bee adver

ti z ed that in regard our masters by way of caution have advertized

us Of s ix gal lions and four carricks this yeere sett forth from

L isbone 1 , and for that also i t is heere reported that four or five of

the said gal lions ar gone to Ormuz with intent to surprize the singleshipp the[y] expected wee wou ld send

, the import of your present

supplie hath caused us to send the who le fleete unto you, which

though it be verry prejud iciall to dispatch of the shipp intendedfor England

,wee have thought rayther necessarie to adventure one

a late returne home then to hazard the safe del iverie of so greate a

cavidall [see p . 1 1 5 ] as this nowe sent you ; verry instantly re

quest ing and requ iring you to use all poss ible dil ligence to theirespeediest d ispatch , having by comm iss ion (though wee hope youwil l nott so long detayne h im) lym ited the commander I 5 dayesstay there

,o r 20 at uttmost.

’ They hope it wi l l be found possibleto lade the Sh ips in ten days , as considerable t ime has been lost

already here through delays in the custom-house,and it is important

to d ispatch the sh ip for England at an early date. They hadintended to send them some myrrh and coffee rece ived from Mokha,but upon recons iderat ion have kept them back, the first be ing verry

1 Th is was the fleet dispatched from Portugal in the spring of 1619 under Ruy Freirede Andrade.

144 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

vendable in England,and latter worth more heere in Suratt then

your advice valueth i t there .

’ They forward a packet of letters forthe Company, and request its transmission overland . P MS (w r i tten

at S wally, Novemoer — It has taken a week to clear al l the goods .

The copper they have been forced to send ‘ in p ices, in regard of

a p roh ibit ion nott to melt any’

. A min ister 1 come in this fleet issent to be res ident wi th them . He has had some differences with

Jeffries , and they may return him if they think proper. (Copy ,made

in P ers ia and sent over land . E ndor sed as received in London S eptemoer 25 , 1620 . 9 pp .)

HENRY CROSBY’

S JOURNAL OF THE VOYAGE OF THE CHARLESFROM SURAT To JASK AND BACK (M ar ine Records, vol . xxix .

pp . 9

Sailed from Swally November 7 , 1 6 1 9. Anchored at Jask De

cember 3 . Left again December 1 8, and reached Swal ly January 1 3 ,

(3 pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS KASTELL

,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT TO THE FACTORS AT BROACH,NOVEMBER 7 AND 1 5 ,

1 6 1 9 (Br i t . M as . Eg er ton M S .

In answer to their letter of the 3rd . The goods for Persia werecleared on that date, laden on the 5th , and this morn ing the fleet

set sai l . ‘

[We] are glad your marketts are quieke.

’

To buy as

many broad baftas as poss ible ; also co loured Cloths . Everything

should be in readiness at Swally sands by the 1 5 th or 2oth

February att farthest ’. P . S . ( 1 5 th) .—The d ispatch of the letter

has been delayed ‘ through occac ion of a brawle twixt this dogge

Isacke Beage and us,who accord inge to h is custome sett watch on

our houses and by proclamacion debard us Of victualls and suffered

none to come or go , and even to this day debarreth our sarvantes

They forward a pet ition on the subject for presentation to H emett

Chan ’

. (Copy . Damag ed . 2 pp .)

1 The Rev. Matthew Cardro.

1 The journal goes on to narrate the sai l ing of the fleet for Sumatra and Java on

March 16 , 1620, vi siting Dabhol on the way.

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1 46 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

answer for what had been done. On h is refusal to go without a

p ledge of safety the Governor was very angry, and forbade the

supp ly of meat and drink to the Engl ish,and imprisoned their

servants . A conference was at last arranged,where, upon Kerridge

speakinge the truth freely hee grewe in rage,called

mee Bucta bett i Chud 1 and used many t hreats . No

conclusion was come to ,and the embargo is sti l l in force

,

‘ which

wee suffer with the more pac ience for that , as wee heare , a new

Governor is al lready att Brodera and wi ll very Shortly arrive.

’

They real ly think that if ‘assurance of safetie, better usage, and

l iberty of trade be den ied , not only this place must bee left, butt

the whole cuntry .

’ They send a petition to be presented to the

Prince,and also two for A saf Khan 2

and Afzal Khan respectively.

Farther wee pray you p laynly [to ad]virtise them of the five

Denmarke shippes [and] three other French , some of which

wee very ly beleeve may robe there sh ippes in the Red S ea next

y eare which havinge declared to these, they p laynly say wee Shal lsatisfie all there damages

,whosoever com itteth them , which are to

[t ick] lish poyntes for any longe residence.

’ They refer to variousmatters in h is recent letters . They hope to remit h im some money

soon,but meanwhile he may draw on them for or

rupees , i f he can get reasonable terms . At Surat the present rateof exchange i s 4 1 rupees hundees [see p . 85 n .] per 1 00 mahm ijd i s ,and five mahmfi di s are worth one rial . The exchange to Ahma

dabad is usual ly 2 per cent. more in value than that to Agra.

P . S .— The dispatch of their letter was delayed . Difficulty in

rem itting money causes them to advise h im to use his best endeavours to get in all moneys due , which [we] pray imp loy in linn insand silke accord inge [to] our masters advice.

’

(Copy . M ac/z

damaged . 5 pp .)PETITION OF THOMAS KERRIDGE

,THOMAS RA STELL, G ILES

JAMES,JOSEPH SALBANK

,ROBERT YOUNG

,EDWARD HEYNES ,

EDWARD HOWE , AND WALTER HARVEY To [THE PRINCE SHAHJAHAN] (fete , f .

Humbly represent thei r grievances : the refusal to al low them to

buy goods for the Red S ea : the abuses daily offered to them owing1 B aclzcna oeti -clzod—a piece of abuse too gross for translation.

1 Not extant. The other two are given below.

3 Undated.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 47

to the p ride and mal ice ’

of M i rza IS-haq Beg, Governor of Suratand the i r ejection from the ir former dwel l ing-house , to their great

inconven ience . The Governor’s hard deal ings have induced themto send their fleet to Jask instead of letting it l ie at Swally for some

months Whereat he being displeased , doth secretly intend us m is

cheefe . [The] n ight past, some of our young men return ing

[home P] from some of our houses,weare beaten and [ P wound]ed

by h is sarvantes,and the dore of our ware[house] a gree

1after was

assalted by the sarvants [of] the said Isacke Beage with gunnes ,which they [P sho] tte into the doore of the said house and wounded

three other of our peeple , of whome one was shott in the heade

with a bu llett,and both the others so hurte as is doubtful l wheather

they may l ive or dye ; whereuppon our peop le, fearinge they

were sett uppon to be mur[dered] , discharged a smal l peece with

b irding shott , [which wounded P] one of the gunners and ceased the

quar[rel . The] next morn inge the Governor sent for us to [his]howse to answere the [facte P] , where, fearinge [some P] fartherintended m ischeefe to our persons, wee [re] fused to goe, des iringe a

pleadg for the saphe[tie] of our l ives .

’ This he not only refused ,but presently proclaimed by sound of drum that none Shouldfurn ish the Engl ish with any kind Of sustenance

,and he further

beat and imprisoned their servants . [P ar t indeczpneraole] Un lessH is H ighness , to whom the ir brother

’

,M r. B iddulph , wi l l

represent the facts , condescends to assist them ,they will be forced

to ret ire to thei r own Country. (Copy . M ac/z damag ed . 3 pp .)

THE SAME TO AFZ AL KHAN,THE PRINCE’

S D iwAN 2

(feed ,

For three years they have suffered inj uries at the hands of the

Governor , M i rza Is-haq Beg , who al lso,beeinge the greatest [mer

chan]t of this place, doth laboure to depresse [ P all oth]ers for

1 H ind . gnor i’

,a clepsydra or water-clock , and hence the interval of time (about

24 m inutes) indi cated by the Clock .

‘ They d istingu ish thei r time in a much d ifferentmanner from us

,d ivid ing the day into four , and the night into as many parts , which they

cal l Pores [Hind . paltr ] ; wh ich again they subd ivide each of them into eight parts, whichthey cal l Grees, measured , accord ing to the anc ient custom ,

by water dropping out of onevessel into another ’

(Terry’

s Voy age to E ast-I nd ia, ed. 1 777 , p .

2 Undated .

1 48 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

increase of h is owne gayne, without any regard to the Princes service

o r benifitt.’ Thus he has prevented men se l ling goods to them ,

and at the same time has p rohibited the Engl ish from import ingcertain commod ities, though the Prince

’

s customs revenue suffers in

both cases he forces them under pain of h is disp leasure to sell him

their goods at h is own price, and then pays at h is p leasure ; he

does them no justice,and h is servants continual ly insult and abuse

them . They beg Afzal Khan’

s assistance in representing the matter

to the Prince, and obtain ing redress . (Copy . M uck damaged .

1 i Pr .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO WILLIAM MART IN,&c . ,

AT BROACH,NOVEMBER 20

,1 6 19 (Ibid .

,f .

Understands from h is letter h is Governor’

s‘apprehenc ion of

our wronges, which att Jamshead Beages arrivall thether, who in

[is P] com inge heather to bee cheife in this goverment,wee expect

he w i l l acquaynt h im with y t’

. Supply of money for investment .

He shou ld take care that the dutti es be as strong as can be got.

(Copy . Rest indecip/zeraole. 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RASTELL TO JOHN BROWNE,&c .

,AT AHMADABAD

,NOVEMBER

‘

22, 1 6 1 9 (a n y

The fleet sai led for Jask on the 7 th . The Governor, being afraidof an attack from some Mal labars tried

, to induce them to retain

part in the port , but they refused ;‘ which taking [in ev]yl l parte ,

the dogg m iscal led and th [r]eatned us [as] accustomed .

’ Soon

after, some of the i r young men,returning home

‘att [an] unlawfull

howre ’

, escorted by ‘the returned Mocha merchants were en

countered and assaulted by a number of Is-haq Beg’

s peons and

others , who also attacked the Engl ish warehouse , and only retreated

after the discharge from within of some‘ hayle shott

’

. The con

sequent d ispute with the Governo r, and proclamation isolating the

Engl ish factory. A conference subsequently arranged, Whereat the

Governor expected the i r comp lete subm ission and being dis

appointed , abused mee basely in languadge , vowinge then there to

cutt p resently my throate , and for feare cal led all his ragged route

together , as if [e ither he] feared revenge or intended m ischeife.

’

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1 50 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

PET ITION OF THE ENGLISH AT SURAT TO [JAMSHED] BEG ,APPOINTED GOVERNOR OF SURAT, NOVEMBER 30, 1 6 19 (I bid . ,

f .

S et forth their grievances . Seven years past1,when th is c ittie

was under the goverment of Ch ilege Chan2, wee weare by Sheeke

l saph3,D ivon 4

of Amad [avas] , M irja Furso la5,Governor of Suratt,

Choja Hasanaly6,Shabandar 7 , and sundry [other] merchantes

importuned to leave our peop le in th is p lace for a per

p etuall free [trade and P] comerce which uppon certayne [P articlesint]erchangeably passed and S igned [by the sa] id D ivon,

Governorand merchantes , [P as also by our] Che i fe Comander and merchantes

was concluded and the same [P approved by] the GreatK inges fi rmaen .

’ This has s ince been many times confirmed, yet

notwithstanding they have suffered intolerable abuses from former

governors , especial ly from Z fi lfaqar Khan and Is-héq Beg . The

latter has always been their enemy, and did them much m ischief,

even in the government of Ibrahim'

Khan,

‘who was a j uste man

and wil lingely did us favor.’

The latter being ‘Called to the der

barre, Jamall Chan succeeded,that al lso was a peaceable and good

man,butt [in] regarde of the conjuncion twixt Isacke Beage and

the rest o f merchantes in oposinge us, had nott power to releeve

us . In the intrim [of] whose goverment our enem ies and the

enem ies of our d iceased landlord Choga Arab by falce suggestions

p rocured a comaund for our expulcion from our dwell inge house

and the same to bee confiscated ; which uppon the intercess ion of

the Engl ish Embassador and Choja A rrabes frinds was by the

Pr ince h is comaund restored to h is sonne, and wee al lso confirmed

therein unt il l our [lease exp ired P] and referred unto the wi l l of the

owner for fu [rther re]s idence. Aboute wh ich time Jamall Chan

beeinge [called to court P] , the goverment fel l to Isake Beage .

’

The latter at once procured thei r expuls ion from thei r housewithout p roviding them with a new one, thus causing them great

1 The reference i s of course to Capt. Best’

s negoti ati ons wi th the native authori ties forthe establ ishm ent of a factory.

1Quli ch Khan , Sfibadé r of Gujarat, on whom see a note in Blochmann

’

s A—z‘

n-i -Akbar i ,

vol . i . p . 34. Hawkins mentions Kel ich Chan as a mansabdar of horse .

3 Shaikh Yfi suf. 1 D iwdn .

5 Perhaps Mi rza Fai z-nllah .

Khwaja Hasan Al i . 7 S/zalz-oaudar , harbour-master.’

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 1 5 1

loss and inconven ience. Abuses in the custom-house . Prohibition

of thei r Red S ea trade,and of thei r bringing in coral . H is

restrict ion of the i r purchases in the neighbouring towns , to the

detr iment of the Prince’

s customs . The ir servants are whipt andthey themselves affronted by every base peon . Is-héiq Beg recently

asserted that the princ ipall of us was h is sarvante, called h im S eg

muder bu[c] ta1, thatt hee would cutt h is throate , and such l ike

base termes , which wee both deny [and] d isp ise, beeinge the

subjects and servants [of] a forreygne prince, that wil l have satis

fac ion for the meanest of our l ives ’

. F inal ly,Is-héq Beg has

declared that they Shal l make satisfaction for any attack by other

nations on the Prince’

s sh ip ; to this they wil l never consent .

Having now made known the i r grievances they hope for rel ief,fail ing which they must ret ire from the country. (Copy . Damag ed.

s or.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To JOHN YOUNG AT

DECEMBER 2, 1 6 1 9 (foray

Forwards certain parwéinas. (Copy . Rest i lleg iole. p )

THE SAME To WILLIAM MARTIN, &C AT BROACH, DECEMBER

[2 P] , 1 6 1 9

Perce ives the Governor of B roach has recommended the ir betterusage. Money for Broach and Ahmadabad . (Copy . Damag ed .

t e. )

MATTHEW DUKE AT MASULIPATAM TO THE COMPANY,DECEM

BER 4 , 1 6 1 9 (0. C.

Forwards cop i es of the accounts kept by him at Petapol i . The

Clove arrived there October 1 , and was dispatched for Masul ipatam

aga in on the 1 4th . Duke reached that town the fo l lowing day .

Sends letters and a present to h is k insman, R ichard Hobbe

, and

begs they may be del ivered . (Holog rap/lz. E ndor sed Receaved bythe Duitch Wki te Beare, I January, 13pp .)

1 S ag-meida oacaclta

, son of a bitch.’

1 52 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To WILLIAM MARTIN,&c .,

ATBROACH

,DECEMBER 6, 1 6 1 9 (B r i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 21 22

,f .

They intend to take advantage of the Governor of Broach’s visitto Ahmadabad to send a dozen chests of rials thither under his

protection . Kerr idge hopes to be at Broach shortly to arrange

matters . (Copy . Damag ed .32 p .)

WILLIAMMETHWOLDABOARD THE ‘UNICORN ’ IN MASULIPATAM

ROAD To THE COMPANY, DECEMBER 7 , 1 6 19 (0. C.

Since his previous letters they have p roceeded in the‘ beaten

path of trade ’

, and invested al l their cap ital . On July 1 0 two

Englishmen reached Masu lipatam from‘ Narapoley

’

[see p .

with letters from Captain Pring , August ine Spalding, and GeorgeBall

,announcing their arrival on the coast with four ships and re

quest ing his presence . He thereupon embarked in a country boat ,taking with h im such provisions as he cou ld procure, and reached

the ships on July 1 3 . F inding them in much need of stores,and

having been supp l ied with rials for that purpose, he returned

by land in Company with Spalding, Bal l, and Harris, reaching

Masul ipatam the very day that S ir Thomas Dale’

s fleet came to

an anchor in the road . Before the wind and tide would give mee

leave to repai re abourd, S ir Thomas Dale advised his extremety of

sicknesse and desired to have some place conven ient for his

entertainment on shoare ; which beeing formerly considered,made

us better prepared . S O the next day I went and brought h im on

shoare to your howse, from whence after twenty dayes of languish

ing sicknesse, after maney testemoneys of good Christianety

contempt of death , and singular z eale and affect ion towards your

serv i ce,dying

,wee were forced to carry h im to h is last possess ion ,

which (per consent) I have ordered to bee enclosed and bowsed in

forme of a toombe , which is al lmost finished .

’

Meanwhile the

factors did thei r best to provide the ships with provisions and

stores . Goats and sheep (‘Comonly ten per pagode

1, now at last

but eight or as wel l as hogs, were supp lied , but the seamen

Showed l ittle gratitude to the merchants for thei r efforts. The

seiz ure of Chinese j unks at Bantam gave occasion to a disgraceful

1 The pagoda was worth at this time about 7s. 6d.

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1 54 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

Which per the junkes from Bengala I hope yearely to compasse,and wi l l per these now expected in December attempt a begining.

Your first debt and later adventure (yf not servants) at Pegu [see

p . 43] I accomp t desperate . A j unke from thence arrived heere inApri l l last past, without letters or further newes then what I could

enquire of passengers, which was that they l ived , had sould theirgoods , had the i r howse burnt , and were comm ing away in the

sh ippe belonging to this King, but the Tyrant of Pegu , incensed

against one of h is Cheife nob les , executed h im and d iverse others,

and pers isting thus d isturbed , none durst moove h im for l icence to

depart until l the monsoone was lost . A nd from this opin ion this

adventure is borne to losse and cleared uppon the last jo int stocke

yet yf aney th ing shal l proceede thearo f, a j ust accompt shall bee

given to the propriators .

’ O ther remains of the old stock have

been turned over to the new at cost price. Qu icks i lver and

verm i l ion are worth no more than in England and they have not

much else. The ir debts are all good,

and in that particular and

accompt of presents , no factory in India hath beene so fortunate

and thrifty.

’ Goods and money rece ived from Augustine Spald ing

to the value of rials 53 3-41, of which parti culars wi ll be sent

by way of Surat . (Holog r apn. E ndorsed ‘Receaved the I st January,

1 62C[2 1 ] , by the Duitch W/ n'

te Bear e 4 pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL, AND G ILES JAMES AT

SURAT To WILLIAM B IDDULPH , &c ., AT AGRA , DECEMBER [8 P] ,1 6 1 9 (Br i t. M as . Eg er ton M S . 21 22, f .

Have not yet made use of‘the Nabob Chan Chanas perwans

concern ing restitucion of the indicoe as they have not been able tospare a factor for the purpose . [P ar t i lleg iole] They do not hearof any preparat ions on the part of the Po rtuguese . A new Viceroyhas been establ ished .

1 Only three ships have arrived at Goa fromL isbon but whether the rest have gone to Ormus, or are detainedat Mozamb ique for want of w ind

,they cannot learn . The cargo

l ist w i ll Show that nearly all the rareties have gone to Pers ia ; butA saf Khan may have a r ich cabinet and three pairs ofgloves . The

1 The Conde de Redondo ( see p . 3 1 ) died Nov. 10 , 16 19 and Fernfio de

Albuquerque took up the reins of administration as Governor, pending the appointment

ofa Viceroy from home.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 55

new Governor’

s att itude towards them is sti l l doubtful . They wi l l

send broadcloth and kerseys to Agra ; the other goods asked forhave gone to Pers ia . The pearl w i ll be forwarded secretly for [saleto P] A saf Khan . Purchase of spikenard requested . They are

doubtful as to s i lk. [P ar t i lleg ible ] They forward bi lls forrupees , representing mahmfidi s at 4 1 ; per 1 00 , a very low

exchange .

’

P . S .—M rs . Towerson [see p . 1 6 8] may be allowed 200

rupees for th is year to supp ly her necessities , but ‘seeinge Shee

stayeth beh ind hir husband , not much to his likinge, [and] that hehath not given warrant to releeve h ir, i t is in h is choyce whether

he w i l l repay itt or no, notwithstandinge h ir bi ll.’

It is doubtfu l

whether the Company will allow him to return,or whether he w i ll

rem it enough to pay h is wife’

s debts ; and if this be so and She

remains in India,i t is not l ikely thei r emp loyers wil l spend money

on her. (Copy . M uck damag ed. 2% pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RA STELL AT SURAT To

JOHN BROWNE,&c .

,AT AHMADABAD

,DECEMBER 9, 1 6 1 9

The ir troubles have been m it igated by the arrival of the new

Governor and wee restored to our former l iberty bes ides wee havemany fayre promises, butt no further accion They send b i l ls for

rupees,‘to whereof wee have all the company of

sheraffes and some merchantes bound for the performance .

’ In

add ition,yesterday twelve chests contain ing rials were d is

patched to them under the charge ofEdward H eynes and a numberofother Engl ishmen . From Broach they wil l proceed in the companyof the Governor of that town

,who is about to vis i t Ahmadabad .

Have made rem ittances to Agra, part by way of Ahmadabad and

part by Burhanpur. Request info rmation as to the rate of ex

change from Ahmadabad to Agra .

‘Wee have sould to the Princehis offecers rials att 5 m [ahmfid i s] p [ice] the r ial beststampe, the coorser att 2 p[ice] lesse .

’

(Copy . M ac/cdamag ed . 1 % pp .)

THE SAME ToWILLIAM MARTIN,&c .

,AT BROACH

,DECEMBER 9,

1 6 1 9

Advise dispatch of money . K erridge’

s departure has been

postponed . (Copy . M ac/t damag ed . p .)

1 56 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

AUGUST INE S PALDING ABOARD THE ‘UNICORN ’ IN MASULI

PATAM ROAD To THE COMPANY, NOVEMBER 23 AND DECEMBER 9, 1 6 1 9

Narrates the course of events s ince the Lesser 7 ames sailed from‘ Poo la-besee 1 ’

for England on March 29, 1 6 19 . Departure of

Jourdain from Bantam Road on Apri l 1 3 with the S ampson and

H ound for Jambi,Patan i

,&C . Seizure of three j unks newly arrived

from China in satisfact ion of debts owing by Chinese at Bantam .

Great pi llage by the sailors. On the voyage from Bantam to‘M oroh z

’ they met a p innace, the D r ag on’

s Claw,bringing news

from Surat and letters from Capt. Bonner and R ichard FurS land ,who had gone to Achin with the Drag on and Exped i tion .

‘They

were att Cal l i cutt to recover Your Worships debts there and to have

bought some pepper, as the K inge Of that p lace prom ised them,but

they were by h im deluded by words onely,and soe they came

awaye w ithout gettinge aney th inge .

’ Bodman,the Ch ief actor in

the burn ing of the Black L ion , hanged at the yard-arm . The

remains of the China s i lks are valued at rial s of eight ; but

a lmost every basket and hamper had been broken open by thesailors

,who also sto le one hal f of the porcelain .

‘ I thinke worser

theeves l ives not in Newgate then most of the men in th is fleete.

’

H e blames S ir Thomas Dale for hi s indulgence towards them . The

Rose sent to Achin with advices . On May 30, in s ight of A ngan ia

the fleets parted company. Pring,with the 5‘ames Royal , Gift,

Unicorn , and Bee, sai led for Masu lipatam ; while Dale , with the

M oon, Clove, Globe, P epper corn ,

A dvice,and Drag on

’

s Claw,stayed

at Engano to get what they could from the wreck of the S i m.

3 A

l ittle o fDale’

s p late was recovered but ‘ he founde not one English

man al ive, but some 1 6 or 1 8 of there sculls lyeinge in a heape

neere together . S ir Thomas there kil led two of there people,burned and cutt downe parte o f there bowses and trees and soe

lefte the p lace .

’

Great mo rtal ity in the fleet. About eighty men

1 The i sland in the Sunda Straits now cal led Sebesi , between the islands of Krakatauand Seboekoe.

1 A headland and road on the southern side of Sumatra, not far from the entrance to theStrai ts of Sunda (see P urcltas li ts P i lgr imes, vol . i . p . Fring’s account of the voyagewi ll be found at p . 63 7 of that volume.

3 See note on p . 1 10. For the consultation at whi ch this disposal of the ships wasagreed upon, see 0. C. 801 .

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1 5 8 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

inso lent that there is l ittle hope to be had of an ie agreement where

there strength shal l exceede, for they doe ayme to be,so le masters

o f the who le Ind ias.

’ NO doubt at home they are verie desembl ing

flatterers but the arrival of the Lesser ‘

jfames wil l have furnished

the Company w ith ful l particulars of there m ischevous and subt ledeal ings Capt . Pr ing has succeeded to the command o f the

who le fleet , but is unable to keep h is men in order. Constant com

plaints made by the officers of want of provisions , yet all the time

much waste is go ing on.

‘ In fyne, everie thinge goeth as itt were

agaynst the heare1 Private trade was never more commonly

used,and canno t be p revented in these troublous t imes . The

cargo sh ipped from hence this year amounts to pagodes’

, o r

rials of e ight 2, and the stock left at Masul ipatam in money

and goods to r ials . [A dded Dec. The fleet has now

been wel l provis ioned , though casks and Ship’

s stores are scarce .

They have landed the Bantam goods formerly provided for Surat, and

also the cargo brought by the Lesser 5‘ames from Siam and Patan i .

(S ig ned copy . E ndor sed Receaved I January,

by the

Duitch Wni te Beare’

. 9pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RA STELL

,AND G ILES JAMES

AT SURAT TO WILLIAM METHWOLD,&c .,

AT MASULIPATAM,

DECEMBER 1 0,1 6 1 9 (B r i t. M i cs . Eg er ton M S . 2 122, f .

Refer to previous letters . Cannot supp ly them with goods from

the fleet,as these are all al lotted to particular p laces by the Com

pany, except the lead, wh ich is not wanted at Masul ipatam . On ly

one pearl came , and that, being fair, wil l sel l best at the Mogul’

s

court. ‘Those that came formerly ar smal l,and yett remayne on

our hands.’ Twenty-n ine chests of unpol ished coral received, but the

merchants objected to its sale, and prevented‘the exportinge of

call icoes The coral has,therefore

,been housed at Raneale

’

till

the Prince’s p leasure is known . If he orders its reshipment, i t mustbe so ld at Dabho l or Masulipatam . Purchase of silk and indigo .

[P ar t i lleg ible ] Our troubles have no end nor m itt igac ion ,

but are dayly multipl ied with the increase of our masters estates,

1 Or, as we now say,‘against the grain.

’Cf. M er ry Wives of Windsor , 11. 3 : If

you should fight, you go aga inst the hair of your p rofessions .

’

2 The rial seems to be taken at 4s . 6d. and the pagoda at 7s. 6d.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 39

whereby the inhabitantes secured,both offecers and merchantes

growe insolent , and proh ibitt our buy inge of al l lynnen comod i ties

butt in Barroch . Wee thanke you for advice o f Captain Bonnars

Ekeree progresse [see p . some of us conceaved i tt allwayes a

tricke to affright o r give more edge to the Portinga lls .

’

Comments

on the war with the Dutch , capture of the Black L ion , &c . They

are anxious to hear news of the Engl ish Shipp ing . (Copy . M ac/z

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO THE SAME,DECEMBER 1 0

,

1 6 1 9

‘ By a letter receaved in your last packett [from S ignor] GeorgeGriger

1, a Jarman

,wee have [ intell igen]ce of h is res idence in your

c itt ie o f M esselpat[nam] , [who this last] y eare receaved certayne

injunc ions and letters from S ir Thomas Roe unto the Viceroy o f

Goa consern inge [a] treaty of peace twixt our nac ion and the

Fort ingal l in India,whereof though the successe answered not

expectacion,i tt no way extenuates the good wi l l of h im that

indeavoured itt .

’

Requests , therefore , that every courtesy be

shown to Griger . (Copy . .Mz/cb damag ed . 23

, p .)

THE SAME TO GEORGE GRIGER AT MASULIPATAM, DECEM

BER 1 0 , 1 6 1 9

In answer to his letter, informs h im of the departure of Roe for

England . Thanks h im for what he has done, and sends a letter

of recommendation which may be useful to him . (Copy . [ n

P or tug uese. M i ce/z damag ed . 1 % pp.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RA STELL

,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT To ALL ENGLISH CHIEFS,DECEMBER 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

,

f .

Recommends to their favour and assistance ‘ Signor GeorgeGriger , [a nat] ive of Austria in Germany ’

, recently emp loyed by

S ir Thomas Roe in negot iations at Goa. (Copy . M ac/c damag ed .

e

1 Nothing is known of him or his mission from Roe, beyond what is stated in thesedocuments.

1 60 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

THOMAS KERRIDGE , THOMAS RA STELL,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT To WILLIAM B IDDULPH AT THE COURT,DECEMBER 1 2,

1 6 1 9

They can do l ittle to help A saf Khan’

s agent in the matter o fcurios ities for h is master, as p ractical ly everything Of that naturehas gone to Pers ia . Another time B iddulph shou ld -wa i t to see the

cargo l ist before consenting to the dispatch of a servant on such an

errand . They have written a letter to A saf Khan on the subject.

(Copy . Mnob damag ed . P art i l leg ible. 1 71, pp .)

[THOMAS KERRIDGE] AT BROACH TO THOMAS RA STELL ANDG ILES JAMES AT SURAT

,DECEMBER 1 3 , 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f .

The Engl ishmen convoying the money for Ahmadabad havesafely arrived , and wil l finish the ir journey under the protection of

the Governor of Broach . Requests some Bu lgary hides and a few

kn ives to present to the latter. (Copy . M i ce/t damag ed . 5‘p .)

THOMAS RASTELL AND GILES JAMES AT SURAT To THOMAS

KERRIDGE AT BROACH, DECEMBER I 5 , 1 6 19 (Ibid . , f .

In answer to h is letter of the 1 3 th . Presents sent for the Governorof Broach, as des ired . TheAgra caravan has arr ived , and the goods

have been warehoused at the custom-house .

‘ Yesterday all the

Ch ieffes and marchants being togeather assembled , we weare sent

fo r to the Governo rs to cut p rice of our Clothes for the Princes

sercarr1,but concluded nothing, they p resum ing [on] the last

yeares p rices and we on the contrarie constant to raise its former

reputat ion off m [ahmfidi s] 25 and 20 and 1 8 the three sorts per

covad . They prest us muche to beate downe the p rice ; when ,wearyed with thear importunitie to l ike purpose, we askt l icence

and weare dismissed without other determ inacion.

’

(Copy . M nclc

damag ed . I p .)

FRANCIS FETTIPLACE, ROBERT HUGHES , AND JOHN PARKER

AT AGRA To THE COMPANY DECEMBER 1 5 , 1 6 1 9 (0. C.

In answer to the Company s letter of February 15 , 1 6 1 9, they

regret that the ‘samanaes

’ sent home in the Bull did not g ivesatisfaction

,but p lead that they were obl iged to buy them hurriedly

1 i . e. the broadcloths purchased for the use of the Prince. On the many meaningsof si rcar (sarbar ) see Hobsonjobson , s. v. Here and

'

elsewhere in these extracts i t is usedalmost in the sense of the pri vy purse ofmodern times.

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1 62 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

noe fault but th e narrownes ; and we doubt not but wil lbee very

vend ible, if not in England , yet to bee transported f or Barbary,beinge soe lyke the Po lon ia cloth usually sent thether . ’ They are

bough t in parcels l ike the samanaes Some of the ‘ambertes

they have dyed carnation,and they intend this next year ‘

to dye

more of th is kind , and into watchets [see p . 5 1 n .] also for we th ink

the best dyes are made in Agra’

. The total value of goods forwarded for sh ipment to England during the past year is about

rupees ; and in addition they have sent to Surat goods forPers ia cost ing about rupees .

‘Aboute the beginninge of

March last the Kinge,after a five or s ixe years p rogresse , re

torned to Agra, whose com inge hether was a meanes for us to

put of our broad cloth last yeare remayn inge , being about fifty

p ieces.

’ ‘About two mouthes after the Kings setl inge here, camehether Will iam B iddulph from S uratt

,whome i t pleaz ed H is

Lordship with the President and Councell in S uratt to dispeed tothe Court wi th such p resents and fine goodes as came in Cap ta in

Bonners fleete, as also for the recovery of such debts as are yet

stand inge forth , belong inge to the first jo int stock .

’ As regards thedisposal of these goods, al l the n ine sutes of tapestry sent us up

the Pr ince bought, and shared them, part to h is father, part to h ismother, and part of them he kep t h imsel f ; the price wherof,h imself beinge in p resence, was made at adventure

,for his greatnes

perm itted us not leave or tyme to make pri ce therof as we would

have done , or as ma[r]chants usual ly doe amongst themselves,but

caused us to bringe before h im four peeces, which we did (andthose of the best) , to say ,

two peeces of that sort which cost 25s .

the ell,and two peeces of that sort which cost 2os . the el l wh ich

havinge looked over, he caused one of h is servants ,whome he thought

most ski lfull,to make price of them ; which he did and told his

master that the best were worth 25 rup [ees] per covado and the

second 20 ; at wh ich prices he wondred, but bid us e i ther sell them

h im soe or els take them backe (th is beinge the manner of sel linge

goods to the great ones of this country) . S oe that , not knowinge

where to find a better markett for them , and assuringe ourselves

that i f the Kinge and Prince refused them ,they would not soe

sudden ly sel l , we were content to put them of at those prices , in

hope to gett the worser and coarser sortes to passe al l at the price

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 63

the second were made which wee afterwards effected . S o that al l

the sutes that cost 7s ., 7s . 6d . ,

1 0s . , 1 2s . , and z os . per el l were

sould for 20 rup[ees] the covado , and those which cost 25s . the ell

for 25 rup [ees] the covado square. But there wi lbee lost by the i r

not measuringe the blew l ist, and by the d ifference of the covado

from t he Flem ish ell,ful l one-third part, to say , those peeces which

content 30 e l ls square fal l out but 20 covados square more there i s

abatement in the mony at least 6 or 7 per cent .1 And al though

Your Woorsh ips have gayned wel l by this tapestry, to say , two for

one, yet we would not wish you to bee too over hasty in send inge

much therof at once, for that i t is a deare commodity and, beingerefused by the Kinge and Prince, will lay dead and thei r fancyesbeinge already glutted happely w ith this bought, they may hereafter be careles of i t. Yet for that i t is a commod ity which comes

wel l to passe for some of thei r uses, we th inke i t not amisse i f you

send yearly three sutes , of price th’

one at 1 5s . the ell,th

’

other two

at 8s . or 1 os . the ell and one of these sutes to bee six el ls deepe.

After a second tryal l wherof, YourWoorsh ips may inlarge-or desist

to furn ish us,accord ing to the profitt thereon Shal l arri se . The

four peeces cloth of s i lver and tissue were sould'

the Prince lykewise the which his offi cers at Suratt sent him longe beforeWill iam

B iddu lph came up , soe that we could never come to sight of them

ourselves ; and therfore when we came to make p rice of them , h is

Officers wi lled us to demaund a reasonable gaine for them,and

that at such rates as we Shou ld rate them at,they would be content

to lett them passe ; as afterwards they did ; to say, for the two

peeces No . 4, No . 5 , which cost 3 l . and 31. 6s . per yard , we wereallowed 40 and 45 rup[ees] per covado ; for the peece No . 3 , whichcost 61. 1 os . per yard , we were allowed 90 rup[ees] per covado for

the peece No . 1,which cost 91. per yard , we were al lowed 1 30

rup[ees] per covado at which prices they not a l i ttle adm ired, yet

‘

gave us al lowance for them acco rdingly. More then this propor

tion (which is about 50 per cent . gaynes) we durst not demand ,fearinge least they m ight be turned backe on our hands, and soe

wee runne th ’

adventure of a worse markett ; although afterwardswe understood that they were exceedingly we l l lyked of

,and that

he had disposed of them before in presents to his mother. The1 Dastzi r i to the Prince’s officers, no doubt.

M 2

1 64 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

sale of these (as You r Woorsh ips may perceave) was after such a

manner as that we are not yet assured of their true value here,and

therfore know not what quantety to advi z e for to be hereafter

sent, yet doubt not but such another parcel l as was sent in CaptainBonners fleete, Of and about those prices, may yearly sel l , if not

to profi tt , yet to noe losse ; and therfore Your Woorsh ips need

not make doubt of sendinge yearly five or six such rich peeces,that on better experience wee may more truly informe you.

’

The

velvets and Satins were mostly so ld to the Pr ince , but to l ittle

profit. Mohairs are in no esteem . The cam lets have been disposed

of, but with little gain,having been bought at very dear rates i n

England . A hundred m ight be sent in future , whereof twenty-five

or thirty should be of the finest so rts , from 51. to 81. ap iece ; the

rest coarse, at from 3os . to 4os . each . Half Shou ld be reds ; therest murreys, purp les , hair co lours, l ight greens and yel lows . The

Russia hides were so ld at 1 7 rupees a pai r ; two hundred pairs

wil l vend yearly at that price. Swords,looking-glasses , armour,

bonelace, p i ctures and strong waters ‘lye dead, breed much trouble

and yeeld noe profitt.’

The go ld and si lver lace was so ld to the

Prince at 70 per cent . profit . They request about twenty ounces

of the best go ld twist or Venus 1 gold for a tryal l ; for here is muchspent, and wee thinke it bee better then that they make here, which

howbe i t is worth 15 rup[ees] per tole’

. F i fty p ieces of broadcloth

is the utmost that wi l l vend here yearly. Embro i deries may be sent

for presents, but wi ll not sel l to profit . A s regards the large debt

of rup ias they have by virtue of the King’

s farman fetched

the debtor’s surety from Lahore and he is now a prisoner in thei r

hands .

‘About the prime October the Kinge with ' his lesker de

parted th is p lace on progress towards Lahore and thence to Cash

mere ; and about a month after fo l lowed him William.

B iddulph

and John Wi lloughby, with Thomas Hawkridge thei r attendant, to

so l lic ite the Prince about the ir complaints from S uratt and o ther

bus inesses belong inge to our factory.

’ This expense cannot be

avo ided . Several complaints have been made to the Prince regard

ing the prohibit ion of English purchases of goods for the Red S ea‘ which he flatly and without al l exceptions denyinge (alleaginge

that therby the marchants o f S uratt wou ld be impoverished) , the1 Venis

’

in margin (7 Venice) .

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1 66 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

defased by the Portingales ; the shipes hee toke with him wear

the S amson and the H ound,and for merchants M r. Denton , etc.

whose names I know not. The Hol landers sent three good sh ipes

after him , intending, as i t is to be supposed, to take h im but God ,I t rust

,wil l defend the cause of the rite. Hear hath been but twoo

Ho l land shipes on this coast since our fleets arivall,-vi z t. the Har t

and the New Z eland. This latter named came to an anker near

our fleet in the road of M esulepatnam and som of our merchants

went abord,but could learne no newse of any consequence. The

said sh ipe stayd not above four or five houres in the road , but

waied againe and toke her waie for Polecatt 1 . Ther came four

Danishe shipes to the i land of Seland 1, being on the mouthe of this

Goo lfe of Bengala,bringing with them great store of peop le , as

men,Woomen and children

, purposing , as i t may appear, to inhabitt

thear ; but Shortly after ther arivall one of ther shipes wear takne

by Fortingal l frigets, and what i s becom of the rest I can not

learne.

’ 3(Holog r aplc. E ndorsed ‘ Receaved by the Lyon the 27

Sep tember, 1 620 271

; pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT BROACH To THOMAS RA STELL AND

GILES JAMES AT SURAT,DECEMBER [1 7 .

P] , 1 6 1 9 (Br i t. M us . Eg er ton

M S . 21 22, f .

Has rece ived their letter and the present . Glanvil l Should besent to help the factors at Broach , now that Sprage has departed.

He hopes to be back by Monday. (Copy . Damag ed . p .)

THE SAME TO JOHN BROWNE,&c .

,AT AHMADABAD

,DE

CEMBER 1 6 1 9 (Ibid .

, f i

Advises the dispatch of the treasure on the 14th , in the train of

the Governor. Requests them to pay a comp l imentary visit to the

1 Pul icat. The visit of the Z eeland to Masul ipatam is mentioned in a letter from the

Dutch East India Company to the London Company , dated July 1620,a translation

of which is preserved in thejava Records, vol . i i . pt. 1 .

1 Ceylon. See p . 1 24.

1 The letter mentioned above says : The pynnace of Denmarke cal led the Hor i son

[Ocresund] , sent before their fleet, was arrived neer to Negapatnam on the Coast of

Coromandel l , and being sett upon by six Portugal l frigates, who cutt ther rudder inpeeces, by whi ch losse being without stay

,they chased her on shore at Caricol and

spoyled her, in whom they found 3000 real ls of eight. The other four shipps of Denmarkewere said to be arryved at Ceylon, but the newes were very uncertaine.

’

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 67

latter on h is arrival and give him bi l ls on Surat for his cash , if he

des ires i t . A present for him sent under the charge of R ichard

Lancas ter and Joseph Walker. (Copy . Damag ed . 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL

,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT TO WILLIAM METHWOLD,&c . , AT MASULIPATAM ,

DECEM

BER 24 , 1 6 1 9

The Dutch here declare that they have received intel l igence of

the capture of five Engl ish ships , viz. the S tar , in the Straits of

Sunda , and the Dr ag on ,Bear , E xpedi tion and Rose at Tiku . It is

to be feared that others wil l also be taken . The fleet has not yet

returned from Persia , but they hope to have the ships ready for

dispatch by the 1 5 th or 2oth February, the L ion for England , and

the rest to whatever destination the Bantam Counci l may determ ine.

They are surprised not to have received letters before th is from

Masul ipatam . (Copy . M uck damag ed. 3 pp .)

THOS . KERRIDGE AND THOMAS RASTELL AT SURAT TOWILLIAM

MARTIN, &c .

,AT BROACH

,DECEMBER 25 , 1 6 19 (Ibid . , f .

Send some goods required for presentation , and advise the news

from Masul ipatam . U rge the early provis ion of commodities forEngland . (Copy . M ucb damag ed . 3; p .)

WILLIAM B IDDULPH AND JOHN WILLOUGHBY 1 AT THE MOGUL’

S

CAMP 2 TO THE COMPANY,DECEMBER 25 , 1 6 1 9 (0. C.

Refer to various po ints in the Company’

s letters rece ived per

Bonner’s fleet . ‘ For wrongs and abuses offred in Surat per theOffi cers there, they are more l iklye to increase rather then dem in ish ,

soe long as this Prince,Sultan Corrome

,hath that p lace in his

possession and Sir Thomas Roe never procuringe anye redresse

befo re his departure , as per the effects may playn lye appeare, but

sought with all fair meanes to gett h imse lfe c leare o f th is country,see inge hee cou ld doe noth inge with these people , and lefte all the

merchants in the country in the bryers to sh ifte as they m ight , as

in due p lace fo llowinge some particulers wil l make p layne . Car

1 Wi lloughby’s signature is only a matter of form. Biddul ph wri tes in the first personsingular throughout.

1 ‘ Senend [probably Sirhind] in the K inges Lascar, 200 courses from Agra and 100

courses short of Lahore.

’

1 68 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

petts of Lahore and Agra, yf YourWorsh ipps have had information

that quant ityes maye bee had , be inge bespoaken,of those lenghts

and breadths you have advised for,it is a greate error for to my

knowledge there hath bin a carpett in Agra house this twelve

month amakinge, and yett is l ittle more then half don ; and they

neither make them soe wel l nor good col lors as when they makethem without bespeakinge. And therefore yf those carpetts and

theire s izes l ike you that this yeare are sent, questionlesse you

maye have greate quantityes of them sent yearlye from one or both

places ; but Lahore i s the cheife p lace for that comoditye. Broad

baftaes and narrow, I doubte not but you Wil l have large advisefrom Surat . For samanaes it seemes good quantityes, beinge of

the finer sorts,wi l l vent in England

,wh ich are not in Agra to be

had soe good nor soe good Cheape there as in the towne of Saman [a] ,nor such quantityes ; find inge per experience, beinge four or fivemonths in Agra

,and am cred iblye informed by the Samana men

themselves that in theire towne , wh ich is cal led Saman[a] and isabout 1 80 courses from Agra, that wee maye buye them rawe and

wh ite them as wee doe at Boroch , or readye whited , as wee p lease ,tak inge our choyce of the sorts , and that in great quanti ty es ,

alwayes provided two merchants remayne there the yeare about ,to make theire provisions. This I have advised the President andFactors att Surat ; soe must referr

'

the effectinge to theire orders ;but am perswaded nether quanti tyes , goodnes , nor cheapnesse

w i lbee had yf they take not th is course.

’

He has not yet heard

what quantity of indigo i s to be provided in Agra for next year.

Condemns the project of bringing s i lver in ingots instead of rials .

Furs,w indow-glass, swords, hot waters or wines Should not be sent

and kn ives only for presents . The advice of obta in ing a fo rtified

settlement is foo l ish ;‘ in breife , i t wi l l never be graunted , neither

was ever l ikl ie.

’ O f the gentlemen and gentlewomen who came in

Pring’

s fleet , there remains only Captain Towersons ladye or wife

[see p . 1 5 who remaynes at present in Agra, who hath spent all

the meanes h ir husband left w ith hir for h i r expence, and is att

present in debte to my knowledge two or three hundred ru[pees]and five or six dayes before my departure [from] Agra , shee and hir

mother sent to mee day lye to borrow 200 ru [pees] unti l l hirhusbands retorne

, who I absolutelye denied until l theire al lowance

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1 70 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

Parker,John Young and Hawkridge. On the way a letter was

received from John Bangham announcing that h isxcaravan had

been stopped per one Condye Suffer, Armenian,whom Francisco

Swaryes, Port ingal l, lefte there att his departure for Decann, as his

pro curador to fo l low th is busynes to stay the Engl ish goods ’

.

Hereupon B iddulph , with Hawkridge, posted to B urhanpur to

Bangham’

s assistance. There he found that Soares and Musquito

(another Portuguese) had started for the Deccan in company with

one of the Prince’

s se rvants , leaving the Armen ian to fo l low up the

suit . Nothing, however, could be done immediate ly,‘

per reason

of the Governors eldest sonns 1 death few dayes before wee came

thether, and greate heavynesse in all the c itty ’

. A petition was

therefore d rawn up to the Governor1 complain ing of the detention

of the caravan , of the Armen ian keep ing Sprage a p risoner , and of

the previous robbery of indigo in h is son’

s ‘

pregonye3 ’

.

‘After

four or five dayes , though the Governo r were sad for h is sonns

death , I had adm ittance ; who used mee kind lye, with p rom ise of

jus tice for a ll what I desired . . Two dayes after I visited h im

againe , a cquaintinge h im with my busynes , who presentlye sent for

the Armen ian that stayed our goods and demaunded of him where

fore hee caused the goods to be detayned . Hee answered as aforespecified, that was, that Swaryes had del ivered to the said Bangam

ru[pees] in chenye ware etc . I tould the Governor the

partye to whom hee del ivered itt must answere itt. The Armenian

rep lyed itt was our costome that what one of us did here the rest

were liable to answere, and that it was true would bringe twenty

wittnesses Christians . Then I said they were none but Portingalls

and Armenians , which were both our enimies and knew not our

costomes . The Governor at that t ime would here noe mo re, but

appoynted anothe r meetinge . The next daye after I received

letters from S uratt with the ire pet ition to the Governor, the effect

be inge as I formerlye had given h im ,and with them the Kinge and

Princes fi rmaens ; all which after the receip t I presented to the

Governor , and againe urged our busynes , and that I was go inge to

the Kinge with presents and stayed onlye to know h is p leasure

1 Shahnawfiz Khan ( see note on p .

1 i . e. the Khankhfinfin.

3 P argana , i . e. the tract of country assigned him by the Mogul . Prigonies,’

saysPurchas (vol . i . p. are lordships.

’

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 7 1

what hee would doe with our goods and that he m ight perceave

per those fi rmaens i t was the Kinge and Princes p leasures weeshould have al l right, and that the Po rtingalls, beinge our en imyes ,

had raysed this untruth against us ; who both hard and read al l

what I delivered unto h im,and presentlye sent for the Justice of

the towne to have forced the Armen ian to del iver Sprage unto mee ,w ith prom ise our other busynes should bee ended presentlye ; but

before hee came, o r anye thinge elce don,hee rose without

effectinge anye thinge that daye. Swaryes, notwithstand inge h is

absence, what with h is l iberalitye , or rather prodigalitye, hath to

frend generallye the who le towne, both Governor, cheifes,and

merchants . S oe when I perceaved and understood soe much ,I expected smale justice to be don on our parts yett to prove the

uttmost,I stayed some dayes longer then I m ight wel l have don .

And dayes after, the Justice Of the towne sent for mee, to whom

I went and found that cheetinge Armenian Suffer , havinge withhim 20 o r 25 wittnesses , Armenians , Moores

,and Banians ; where

wee were all carried before the Governor, where the busynes was

againe handled , the said Suffer produc inge Hackim Cushalls letter,

being the P rinces man that went with Swaryes , and Swaryes owne

letter,with a role of all the foresaid wittnesses , affirm inge that

Swaryes del ivered into the hands of N icholas Banggam in Bramport

the foresaid some, spetified in goods, and withall that it was our

costome to answer all debts, goods, and monyes one for another in

these parts ; to which I answered as formerlye, deni inge the know

ledge of anye such goods or costome, and y f hee had del iveredanye such goods to anye particuler Englishman , hee must answerefor them , and that other Engl ish were not lyable to paye i t northeire goods . To which the Governor and all the Mores said thatwas theire justice here indeede

,but the Governor said because that

we were all Christians that the di fferance was betweene, wee should

have j ust ice accordinge to our owne costomes . I tould him therewas greate d ifference betweene the Portingalls , Armen ians

,and us

,

both in rel igeon and j ustice,and that here were none but Armenians

,

and such as were never in England and knew not our costomes , and

more that they were the Port ingal ls frends and our enim ies ; with

that an o ld Armenian tould the Governor that hee had bin inTurkye, in all places where the English did trade there, and that

1 7 2 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

theire costome was that whatsoever anye Engl ish did , the Consulli n that place was lyable to paye and answere for them,

and soe in

al l p laces and to end his false speach , said yf it were not true cutt

of h is head . I said itt was false , and yf there were anye such

costome in England or here amoungst our nation , then I d id refer

myselfe to h im to be disposed of atts pleasure, desiringe h im to

doe us the j ustice of th is countrye , for that hee d id nott understand

the Christians j ustice in th is busynes , and that these men with

bribes and hope of gayne of the Portingalls d id beare falce wittnesse.

Notwi thstandinge, the Governor demaunded of all the Armen ians,

as the[y] were Christians, whether that were our costomes as they

had affirmed . They all answered that what one Engl ish did owe

in these parts the rest with the ire goods were lyable to pay

i tt . Uppon which the Governor , without here inge more d isputes,resolved to detayne the goods for that p resent , and yf in one

or two months the Engl ish in Surat could send testimonye

thether to the contrarye , hee would doe us r ight . When I saw

noe hope of p resent release of the goods,I tould h im that

everye yeare our shipps did guard the Princes and merchants

sh ipps to and from the Red S ea againe to Suratt,and therefore

doubted not but wee should finde j ustice one waye or other. Hee

answered he had noe shipps now ; yf mett with any of h is, bid us

take them ; yf tooke the Kinge or Pr inces,must give answere to

them, who would stricktlye require i t of us ; and what j ust ice hee

had [done P] herein was, as hee said,for Gods sake ; and soe with

th is replye was forced to lett this busynes rest . U rg inge him

againe for Sp rage, who was sent for, and att his com inge asked

him what hee knew of this busynes , beinge then in Bramport,

Charginge h im to tel l the tru th ; who con fessed there was 13 cestas1

or basketts of chenye dishes del ivered N icho las Banggam per‘

Swaryes in Bramport , whereof two cestas the said Banggam caried

awaye with h im ,and e leven hee lefte behind him in Bramport,

whereof some sould,some emptye, some retorned , some broaken.

F ive hundred dishes Sprage confessed to have sould h imselfe, which

Swaryes forgave him,beinge poore , as the Armen ian wittnessed

and some Howard imbessel led . This was the account hee gave ,

soe the Governor aga ine wished me to rest satisfied and lett the1 Port. cesta, a wicker-basket.

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1 74 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

wantinge onlye A sufchans screete to the partyes, comaunding

theire p resent payment, that I send him not uppon uncertayntyes

but uppon sure grounds ; makInge the surtye before A sufchan to

afl‘irme such h is fremds owe him soe much monye, and that heehath assigned the Engl ish to receave itt before whom hee dares

not saye otherwise then truth .

’

He has so ld the greater part ofthe fine goods at court. Loss in the measurement of the arras or

hangings . ‘ Those of 4 , 43, and 5 el ls deepe are fittest for there

use,be inge they use them to put over theire heads where they sitt

and for kanottes 1 , which are l ike pales to sett about theire tentes .‘

Cloth of gold and s i lver, velvets , satins, and go ld and S i lver lacewill sel l wel l but ‘ there i s noe certayntye of the request of anyefine goods in the court , for they are soe variable they Change theire

m indes in a moment and des i re yearlye new and strange things,

they know not what themselves ; soe i t is not easye to fitt thei r

humours Greate pearles from twenty to forty carratts , orientalland faire, are the presentest money of any commoditye and most in

request at present.’

Armour, swords, or p ictures should be sent only

for presents. Another caravan dispatched from Agra to Surat onOctober 3 . The 7 th of the same month the Kinge departed Agrauppon his intended jornye for Cashmere, which is 450 courses fromAgra and on the 10th November. B iddulph and Willoughby, with

Hawkridge in attendance, fo l lowed him . He has done h is best

with the Prince and others to procure l iberty to trade in the Red

S ea,but ‘

notwithstand inge what I could doe, the Governour and

all the merchants in S uratt petitio [n] ing the Prince not to graunt

us that trade,for yf hee did they were al l undon and the c i ttye

begered , havinge noe o ther place to trade unto but the Red S ea,

which they were contented with , leavinge the southwards and other

p laces for the Engl ish , the Prince and all generallye tendringe

theire owne peop les goods and comp laynts before our shutes and

benifitts, and not beleevinge wee durst or wou ld use force against

them att sea , havinge soe manye English in divers places in this

countrye and such quantityes of goods as yearelye wer brought in

and remayned st il l in these parts, the cheife men tell inge of itt,soe

that they thinke themselves safe with these pawnes and their owne

p ride, which bl inds them soe that they w i l beleeve noth inge until l1 H ind . andt a screen laced round a tent or enclosure.4 1 P

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 75

itt fal ls uppon theire heads al l which did cause an abso lut denyallto that trade

,the Prince wish inge mee to trouble h im noe more

with that busynes ; which answere I advised to Surat , with myOp in ion to make staye of theire shipp then expected with the Lyon

from the Red S ea, yf itt were but for a few dayes, that the Kinge

and Prince might take notice that wee both could and would force

that trade, yf per faire meanes wee could not p rocure itt . But itt

seemed per theire answere to that poynt they and Amadavas col d

not agree to performe i tt, un lesse expresse order from Your

Worshipps which yf had soe fal len out that they had agreed with

my op in ion , they had bin prevented per theire shipps not retorne

from the Red Sea this yeare, per reason of theire late departure theroadeand the munsones tur[n] inge were forced to staye t i l l thenext yeare. I onlye gave my op in ion to staye hir for a few dayes,that the Governo r and merchants m ight have written the Princethereof, and afterwards released (unt i ll expresse order from Your

Worsh ipps) , which would have bin l ittle hindrance to our busynes

but rather a furtherance ; but I hope in God all was for the best,and must saye they worke surlye that have warrant for theire

p roceedings . S ince which I received letters uppon travell from

Surat after the arivall of the fleete, with theire petitions to the

Prince and A sufchan,wherein againe they urged the Mocha trade

,

and that the Governor and cheifes of S uratt would not suffer them

to bringe theire corral l to S uratt to sel l (which was a new forcenever spoaken of before), neither would suffer them to have a housesufl‘itient for themse lves and goods . Uppon receipte of theire

pet it ions and letter of advise of the wrongs offred them , I first

acquanted A sufchan and the Pr inces cheife nobleman 1 with the

abuses offred us, and that i tt was not accord inge to divers firmaens

given our nat ion per the Kinge and Prince for our free trade and

good usage in al l p laces in the K inges dom in ions . Theire answere

was the Pr ince was kinge in S uratt and m ight use h is p leasure ;but they would ass ist us in our busynes to h im what they could,but to complayn to the Kinge his father of h im would but incenseh im the more against us , beinge continewallye att h is fathers elbow,

who wou ld not d iscontent h is sonn to p leasure us ; wishinge us to

have a l ittle patience , for i t was l iklye hee should not longe con

1 Afz al Khan (see note on p .

1 76 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

tinew in that p lace, which God graunt prove true. Few dayes

after this conference, I went to the Prince and del ivered h im the ire

petit ion from S uratt, the Governo r and cheifes of Sdratt havingethe same time petitioned the Pr ince to contradict what the Engl ish

des ired for the Red S ea trade ; and for the corral l , i t was the cheife

commod itye came from that p lace . A nd after perusal l and some

questions,he absolutlye tould mee wee shou ld not trade to the Red

S ea, havinge given mee in Agra answere suffi tient,nor bringe anye

corral l into these partes to sell and yf could not be contented tohave free trade for all but Mocha, wee m ight goe out of the

countrye yf wee Would , for must not begger his peop le for us but

yf would have his fi rmaen for a house and free trade in al l other

p laces with good usage, wee should have one. I tould him yf had

not free trade to buy and sel l in al l p laces , as costome of merchants

were,wee needed not neither house nor fi rmaen . Att that instant

was present one Jemo ll Chan 1,who was last yeare Governour of

Surat , who did afl‘i rme before the Prince that the last yeare, before

S ir Thomas Roes departure , he p rom ised h im and some of the

Cheife merchants of Saratt that yf they wou ld suffer h im to lade

those goods al readye bought for the Redd S ea, beinge nott fi tt for

owne countrye , hee wou ld passe h is word wee should send noe

more to the Red S ea , and uppon those prom ises they lett them

passe the last yeare. I tou ld him there was noe such matter

prom ised , for myselfe was there then p resent . S oe bid us trouble

him noe more with that busynes . I doe wel l remember S i r Thomas

Roe had much to doe the last yeare in Suratt to shipp the goods

for Mocha , which the merchaunts graunted at last but absolutlye

tould h im Wee shold send noe more ,and Sir Thomas Roe answered

yf they did pet ition to the Pr ince they should be answered . This

was all the remedye was sought per him before his departure. Not

lett inge the busynes soe fal l , seeinge the necessitye, I caused a short

petit ion to be drawne to the Prince for the things needfu l l,and not e

longe after (beinge as soone as poss iblye I could, considringe it was

uppon travell) I againe presented itt unto him which after perusall

seemed verye much disp leased , wished mee to fo rbeare my Shute.

S oe A sufchan speakinge in our behalfes , hee graunted his firmaen

for sale of our corral l in S uratt or elcewhere for this yeare, and for1 Jami l Khan (see p.

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1 7 8 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

[THOMAS KERRIDGE] AT SURAT To WILLIAM MARTIN,

AT BROACH,JANUARY 1

,1 620 (Br i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 2 1 22 ,

f.

Perce ives from his letter the arrival of the Ahmadabad caravan

and h is trouble in dispatch ing it, which by the M irjaes1 helpe wee

doubte not you wi ll overcome.

’

(Copy . M uc/t damag ed , and in par ts

EST IMATE OF FUNDS AVAILABLE AT THE VARIOUS FACTORIES

POR INVESTMENT (Ibid .

, f .

At Surat,in money

,good debts or commodities conceived

vendible, mahm fjdi s from which deduct for cus

toms , provisions , &C.,leaving available mahmfidi s At

Agra,mahm i idi s At Ahmadabad

,mahmfidi s

Total , mahmfidi s (Copy . M uc/c damag ed . 1 p .)

GOODS TO BE PROVIDED AT AGRA,LAHORE

,AND [SAMANA P] ,

JANUARY 1 0,1620 f .

S emyanos‘sahowne Cloth ambertees ,

’

p lain ,coloured ,

and raw carpets Ch intes for hanginges qui ltes of cheentes

Bengal stuffs,&C . Total , rupees P] ,650 . Remember al lso to

p rovide some quanteties of Derebaudes 1,Gelalepore and amentoes

chosen accordinge to our masters Order . ’ (Copy . M ucn damaged .

2PP.)

GOODS TO BE PROVIDED AT AHMADABAD, CAMBAY, DHOLKA&c . (Ibid . , f .

‘ Dutties Dulka,to be whited

’

;‘dutties to be died into l ight

watchet ’ dutt ies raw baftas ,’ white and dyed into various

co lours Chintz for hangings quillts of co ttonee, Close [stitcht and]l ined with taffetye ditto sl ightly stitched Cambay qui lts ; cub

berd Clothes of pangeree3, serasse , newree , &C . and striped cal licoes

for curtaynes agate beads. [P ar t i lleg i ble.] Total, rupees

(Copy . M velt damag ed . 2 pp .)1 M i n i Muhammad Yi r, the Governor’s brother.1 Valentyn (vol . iv. pt. 2

, p . 146) mentions sjoetaris Dariabadis [ofDaryfibfid and mamoed i

’s de Talaalpoer [Jalaalpoer as clo ths obtained at Agra.

1 M r. P. B. Joshi explains this as a k ind of cloth made by the process ofpa’

njam’

or

S i zxng

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 1 79

GOODS TO BE PROVIDED AT [BROACH P] (Ibid . , j.

Baftas,broad and narrow ; necanees

’

; g ingams buckar’

;

reyses table napkins , and baftaes for tabl inge Total

(Copy . M uc/z damag ed . 1 p . )

[THOMAS KERRIDGE , THOMAS RA STELL,AND GILES JAMES] AT

SURAT TO JOHN BROWNE,&c .

,AT AHMADABAD, JANUARY 1 3 ,

1 620 (Ibid . , f .

Comp la in of their omission to write , though it i s understood that

Mr. Browne’

s s ickness is partly the cause. No l ist was sent with

the last caravan consequently al l the goods must be unpacked for

the purpose of comp i l ing one before they can be passed through the

custom-house. They are also waiting for the Ahmadabad ac

counts,and fear they wi ll have to Close the i r books without them .

List sent of commodit ies to be p rovided the com ing year. Matte rs

of account. M r. Browne is not to be burdened w ith the keeping o f

the books ;‘ wee do agayne injoyne [James] B ickforde to there

undertak inge .

’

News of Dutch victories to the southwards .

P .S .—They have j ust heard that the fleet is at hand on its return

from Pers ia. (Copy . M uck damag ed . 2% pp .)

THE SAME TO THE COMMANDER OF THE FLEET AT SWALLY,

JANUARY 1 620

Welcome h is safe arrival . The Portuguese fleet has not put inan appearance, but there are s ixteen or seventeen [frigates P] about ,and so the boats must be on their guard . They hope to be at

Swally soon . (Copy . Damag ed . p .)

[THE SAME] To [WILLIAM MARTIN, &C .] AT BROACH ,JANUARY

1 3 , 1 620 (Ibid ., f .

Error in account . Will shortly send them some gunny.

‘Wee

sent you two dayes past allso our ould coach with one oxe , thatt

accordinge to your des ire you may p rovide yourselfe there o f

another ; and per the bellwan1

(sent to serve you) wee sent youal lso four b i lls importinge m [ahmfid i s] whereto per thisconvayance wee have added m [ahmudi s] by two bil ls heare

1 H ind . ba i l-wan , ox-driver.’

N 2

1 80 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

inclosed .

’

No further news from Masul ipatam ,but they are glad

to say the fleet has arrived from Pers ia in safety. (Copy . Damag ed .

I e )

[THOMAS KERRIDGE] AT SURAT To [CAPTAIN B ICKLEY ATSWALLY, JANUARY 1 3 P] , 1 620 (I bid . , f .

(Copy . ] l leg ible. 211 p .)

THE SAME TO THE SAME,JANUARY 14 , 1 620 (Ibid . ,f .

Supply of provisions for the Ships . (Copy . Damag ed . 71, p .)

THE SAME TO THE SAME,JANUARY 1 620 (Ibid. , f .

Sends back a Portuguese boy . (Copy . Damag ed . p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE , THOMAS RASTELL ,AND GILES JAMES AT

SURAT TO THE SAME,JANUARY 1 8

,1 620 (Ibid. , f .

In View of the attitude of the native offi cials,they beg h im to

send the D iamond and a small p innace to search the coast for a

good harbour,and especial ly to exam ine ‘

a roade meare Mon

daf[rabar]1 discovered by Captayne Beast

’

; also to inquire in

the fleet for verbal or written information regarding that road . They

wou ld be glad of a draught of the land ofJasques and some breife

jurnall of your navigac ion thither (Copy . M uc/c damag ed . p .)

THE SAME TO S EROYNE , JANUARY 1 620 (Ibid . ,

f.

Regret their inabil ity to accede to his wish [for a passage on the

fleet P] . (Copy . M ac/c damag ed . 3 p.)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT TO [JOHN] WEDDELL ATSWALLY

,JANUARY 2 1 , 1 620 (Ibid .

, f .

H is letter rece ived . An answer wi l l be sent to-morrow. (Copy .

M ac/c damag ed. 3 p .)1 a afari bfid orJi fari bfid , on theK5 thi5w5 r coast, about thi rty mi les east ofDiu see

Best’s journal in P ure/ms (vol . i . p . Tbe Voyages of S i r james Lancaster (p . and

Letters Received by the E . 1. Co. (vol . i . p. A t one time Roe favoured the idea 01

Obtaining the cession of the town from the Mogul wi th a v iew to fortifying i t and mak ingi t the head quarters of the Engl ish, but he soon abandoned the project as impracticable( Ibid vol. i ii . p . 208, vol . iv. p . 300 Tbe Embassy , pp . 94,

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1 82 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

which wi l l nott att presente advance past halfe per cento in the

exchange of rup [ees] secaus [see p . 1 1 3] for bundies’

,and this

,as

a doub le exchange is invo lved , wil l leave l ittle gain . L ists of

goods to be provided for the next season ’s shipp ing. They have

appo inted to procure commodit ies in Lahore, and propose

to send [Robert] Young and another factor for its better accom

p l ishment,

‘and to settle them in Sem iana.

’

John Young is to

ass ist M r. [Hughes] in‘ Hogreporepatam ia

1or where e lce the

am [bertees] are made’

. No news received from B iddulph , nor

have wee yett any releefe from Jamsheadbeage butt in worde.

’

They hope B iddulph wi l l be able to recover the debts outstanding

at court . A s they cannot get definite information from Persiaregarding the demand for Ind ia goods, they do not intend sending

a further supply . Purchase of various commodities . (Copy . M ac/c

damag ed and in par ts i lleg ible. 35pp .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE AT SURAT To [WALTER] HARVEY [ATSWALLY] , JANUARY 1 620 1 (Ibid .

, f.

Instru ct ions for landing and weighing lead and ivory from the

ships. (Copy . M uck damag ed . 5p .)

THE SAME TO JANUARY 23 , 1 620 (Ibid. , f .

Advises a comp laint from the adowya’

[see p . 1 29 and gives

orders for his sat isfaction . (Copy . M ac/c damag ed. 5p .)

THE SAME To JOH N BROWNE,&c .

,AT AHMADABAD , JANUARY

1 620 f .

They have heard from B iddulph that the trade to the Red Seai s abso lutely forb idden them by the Prince, but that they are

allowed to sel l the ir coral provided wee give a writinge never to

bringe any more, or otherwise to reshippe the mencioned . Our ould

house he wi lleth to be restored,i f the owner and offecers consente

if not,that then they provide us one conveniente, thatt he bee not

troubled no more with i tt. Further, in general l wordes he lycenseth

our trade both for England and Sowards , butt the nominacion of

1 Haji pur-Patna. Haj i pur is a short d istance from Patna on the opposite side of theGanges. Mundy cal l s it Hageepore

-Puttana

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 1 83

the places wee required purposely left out. Itt requireth a llso our

d ispatches att custome house without delayes , wh ich yett wee

cannott procure .

’

P .S .— News from Pers ia and Masu l ipatam . (Copy .

M ucb damag ed , and t/ze g r ea ter par t i lleg ible. 3 pp.)1

THOMAS KERRIDGE,THOMAS RASTELL,

G ILES JAMES , AND

EDWARD HEYNES AT SURAT TO THE COMPANY,FEBRUARY 1 8

,

1 620 (Abstract on ly . Factory Records , M iscellaneous , vol . i . p .

Bonner in theDr ag on had a comp l imentary reception at Dabhol,

but cou ld sel l noth ing .

2 The boat taken from Surat by Pepwe l l3

was so ld at Masul ipatam for rials . I t i s intended to settle a

factory at Lahore o r Samana. Debts at court doubtfu l . They

denythat they connive at private trade. I t wou ld be wel l i f theShips for Surat could be dispatched earl ier from England , and cou ld

be fitted with special p laces for the finer goods . Reasons for detain

ing part of the cargo consigned to Pers ia. The inborne cunning

of the people o f India is incredible. The abuse of the Guzgggtes

w il l not be,

rem id b one meanes only,name ly

,by deteyn ing

their

at SHERRI-Wil l no t be reformed . cours the[y]

eate upon all that canot r ight~ thems eives~

r~from the King to the

lowest officer, , g reaL corrupti on.

’

The Company’

s al lowance Of

strong measures for redressing the i r wrongs is not sufficiently ex

p l icit . In view of the increased demand for cotton goods, the

number of factories cannot be reduced,but should rather be

augmented . The o rders for greater frugal ity wi ll be observed .

Private trade in the Un icorn and L ion . They advise that if some

to l lerac ion for private trade be not permitted , none but desperate

men wi l l sa i le our ships .

’ They wi l l endeavour to supp ly the com

modities ordered,though they doubt whether all the p iece-goods

required can be procured . They hope to provide p ieces of

broad baftas,and the same quant ity of

‘S em ianoes

’

and‘dutties

’

.

A few tabl ing baffetaes sent . They canot procure the weaversto make other workes or better woven then acustomed they are

industrious in nothing but dece ipt .

’

O f indigo they wi l l send or

1 The M S . contains portions of several other letters, extending apparently to the m iddleof February , 1620 but th ey are too fragmentary to be of any use.

1 Cf. Hoare’s letter (p .

1 See Letters Received,vol . v. p . 206.

1 84 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

bales yearly. The B iana indico is cheaper for its sorte thenthe C i rques [see p . 3 If the returns from Persia be sufficientlylarge , two Sh ips wi l l be sent home instead of one . Fifty maundsof gum

-lac on sticks forwarded . They see no object ion to bul l ionin ingots being substi tuted for rials [cf . p . Swords or kn ives

are fit only for presents . The marriners bring better and better

Cheape kn ives and swordes then the Company.

’

Our ships staied

two Malabars juncks, but the Guz erates info rced our peop le to lettthem loose againe with great threats . The Guz eratts are kept

under the Portugales, but wi l l overrule us because we deale not

with them as the Portugales doe. Without seiz ing of the Surratt

shipp ing we shal l find no reason nor r ight at their hands.

’

M rs .

Towerson’

s demands for maintenance. G lass beads returned . The

unicorn’s horn [see p . 1 1 n .] has been sent from Achin to Bantam .

C laim against the late [Henry] Woodroffe. Landing of unpol ished

cora l p rohibited . They have advised the Masulipatam factors not

to buy ind igo . Supp l ies for Achin and Bantam . They thank the

Company for increasing thei r wages. D i sposal of broadcloth . The

Guz eratts wilbee sharers in al l our comodityes and therefo re trouble

us .

’ Sale of ivory. Leakage of quicksilver. Corral l would finde

good vent i f we might trade freely therein , but they feare the next

corra l l we send wilbe forced to seeke a newe markett .

’

They doubt

whether Dabhol would be a good p lace for it,‘ in regard of the

Portugals but the Dutch have sold some at Masul ipatam ,and

that must be our markett also for our corral l , excep t we compel l

and force trade in Surratt.’

The po l ished coral is sti l l detained in

the custom-house. The Portuguese bring none into the Indies. The

amber remains unso ld ; also the lead , the sale of which was pro

h ib ited in Surat . The Russ ia hides were smal l and in bad con

dition . Pr ice of t in . Most o f the presents were forwarded to

Pers ia ; wherethrough the Mogulls court is unfurn ished , insomuchthat a principall courtyour from the King come mylo to buy

toyes but found none .

’

The cloth of go ld and other fine goods

were sold mostly to the King and Prince at a good profit .‘The

Kings paiment i s secure, though longsome .

’ Patterns of si lk sent .

They have written to Masu l ipatam regarding s ilk from thence.

Wheat wil l be sent to Bantam . The Rev. M r . Go ld ing [see p . 32 n.]i s dead. The cochineal and seamorse teeth were sent to Persia,

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1 86 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

the l ike for Indian comod ityes not by us to be exported which are

propper for the R ed S ea ; but perm itteth us trade to the southward and for England . The cun ing and cosoning trickes of the

Moores to h inder our trad . Cosoning fi rmans Of the Pr ince ; and

the K ings fi rmaens not regarded. To retourne the o rig inalls of

our privi ledges taken by Captain Keel ing, and o ther priviledges

taken there . The stopping up of their portes wi ll inforce an ie con

d ic ions wh ich may the better be done if the Du itch and we joyne

together &C . else tradeing to Surratt wi l l not be an ie thing worth .

’

I f the Pers ian trade appear prom is ing , the fleet from England m ight

go first to Jask,excep t one sh ip , wh ich should be sent direct to

Surat as an adviser . The ship bringing sp ices from the south

wards shou ld e ither get to Surat at the Same season as the fleet

from England,or else go first to the Red S ea (where sp ices will

sel l better than in Pers ia), and then proceed e ither to Surat or Jask

with her s i lver and go ld . A smal l vessel needed to comande the

shore at Jask ’

. The ships recently sent to Pers ia se i zed a frigate

of Synda for wh ich it is feared,double restitution wi ll have to be

made . A gou lden 1 ch irurg ion perm itted to return,having been

d ism issed the Company’

s service ; they have taken h is go ld and

given h im bi lls for 3051. [John P] Ad ie , master’

s mate of the Ruby ,

sent home as impotent. S albank praised . Heynes made fourth at

Surat and added to the counc il ; Increased al lowances to John

Gooding [Goodwin] and John Bangham . Payments to Edward

Pettus and Joseph S albank. Packing of p iece-goods . (55; pp .)

CONSULTAT ION HELD ABOARD THE CHARLES [AT SWALLY]BY PRESIDENT KERRIDGE

, CAPTAIN JOHN B ICKLEY,AND

MESSRS . RA STELL,JAMES

,HBYNES

,MARTIN

,AND HUTCHINSON 2

,

FEBRUARY 26 , 1 620 (Factory Records,S ur at, vol . i . p .

The Lion’

s Claw p innace to be repai red and to proceed with the

fleet . D isposal of the p iece-goods found in the frigate surprised in

the Gulf of Pers ia . (Copy . 1 p .)

1 Weal thy. H is name was Ri chard Saunders. He may have been the surgeonreferred to on pp . 99, 100 .

1 Described as‘Register ’

. The other ordinary members of the counci l are termed‘marchants ’

.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 8 7

CONSULTATION HELD ON BOARD THE CHARLES AT SWALLY

BY PRES IDENT THOMAS KERRIDGE AND MESSRS . RASTELL,

JAMES,AND HOPK INSON

,MARCH 1 3 , 1 620 (Ibid .

,vol . i . p .

For the better encouraging of the sai lors against the Dutch ,advances of wages are to be made, ‘

to paye in England two for

one, rateinge the ryall at five shi ll ings .’

About a hundred rials to

be spent in clothing certain poo r m en on board the ships . A

thousand dol lars to be del ivered to the commander of the fleet fo r

stock . (Copy . 1; p .)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRESIDENT KERRIDGE

AND MESSRS . RA STELL ,JAMES , HEYNES , AND HOPKINSON ,

MARCH 28,1 620 vol . i . p .

Their coral is stil l detained in the custom-house,in sp ite of the

Prince’

s farman for its release, and as they have repeated ly refused

to sel l it for the Prince h is sercare’

[see p . 1 60] Jemsheir Beag,’

the Governor,has imprisoned the Engl ish shroffs and lynen

broker ’

,for buying and sel l ing to them without h is leave, and is

now day l ie inst igateinge by h is min isters underhand that exceptewee sou lde the same there could bee noe peaceable l iveinge for us,

but that our busines would rece ive a p resent stoppe, and personesmolestat ion in sundrie k indes , and one the contrary e, effecting hisw i ll in the sale therof

, wee were prom ised all freedome in our tradeand performance of whatsoever elce wee woulde desire ’

. Further,

it was reported that he intended (be ing superintendent of the

custom-house) to rate it at one-half o f its value, which wou ldoccas ion a loss of more than They are determ ined not to

sell h im the coral,but have ‘

att the mot ion of his owne m in isters

p roffered a private gu ift It has been agreed ‘ that for royal s

of eyght br ibe to the Governor,100 d itto royals to the broker

,and

the saile Of maunds leade into the Prince his warehowse at a

ma[hmudi ] per maund lesse then wee ord inary [so ld P] att and paidcustome for

,wee should have our curral l released

,l ibertye to buy

and sel l w ith whom e wee pleased, lycence to transporte our goodsof any quallety ,

and bee restored to our former dwell inge house,and that the Prince h is offi cers should for ever hereafter desist fromall pretence of marchandi z eing in our comodities

’

. This i s now

confirmed, and the money ordered to be taken to him by Rastel l

I 88 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

and James. At the same t ime a separate account i s to be kept ofthis and o ther sums extorted from them , wi th a View to thei r

recovery on some future o cc as ion . (Copy . 1 p .)

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL OFSURAT To JOHN BANGHAM , PROCEEDING To AGRA, APRIL 1 ,

1 620 (Q C.

He is appo inted an ass istant e ither at Agra i tself or for ‘the

Lahore bussynes asWalter Harvey is too unwel l to undertake thejourney. To go by way ofAhmadabad and to take in h is charges ix bales of broadcloth and kerseys . I f he finds Robert Young at

A hmadébii d,he is to hand over his goods and money to h im ,

and

p roceed in h is company ; if not , he is to await ‘the Prince h is

caz z anna [see p . and travel with it o r the first secure caphi la

Provision of camels for the jou rney,and carriage of money

,if

necessary , from Ahmadabad to Agra . In latter case,

‘ give it out

to be quicks i lver, under co llour whereof it hath proceeded thither,beinge made upp a'lyke .

’ M r. Mart in wi l l attend to the customs

at Broach . If he makes haste he may there overtake ‘a haddee and

souldiers of Rostome Chans [Rustam Khan] that conducteth a

prisoner’

. D i rections as to h i s accounts . (S ig ned by K err idg e,

Rastell , 5‘ames , and H eynes . 2pp .)

EDWARD HEYNES AT SURAT TO JOHN BANGHAM , APRIL 1,

1 620 (O.C.

D irections for sale of the writer’s private trade, consisting of

velvet , s ilks, and damasks , which cost 89 rials. The proceeds should

be invested in sym ians and two carpets, to be sent to Surat by the

next caravan . The carpets should , if possible, be five yards by

two ; the flowers and bran ched woorks are the best in request, if

fair ; your p icturs not soe much desiered .

’

(H olog raplc. 1 p .)

THE SAME TO THE SAME AT AHMADABAD,APRIL 1 3 , 1 620

(B r i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 2086, f .

Corrects an erro r in the invo ice of s i lks entrusted by him to

Bangham for sale at Ahmadabad o r Agra. Good wishes for his

journey .

‘Lett the service of God bee your day l ie delight, and

without doubt Hee will make you prosper in both worlds.’

Sends

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1 90 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

[JOHN BANGHAM AT AHMADABAD] To THOMAS KERRIDGEAT SURAT

,APRIL 20

,1 620 (0.C.

Refers to h is letter of the 14th , announcing his safe arri val .

Death of John B rowne,‘whoe changed this l ife (noe doubte for a

better) yesterdaye morn inge,’

and was buried in the afternoon .

Copy of h is wil l sent by M r . B ickford herewith. Thanks Kerridgefor h is kindness

,and wil l be glad to do anything he can for h im at

Agra . (Draf t. 1 p.)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRESIDENT KERRIDGE

AND MESSRS . RA STELL, JAMES, B EYNES,AND HOPKINSON ,

APRIL 27 , 1 620 (Factory Records , S ura t, vol . i . p .

Intell igence having yesterday been received from Ahmadabad of

the death of John Browne,it is dec ided that Thomas Rastel l shal l

succeed h im as Chief of that factory. G i les James is to supply

Rastell’

s place as accountant at Surat,and Joseph Hopkinson is

appo inted to the Charge of the warehouse. Edward H eynes is to

p roceed to Burhanpur instead of Rastell . Reforms in the Ahmadabad factory d iscussed . Sanction given to the d ispatch to

Burhanpur of r ials in spec ie and 300 p ieces of gold (rece ivedlast year from Mokha) they are to be packed in the same manner

as'

the qu icks ilver for greater secrecy. The consignment of goods

to Ahmadabad formerly ordered is discussed and again approved .

The advisab il ity of sending to the King of Bi japur to obtain a

grant of trade at Dabho l cons idered ; but as the chiefs at the latter

port have p rom ised to obtain a grant,and the King is more likely

to l isten to them than to strangers,i t is decided to wa it

,especial ly

as i f they have not effected it,

‘ there may bee more cullerable

reasones to enforce itt,or sattisfaction for the damage that shal l

arrise.

’

(Copy . 15 pp .)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRES IDENT KERRIDGE

AND MESSRS . RA STELL,JAMES, HEYNES , AND HOPK INSON,

MAY 4 , 1 620 (Ibid .

,vo l . i . p .

Robert Young,dispatched with goods and money for Agra

and Lahore,in company w i th

‘the Prince h is caz anna arrived

at Ahmadabad two months ago ; but as the‘caz anna

’

Is not

expected to proceed further until after the rains, i t is debated

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 1 91

what Young had better do . I t is decided that i f he can find a

strong caravan go ing on to his destination ,he may take the goods

and leave the rials at Ahmadabad to be rem itted as soon as possible

o r, if a strong body o f horsemen be go ing to Agra o r Laho re , he

may p roceed with the pearl only and leave John Bangham to bring

on the goods after the ra ins . Further, i t is determ ined that, as a

caravan was recent ly robbed on the way to Burhanpur, the money

intended for that p lace shal l be detained and on ly the goods

forwarded . (Copy . p.)

ROBERT HUGHES AT PATNA TO [THE FACTORS AT AGRA] ,JULY 1 2

,1 620 (Factory Records

,P a tna

,vol . i . p . I ) .

[F irs t par t m iss ing ] Expects to send goods between this and

the beginn ing of October. Carts perform the jou rney in about

thirty-five days,at a Charge of Rs . 1 7

1

,o r 1 3 per maund . H e hopes

they w i l l d ispatch John Bangham shortly with the commodit ies

asked for,as an assistant is necessary. The Nabobe 1 was insistent

for three o r four cases of empty bottles , so Hughes has given h imthree smal l bottles 6111 of h is standish . Current prices of goods .

(Copy . 1 p .)

THE SAME TO THE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT,

JULY 1 2,1 620 (Ibid .

,vo l . i . p .

After longe expectation and no Cirtayne newes of M r. Younge

and h is compan ies aproche neare Agra (the yeare spendinge so fast) ,it was thought needful l to d iSpeede mee for Puttana ; and havinge

acco rded upon a computed some of monnyes for some p resant

investment,with bil ls of exchange for ru [pees] , I departed

Agra the 5th June and (thankes bee to God) arived here in safitye

the 3d presant, havinge bine on the waye 29 dayes , in which I out

ran 300 Jehanger courses . Presantlye upon my arivall I procured

acceptance o f my exchanges,and hope of good payment, theire

date beinge eXp iered of whose Currant performance, when rece ived ,I shall advi z e to Agra . I have s ince my com inge vi z ited the

Governor Muckrob Con ,whoe seemes wonderous p lesant for our

arivall here,and was as inquis i tive to knowe what goods I had

brought with mee wherunto I as exactlye answared that at presant

1 The Nawfib Muqarrab Khan, who was then Sfibadfir of Behar (see p.

1 92 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

I had nothinge, but that what futurlye should come fitinge h is

Circare [see p . 1 60 n .] hee shou ld have the first s ight of, wherwith heeseemed wel l contented , and hath given order to sercli e out for a

house for mee, but as yet cannot finde anye convenyent enoughe,

y et hope shortlye to bee well seated , thoughe I feare not rent free .

The Nabobe i s desierous of some cloth and hydes,for

_which I have

advi z ed to Agra for what theye can spare , or maye lye there

unvendable ; also tapestrye , clothe of tishoo,velvetts

,embrodares

,

fethers, or anye other ri ch commodities to bee go tten,and hath

desiered m e to wri te you to procure him some from the expected

fleete,of which yf you maye spayer anye, doubtl

'

ese theye w i lbe wel l

sould , and your selves knowe h im to bee as free in pay inge as in

buy inge . I have made some enquirye into the commodityes here

to bee procured and by you required from England . A nd first for

c loth inge (as I have b ine enformed, for I have not had tyme yet

to make anye experiences) , the us ial l custome of buy inge the

amberty cal icoes at Lackhoure 1 (which is the pente2or fayer for

that commod itye, and is a towne 14 course from this p lace) is as

fol lows : theye are dalye brought in from the neighboringe gonges3

by the weaveres , from whome they are bought rawe, o f length 1 3

coveds Jehangery (wh ich is one-fourth longer then the elahye‘1of

Agra) , from which the buyer, of an antient custome, teares of 1 5 or

2 coveds, and soe del iverse them marked to the wh itster , whoe

detaynes them in whit inge and starch in'

ge about three mounthes,

the charge wherof is neare upon 3 ru [pees] per courge5, and the

abatements and d isturyes [see p . 1 93 n .] in buy inge them rawe from

the weaveres 14

1; per rupye or 25 per cent . In this maner,by reporte,

1 Thi s appears to be the Lukhawur’of the Indian Atlas, a town some thirty mi les

south of Patna. Mundy,in 1 63 2, mentions amongst the commod ities to be purchased at

the latter city Ambartrees made at Lackhore,Nundownepore, Sel impore , ettc .

,1 2 and

1 4 corse ofl 101 co [veds] l ong and ner one broad (Bri t. Mus. Har leianM S . 2286, f.

Kenn’s notes (about 1 66 1) say : A t Banares [si c l Behar] 1 2 course from Pattana

,and

Lachore , 16 , theres white cloth fi tt for Persia to be had cal led Umbertees and Camcanys ,from Rs. 1-8a. to 3 rupees per piece, in which commodities are invested by Armenian and

M ogul l merchants at least ten hundred thousand rupees per annum (Brit. Mus . Addl . M S .

3411 23 )1 Hind . pet}: or pent/z , a market-town.

’

1 H ind. ganj, a vi llage.

’

1 The i ld lz i'

gaz (usual ly taken as thi rty-three inches) instituted by Akbar as a universalmeasure.

5 S core.

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1 94 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

and disturye, and will fal le out net not above 45 rup[ees] the seare

of 345 pices we ight . In the paper NO . 2 is two skeynes of the third

and fourth sortes wee us ialye buye in Agra, not wound of aparte ,for want of tyme, and is here worth at presant , to bee wound of as

the former, 45 rup[ees] gross per seare

,out of wh ich the pre

mentioned d isturye abated , wil l cost 3 rup [ees] 9 annyes1net the

scare of 345 pices we ight per seare . The ise are theire presant

p rizes, betwene which and that wee buye in Agra you wi l l perceave

a great d iferance in pri ce for theise four sortes, to saye, one-third of

the sorte No . 1 and two-th irds o f the sorte No . 2 hathe cost ustogether in Agra neare upon 5 7

3

,rup [ees] net the scare of 30 p ices ,

which here hal fe on half th ’

other maye bee bought for about 4rup [ee]s net the scare of 345 p ices weight per seare ; and I am

promised at about theise rates to have del ivered in from the

s i lkwynderes 1 0 or 1 5 m [aun]ds per mounth,and doubtles

a greater quantitye therof maye bee procured , but then wee

must venture out some mouye before hande, which I resolveupon , findinge sufitient securi tye for performance ; and herupon

have advi z ed them at Agra to desist farther in its investment

there,which per computation is at least 35 per cent . derer

then here i t maye bee bought . S erbandy2 s ilke , the best

of Mucksoude and S ideabaude,

3 from whence theise sortesare wounde of, is at presant here worthe 1 00 rup [ees] gross

per maunde of 40 seres per maunde and 345 pices per seare,

from which is abated the savoye ‘1or 25 per cent . soe it rests

net worth about 75 rupees per m [au]nde net. The brokeridge as

wel l on this as on all o ther sortes of si lke is,by the Nabobes

comande, but 5 annes of a rUpye per cent. from the buyer and 1 0

annyes from the sel ler ; but the brokeres doe usialye take one-half

per cent . from the buyer and one per cent . from the sel ler . For

1 The anna (properly ana) was one-sixteenth of a rupee. It was a money of accountonly.

1 A puz z l ing term. From other references ( see especial ly pp . 197 , 205 , 229) i t isevident that Hughes bought the si lk in the cocoon. The name, which appears to havegone out of use , is perhaps connected with the H ind. sarband i

,head-binding, ’ a fanci ful

description of the action of the worm in weaving i ts cocoon.

1 M aksfidi bad (the old name of Murshi débfid) and Saidabéd , a neighbouring town,

now for the m ost part in ruins .

1 H ind . sawd i’

, an excess of a fourth (Wi lson’

s Glossary ) .

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 1 95

brokeridge of Clothe theye can clayme nothinge as deue from the

buyer , oulye his curti z eye but from the sel ler theire right is half a

p ice per rupye. I shal l here p rovide some qui ltes of S utgonge1,

wrought w ith yel lowe s i lke, at reasonable rates ; and have already

halfe a score in possession,and am prom ised more dalye as theye

come to towne. There are some Portingalls at presant in towne ,and more are latly e gon for theire portes in Bengala ; into whosetrafiqe I have made enquirye, and gather that theye usialye bringevendable here al l sortes of sp ices and s ilke stufes of Chyna, tyne, andsomejewel leres ware ; in lewe wherof theye transporte course carpetsofJunapoore

1

,ambertyes, cassaes

3and some s i lke . The Mogo les ‘1

and Praychaes5are here l ike bees, whose Cheefest p rovis iones are

mandy les6, g irdel ls, layches [see p . 1 97 and doupattas

7ofMalda

also a sorte of thine Cloth cal led caymeconyes8o f Beyhare, and are

much l ike unto course cassaes, I 4 coveds longe and four-fi fths of a

coved broade, of 40, 50, and 60 rup[ee]s per courge. Theise are

bought for transporte to Lahore, and thence for Pers ia ; samples

wherof, and of al l other commod ityes here to be provided fi ttinge

that trade , I purpose to buye some smal le quantityes of catch for a

tryal l . A nd also ambertyes is a principal l of thei re investments ,for the compasinge wherof theye bringe hether either redy spetya or

exchanges . I praye advi z whether th ’

ambertyes you mention to

bee provided rawe are ment as from the loome , without wash inge

and starch inge, or to bee whited onlye without starche .

’

He hopes

to send a consignment of goods to Agra (by cart , which is the usualmethod of conveyance) before the beginn ing of October. He has

1 Satgfion, near H iigl i .1 Jaunpur .

3 Mundy Speaks of Ckassaes at Sunargam, 300 corse downe the river Ganges, a fineand thina cl oth

1 Merchants from Upper India or Persia.

5 Thi s unusual word is possibly to be explained by the San skri tpra'

clzya , meaning, l ikep zi rbiya ,

an inhabi tant of the countries to the eastwards ,’i . e. to those at Agra (where

Hughes probably learnt the term ) the inhabi tants of Oudh , Behar, &c. But thi s is mere

conjecture.

5 See p . 73 .

7 H ind. do-patta/z ,‘two breadths a kind of narrow cal i co much used for garments.

Uffiet, however (see p. 6 1 speaks of ‘ depottoes, a k ind of cloake [cloth 7] of goul dof 20 ropees per peece,

’made at Sul tanpoore

’

.

8 Evidently these are the camcanys of Kenn’

s notes (see p . 192, note They mayhave been so cal led after Qaim Khan.

1 96 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

written to that p lace for an assistant and for five or six thousandrupees ; in the meantime he is borrowing at 7

3

, per cent. Prices ofcommodities. (Copy . 25 pp.)

THOMAS BROCKEDON,AUGUSTINE SPALDING

,AND GEORGE

MUSCHAMP AT BATAVIA To THE COMPANY, JULY 20, 1 620 (0. C.

[The greater part of this letter relates to affairs in the Malayan

Archipelago .] James Cartwright was sent on June 1 2 to Masul i

patam in the Dutch ship New Z ealand, to be second and accountant

in that factory ; George Bal l has been ordered to come to Jakatra

[Batavia] to keep the accounts there. Thomas Jones,now second

at Masul ipatam, is also recalled , as unfit for h is post .‘Wee

referred the sending of peop le to remayne in Pal l icatt until l weeare better furnished with factors, be ing unable to spare any [from]hence until l the Presidents 1 coming. Were it not for future hopes

th [at] factory of Pall icatt were not'

worth the establishing, being at

p [resent] al l in warrs one with another,

2 but is in tyme of peacethe place of be[st] cloth and paynting in all the Coast of Choramandel l

,by report of the that hath l ived long there. The

Charge of sou ldiers wi ll amount to rials per annum, besidesrepayring the forte, which cannot in that p lace be much . For

accommodating us in Pal licatt and [the] Moluccoes with howseroome

, warehouses, &c .,they [the Dutch] are content for the present

that wee shal l have what p lace they can conven iently [spare] and

in such p laces where there is suffi c ient roome for themse lves [and]us

, they are content wee shal l partake with them , paying the

the charges of buyld ing the said bowses and in al l

p laces elce [give] us free l iberty to buyld houses for ourselves, yf

with conven iency,within thei r fortes, or elce without att our

pleasure. But what their performance wi lbe, wee may partly judge

by thei r usage of us heere in Jacatra.

’

( I p.)

1 Ri chard Fursland , then at Achin, had been appointed by the Company to succeedJourdain .

1 S ee H ague Transcripts, Series I, vol . iv. No . 1 3 7, for an account of the besiegingof Puli cat for two months by the nati ves.

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1 98 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

pos inge to increase them to a hundred , and yf you aprove thero f

and the price (which is 5 cheaper then in Agra), I may have two

o r three hundred s i lkwinderes to worke in the house al l the yeare

He proposes also to dye and dress some of the coarser sorts into‘sleave S i lke 1 ’

for England . I have taken a house in the greatebazare , neare unto the Cutwal ls [see p . 48 n .] choutrye

1; the rent

65 rupes per month .

’He has not yet heard from Agra . Hopes

to invest the rest of h is money in ambertyes , of which commoditye

the partes about Lackhoure afords such quantitye that (by the

weaveres reportes) daly peeces are taken from theire loomes ;

and without question you maye have rupes yearlye invested

therin A nnexed‘The verourd 3

or proportion wound of from

a sere of serbandy raw s ilke,containing 345 p ices weight the sere .

’

Detai ls of the cost of the various specimen skeins sent . Three of

the sorts are named ‘shekesty

’

,

‘Cattaway ,

’

and gird (Copy . 2 pp .)

ROBERT HUGHES AT PATNA TO THE FACTORS AT AGRA,

SEPTEMBER 3 , 1 620 (Ibid .,VOl . i . p .

H e received yesterday thei rs of August 9 , with a second of

exchange for Rs . at 4 1 days . Perce ives they discourage his

s i lk investment , but he is confident he can turn it out at cheaprates . ‘ I have encreased my Cor Conna “

to almost a hundred

workmen ; but here I wi l l stop unt i l l I here further from Surrat.’

He has bought about a dozen qui lts Of ‘ S utgonge trimmed them

with silk fringe tassels and l ined them partly with taffeta and partly

with tessur’

. Exchange [with Surat P] higher at Patna than at

Agra. Champseye5 ’

i s the chief banker at Patna. Next year

he wi l l p rovide brown‘ambertyes

’

, as des ired . No news yet of

Parker,who he understands is on his way to Patna with the goods

asked for. U rges a p lentiful supp ly of money . No sp ikenard to

1 Floss or unspun si lk.

1 More fami l iar under the form c/zoultry : a shed used as a resting-place for travel lers orfor the transaction of publ i c business. The word is general ly supposed to be pecul iar toSouthern Ind ia (see Hobson-jobson , s .

3 H ind . bardward,

an estimate , cal culation, or abstract.’

1 Pers. Rarbbana , a workshop .

’

5 El sewhere he is cal led Chumpeyshaw’

[Champi Shah and it is said that he hasa son at Agra in the same business.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 1 99

be got here at present . It comes out of the northe cuntry in the

could wether.

’

(Copy . 1 5pp.)

THE SAME TO THE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT,SEPTEMBER 4, 1 620 (Ibid .

,vo l . i . p .

To the same effect as the forego ing. He adds a request fo rsome fyne goods and toyes

’

for the Governo r,who is very earnest

for a supp ly from the next fleet. Hee groweth r ich,and no feare

but that hee w i ll paye well and a good price .

’

(Copy . 15 pp .)

THE SAME TO THE FACTORS AT AGRA,SEPTEMBER 14 ,

1620

vol . i . p .

Has rece ived their letters and bi lls ; and has also heard from

Parker at ‘A ughmull surraye1, two dayes journye Shorte of Ban

narse’

. Notes the instructions from Surat regarding purchase of‘ambertyes &c . (Copy . 5 p .)

ROBERT HUGHES AND JOHN PARKER AT PATNA TO THE

FACTORS AT AGRA,OCTOBER 6

,1 620 vol . i . p .

Parker .has arr ived . The goods he brought were somewhat

damaged by the ra in but they have so ld some to the Nawéb,and

are in treaty for others . Their provisions for the year are now

fin ished and total Rs . The goods were sent off on the 4th in

four carts under the charge of ten men,who have undertaken to

del iver them in Agra with in th i rty days, for two rupees per

Jehanger maunde ’

; if they fail in po int of time they are to have

only Rs . 15 per maund ,‘the pri ce now cut of the caravan , which

goeth in forty dayes .

’

Part icu lars of the s i lk sent as samp les .

‘ The cr imson is d ied in lack , and all the rest of the col leres car

rarye Parker has invested about Rs . at‘ Lackhoure

’

.

P .S . With our goods wee have sent a cupel l of pratl inge b irds

called mynnas, which wee have bought to bee sent to the Company ,and intreate you carre maye bee taken for the ire convayence to

Surratt .’ 3

(COPJA 11 1111 )1 Mundy calls thi s place Ahumohol ca Sara I t is not to be traced on the map , but

from Mundy’s route i t may be placed on the Al lahabad-Benares road , about hal f-waybetween Surai Jugdees and Surai Baboo .

1 H ind . garar i , firm,

’

stable.

’

1 The Company always impressed upon thei r servants the desirabi l ity of bri nging homestrange birds and beasts for presentation to the King or the great men at court (F i rst

200 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

ROBERT HUGHES AND JOHN PARKER AT PATNA TO THEPRESIDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT, OCTOBER 6

, 1 620 (I bid . ,

vol . i . p .

Parker arrived about the m iddle of last month . Part of the

goods he brought have been del ivered ‘ into the Nabobes Circare

but no p rice has yet been fixed . Quicks ilver Sold . Theyhave received in al l from Agra Rs . and have dispatched

goods cost ing Rs . From the balance they intend to invest

at Lackhour in raw ambertyes Details Of the samp les of s i lk.

They have also sent as musters ‘e ight peeces camsukes 1

,whi ted

oulye without starch, and ten peeces with starch, al l p rovided at

Lackhoure’. Conveyance to England of the two mynas . Plenty

of l ignum-aloes here at Rs . 15 the seer of 33 p ices . (Copy. 15pp .)

‘THE FACTORS OF SURRATT To THE FACTORS OF PERS IA,

’

OCTOBER 1 8,1 620 (A bstr act only . Factory R ecords , M iscellaneous,

vol . i . p .

Arrival of a Dutch ship2 from

’

Bantam with a cargo worth

and news of the accord between the Engl ish and Dutch.

Account of the late hosti lities . The Company had expected a larger

Letter B ook, pp . 1 30, 301 , &c ) . Roe on h is return presented James with two antelopes

[and] a straunge and beautifnl l kind of red deare (Embassy , p . and we hear fromtime to time of other animal s and b irds sent home for the same purpo se.

The pratl inge b irds here referr ed to were more probably grackl es than mynas , thoughboth Species are wel l known for thei r imi tative powers . They are often kept in India as

cage-b irds on this account. W’ hen Peter Mundy went to Patna in 1 63 2 he met on the

way some servants of the Diwén of that p lace, who were carrying to the Mogul some ten

or twelve maynas , a b ird of Bengal ia which learneth to Speake verie pl aine, in coul lour

and forme l ike a bl ackbird , but thri ce as b igg ’

(B r i t. Mus. H ar l . M S .

I t i s not known whether these bi rds reached England . The first reference to a gracklein this country that has been noti ced i s the talki ng bird from the Eas t Indys ’

whi chPepys saw in the Duke of York’s chamber in 1 664 (see ed .

,vol . iv. p . 1 1 8 ,

where instances are given of mynas being brought to England in the early part of the

eighteenth century) .1 Poss ibly Ram-subbd

,sl ightly dr ied ’

(or partly prepared1 The Wapen van Z eeland , in wh i ch P ieter van den Broecke had been di spatched

(June , 1620) from Batavi a as D i rector for Arab ia, Persia, and India. H e arrived at Adenin August, and landed some m erchants wi th orders to journey by land to Mokha and Opena factory there ; and he then proceeded to Surat, whi ch was reached on October 1 (NTh ere he establi shed hi s head quarters , and proceeded to set on foot sub-factories at Broach ,Ahmadabad , and Cambay. See hi s Rey sen (Amsterdam, p . 101 , and Valentyn ,

vol . iv. pt. 2, p . 222.

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202 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

Parker has already gone to Lackhoure to make enterance intothe rawe ambertyes ,

’

and Hughes is to fo l low. They hope to

receive instruct ions shortly as to si lk,&C . (Copy . 15 pp .

1

)

R ICHARD SWAN’

S ACCOUNT OF HIS VOYAGE IN CAPTAIN

SHILLING’

S FLEET To SURAT (M ar ine Records,vol .

“

xxx) .1

1 620 , February 4. The London and Roebuck fel l down the r iver

from Erith . February 26 . The who le fleet sailed from Ti lbury

Hope. March 27 . Lost s ight of the S tart . June 24. Anchored in‘ S oldan ia

’

[Table] Bay ,where they found the L ion homeward

bound , and n ine Dutch ships for Bantam . The latter took in the ir

flags and saluted the Engl ish . Thei r commander was ‘ Nicco las

van Baccum , a gentleman by report that l ived seven yeares in

Oxfo rd About three hours later came in the E xcnang e and Un i ty .

3

J une 25 . The Dutch ships departed also the Lion . The S cbiedam

o f Delft arrived outward bound captaine and master of her John

Cornel ius Kunst,and Francis Dui st cape merchant ; M ounsiere

Gracew inckle and M ounseiur B locke,facto rs .

’ June 26 .

‘Wee

erected our tents and out of both fleetes put ashore our s icke men,

for whome and for the safetie of our caske the two adm iralls

appoynted 1 00 men for guard,commanded 48 honres success ively by

the master of each sh ippe .

’ June 2

1

9 . Suspect ing the S cbiedam to

be a p irate, her papers were sent for and exam ined but found to bein good order . July 3 .

‘A solemne publ ication Of H is Majesties

title to S oldan ia, &c .

’ 1 July 7 . King James h is mount erected .

’

Ju ly 1 0 . The Bear 5 arrived . July 25 . The fleet sai led for Surat .Ju ly 27 . The London spoke two Dutch sh ips (Devi l of Delf t andOr ang e) outward bound . October 7—9. Passed through a group

1 Appended i s a note that another letter of the same date and efecte’

was sent to

Agra .

1 H e was master of the Roebucb in Shi l l ing’s fleet. Extracts from this journal wereprinted by Purchas (vol . i . p . For another account of the voyage, by Pinder, seei bid . , vol . i i . p . 1 78 7.

1 Of the fleet for Bantam ,under the command of Humphrey Fitz herbert. For his

j ournal of the voyage to the Cape see 0. C . 844.

1 For Fitz herbert’s annexation of the Cape see 0. C. 844 and 897 , and various papersin M ar ine Records

, M i scellaneous, vol , i i , and Factory Records , M i scel laneous, vols. vi i iand x ; also S ir Thomas Herbert’s account of his travel s (ed . 1638 , p .

5 Another of Fi tz herbert’s ships.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 29 3

of islands 1 , but could find no ground for ancho ring, though a few

of the natives came aboard . October 1 1 . Saw the coast of Ind ia .

October 1 4 . Gu ided by some fishermen,they anchored near

Baccanor 1 whence they Obtained some refreshments . O ctober 1 8 .

S et sai l . October 26 . Put into Dabhol . November 2 . S et sai l .

November 6 . The Har t and E ag le departed for Pers ia . November 9.

The London and Roebuck anchored in Swal ly Road, where theyfound the Wappen [see p . a Dutch sh ip of tons . The

Pres ident and Messrs . James and Hopk inson came on board the

same even ing. November 1 0 . Consu ltation held , at which it was

decided to fo l low the H ar t and E ag le for the i r protection against

the P o rtuguese. About noon the Wappen sai led for Bantam .

November 1 1 . Fourteen chests of r ials sent up to Surat undera guard of twenty four m usketeers . November 1 2 . M i rza

Muhammad Yar, bro ther of the Governor of Broach , and h is twonephews insisted on go ing on board the ships, in sp ite of K erridge

’

s

efforts to induce them to postpone thei r visit . They lodged aboardthe Londo n that n ight

,and the next day went over the R oebuck

,

after which they departed exceedingl ie wel l contented (255 pp .)

ARCHIBALD JEMISON ’S 4 ACCOUNT OF HIS VOYAGE FROMLONDON TO SURAT (M ar ine R ecords

,vol . xxxi i) .

1 620,March 25 . Sai led from the Downs . Apri l 3 .

‘The Bantamfleete lefte us th is n ight of purpose.

’ June 24 . Anchored at the

Cape . Ju ly 25 . Sai led aga in . July 27 . Spoke two Dutch ships .

October 6—9 . Saw several islands,but were carried to leewards of

them . October 14. Anchored on the coast of Ind ia in lat. 1 3°

3 1’ N .

October 1 8 . Sai led aga in . October 26 . Anchored . at Dabho l ,where they remained unti l November 2 . November 9 . Anchored

in Swal ly Road,where they found the Wappen van Z eeland from

the Red S ea, who sai led the next day .

5

(9 pp . )

1 The Laccadi ves . Swan appends a chart .

1 Barkur, in South Kanara, forty-two m i les north of Mangalore.

1 The journal i s continued on p . 220 .

1 Or Jamieson . He was master’

s mate in the London,Shi ll ing ’

s flagship. H is journalcontains l i ttle more than nautical observations.

The journal i s continued on p . 226 .

294 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

CONSULTATION HELD ON BOARD THE LONDON BY PRES IDENT

KERRIDGE,CAPTAIN ANDREW SHILLING

,GILES JAMES

,

R ICHARD SWAN , WILLIAM BAFFIN 1, AND JOSEPH HOPKINSON ,

NOVEMBER 1 0,1 620 (Factory Records , S urat, vol . i . p .

By the Company’s orders , two of the vessels Of the fleet , the

Har t and the E ag le, were dispatched direct to Jask on the 6th

current . Kerridge po ints out the danger of an attack from the

four Portuguese galleons dispeeded from Lisbon in 1 6 1 9, whichspent some time in Mozambique

,

‘and in Apri l l last attended the

Red S ea tradors within the straightes of Mocha, where they robbed

such of them as they conlde meete (not havinge their lycence to

trade) , and havinge performed that exploy te proceeded for Ormus ,’

intending to cap ture any Engl ish ships that m ight come to Pers ia

this year . I t is decided,therefore , that the two remain ing ships

shall stay at Swally only long enough to land their cargoes and

take in provisions , and shall then sai l to Jask to protect their

consorts . I t is also determ ined that,as the Prince has forbidden

the landing of any more coral , that brought by the fleet shal l be kepton board

,the factors intending

,if poss ible, during the absence of the

ships , to obtain perm ission to land it at thei r return . (Copy . 1 p.)

ROBERT HUGHES AT PATNA TO THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL

AT SURAT,NOVEMBER 1 1

,1 620 (Factory Records , P atna , vol . i . p . I

In answer to thei rs of September 5 . Regarding the small

quantity purchased of‘amberty call icoes

’

,he explains that buyinge

them at the left hand,to saye, from the weaveres which bringes

them readye whited to towne in smal le parcel ls he could not get

mo re than a thousand p ieces‘ what the weaveres bringes readye

to towne is onlye to serve the bazare, and merchants that make

theire provisions abroade wi l l not sel l here for halfe a savoye

[See p . 1 94] profitt, but transporte them for Agra, Lahore, &c .,

where theye make a far greater gayne .

’ ‘Those I provided here,bought from the weaveres , was accord inge to custom of the buz are,

bothe for price and al lowance, which is a savoye per cent . and

makes 20 per cent . d iferance or abaitment, to saye, for 1 00 rupes

gross wee payed 80 net, which is the 4 aneys or 54

5 distury .

’

11

1 Wi l l iam Baffin, the celebrated Arcti c navigator, was master of the London, Shi l l ing

’

s

agship.

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206 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

cal lico cloth,as sahanes and hammomes , wee perceave them not to

bee brought hether in anye greate quantit ies . For tusser stufes ,40 o r 50 corge yerlye . A nd wares for Persia (of wh ich wee havesent you some sampels) greate quantit ies of al l sortes ;rupes speedilye imployed therin . Lignom aloes, also good quant itye, wherof l ikwise wee sent a sampel l of the ordinarye sorteknowne here by the name of s immulye

1. Of this commoditye

there is here of diverse sortes and pr izes from 20 rupes per maundeto 40 and 50 rupes per seare [s ic] . The caymeconyes [see p . 1 95]of Beyhare I with you acord to bee a commoditye fitter for Pers iathen England , yet as fit for Barbary or Turkey as anye other

p lace .

’ Specimens of ‘ S utgonge’ quilts sent

,

‘ bought at suchreasonable rates that wee expecte good muz era [see p . 1 26 n .] forthem from the Companye. Theye are not made here, but broughtfrom the bottom of Bengala. Other sortes of qui ltes are not

here to bee go tten of any kinde.

’

The Nawéb has part ly pa id for

the goods he bought , and the rest of the money is expected shortly .

They are investing the p roceeds in ambertyes &C . If Banarse

mand iles 1 are wanted ,‘i t i s from hence but a step thether, where

doubtles wee may fum ishe you with more varietye and at farr

better rattes then Agra can aforde .

’

(Copy . 3 pp .)

THE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT To THE COMPANY ,NOVEMBER 1 5 , 1 620 (Abstract only . Factory Records ,M iscel laneous ,

vo l . i. p .

The L ion sailed for England on February 24 with a cargo costing

mahmfid i s. The Ckar les , Ruby ,and D iamond left for the

southwards on March 1 5 with goods [from Surat] invo iced at

mahmI‘

IdIs . Arrival of the London and Roebuck at Swal ly

on November 9, the Har t and E ag le having gone direct for Jask .

Their goods landed, except the lead and three chests of money.

Of ivory a thousand maunds will be sufficient in future .

‘The

d ispatch of your sh ips so late in the yere from London for Surrat

brought great dyscommodytye . Theis were inforced to go without

St. Laurance I laud,810 Four gal l ions of warr from Lisbone do

lye in waight in the Gulph of Pers ia for our ships ; which gal l ions

1 The commonest sort of l ignum-aloes is termed samalek .

1.Mandz

'

ls (see p . 73 ) from Benares.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 29 7

were a part of ten sent out of Lisbone in anno 1 6 1 8 and winterd at

S ophola, then went into the Red S ea to intercept the junckes ,thereby

‘

to reduce the Indians into confo rmity and subj ection ,intend ing to remayne thereaboutes and l ive upon prizes . Unto

those four gal l ions the Vice Roy o f Goa sendeth two more to

strengthen them,whereupon the London and Robuck went a lso

towardes Persia to jo ine with the Har t and E ag le. No goodes pro

vided at Surrat for Pers ia. Our four ships canot be expected toretorne from Jasques unto Surratt ti l l aboute the l oth of February,and feare i t wi lbe the m iddle of March before they can be freedfrom Surrat . They w il l stop the Surratt junckes unti ll our sh ip sbe cleared from thence

,and unti ll some satisfaction be made us for

theirman ifo ld wrongs done us . No hope to sende one ship to theRed S ea th is yere. The last yers corral l is unsould

,but hope

speed i ly to dispatch it ; an honest ga ine is offred fo r i t . The

goodes prepared at Surrat w i l l (i fJasques yeldeth an ie good supp ly)lade home two ships, which you maie expect, and one to be sent to

Sumatra,and one for Bantam , except they shal l resolve to send

one covertlie for the Red S ea ; if so , then the London wi ll serve

Sumatra and Bantam too . John Browne d ied the 1 9 of Apri l l ,whome Thomas Rastel l succeedeth. Thomas Kerr idge purposeth

to retourne home in the first ships. Wi l liam Beddulph canot come

downe from the court this yere . The Decann making warrs nere

Brampore stoppeth al l passages .’

(1 p .)

WILLIAM METHWOLD AT MASULIPATAM TO THE COMPANY,

NOVEMBER 1 5 , 1 620 (Abs tract only . I bid .

,Vo l . i . p .

‘H e understandeth the Compan ies displeasure against h im 1

,and

bemoaneth h is i ll condic ion to be evi ll ie accompted of, and no accusat ion

,whereby no sat isfact ion can by h im be made t il l h is retourne .

H e p rofesseth not to be gui ltie of anie desert Of j ust d isp leasure ,and therefore doubteth not but to finde you ind ifferent j udges .

’

Randal l Jesson went from Masulipatam to Mokha, intend ing to go

home by way o f Ca iro .

1 ‘ A diamond myne latel ie discovered1 On October 23 , 1 6 18 , the Court resolved to recal l Methwold, who was charged wi th

abetting one of the factors at Tiku in wronging the Company.1 H e successful ly accompl ished h is adventurous journey. On March 10

,1620

, the

Court voted gratui ties to Jesson and another for smuggl ing coral on board some ships at

Z ante and thus saving 1001. in customs duties.

208 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

within four daies journey of M esulpatann , yeld ing store of dia

mondes .1 He bought and sent to Jaquatra a parcel l of d iamondes

by George Balls advise and expence , unto whome he doth attributethe credit thereof, if they give you content ; as also some beasarstones . He meaneth to go forward in buying of d iamondes

,so farr

as his com ission given h im for trade in cloath w i ll perm it, for hemust not neglect that. He hath written to Jaquatra for the

Pres idents advise there in , and for supp ly ; for howsoever he con

fesseth to have a cavidal l of rials,which maie seeme great ,

yet i t is in unvendible goodes , as purslan,lead

,al lum

,brass, China

s i lk,broad c loathes

,&c . The quanti tie of purslane landed there

doth g lutt the markett ; wishing the greatest part was sent forPers ia

,Surrat and Mocha, where it will sel l well . The trade of

Musulpatan wi l l p roduce proffi tt i f i t be'

seasonably fol lowed , insp ices , Lanquin si lk and some such other Ch ina commodities.

’

Value of sp i ces at Masul ipatam . H e sent patternes of all sortes

of cal licoes to Surrat to be sent for England with the value whereof

to the southwardes he is not made acquainted but by informacion

of private traders only, who confesse they tr iple their principal lbetween that p lace and Bantam . The Ho l landers do buy that

countrie ind ico countinual ly ,and a so rt of corse cal licoes of 50

long,Hol land bredth , in great quanti tyes .

’

He sent particu lars of

the latter to Bantam,but has rece ived no instructions .

‘ James

Cartwright was arived at Musi lpatan for a second to M r. Methwo ld1 In h is Relations of the Kingdome of Golc/zonda (printed as a supplement to the 1 626

edition of Purchas’s P i lg r image) , Methwold narrates the d iscovery of the m ine by ‘a si l ly

goat-herd keeping hi s flock amongst those mountaines and also describes a journey whi chhe himsel f and two Dutchmen made to the place, si tuated at the foot of a great mountayne, not farre from a river cal led Chri stena.

’

Dr. Valentine Bal l identifies i t withTaverni er’s Coulour i . e. the now deserted workings at Kol li

'

Ir, on the K istna, whencethe Kohinfi r i s said to have been obtained .

Methwold says that in anno 16 22 the mynewas shut up and al l persons restrained fromfrequenting the place. The reasons some imagined to be their care to keepe the commo

d itie in request , not to digge more unti l those already found were d ispersed ; othersaffi rmed the comming of the M ogul ls Embassadour to this King

’

s court, wi th hi s peremptory demand of a vyse of the fairest d iamonds

,caused thi s cessation , unti ll that pretence

and some competent present should content the M ogul l for since I came from thenceI heare i t was Opened againe, but almost exhausted

,and very few found.’

Ferna'o de Albuquerque, Governor of Goa, wri ting to h is sovereign on February 1 8,

1622 , mentions the story of the Mogul ’s demand and the consequent closing of the m ine

(L i sbon Tr am er zpts at I . O. ; B oo/é: qf t/ze M onsoom , vol . v) ; see also the letter from

Burhanpur of November 1 8, 1621 , infra .

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210 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

in regard of the depopulacion thereof by c ivi ll warrs , comparing thesame to the warrs in Barbary.

’

Commends the trade of Masul i

patam ,and praises George Bal l and Thomas Jones . Permrssron

requested to adventure Tool . in the next jo int stock, to be paid outof the balance ofwages due to h im . He also sol icits leave to returnto England at Christmas

,1 622

,

‘ because he beginneth to be ouldand cannot doe as he would.

’

(i; p .)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRES IDENT KERRIDGE,

GILES JAMES,AND JOSEPH HOPK INSON, NOVEMBER 25 , 1 620

(Factory Records, S urat, vol . i . p .

Letters having been received announcing the departure of a

caravan from Agra, and

‘Brampoare (through which by the Agrafactors i tt is enordered to passe) being besiged by the Decannees

and the cuntrie round aboute by them possest’

,

1 it is debatedwhether to di rect the caravan to wait at Manda (

‘the Kings

armye, as itt is reported , beinge on the way from Lahore to expell

the enimye’

) or whether to instruct those in charge to bring it

through ‘the mountaynes of A vaus 2, which is the next cuntrye

bordring to itt, where our caphilla was robd and lost 14 churles

indico It is reso lved to adopt the former course . (Copy . 5p .)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRESIDENT KERRIDGE,G ILES JAMES

,AND JOSEPH HOPK INSON

,NOVEMBER 29, 1 620

(Ibid.,vol . i . p .

With regard to the caravan which is on its way from Agra, it is

thought upon recons ideration wiser to‘adventure our masters goods

through the Decans campe and lately surprized cuntries (whose

p rince is able , and may bee constrayned, to give sattisfaction for the

wronge that shalbe done, havinge yearly a sh ipp or two sent forth

from Chenll 3 for his p roper accomptt, and large adventures in al l

1 For thi s fresh outbreak of hostil ities see El l iot and Dowson’s H istory of India,

vol . vi . p . 3 7 7 . For a time Mal ik Ambar’s forces were successful ; Burhanpur was closelybesieged , whi le raiding parties crossed the Narbadaand burnt several vi l lages nearManda.

But after some delay Shah Jahau appeared on the scene wi th a powerful army, rel ievedBurhanpur , and chased the invaders back into their own territory. Peace was concludedonMal ik Ambar engaging to make a smal l cession of territory and pay fifty lacs of rupees.Apparently some part of the Vindhya range , in southern M i lwa.

1 Chaul , on the Malabar coast, about thirty m i les south of Bombay, was the principalport of the Ahmadnagar kingdom.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 21 I

the rest that goe from thence) then to adventure the same through

a rebbel ls cuntrie,where noe sattisfaction nor j ustice can bee had

for anyoutrage, the rather to bee avoyded for that certaine Mogul ls

passinge lately that waic with comodet ies of good val leu were

robbed of al l that ever they carried , and can have noe restitution .

A nd for our saufer proceedinge in this reso lution itt is enordered

that a letter from us shalbe d irected to the general ] of the Decans

forces besigeinge Brampoare, to require h is saufe conducte for the

said goods through all p laces of dainger, which letter EdwardHeynes shalbe enordered to del iver unto the general ] , and entreat

h is saufe conducte as aforesaid and that hee bee not expossed toany dainger herby, hee shal l first acquainte Chan Chana [see

p . 59 or his principall officer, with such our purpose . Itt isfurthermore ordayned that Edward Heynes , haveing procured thesaid saufe conducte, shal l dispeed Robert Hutchinson therewith

unto Mando , to accompanie the caph illa t il l itts arrivall in B ram

poare ; and for that we are informed that betwene Mando and

Assere 1,which last is but seven course from Brampoare , there is

l ittle or noe dainger, the who le caphilla shal l come thither all‘ in

company, and be inge there, tis held fitt first to experyence the

validetie of the said saufe conducte by convayeing fifty or s ixty

of the said camel ls (with the greatest parte of those p ions [see

p . 1 45 n .] that attend the who le) unto Brampoare , and leave the

camellmen,with some fewe of the p ions appo inted to attend itt, in

Assere which if the first succed wel l and accord inge to our hopes ,Robertt Hutchinson with all the p ions shal l returne unto Assere

and fetch the resedue. But if Edward H eynes can procure fromthe aforesaid general] a secure convoye (which hee is to endeavor)then shall Robert Hutch insone bringe the caphi l la all att oncefrom Assere to Brampoare , and from thence d ispeede the same

h itherward,with the said conduc te ore convoye , with all poss ible

exped ition . But i f neither saufe conducte nor convoy can bee pro

cured,then of necessetie the goods must remaine in Mando unti l l

a lterat ion of the t ime Shal l adm inister occation for itts saufe cum ingthence.

’

(Copy . 1 p .)1 Asi rgarh , a fortress about thirty mi les south-west ofKhandwa

, the chief town of the

Nimar distri ct of the Central Provinces. It was captured by Akbar in 1600.

21 2 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

ROBERT HUGHES AND JOHN PARKER AT PATNA To THE COMPANY

,NOVEMBER 30 , 1 620 (Factory Records

,P atna

,vol. i . p .

Your Worsh ips in your-last yeares letters dated the 15 th Feb

ruary and 6th March , 1 6 1 8 sent by the C/zar les , Rnoy and

Dyamona’

,earnestly requ iringe quantity of commodityes fi ttinge

England,and the ire provisiones to bee made in such places as give

best hopes , as wel l for attayninge quantitye as also fo r theire pro

curinge to best advantage for pri ce, condition ettc ., amongst sondrye

other newe imp loyments thought on by the Pres ident and Councellin Surratt

,after d ispeede of the Lyon the last yeare for England ,

theye enordered some experience to bee made in the partes of

Bengal la, for that by reporte it prom ised good store of call ico

clOthinge, rawe s ilke, cttc., the commodites by Your Wo rsh ips most

desiered for wh ich cause theye appoynted Robert Hughes to beesent from the A gra factory to Puttanna

,the chefest marte towne

of al l Bengala, apoynting h im l ikewise an assistant then in Surratt,

but afterwards sent up for Agra in companye of Robert Younge ;whoe be inge longe detayned in Ahmadavad

,for want of company

wherwith to proceed for Agra , spent a greate parte of the yeare

there ; wherof wee having notice in Agra, the tyme spend inge so

fast,and the waye betwene Puttanna and Agra somwhat teadious ,

i t was thought requisite to d ispeede Robert Hughes before, and

th’

assistant to fo llowe him upon advice of the necesitye . Andhavinge acorded upon a computent some of monnyes for some

presant trialls , with bi lls of exchange importinge 4000 ruppes, hee

departed Agra the 5th June , and after 29 dayes travell arived herein Puttanna the 3d Jully, where havinge procured acceptance of his

exchanges,and made some inquisit ion into the hoped good here to

bee efected , and upon good informat ion be inge ac irtayned that this

p lace to good purpose might bee es tabl ished a factory,hee fourth

with advi z ed Surrat and P A gra therof, and intreted the sendinge

h l S assrstant and by h im some Engl ish goods wh ich in Agra laye

unvendable, with more sup lye of monyes, to proceede in pro

vision of what goods m ight posiblye bee compased tymelye to

be sent hence th is yeare for Surrat and England ; of which ad

vize and information the Agra factors approved , and in place of

John Bangam,wh ich was proceeded with Robert Younge for

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214 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

kinge to inhabitt. Go llye is theire cheefest porte, where theye

are in greate multi tudes, and have yearlye shipp inge both from

Mallacka and Coch ine . The c ommodites theye us ial lye bringe uphether is for the most part tyne, sp ices, and China wares, in lewewherof theye transporte ambertye c al licoes, carpets, and all sortes

of th ine cloth , which theye d ie into redds purposlye for saile to thesothwards. This c ittye stands upon the river Ganges, whose suifte

currant transportes theire friggits with such dex teritye that in five

or S ix dayes theye us iallye go hence to thei re portes, but in re

pairinge up agayne spend thrice the tyme .

’

The ir journal,accounts

,

&c ., sent to Surat for conveyance to England . Your Worships in

some of your former letters requiringe strange birds of this countrye,wee have this yeare sent you a cuppel l cal led Mynoes

1,bred in the

bottom of Bengalla , and have intreded carre to bee taken for theire

conveyence from Agra to Surrat , that theye maye come safe to your

hands.

’

(Copy .

JOSEPH HOPK INSON AT SURAT 1 0 JOHN BANGHAM AT AGRA

OR ELSEWHERE , DECEMBER 2, 1 620 (0. C.

Has received h is letter of August 26 from Lahore,besides an

earl ier one , dated from under a t ree on his way thither. Has also

had one from M r. Young, from whi ch he perceives thei r speedy

invest ing of thei r moneys and Bangham’

s departure with the goods

for Agra, where he wil l find orders for h is return to Surat . Not

that there wi l l be much need of factors at the latter p lace, for

the Company have required but a smal l quantity of indigo,carpets,

and samanas The Company have given order for arrest of thej unks of this p lace . And for Engl ish newes you maie p lease

to understand that four shipps w[ere] heare , sent forth by our

masters for this place and Pers ia, viz . the London ,H [ar t] , Room /be

,

and E ag le ; their masters names

”

you wi l l perceive by the abstract

of the invo ice now sent ; over whome Captain Sh i ll ing is comander,and in [them] Mr. Darrel l

,M r . Tomson

,M r . Offley , and Mr. Clarke

factors . They ca[me to the] Cape in company o f three moresh ipps Engl ish , ordained for Bantam , vi z . the E xchang e, Beare, and

Uni tie, over whom , and this fleete also til l their part ing company,1 See p . 199.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 2 15

Captain Fitzherbert was comander,now gon for Bantam to [be]

chei ffe at sea after Captain Pringe go ing home. These [found theL ion at the Cape, and all her men in reasonable good health .

The Lyon com ing thither found n ine sai le of Dutch,and be ing

fearful l anchored under [Penguin] I laud ; and after the Dutch had

two o r three times sent a boate to them,and [at] last also the

articles of peace betwixt us and them , shee waighed [into the] road ,and was by them watered , cawked , and suppl ied w ith large [provi]s ions of refreshing, and sett sai le thence for England the daie after

[the] fleet arrived there , which was the 25th June . Capta in Fitz

herbert, [fear] ing the Dutch to intend a p lantat ion at Cape,

prevented them and So[ lemnly] proclaimed our king K ing of

S oldania and raised a great mount [and] named it K ing James his

Mount . These four shipps came thence the 25th [Ju ly] , not

haveing any refreshing. And haveing contrarie windes on th is

[s ide of] the Cape, they consu lted to goe on the outs ide o f St .Lawr[ence] I laud if they had not done

,they afi‘i rme they should

not have a rrived t il l next yeare. The first land they fel l with wasBaccanore

,whence they came on along the coast to Dabull

,and

there staying a weeke, putt of al l thei r private trade at good rates ,

insomuch [that] there is scarce a kn iffe or a swordblade in the

fleete. About [the 6th of November] they dispeeded the Har t and

E ag le for Pers ia , whither they were expressly [commanded] by theCompany the London and Roebuck arriving here the 9th , and [setsail] after them the 1 9th November, to rejoyne with the other two .

S ir Thomas Roes errour,who i t seemes made the

Company beleeve all the Por[tugal ls] in India were dead ; else they

would have held fi tt the shipps for Persia Should have had the

advice of their better experienced factors , as wel l for thei r Pers ian

supp l ies as better prevention of any p lott or force of [the Portugal ls] .I pray God protect them ,

for we have certaine advice of fourmen of warre res ideing about Ormus of purpose to

expect our shipps at Jasques ; and if we had sent any sh ipp this

yeare to Red S ea, i t is certaine shee had been attemp ted by them ;

and if (as I doubt not) these by their rejoyneing escape, i t is moreby the providence of God, and the experience [of the] servants

of the Company here, then Sir Thomas Roes project . But i t is

reported he is highly esteemed by most of the Company who least

2 1 6 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

understand their owne bussines, and had 2,000l . gratuity and 2001.

annuitie given h im so long as he l ives 1,and is entertained a Com

m ittie at large but therein they have done wel l , and if they would

make their return ing Servants Comm itties that know their affaires,

i t maie be their bussines would be better ordered .

’

Bangham’

s

friend , Mr . Harrison,the Company

’

s Treasurer,2 d ied shortly

before the fl eet sai led . The A nne cast away a l ittle beyond

Gravesend , having all her cargo aboard except the money.

3 It is

feared noth ing can be saved. Captain Towerson was to have gonein her to Bantam as commander . The L i ttle R ose on her way

home had e ight or nine m en Slain at the Cape by the savages wh ile

fishing. The Lesser yames went on shore at the Sc i l ly Islands,but was got off again after taking out her goods . Letters from

Pers ia announce the death o f Barker,whose estate was found to be

but [seraphins or 1 50l . sterl ing. No s i lk provided there at

the t ime of writing (s ix months ago) , but they expected to make

good returns this year. P .S . The Palsgrave and his wiffe are

crowned King and Queene of Bohem ia, the one the 26,the other

the 28 October, 1 6 19, and have beseidged the Emperours forces in

h is cheiffe c ittie of Vienna 4 He condoles with Bangham on h is

not getting a rise of wages, l ike John Goodding [Goodwin] andHenry Edm[onds] .

5(Holog r apb. S eal . 2 pp .)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRES IDENT KERRIDGE,

G ILES JAMES,AND JOSEPH HOPKINSON

,DECEMBER 1 7 , 1 620

(Factory Records , S urat, vol . i . p .

The effects of oWalter Harvey,deceased , are to be app l ied

towards the payment of his debts ‘and makinge a toumbe for

h im The res idue to remain on account in the Company’s books .

(Co sf .)

1 These were exaggerations. Roe’s gratuity was 1,5oo l . , and the al lowance was only

for a year or two (see Tire Embassy , pp . 5 28 ,1 W i l l iam Harrison , Treasurer , died in March , 1620.

3 S ee the Court M inutes . She appears to have been recovered , and later to haveresumed her voyage to Bantam .

A baseless rumour.

5 See the Court M inutes of January 1 0, 1620, and p . 25 2, infra.

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21 8 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

Amber his owne assurance and saufe conducte,and that alsoe very

doubtfull to bee p rocured’

. A S it is essential to get the goodsdown to Surat very soon in order to lade them on the ship forEngland

,it is reso lved that if Heynes has not procured the pass

from Mal ik Ambar,Hutchinson shal l ‘

endevor to compound withthe Raja Limgee [Lingj i P] for itts passage through his cuntrey o i

A vaus [see p . or otherwise proceed such other waies as eu

quirie shal l enforme him there to bee moste saufe (and leastchardgable) ; wherin hee may joyne with the Dutch , i f thei rcaph i lla bee in company with ou rs (Copy .

19; p.)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRESIDENT KERRIDGE,

GILES JAMES,AND JOSEPH HOPK INSON

,JANUARY 9, 1 621 (Ibid .

,

vo l. i . p .

I t is determined to maintain the price of their remain ing ivory,and to dispatch a quantity of quicks ilver to Agra with a Dutch

caravan go ing thither ; also some to Ahmadabad . Furthermore,

the exportation of royal ls , through occation of a m inte erectedin this towne 1

,beinge utterly debard us, and wee haveinge sould

royal ls unto the Captaine of the Castel l,deputie in the

Governo rs absence, with condition to receive the greater partt in

redye mouye and the resedue in bil ls of exchange for Amadavad

and Agra,the said Captaine of the Castel l att bargaine making

having prom ised us to enfo rce the shraffs [see p . 8 n .] to secure

each other,if any shou ld fai le

,and they utterly refuseing soe to

joyne,i tt is propounded whither wee shall nottwithstand inge accepte

of their bi lls,and therby rune the hazard of the ir not performance,

or omitt suppl ie to the said factories for the next yeat es provis ion

which divers l ie discussed, seeinge noe perswation can prevaile with

these officers for lycence to exporte our monyes , and that the

Company both have and must ever undergoe such l icke adventures

by exchanges,i tt is generally thought fitting their bi lls should

bee received and d ispeeded ; the rather for that the certainetie

o f their paymentt hath b ine Often questioned before the Governoretc . cheefs , whoe have prom ised the uttermoste effects of justice in

case any should fai le us .

’

(Copy . 1 p.)

1 See a note on p. 36.

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 2 19

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRESIDENT KERRIDGE ,GILES JAMES

,AND JOSEPH HOPKINSON

,JANUARY 1 1

,1 62 1 (Ibid .,

vo l . i . p .

This Councel l,havinge ordered to bee dispeeded in company

o f the Dutch for Agra the quicksi lver in our last consultationmentioned

,is nowe assembled to considder whether requis ite to

adventure by the same convayanc the jewells received on the

London,which beinge appoynted (by instruct ions inclosed in the

box wherin they came,subscribed by the Governore and Deputie)

unto the court for sayle,and the same in our knowledg beinge the

fi ttes t p lace for that purpose, in regarde of the oppertunety for

their present convayance, Signor Walter Houton 1,a Dutch Agent ,

with n ine or ten o ther Dutch, being uppon departuer thitherwards ,and noe convoy of our owne peop le l ickely to goe up this yeare,wee are all joyntely of opinion they shalbe del ivered into the charge

of the aforesaid Agent ; which beinge reso lved on,Thomas Ker

ridge further propounded whether fi ttinge to shew the jewells tothe said Houton at their del iverie and tacke h is receipte for the

perticulers, or to acquainte the said Agent with one or two p rinci

pal l of h is company only in general l tearmes that they are j ewel ls ,and conceale the qualletie ; which being dul ie cons idered of

,itt is

concluded that the pert iculers for divers reasones shalbe concealled

and the box del ivered (sealed with our seales) into h is custod ie .

A nd further itt is enordered that the embrodred cabenett landedout of the Cha r les last yeare, having bin sene and refussed by theCheefes heere , shal alsoe bee made redye

,and together with H is

Majesties letter this yeare received 2,with the d i tto jewe lls

,bee

consigned to William B iddu lph and Francis Fettip lace in Agra .

’

(Corr 1 11 )1 Wouter Heuten

, wi th a quanti ty of spices , camphor , &c .,reached Agra Apri l 29,

1 6 21 and was presented by AsafKhan to the Emperor, who received him and his

compan ions grac iously, and ordered a house to be provided for them (H ague Transcr ipts,Seri es I , vol . iv. N O .

1 Th is i s probably the letter referred to in the fol lowing extract from the Court Minutesof January 24, 1 620 : S ir Thomas Roe mociond to have a l etter procured from H is

Majestie to the Grand Mogore of complement, to acknowledg the kind usage of H is

Majesties people in h is dom inions, and the tokens received from h im ; a coppie wherofwaspresented, drawne by S i r Thomas Roe

, and now red and approved, and appointed to befairely l imbd and ingrost in parchment, after S ir Thomas Roe hath showne i t toMr. Secretary Colvat [Calvert] .

220 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

R ICHARD SWAN ’S ACCOUNT OF THE FIGHTS OFF JASK (M ar ine

Recor ds,vol . xxx)

1

1 620 November 1 7 and 1 8 . Took on board five Moors forPersia

,being al lyed or servants to such men as the President and

Merchants cou ld not den ie passage without h inderance of thiere

owne busines November 1 9. The London and R oebuck set sail

from Swally towards Jask. November 2 1 . Captured a Portuguesevessel from Muskat , the Nues tra S en/zor a de M er [ces] , of nearly200 tons burden

, Captain Francisco M i rando . December 5 . M et

the Har t and E ag le return ing from Jask,

‘not being of suffi cient

strength to encounter the Fort ingal l forces there attending to

m ine our masters Pers ian trade.

’

December 8 . Landed at their

own request al l th e Portuguese and Moors ,‘except some seamen

Moores , whome wee detained for our service, and the pi lott,

who, doubting some bad measure from the Portingalls, intreated

he m ight not bee put ashore.

’

December 1 0 . The sacrament

adm inistered on board the London . December 1 2 . Vo lunteerswere put on the prize, which was to be used as a fi resh ip . December

1 6 .

‘ In the mo rn ing our adm iral l with the masters of h is fieete

went abord the pri ze and carried two barrells of powder, some

tarre,and other combustible provisions, intending with her to laie

the Port ingall adm irall thwart the halse and soe to burne bothtogether. The prize thus prepared , and al l our shipps fitted , wee

bore up with the men of warre,whose fi eete consisted of two

Fortingal l gall ions bigger then the London,and two F lemm ish shipps ,

one much about the burthen of the H ar t, the other lesser then the

Robucke or E ag le thei r general l Ruy Frere de Andrade, the vice

adm iral l John Boral io 1; the Dutch 3 shipps commanded one by

A nthonia Musquit, the o ther by Bal iaz ar de Chaves 4 . But it fell

calme unt il l evening, and the current sett us so neere them that

1 Printed by Purchas, wi th some errors and omi ssions,in hi s first volume (p .

See al so (besides the other accounts in the present work) Pinder’

s narrati ve in P urchas(vol . i i . p . th e fourth repo rt of the Hi stori cal M SS . Commn . , p . 306 , and a small

pamphlet in the Bri ti sh Museum enti tled Tbe True Relation of tkut Wortby S ea P igbt

i n tbc P ers ian Gulp/z (London, For the Portuguese side cf. Fari a y Sousa(A sia P or tuguesa , tom . i ii . pt. i i i . ch. xix) ; Lisbon Transcr ipts at I . O. ; B ooks of tire

M onsoons,vol. v Luciano Cordeiro’

s Como seperdeu Ormuz , &c .

1 Joao Boralh o .

3 A m istake for Flemish1 I find al so twogall ionsand ten frigatts inthePortinga l l Armatho.

’—Noteby anotber ltand.

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222 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

musketts) I had gotten to windward of [the smal ler] Flemming ;who standing of as I did , until l hee had brought the [ fired ship]directly beetwene him and mee

, then turned taile and steered [withall the] sai les hee could make right afore the wind alongst theshore [to the eastward] ; whome to rescue

, the o ther three set

saile, now so gentle that the [Har t] , passing alongst t hei r broades ides, received from some of them [few, from o thers none

,either]

great or smal l shotte . But our fleete, at present reun ited , des iste[dtheir] further chase (the darknesse of the n ight and the general l

wear[inesse] challenging a surcease from so toylesome a worke) andanchored [after m idnight] in thei r before usuall roade. In this

fight the London and H ar t received verie l ittel l hurt in their h[ulsand] tackl ing ; lesse or none amongst their men . The E ag les

mainemast was sh[o t in] five p laces , whereof four quite thorough,and one John Banks lost his right arme. I in the R obuclec had one

Edward Browne slaine with a great shotte through his head,a

peece of whose skull , together with some sp l inters of the sameshotte

,wounded M r. Thomas Wal ler, one of my mates

,in the

foreheade, to the losse of his left eie also John Phen ix , boat

swaines mate, and Robert Hepworth , coxons mate, both lost theuse of thei r right hands. Never in so long a fight did I heare of sol ittle hurt as upon our partes . B lessed be the Lord of Hostes, whowas with us , and the God of Jacob ,

’

who was our refuge . I cannot

trulie particu larize their hurts and losses,save by report of our

merchants : that John Boral io , thei r vice-admiral l , and anothercaptaine were slaine

,with thirty or forty Portugal ls out of their

adm iral l (for Moores they account not in the number of thei r men) ;the rest yet unknowne . December 1 8 . In the morn ing we hadsight of the Port ingalls at anchor ten miles to the eastward of us .They had the wind faire to come with us

,but d id not ; whereupon

wee had a general l conference whether it m ight bee fitter with the

first of the seaturne, beginning usuall ie about noone, to stand with

them and trie i t out for the masterie, ere they cou ld receive anie

supp l ie from Ormus or Muscatt , or further expected aide from Goa ;or else to make sai le for Jasques Roade

,thei r to land our masters

monies and goods , for whose surpri z all the Port ingal ls fought, andfor whose safetie wee maintained the quarrell against them . Both

which seriously debated, the later was general lie approved fittest ;

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 223

and everie man reparing to h is charge, wee all waied to gaine the

usual l roade of Jasques ; unto which the London onely that n ight

attained ; the H ar t,Robucbe and E ag le riding a leauge without .

Mr. M onox, agent , in a smal l Persian boate came and staied abord

the Robucke all night,accompanied with one

,Signor Sebastiano

F iorino,a Venetian m erchant

,who afterwards had passage uppon

the Har t for Surratt by order from the A dmirall .’

December 21 .

Landed all the money consigned to Jask,and part of the cloth .

December 22.

‘This morning was landed as much cloth as the

t ime would [permit P] for d iscry ing the Portugal l gall iounes open

o f the roade, [to come] in (as wee supposed) with the seaturne, wee

made hast to and stood of with them ,they steering

directly towards [Ormus] unti l l they mett two or three friggatts

from thence [with supp ly] of men and mun it ion ; which sh ippt

into them,they made towards us ; but p resently repent

ing thei r bargaine, with they clapt upon a tacke, and were

so fortunate unt il l the [28th that e ither] they being to windwardwee could not come at them, or else [at anchor] where wee couldnot without great disadvantage attempt th[em] . December 25

(Cbr is tmas day ) . After dinner wee waied with the seaturne,intend

ing to assault them,but we presently had a gust of wind and raine

against us which inforced us to anchor, insomuch that certaine

[blacks] detained abord for our service, after thei r heathenish

superstition were perswaded that the Portingalls had brought with

them [from] Ormus a witch to bring them continuallie a fai re wind .

December 26 . The depth at and neere the p lace where the

Portugalls no [w were P] being unknowne unto anie man in our

who le fleete, wee set sai le for the ester po int of Jasques Roade,where wee first did fight ([i t being P] knowne unto us al l) , supposingthey would fo llowe us thither our busines ; wh ich according ly fell out, for wee were not at an[chor befo re P] they settingsa ile came and anchored halfe a leauge to the [westward P] of us .

December 27 . Calme unti l l noone ; wind westerl ie in the after

noone . They dom ineering, with musicke, flaggs and

pendants in thei r friggatts [alongst P] the shore. December 28

(Innocents da ie) . Perce iving the drift of this (now) Fabius Cun[ctator] , wee om itted no oportunitie to give h im battel l ; and about

nine of [the] clocke, the Lord sending us apprettie easterlie gale,

224 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

our fleete w[e ighed] and put all things in order for fight . The

Lond on and Har t anchored within a cables length and halfe fromthem upon their broads ides , and so indured the botest burden of

this second daies fight for no sooner were they at anchor but thatit fel l calme and so continued all daie , insomuch that the Robuclee

and E ag le, who being somewhat asterne and steering neerer the

shoare with intent to anchor,one upon the bowe of the Portugal l

adm iral l, and the other upon the bowe of the vice-adm irall, could

not , notwithstand ing all dil igence used, come to doe anie service inhalfe an houres space ; and no sooner were wee within the level l

range of our ord inance from them then that (not a breath of wind

to bee felt and a current against us) wee were constrayned to

anchor or drive further of. But our broads ides once brought up ,

the great ordinance from our who le fleete p layed so fast uppon

them , that doubtlesse, if the knowledge in our people had beene

answerable to thei r will ing m inds and readie reso lutions , not one of

these gal liounes , nules thei r S ides were impenetrable, had escaped

us. About three of the clocke in the afternoone , unwill ing after sohotte a dinner to receive the l ike supper, they cutte the i r cables

and drove with the tide (then setting westerly) until l they werewithout reach of our gunnes and then thei r frigatts came to them

and towed them awaie wonderfull ie mangled and torne ; for their

adm iral l in the greattest furie of the fight was inforced to heeld his

sh ippe to stoppe his leakes , his mainetopmast overbord and the

head of his mainemast. The greatter Flemm ing both his top

masts and part of h is bowspritt shotte awaie. The lesser Flemming

never a shrowde standing,never a topmast. The vice-admirall

(who both daies did us most hurt) escaped best, for most commonlythis daie he had one or other of their shipps betwixt him and us .

Wee kept them companie all night , in hope the next morning to

have given all or some of them thei r pasports . But surveying our

shotte and finding smal l store left (notwithstanding that by some

happ ie mistake the E ag le had a double proportion , out of which

the other shipps were in part supp l ied), and withal l having to

cons ideration the voyage wee have to perfo rme, wee resolved our

returne to Jasques for the speedie d [ispatch of P] our worthie

imployers busines there, and des isted their fu[rther chaseP] , leavingthem doubtlesse g lad men, the two greater shipps [towing] at their

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226 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

25 . The Vice-Governor of Broach went on board the London,and

on the following day visited the Har t. (1 1 pp .)

ARCHIBALD JEMISON’

S ACCOUNT OF THE FIGHTS OFF JASK

(M ar ine Records , vo l . xxxi i) .

1 620, November 1 9. Sailed from Swal ly . November 22 (sic) .Took a Portuguese vessel laden with horses and dates . December 5 .

Met the H ar t and E ag le returning. December 1 5 . S aw the eastern

po int of Jask ,with the enemy’

s fleet under the shore . December 1 6 .

The wind falling calm ,they cou ld not reach the Portuguese

,but

p repared for the next day . December 1 7 . The enemy came out

w ith the land wind , and a fight ensued,in wh ich the London spent

some eighty shot . At three in the afternoon an attempt was made

to burn the Portuguese adm iral w ith the prize as a fi resh ip ,but

this fai led . S oe she burned with 24 [s ic] horsses and her loading ofdatts .

’

December 1 8 . Went into Jask Road . December 28 . The

London and Har t engaged the Portuguese, the other two shipsbeing unable to come up for want of wind .

‘ God so dealt with usthat theye had the overthrowe (the Lord make us thankfull) ; forwee had but too men slane this daye, and one (that died the nextdaye) that was hurte. But our captaine received one shoote one

h is lefte Shou lder to our greate greife, who was the first that washurte

,hee beinge one the halfe decke. Theye did p ly us verry

hard until] such time as wee could laye out a kedger to bringe our

broade s ide to beare uppon them ; and then (God be praysed)theye hadd the overthrowe, with much spoyle of theire ships andmastes .’ From four o ’clock chased them ti l l the morning

,when ,

finding their powder and sho t far spent , they des isted and madefor Jask . 1 621 , yanuary 5 . Our captaine was verry i l l, and des ired

us all to praye for h im,and he h imselfe verry godly and pat ient in

all the time of h is hurte,and at 6th he departed at noone.

’ 1

yanuary 9.

‘ Our captaine was buried on shoore at Jasques.

’

7 anuary 1 3 . S et sai l for Surat. February 3 . The London and

E ag le anchored in Swally Road . (4 pp .)

1 Our captain, Andrew Shi ll ing , received a mortal ] wound the Sixth [first shot thatpast this eight and twentieth, yet was val iant and spake cheerefull , wi th thankefulnesse toGod the last minute of his l ife

,which ended the sixth of Januarie

’

(Pinder’s narrative

see p .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 227

RICHARD BLYTH,RICHARD SWAN , CHRISTOPHER BROWNE ,

AND WILLIAM BAFFIN AT JASK To THE COMPANY, JANUARY 1 3 ,

1 62 1 (A bs tract only . Factory Records , M iscellaneous, vol . i . p . 5 7 )1.

Events of the voyage from the Cape .

‘The 9th of November

the London and Roebucke arrived at Suratt. A Dutch shipp at

S uratt (the Wappen nan Z ealand) was ready to depart for Bantam .

The factors at Suratt informe our two shipps of the Portugalls

armado wayting for our shipps in the Gulph of Pers ia, and there

upon concluded to dispeed theis two sh ipps also to Jasques to

rejoyne with the other two for their better defence, and d id sett

sai le accordingly the 19th of November, after they had landed the

monies and goods at S uratt which were designed for that p lace ,except the corrall . Corral ] prohibited to be lannded at Suratt . The

London and Roebuck take a shipp of Muscate about 14 leagues

from D iu,wherein were 42 Arabian horses, and in whom they

tooke out 7 70 p ieces of gould of the value of chickeens 1 , and

laurees 3,and had in hir 1 54 persons , whereof 48 Portugalls ,

the rest of Muscatte. By theis people the lying in waite of the

Portugals armado was confirmed . The is two shipps London and

Roebuck mett with thei r two consorts 80 leagues Shorte ofJasques.

1

The Har t and E ag le also did take a sh ipp belonginge to the

Portugalls at Muscatt, but freely dismissed hir againe without hurtto people, shipp or goods. The said Har t and E ag le did also

(24 November) take a ship of D iu bound for Ormus laden withstuffs of Cambaia ; which shipp (because ours understood of the

strength and awaighting of the Portugal ls at hand) they held not

fi tt to reta ine, but tooke out of hir the goods that laye uppermostso much as themselves coul'd bestowe, and soe tourned hir off

,and

landed the goods at Jasques, without e ither burninge ship or goodsor hurt ing the peop le . The said Har t and E ag le, seeing the

Portugall armado , used their best meanes to intice them to

seperate thei r forces , by drawing some of their shipps from the

rest,but the Portugalles kept in the i r joynt strength ; whereupon ,

1 A portion of th is letter was printed by Purchas in his P i lgr imes (vol . i . p .

1 Sequins .

3 Pers. la‘

r z’

,a pecul iar coin formed of a smal l rod of si lver bent double. It was worth

about an Engl ish shi ll ing.

1 On December 5 (see Swan'

s journal) . Purchas prints first by mistake for fifth ’

.

Q 2

228 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

for very good approved consideracions , they laid thei r course backeagaine to S uratt to un ite themselves also with their consortes

, the

London and Roebucke, and happ ily mett them about 80 leag ues tothe eastwards of Jasques . Joyn ing togither, they went rejoyceingfor wards to the enemye, the gennerall of whom was Ru i Frere deAndrade , whom themselves cal led the Pride of Portugal l . Before

they came to fight,ours

,upon good cons ideracion ,

sett al l the

people which were in the greatest prize ashoare. Ours arr ived at

the easter ende of Jasques Roade the 1 6 December. There they

found the Portugalls armado , consistinge of four shipps , two

gallys and ten friggotts , their general] or cheife commander ca lledRuy Frere de Andrade. Sunday, 1 7 December, they joyne battel ]

and fought from nine in the morn ing til l darke night . The Portu

gal les retyre ten or eleven m i les from our shipps to repaire them

selves . Damage done to the Portugales, noe certentye . Our

ships spent hal f thei r shott th is first daies fight therefore to advise

to furnish your shipps with more store of shott . 20 December,ours gott into Jasques Roade and d i scharged thei r mon ies and

goods . 28 December,the Engl ish and the Portugale fleetes were

within a m ile of each other . The Portugall armado intended to

p rotract the tyme to h inder our shipps lade ing . Our sh ipps sett

upon them the said 28 day . S ee the manner of the fight . The

Portugalls cutt cables and drive downe with the tyde, and being

out of shott were towed awaie by their frigotts . Their hulles ,mas ts

,and tacklinges wonderfu lly mangled and torne, perticulerly

described . Our sh ipps fo l low them ,intending to give them the ir

pasports the next morn ing but surve igh inge their shott they found

smal l store left,and considering what a vo iage they had to per

forme of great moment, therefore fo llowed them noe further,but

reso lved to applye themselves thereunto,thanking God to have

putt their en im ies to fl ight .’

No news whither the Portuguese are

gone . I t is rumoured that their general was slain . The English

sh ips remain serviceab le,and lost only five men Slain and not

many wounded . Amongst the latter our wo rthy Adm iral] received

a greevious wound through his left shou lder w i th a great shott , and

w ith courrage and pat ience thereo f died 6 January .

’ They intendedto carry h is body to Surat , but were obl iged to bury it at Jask 1 .

1 H is body we intended to have carri ed to Surat, and there accordi ng to h is deserts

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230 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

that there i t maye be p rovided in infinite quantityes at least twenty

per cent . cheaper then in anye other p lace of India, and of the

choysest stufe , wounde of into what condition you shall requi er it ,as i t comes from the worme ; where are also innumerable of s i lk

wynderes , experte workmen , and labor cheaper by a th ird then

elce where . But until] your farther resolution therin wee shal]

endevor acordinge to your order the provision of what quantitye

therof meanes and tyme w i l l perm it, as also of sahannes and such

sortes of amberty call icoes as you advi z e Of. For other provis ions,thoughe in th

’

intrime wee receave suplye from Agra,wee shall

defer until] your farther inj unctions .’ They give thanks for news

and the letters from England . If any‘ jewels or tofa ’

[see p . 1 26 n .]could be spared , wee th inke our Governor wou ld prove the bestmerchant for the Companies profitt.

’

(Copy . 1 % pp .)

CONSULTAT ION HELD IN SURAT BY PRES IDENT KERR IDGE ,GILES JAMES

,AND JOSEPH HOPK INSON

,FEBRUARY 1

,1 62 1

(Factory Records, S urat, vol . i .

In consideration of a horse lately given to Kerridge by the

Governor of Broach and other courtes ies from h im and his brother,

i t is decided that 30 yards of cloth be p resented to h im now

being removed to bee Governo r of Amadavad and 6 coveds of

cloth to h is brother (‘substitute in h is p lace att The

horse,valued at 600 mamoothes

’

, is to be brought to the Company’

s

account . (Copy . p .)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRES IDENT KERRIDGE ,GILES JAMES

,AND JOSEPH HOPK INSON

,FEBRUARY 3 , 1 621 (Ibid . ,

vol . i . p .

The fleet having returned from Persia, the question arises what

ship or ships should be sent home this year . It is thought that

the H ar t and one of the smaller vessels would be suitable, but the

matter i s referred to a later consultation in conj unction with the

Commander and S ea Counc il . Robert Hutchinson writes requesting

instructions,as the

’

Governor of Manda wi ll not let the caravandepart without a writing abso lving h im from all blame should it be

robbed . Debate thereon . Hopkinson thinks some one should be

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 23 1

sent ‘to compound with the Raja Limge

’

to al low the caravan to

pass through his territory. James agrees that ‘the wale of

A vaus’

[see p . 21 0] m ight be tried, as i t is most important the

goods Should be got down to Surat to complete the ships’

ladingmoreover

,

‘one V irgivora [see p . a marchantt of this towne ,

having goods lyeinge in Mando to the vallew of ma[hm ii di s]offerreth to adventure the same in company of ours that waie

’

;

and if he thinks i t worth wh i le to run that risk, much more may

they . Kerridge concurs that if Heynes has not procured a pass

from Mal ik Ambar,

‘the goods shalbe adventured through the

cuntrey of A vaus,

’

and an Engl ishman dispatched forthwith to

compound with the Raja for h is accustomed duties or exact ionsN icho las Hayward chosen for this duty. A vest of stamell and

two knives to be presented to the Raja, and two knives to the

Governor of Méindu. (Copy . 19, pp .)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRES IDENT KERRIDGE,

GILES JAMES , AND JOSEPH HOPK INSON,FEBRUARY 1 8

,1 621

(Ibid .,vol . i . p .

John Bangham , who arrived from Manda last n ight, brought

news that ‘Robert Hutchinson had received the M el leeke Amber

his owne assurance in wrightinge under his seale for saufe passadgeof the same through h is seaveral l armyes and al l other p laces under

h is comaund,and the same confi rmed by annother wrighting under

the seale of Yaccote Chan [Yaqfi t Khan] , general ] of the Decans

fo rces in the Mogulls territories , who had also sent two of his

searvants to accompanie the goods and see itts performance. This

Consultation therfore doth revoke thei r former o rder for the

caphi llas passage through waic of Avans, and d irectlye ordaine i tt

shal l come the way of Brampoare .

’

Hutchinson is to hire camels

as cheap ly as possible and to endeavour to be at Surat by Apri l 5at the lates t . Should this be hopeless, for want of came ls, he is tostore the goods at Manda and awai t orders ; or he may come on

with the bulk of the goods,leaving the rest behind . The Commander

and masters , having seen the goods at‘

Jangerpoare1

are of op inion

that there wil l only be suffi cient lading for the Har t. That vessel

is accord ingly selected to be sent home alone. (Copy. 1 p .)1 Jahangi rpur, on the right bank of the Tépti , about a mi le above Rander.

232 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRESIDENT KERRIDGE ,THOMAS RASTELL , GILES JAMES, AND JOSEPH HOPKINSON ,FEBRUARY 22 , 1 62 1 (i bid .

,vo l . i . p .

A s it is eviden t that the goods for England ,&c. , cannot be cleared

from the custom-house without bribes, i t i s reso lved that the

vallue of ma[hmfidi s] 600 in cloth should be given to the Customer,ma[hmfi d

'

i s] 300 in l icke comod ities to the Cheefe Scrivan 1,and

ma[hmfidi s] 200 in mouye amongst writters and other officers A nd

whereas two years ago a scarf of 25 l . be ing assigned to the Customer

on a l ike o ccasion , he took instead one worth over 47 l . , and now

requires the English to rem it the ir claim for the difference, this is

agreed to on the understanding that the expected caravan from

Mand i-

I shal l be al lowed to come in without further bribes to him or

h is officers . It is also determ ined that a thousand mahmfidi s,a vest

of cloth and a pamre’

[see p . 1 89] shal l be given to thei r broker

M idas ’

[Mahi Das] , as his profits have been very smal l, owing to

their send ing so much to o ther p laces for sale and to the custome

of one per cento beinge by us abridged h im (Copy . p.)

CAPTAIN JOHN B ICKLEY, ABOARD THE CHARLE S IN BATAVIA

ROAD , To THE GOVERNOR OF THE COMPANY,FEBRUARY 26,

1 621 (0. C.

These are to geve Your Worship to understande how all

beusiness hath past in our fleett sence my departure from Surratt,beinge the 1 6 of March, 1 6 1 9 S oe the 22 daye wee tookea smale joncke of Goa

,be inge bounde for salte, having in her some

S ix butts of rack,not any th inge elce worth the writinge ; and the

23 daye wee tooke a joncke of Dabull, beinge bounde for the

Read Sea. The captain of herr came aborde of me and broughte

with hime a letter, the which Captain Bonner gave him at his

beinge at Dabull the yeere before , the wh ich in h is letter hee did

intreate any one of the comanders of the Companyes shipps that

if the [y] did mete with any shipp of Dabul ] to use them kindly,in

regarde hee h imselfe had receaved greate kindness at ther bandes,the which hee made no doutt but that any one of the Companyes

sh ippes shoulde ther finde the l ike curtesy. I then beinge in sighte

1 Writer (Port. escr ioc‘

io) .

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234 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

A prell .’

(1 p . Tbe res t of tire letter is concerned w i tk transactions

a t A ckin and yaka tra, r elations wi t/z tke Dutck, &c.)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRESIDENT KERRIDGE ,THOMAS RA STELL , G ILES JAMES , AND JOSEPH HOPKINSON ,

MARCH 1 , 1 621 (Factory Records , S urat, vol . i . p .

The arrangements for the com ing investments are considered .

The Honourable Company havinge in several] letters required us

to buy their comodeties in the p laces wher they are made, and wee

therby induced the last yeare to send factors both to Lahore and

Patana, whoe by the i r seaveral l letters and provisions encourageinge

us to the continewance of resedences in both p laces, as wel l for

provisions of narrow clothe and semanes in the former, as of s i lek,

amberties etc .,in the latter, it is generally reso lved by thi s Consulta

tion to experyence annother yeare in bothe p laces the comodeties

they afford .

’

A s some of the goods sent to Burhanpur are sti ll

unso ld , the question of dissolving that factory is al lowed to stand

over. On the p roposal of Rastel l , Cambaya is made for the future

independent of A hmadabad , and Nathaniel Halstead (‘notwith

standing hee is a l imbe of Amadavad factory ’

) i s made its chief,with R ichard Lancaster as assistant . A s this leaves only James

B ickford and W i ll iam H i ll at A hmadfibéd , John Clark is appo inted

thither as assistant . R ichard Barber [at Broach P] having so l ic itedleave to return to England on account of i ll-health, Just inian Offleyis to be dispatched thither to help him this year and succeed h im

next, should he stil l desire to go home. As Féttiplace also intends

to leave next year, and the Company have given him perm iss ion

to do so , the question of h is successor is d iscussed . Nobody can

be spared from Surat and‘ itt is reso lved that the Pattana factorie

shalbe diso lved after this yeare unti l l the Company send sufli tient

factors to Supp ly that and other occat ions, and Robert Hughes (afterthe com inge away ofWi ll iam B iddu lph and Frances Fettiplace) tosuppl ie the p lace both ofAgent and cheefe factor

,and John Parker

to bee h is accomptant ; and John W i l loubie to continue (as hee isalread ie appointed) assistant to

'

Robert Younge in the Lahore or

Semana emp loyment and to keepe those accompts. Furthermore,itt was p ropounded whether Lahore or Semana shalbee the

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 235

resedence for that investmentt , and referred to discretion of the

imployed .

’

(Copy . 1 p .)A nnexed : (i) A computation of ready money, goods and debts

in the various factories avai lable for the investment , March 1,1 62 1 .

In Surat, mahmfidi s _ In Ahmadabad,mahmfid i s

In Agra, ( includ ing rupees in the lashkar, at Patna, and

at Semana rupees mahmfid i s In

Broach,mahmfidi s In Baroda

,mahmudi s In

Burhanpur, mahm i idi s Total , mahmfid i s

( i i) List of goods to be purchased at the var ious factories duringthe com ing year. In Surat : narrow baftas

,seal ing-wax,

turmericand gum

-lac ‘of sort danna

’

[see p . In Ahmadabad : ind igo ,

narrow white baftas,‘ dutties Do lka,

’

dyed baftas (crimsons,

carnadines,watchets) ,

‘seares whited ’

(including some‘ Stript with

blew for green ginger, gum-lac (‘

of the sort choupra

refined into smal l cakes’

, and some‘of the sort and

‘ dutties Do lka died into watchetts ’

. In Agra : indigo ,

‘semianas ,

’

sebum cloth,

’

call icoes of al l sorts (including p ieces from

Lahore and the parts adjacent) , quil ltes of Bengala,’

Bengala si lk

( 100 maunds), gum-lac chuppra,

’ danna,

’

and ruslake in cloddsand samples of musk and civet from Lahore . In Broach : baftas ,narrow and broad ,

‘nicanees,

’ stuffs (‘

popelee, chuckerians and

hasseines,and and ‘

crames .

’ In Baroda : baftas ,narrow and broad. Total cost est imated at mahmudi s

(In all 5 pp .)

CONSULTATION HELD IN SURAT BY PRES IDENT KERRIDGE ,THOMAS RA STELL

,GILES JAMES

,AND JOSEPH HOPK INSON

,

MARCH 2,1 621 (Ibid .

,vol . i . p .

As it has been found that the Har t cannot lade al l the goods for

England , it is reso lved to send either the E ag le or Roebuck home

with her. Arrangements for the stowage of the Pers ian si lk .

Dec is ion as to landing of lead deferred . A s the Company have

forbidden al l thei r ships‘ from fal l ing with the coast of England

after the month of August,and none of these able to arrive in any

l ikelyhood by the fine of September’

,i t is determ ined to dispatch

John Leachland and N i cho las Hayward overland by the way of the

Red S ea to advise that the ships are on their way . (Copy. 2pp .)

236 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

ROBERT HUGHES AT PATNA To THE PRES IDENT AND

COUNCIL AT SURAT , MARCH 3 , 1 621 (Factory Records , P a tna ,

vo l . i . p .

Acknowledges the receipt of thei r letter of January 1 5 . The‘

Jehangery coved’of th is p lace is 40 inches, not as stated

there in . This m istake has made Surat underestimate the useful

ness of the cloth . which is better made than either sammanes or

your baftaes ’

. Wi ll invest on ly in the broader so rts . Rs .

rece ived by exchange from Agra , and they have drawn on the

latter place for RS . more,

at rupes nuryes1per cent .

rupes bond is‘Muckrob Con is by the K inge recalled from this

goverment,i t beinge given Sultan Pervi z e 2

,whoe is shortlye

expected .

’ They can only send part of their investment to Agrabefore the ra ins . (Copy . 1 p .)

ROBERT HUGHES AT PATNA To THE FACTORS AT AGRA ,MARCH 3 ,

1621 (Ibid .,vo l . i . p .

Acknowledges the receipt of Rs . by exchange. He i s

sorry to hear that the raw s i lk sent to Agra for sale is in so l ittleesteem . M istake made at Surat in the length of the Patna coved.

He has drawn upon Agra for Rs .

‘ havinge received here of

Maun Muckon [Man Makhan] , sherafes, rup [ees] muryes3 to

bee by you repayed in Agra unto Cassy [K 5 31] and Baseser

[Bisheshar] in rup [ees] honds’

[see p . The b i l l is‘ written at 40 dayes bandy Exchange has fallen lately

owing to Muqarrab Khan del ive ring out three lacs of rupees to be

repa id h im in Agra . They could uti l i z e five or s ix thousandrupees more, if so much could be spared them . Muqarrab Khan

p rom ises early payment for the goods he has bought . ‘Hee

departes hence (by repo rte) within theise e ight dayes , and alreadyPervez e h is servants have umul l .

’ 5 The greater part of their in

vestment cannot be sent ti l l after the rains . (Copy . 1&pp .)

1 Possibly H ind . nun“

,bright,

’

appl ied to a newly-coined rupee, wh ich appears to havebeen the standard of compari son w ith a bi ll rupee .

1 Parwi z , the second son of Jahangi r.

3 Apparently a sl ip for nuryes ’

.

1 H ind . band-i -madat, term for settlement.

’

1 Charge (Pers. amal,

‘management,

’ ‘authority

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23 8 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

nott fittinge to bee putt in execution now,as wel l for the premises

as sundrey other part iculers (debated), or no : all which having

formerly bene d iscussed by writtinge twixte th is and theAmadavad

factorye, and s ince the cum inge downe of Thomas Rastell often

t imes conferred upon , the Counsel ] was convocated for absolute

reasolution in the prem ises . A nd first,are joyntly of op inion that

when the aforesaid junckes are fully laden and thei r marchants

aboard , they shal l bee stopte until l wee are perm itted to land the

currall and have procured itts del ivery into our owne howse,with

a writting under the Governor etc . thei r hands for free‘

l ibertie

to make sai le of itt without mollestation. Secondly,itt is resolved

that in l icke manner wee shall enforce l iberty to exporte our royalls

as in former tymes,this yere prohibited to the Compan ies great

detrimentt. Th irdlye, itt is genera l ly determ ined that the Ofli cers

etc . of this p lace, to our knowledg having bought shott of

several] sizes of the Dutch,shal l supplye us with soe many as wee

wante and have powder to usse. Fourth lye, itt shal l bee requested

that a new exaction raised on our goods in thei r passage att

Unclesere shal l henceforth bee acquitted and nott demanded.

F ifthlye, that their shalbee restitution made, or prom ise in writtinge

given , for rupeas and Odd remitted from hence by exchange

for Agra , wherin , the charged fayle ing , wee have not receivedjust ice from the princ ipalls here. S ixtlie, that a convenyent howseshal l bee promised and freedum in al l our buisenesse

,as wel] sales

as imployments,and the Governor of Ourpal l [see p . 1 32] shall

not have power to stopp our goodes or hinder our water ing.

S eventhl ie,itt is general ly thought fitting , in hope our desiers afore

mentioned wi lbee the eaz ier granted,that noe bribes nor exactions

shall att this t ime bee questioned . Lastlie,concerninge the Red

S ea trade this Councel l are seaveral ly of op in ion as fo l loweth 1:

Joseph Hopkinson of Op inione that though the Hounourable Com

pany in their this yeares received letter doe intimate thei r deasiers

for continuance of the Red S ea trade uppon their hopes of better

1 It wi l l be noti ced that the members record their Opinions in order of juniority,the idea being that the younger merchants would speak their minds more freely than theywould if their seniors had al ready expressed their views. This practi ce is sti ll observed inthe Govemor-General ’s Council

,wh ich is of course only a development of the Factory

Council of former days.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 239

proffitt found therin per a further experience made by the Lyon ,

yet that itt shal l not att this t ime be questioned,because what

soever their prom ise is for present , yett afterwards itt wi l l beea meanes they wi l l hinder our investmentts for England , which the

Company deas ire (as the l ife of their trade) principally to bee

supp l ied . And againe, i f the same bee granted us , hee is of op inion ,home

'

returnes being suppl ied , wee have not att present comod it ies

to send thither suffitientt to ballance the chardge . G i les Jamesof op inion that to demande soe many things of them att one time

w i lbee a meanes wee shal l have sattisfaction in none,and is there

fore of opinion the Red S ea trade Shall not att this time be ques

tioned , thatt beinge the capp itall buisenes wherin they wil l opposeus. Thomas Rastell is of op in ion that these Cheefes have nott

power of themselves to assure us that trade without the Prince his

expresse approbat ion therto,whoe hath al lreadye utterlye for

bidden itt ; and that the present mentioninge wil l avai le l ittle , but

l icklye to prejudice much , espetially in our this yeares l inen envest

mentts,which by experyence he alredye observed by their pro

h ibition two yeares past uppon the l i cke occations, when but merely

demanded,without any manner of enforcementt ; and hee is

further of op inion that they wil l not accomp l ishe in any of our

present demands,notwithstanding thei r prom ise therto, excepte

only for reception of our currall,which wee maye see effected

before thei r junckes departure, and but for i tt[s] performance hadnot given h is consent to the presente attempt ; nor doth hee

,

for the reasons al leaged, approve of the Red S ea trade itts enforce

m entt until ] a more convenyentt tyme , as in certaine his letters from

Amadavad is more att large expressed . Thomas Kerridge is o f

op inion that the Red S ea trade wi l l not be obtayned without great

d ifli cultie, yet knoweth the understand inge and necessetie of this

people w i l l move them to undergoe a lese inconvenyencie to avoyde

a greater,and the Company haveing expresly enordered the stop

p inge of their juncks to enforce the Red S ea trade, hee conceiveth

itt wil l bee as availeable to doe itt outward as homewards bounde

wherby alsoe a yeares tyme wi lbee gained to forward provisions for

the next yeare. And seeinge the Prince h is contradiction p ro

ceeded from these marchantts request , itt is suffi tiently probable

a greater prej udice wil l enforce them to petition for his l icence.

240 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

But this h is Op in ion beinge contradicted by most voyces, as i s

aforement ioned , hee subscribeth thereunto untel l the Companies

order shall otherwise determine itt . And to the latter parte of

Thomas Rastells opin ion,hee replyeth that beesides the curral l ,

l ibert ie to exporte our royalls is of consequence to bee quest ioned,

and the rest, though of lesser importe , yett to much to be om itted

and would the easier be granted , and are necessary to bee urged .

I t is determ ined not in any case to detain the j unk longer than s ix

days,in case she Should lose her monsoon . The coral is to be

landed as soon as the Engl ish goods (with the exception of the

Agra caravan) are at the waterside. The quest i on of trade at

Dabho l is deferred . Twelve thousand rials to be sent to Achin .

(CODA 23P1?)

R ICHARD SWAN ’S 1 ACCOUNT OF THE STOPPING OF THE

PRINCE ’

S JUNK (M ar ine Records , vol . xxx).

M arcie 5 , 1 621 .

‘The E ag le sent downe to guard the Princes

juncke and [prevent P] her further lading, unti l ] free leave and l ibertieshould be granted for passage of carts with goods and

o ther our provis[ions] , which have beene restra ined s ix o r seven

daies by the grating Governor o f U lpare [see p . by which

meanes no cotton wo l l could come downe unt il] our sh ippe was full

laden forward on .

’ M aren 1 6 .

‘Uppon notice that the Agra

caphi la was robbed by the Decan arm ie,a present reso lution was

taken to seeke restitution uppon the shipps of the said Decan

p rince and his confederates in the act ion and the Red S ea intendedfor our shipps wintering . M ar c/t 22.

‘The Prince h is juncked ism issed , whome the Pres ident and Counsel ] of S uratte caused theE ag le to staie unti ll the Governor of S uratte granted , under hishand , to suppl ie our wants of powder and shotte (for our mony) ,and to perm itt the landing o f the Honourable Companies curral l

and redresse for man ie other discurtesies towards our nation .

(i r )2

1 Now master of the Har t (see p .

1 A letter from Van den Broecke (Hague Transcr ipts , Series 1, vol . iv. No . 1 63) refersbriefly to the dispute. He represents himself as taking the side of the Engli sh.

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242 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

beaten over and over,they departed with dishono r, losse of two

captains and many others of nomber incertayne , and their shipp ing

rent,battered , and much unordered . A nd (blessed be

“

God) in al l

th is fight our fleet lost but one man , which was S layne with a great

shot abord the R obucke. The daie fo llowing our Agent went onboard ; and two dales after sent for me

,unto whom I repaired,

find inge him uppon the London ; where before my comm inge my

treason was devoulged , with o ther h is malice to my d isparagment.

A nd a day after th is,Ruy Freire appearing againe to come into

the roade w ith h is fleet where wee were at anchor,our Agen t made

hast to get on shoare out of shot ; and seeing m e uppon the halfedecke, in publ icke audience he said to me that he had given o rder toh is father, Capta in Shi ll ing, that I should not goe from abord

,and

that he there left me prisoner for the Kinge . A s of th is with o ther

h is abuses towards me I have taken cred ible certificate to witnessein my behalfe [see 0. C. In this interim calmes and contrary

wyndes h indered our encounter unt ill Innocents Da ie,when about ten

of the clocke we came to anchor wi thin musket shot of our enemyes ,and in a flat calm e began to make thundering weather. In the beg in

ing of which fight that good and valiant Captain A ndrewe Sh i l ling

received an infortunate Shot on the left shoulder, as he was on the

halfe decke , which n ine daies after caused h is bodie to render

a Christian soules departure to eternitye . This fight continewedti ll n ight

,when with a second d ishonor (and doubtles w ith much

slaughter) in the n ight they departed, wee fo l lowing them ti l l

morn inge. In wh ich interim exam ining our shot,founde ourselves

out of meanes farther to chace them , the want wherof preventedthei r utter d istruction ; their masts by the board , thei r hu lls rent

and Shattered,and in such sorte that wee hard no t any newes of any

o f them s ince then , and doe veri lye thinke that in the fo llowing

storme some of them were sunke. God graunt them lyke successe

whenever they pretende lyke distu rbance to our qu iet trade . And

to A lm ightye God be the glorie for this happ ie victorye . Amen .

In this fight wee lost in the fleete some s ix men1 more (with those

that were mortal ly wounded ) , bes ides others d id escape with losse

of lyms . I cou ld perticulate this fight more a m inudo ,but oppor

1 Seven, accord ing to the dupl icate. From the other accounts it would appear that onlyfive were ki l led or died from wounds.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 243

tunity wi l l not permyt ; only doe certifie that in both fights wee

bestowed on the enemye great Shot . ’ A further consu ltat ion

on board the London ,when nothing was decided in regard to the

accusations against Jeffries . He has now sufficiently sat isfiedM r. Kerridge and th is Counsel l of h is innocence, and is await ingtheir dec is ion regarding h is future emp loyment . Particu lars o f their

purchases of s i lk in Pers ia,and its damage by want of care in pack

ing . On weighing it at Surat a deficiency o f lb . was discovered .

(Holog rap/z. 4% pp .)

CONSULTATION HELD ABOARD THE HART IN SWALLY

ROAD , BY PRESIDENT KERRIDGE, MESSRS . RASTELL,JAMES ,

AND HOPK INSON OF THE SURAT COUNCIL , AND CAPTAIN

R ICHARD BLYTH, COMMANDER OF THE FLEET, W ITH THE REST

OF THE S EA COUNCIL, MARCH 1 6, 1 621 (Factory Records,S urat

,

vo l . i . p .

The Pres ident produced a letter yesterday received from Mando,

wherin Robert Hutchenson adviz ed of the unfortunate lose of the

Agra caph i l la, which , notwithstand inge sundrey assurances in

writtinge given as wel l by the general] of the Decans forces as the

corronell of that regiment that encountered the caph i l la, was by

them spoy led and p i llaged and many of our peop le wounded in itts

defence .

1 Itt was therfore p ropounded to the S ea Counsel l

whether restitut ion should bee presently Sought on thei r sh ippes ,which about this t ime are d ispeedinge for Red S ea, or (in regard of

the latenes o f the monsone) bee deferred for a more convenyentt

seasone which diversly discussed,itt was op ined by the S ea

Counsell that satisfact ion m ight bee presently obtayned , eyther by

seas ing on their juncks before arrived att Red S ea, or in their

returne thence fo r these partes whereuppon the Surratt Counsell,

agreeing with them in op inion , doe det[e]rm ine that noe delayeshalbee made in prosecuting the said attempte for restitution , but

that i tt shall this yeare out of hand bee putt in execution by e ither

1 A Dutch l etter from Masul ipatam (Hague Tr anscr ipts, I st Series, vol . iv.No . 1 39) saysthe robbery took place about a day’s journey from M i nd ii . The Dutch caravan, whi chhad travelled down wi th the Engl ish , had been compel led to stop at the latter place, owingto the desertion of their camel-drivers, and thus escaped pi llage.

R 2

244 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

the wayes before prescribed ; and that for the reasons fo l lowing,

vi z . first,the t imely seasure with this monsone

,i f one

x

of the fleete

be forthwith d ispeeded therto ,is nott unlykely : secondly

,that wee

bee nott prevented by the Dutch next yeare, whoe have comm iss ionfor the l icke exployte : thirdly, that albeitt shee should misse of

the Dabull or Chau l] juncks through late dispeed , yett shee may

l ight on other vessel ls of Diew, &c ., to defray chardg att least

,

though procure not restitut ion for the present losse, these vessel ls

usuallye arriveinge in those seas not beefore the monethe of Maye,

as is averred by divers of the S ea Counsel l now presentt fourthly ,that in case shee should bee prevented of all the former hopes , theris yett a further refuge by surprisinge and enforceing the ransom of

all the aforesaid vessells in porte : and lastlie, fay l inge of expecta

t ion in the al leaged, shee may in hir returne to Surratt awaite thewhole fleete off junckes att their usual ] land fal l on this coast .

’

For th is service the London is chosen ,‘ nott only in regard of hir

force if attempted by the Portingal l there or heere, and that shee isa good sayler and of more countenance then a smal ler sh ippe for

that attempt, butt alsoe for d istr ibution of men into such vessells asshee shal l surprise bes ides wh ich it is wel l knowne to us that there

are many great sh ippes to the southwards already which wanttlad inge, wherby shee may the better bee spared for this imploy .

mentt. Further,in regard the shippes this yeare apoynted for

England cannot there possible arrive t il l after the season l im ited by

the Company [see p . 23 itt was propounded in what fi tt p lace o f

refreshing and securest from dainger they Shou ld spend their

interim of time ; which by the Op in ion and experyence of such

of this Counsel l as have bine heretofore imployed to the Red S ea

is avouched , and ever was before this propos ition came to question,

that Mocha,both for preservation of mens healthes and assurance

of p lentifull refresh inge , is the p lace of gretest certaintie for soe

longe t ime of winteringe , and one the contrary S t . Lawrence held

both doubtfull and daingerous , as wel l in regard that three or four

monethes res idence with soe many men may verye l ikely begett

a scarsety of refreshmentts (after expenc of those peopel ls overp lus

of stores) , wherby the sh ippes company may bee exposed to dain

gerons extremeties, as that if any force from Portingall by the

carrecks or gallyones pu tting in to those partes (which tis knowne

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246 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

CONSULTATION HELD ABOARD THE LONDON BY THE PRES I

DENT AND COUNCIL OF SURAT, THE CHIEF COMMANDER AND

MASTERS OF THE FLEET, MARCH 24, 1 62 1 (Factory Records,

S urat, vol . i . p .

Itt was determined that in regarde the monsone was alredy farr

spent , and l i ttle hope for the London to obtayne the end of our

des igne by h ir departure toward the Red S ea ,before d ispeed of

the rest of the fleete, as in former consu ltation enordered

,the

said o rder in the poynt of hir d ispatche is absolutly revocked and

contradicted , and shee enordered to attend unt i ll the H ar t and

R obuck shal l bee prepared to procede in company, and all of them

to continue together to the effecting of such des ignementts as by

comm ission of the Counsel l of Surratt they shalbe directed unto .

’ 1

(2r.)

ROBERT HUGHES AT PATNA To THE FACTORS AT AGRA,

MARCH 3 1 , 1 621 (Factory Records,P a tna

,vol . i . p .

Has now rece ived the ful l sum rem itted,and has already invested

the greater part of i t . In my last I advi z ed you howe I had c leared

w ith Muckrob Con for those th inges del ivered into h is C ircare, to saye ,fo r the parda

2or peece oftapestrye, 300 rupes as much for the greate

looking glasse ; 50 rupes for 2 p ieces moheres 3 ; and 280 rupes for 280

p ices weight amber beades . Hee is at present removed from hence

and gon for Helabaz e 4,and doubtles wi l l for Agra ; whoe yf come

to you , I praye demaund of h is sonne,Shek A laboxe 5 , 1 8 rupes

for two Bulgare hydes del ivered h im . A nd thus have you breflye

thefecte of what hath passed with us in our afayeres s ince my last .

A nd now I entreate you take notice what l ikwise bathe hapned by

d isaster. The 24th presant, beinge S aterdaye, about noune, at the

west parte of the subarbes belong inge to th is c itye, at least a course

without the walles, in th’

Al lum gauge6, a tirable fier kindled,wh ich

1 From th is point the Surat Consul tations are m issing tIl l July 20, 1622.

1 Pers. parda , a curtain whence the fam i l iarpurdalz for a curtain screening womenfrom the sight ofmen.

1 Mohairs.1 Al lahabad .

5 Blochmann (A i n -i—Akbar i’

,vol . i . p . 544) mentions Muqarrab Khan’

s son Ri z qul lah ,and his adopted son Masi h

’

a the poet but says noth ing of this Shaikh Al lah Bakhsh .

6 There i s sti ll a t/za'nd of Alamganj in suburban Patna .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 247

havinge consumed a] those partes , by the fource o fa stronge andye1,

brake into the citte and with in the space of two greese 1 came into

the verye harte therof, where our aboade is ; whoe beinge enviorned

w ith neighboringe choperes3(wherof indeede the who le c i ttye con

s istes) , it was no more then tyme to looke to our owne , wh ich were

not many , yet more then in so l ittel l a warninge could bee conveyedof,

'

althoughe I wanted not th’

asistance of almost a hundred of

my workmen then atwo rke . But where the contrary element was

wantinge , i t was l ittele bote to contend with the furye of thother ;and therfor gave waye to i ts voyo lence of fourse

,to save that which

most requiered ayde in this neses itye , which was the mayne

o f our maisteres goods then under charge, which by good helpe

I Conveyed by a back waye into a stone house neare adjoyn inge.

But before y t was entirlye efected , a choper before my chamber

toke fyer, and in an instant was consumed , as also the chamber

itselfe and all that therin was, save my accompts and monyes,

which wi th as m uch d ificultye as dainger I atayned of ought elce

not anye s igne lefte of what i t was ; wherof belonginge to the

Companye in a chest was theise pert ickuleres : the remaynder of

the bone lace, I 6 peeces the amel l 4,safron and one peece mohere,

with some verouerds [see p . 1 98] of s ilke taken,and other trifells

stand inge in the tankes , which, with all that was once myne and

the l itel l houshould stufe wee had , was entierlye lost . The rest

throughe Gods providence had an unexpected del iverance. From

hence it proseeded estward unto the verye sc irtes o f the towne,

where, wantingemore combustable matter to mayntayne i t selfe,was constreyned to stinke and goe out , havinge lefte beh inde l itel lsave ru ines of o lde wa lles

,ettc . The infin ite losses of al l men by

th is d isaster are almost incred ible to bee reported , besides men ,

woemen,and chi ldren reg isterde satties 5 , upwards of three hundred .

A nd so much lett sufi z e for relation herof.’

On the 28th they

received from Agra further b i l l s for RS . stated to be wr ittenat 40 days

‘bandye mudet’

[see p . 236 but rea lly made out at 45 .

Two of the b il ls were at once accepted , but the third was at first1 Hind . and/ n

“

,a gale or

‘tempest

1 See p . 147 n .

3 H ind. c/zbappar , a thatched roof.’ 1 Enamel .5 The SanskrIt satc

‘

simply means‘a good woman a true wi fe,

’but i t came to

Be spec ia lly appl ied to one who consummated her devotion by burning herself w ith herdead husband . Here the word is extended to persons of both sexes burnt by accident.

248 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

rejected , the shroffs saying it was not by theire Shawe 1,but by one

Calyane [Kalyén] ofAgra whose gamoshtye2 has now left Patna.

They have , however, since accepted the bi ll , whereupon Hughes,to avoyde sutter jegres discounted it . The shroffs intend to

‘

natcare‘1 ’

the b i ll if necessary, and‘use our cusmonna [see p . 253 n .]

for recoverye of the debte there from the said Calyane If futureb il ls were made out

‘at twise sevene dayes berbust theire would

bee much save in the deheig especially if they emp loyed as speedy

a cassad [see p . 145 n .] as the last , who came in eleven days . The

exchange hence to Agra is at present but 1 31; rup [ees] per cent . lose

betwene the tasye s ickaw7and the hondye [see p . 85 n .] rupeye

’

; so it

wou ld be more profitable to draw on Agra than to await bi l ls from

thence. (Copy . 1 % pp .)

ROBERT HUGHES AT PATNA TO THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL

AT SURAT,MARCH 3 1 , 1 62 1 (Ibid .

,vo l . i . p .

Money received from Agra and invested . Accounts cleared

with Muqarrab Khan .

‘F ifteene dayes S ince hee departed this

c ittye and is gon to courte, and Prince Pervi z dalye expected here,whose servants bathe alredy umul l

’

[see p . 23 6 Description of

the recent fi re, wh ich‘ in lese then foure honres consumed almost all

the towne’

. Receipt of further funds from Agra on the 28th .

(Corr n .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,AT SEA 8

,To PRESIDENT FURSLAND AT

BATAVIA,APRIL 9, 1 62 1 (0. C.

Congratulates h im on h is advancement in India God,in the

behalfe of my imployers, bathe bine p leased to Visite the Company

1 i . e. thei r correspondent at Agra. Shawe is the Hind . ska/222, a banker. ’1 H ind . gomci s/zta, an agent .

’

3 H ind . sattd , a bond,

’andylzag ra

'

, a quarrel4 H ind. nakar , a wri ting on the face of a bi l l intimating i ts rejecti on.

’

5 Pers. barbast,‘ usage,’ or ‘ custom

6 H ind . deliy ek or dey ek, ten-one,’

i . e. a d iscount of ten per cent.1 A newly-coined (Pers. tci z a-s ikkd ) rupee.

9 Frome aborde the H ar t,8 leaugs to the southwards of Damon.

’ The Engl ish fleetfor the Red S ea , consisting of the London , Har t, Roebuck, and Andrew ,

left Swal ly

on Apri l 6. The E ag le and a Dutch pinnace, the Good Fortune, parted from them aboutthree days later, bound for Achin and Batavia and th is letter was doubtless sent by theformer.

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250 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

o rder in the sea comm iss ions restrain ing the Ships from extrao rdinary expense of fresh victuals at Surat shou ld be continued .

It is understood that the Company wish the factors to refuse In

future to supp ly money for such superfluous expend iture. I t isnecessary to instruct the commanders not to al low the seamen to

come up to Surat ;‘ Wee cannot reforme them .

’

The Ahmadabad

factors b lamed for not send ing down the ir accounts in good t ime .

‘Your authorit ie given us here to d ispose of your shipp ing is

observed , and found your commaunders conformable.

’ They deny

that they entertain id le persons or send away those appo inted by

the Company to‘ this facto ry . John Leachland Is ordered home .

Pike was entertained because of Leachland’

s s ickness . A s to a

m iss ing parcel of coch ineal , and lack of weight in ivory and lead .

250 maunds of the latter deficient . ‘Your comm iss ion for the

future shalbe observed in the receiveing , &c .,of al l goods by

number and waight . ’ No recovery yet made for the fourteen

chests of ind igo lo st, but they are do ing the i r best to obtain

sat isfaction .

‘ Manie pett ie rebellions in this countrye s ince.

’

They have communicated to A gra and Ahmadabad the Company’

s

censure for not sending home the particular weight of each bale of

ind igo . The newe indico doth much decrease in we ight .’ ‘The

reason of the fal ling and riseing of indico .

’

For‘

provis ions of

your lynen ’ they have done their“

best and have made trial in

d ivers p laces . The Company must advise them which sorts they

prefer . Care wil l be taken at Ahmadabad in pack ing and receiving

indigo . Twenty-e ight fardles have been sent home ‘Of a new

packing’

for trial . They wi l l be carefu l to see that no dirt or

stones be packed in the fard les .

‘ I t would be prej udic ial ] to

d isso lve your facto rie at Amadavaz .

’ In future they wi ll use half

a maund of the best woo l in packing each bale of cal ico . They

wi ll discontinue the supply of ‘eranees

’

[see p . 62] and co loured

baftas,except crimsons and carnat ions . They hope to send

p ieces of ‘ watchett baftas ’

. Four p ieces of ‘d im ittees 1

’

sent .

You shal l have no more long nor extraord inary broad baftees .

’

No turmeric to be go t at present. Supp ly of gum-lac , carpets ,seal ing-wax,

Bengal ia silk, quilts, conserves, &c . Mattes of

1 The or igin of the term ‘ dimity ’

i s sti ll doubtful : see the remarks in the OxfordE ngl i sk D i ctionary .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 25 1

canes provided for dennedge1

.

’ ‘The number from hencefo rth

upon your call icoes shalbe the p rices they cost .

’

The A gra factorswi l l enter the number , co lour, and length of each broadcloth so ld ,and the Ahmadabad factors w i l l note all bargains plainly

‘and

what sand they putt into each bale Death of John Browne,and

d isposal of h is estate. Thomas Kerridge retourneth and Thomas

Rastel l succeedeth him in p lace .

’ ‘Wi ll iam B iddulph w il l retourne .

H ee hath compounded for the great court debt long owinge .

Robert Hewes to succeed Will iam B iddulph in the courts agentsh ipp . S taying of the Surat junck must be attempted . Redd S eabusines thought upon. Noe trad inge for conven iency att Dabull .

Wee advertised the Guz eratts of the expectation o r doubt of Danes,

French,and Dutch in the Redd S ea

,&c . A rticles o f the Union 2

receaved . Your servants noe doubt wi ll hol d them,but wee doubt

how their[s P] w i l l keepe them . Noe saltpeeter about S uratt.

3

Corasan s i lke. Supplie for Pers ia against the next yeare wi lbe

made .

’ Sale of their English commod ities . ‘ A resolucc ion of

stoppinge the Princes juncke for procuringe l ibertye to land our

corral l and redressing some other wrongs . The jewel ls and quick

s i lver Sent to the courte . D iamonds or other jewells besett with

diamonds are lesse esteemed then formerly .

’ ‘Our rials are not

suffered to be exported .

’ ‘ Some investments wee wil l make

privately for Mocha against the com ing of the next shipps .

’

The

Company’

s injunctions for investing rials for Sumatra and

Java noted .

‘ Your retournes for England are al lwaies first pro

vided,and then for other p laces according to your meanes left .

According to the largues of your stock in this countrie you maie

expect your retournes . The next yeare you maie expect large

retournes . Your comm iss ions given for defence and offence of the

Portugalls seeme to bee too weake , considering their open hostil lityagainst you. They have noe inclynat ion to an ie peace excep t it

bee made betweene both the K ings Majesties .

’ Edward Haynes

1 Dunnage i . e. for placing under or between the bales in stowing them in the ship , toprevent chafing or damage by water .

1 The Treaty of Defence between the Dutch and the Engl ish .

3 One of the earl iest references to what afterwards became an important branch of the

Company’

s commerce . We know from the Court M inutes that in England, wh i le the

demand for sal tpetre was increas ing , the supply from the usual sources was dimini sh ing ;hence

, probably, their inquiry as to the possibi li ty of obtain ing a supply from Indi a.

25 2 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

could not bee cal led from Brampore to goe for the Red S ea thiswinter. John Goodman [Goodwin] and Henry Edmonds havehad notice of the augmentat ion of thei r wages .

’ They recommendWi l liam Martin to the Company

’

s consideration . Recovery of an

o ld debt. ‘ Henry Darrel l went for Pers ia . J ust inian Offley

appo inted for Brodera ; John Clarke for Amadavaz . S ir ThomasRoes tokens unto the Jesuite [see p . 1 5] and Dutchman

1shalbe

del ivered .

’

Most necessarie to restraine your ship masters from

vaine expence of powder .2 Your facto rs des i re noe such enterteyn

ments and therefore desire to be freed . Two ch irurg ions enterteyned

in S uratt,the one whereof wee wil l send for Pers ia to acqu ite the

charge of the Scottish phis ition’

[see p . The commanders

should be ordered to fac i l itate the lading of the ships destined fo r

England . Damage to certain bales .

‘Walter Harveye dead .

’

Wi l ls sent home .

‘A Germaine enterteined into the factorie,

pretended to bee sent out by the Compan ie. But I knowe noe

such matter. —Note by tke abstr ac tor .] Needful] to give yourPres ident of S uratt ful l power over al l other your depending

factories ; and that the President also should sett lym itts unto the

Agent at court , see ing the best waie to remedy your wroungs of

th is peop le is in your President at S uratt to staie their juncks .

Requis ite to have a Counsel l at S uratt of four sufficient men and

a Register constantly res ident One experienced merchant (besidesyour President and Accomptant) for man ie necessarie purposes .Facto rs to be experienced men . Advise concerninge the Redd

S ea trade. The Portugalls have noe great trade in Dabul l, yet

keepe a factoria there to assist the ir merchaunts that come,and

give l icence to the Mores navigation . The proffitt by the vent of

our Engl ish commodi ties wou ld defraie the charge of a factorye att

Dabul l . After Dabull hath made satisfaction for our caph i la, wee

maie make triall of a factorie there . Batacala [see p . 5 6 n .] noe doubt

yei ldeth sto re of pepper, but the power of the Portugalls restrayneth

the sale of them unto the Kinge of S paines subjects onely. The

E ag le departed to the Southwards.’

(412; pp .)

1 Probably Abraham de Duyts, a Dutch jewel ler in Shah Jahén’s service (see Tbe

Embassy of S i r T. Roe, p .

1 In salutes,which were fired on the arrival and departure of visitors, drink ing of

healths, &c .

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254 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

country wil l be charged at cost price. IV. Damages to the fort,

i ts ordnance, provis ions , &c ., wi l l be repaired at the jo int expense .

V. The wages and ma intenance of the Dutch merchants and otherinferior persons shall not be charged as garrison expenses . VI . The

servants of both Compan ies are expressly prohibited from privatetrade in cloth, under penalty of confiscat ion of the goods and

further pun ishment . VI I . Although these common charges m ight

strictly be held to commence from the publ ication o f the Treaty,

the Dutch have agreed to waive for the p resent any claim for

expend iture anterior to the arrival o f the Engl ish at Pul icat .VI I I . The Dutch wi l l render to the Engl ish at Pul icat a monthly

account of the charges for the garrisons, &c . , and the latter wi l l

thereupon pay their Share to the Dutch Governor. (Copy . Car

pentier and Dedel s ig n for tke Dutc/t, and Fursland and Brockedon

for tke E ng l is/t . 1 1 pp .)

WILLIAM METHWOLD AT MASULIPATAM To THE COMPANY,

MAY 1 2, 1 6 21 (A bstract only . Factory R ecords,M iscellaneous

,

vol . i . p .

Comp lains that , after serving them for nearly five years,they

have l istened to false accusations and cal led him home without

hearing h is defence. D iamonds bought and sent home in charge

o f George Ball . He wrote on January 23 by way of Surat [notextant] . Some o f the goods ordered by the Company from Surat

m ight be furn ished from Masul ipatam . There is store of gum-lac

to be had at the latter p lace, of two sorts , and at cheaper rates than

formerly.

‘Of Musi lpatann cal l icoes I sent musters to Surrat

to be sent for England . The Dutch Ship M edenbl ick here is most

laded with long cal licoes, whereof I have bought 200 peeces to

1 Cf. a letter from theDutch ch ief at Masul ipatam ,Andries Souri , dated May 22

162 1 , in the H ague Transcr ipts ( I st Series, vo l. iv. No . He mentions the arrivalof the B ear and M edembl ick ; the com ing of a French factor from Ach in, who appl ied tothe Governor for perm ission to establ ish a factory at Masul ipatam , but was told that therequest could not be considered unti l Beaul ieu brought his Shi ps thither the d ispersal bythe Portuguese ofa fleet ofnative boats bringing carpets from Bengal to sel l atMasul ipatam ;the establ ishment o f the Danes at Tranquebar the receipt of an invi tation from

M i rjhasaj Mogul Governor of Mamenipatan to the Dutch to settle in h i s port ; i t l ies

in 2071

; or 21 degrees, and fifteen to twenty m i les from Pippli , and was formerly a place of

importance, though now decayed owing to the wars, &0. &c.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 255

be sent with the first for England for a trial ] . The Dutch have

bought Corromandell indico at 30 pago [das] the 1 23 maunes,ech

maun 26 seers . I made a journey (w ith the Dutch Governor)to the d iamond myne 1

, and reto rned in twelve dayes , with the

expence of ten pagodas . The blackes there adm ired our habitts

and complex ions . We sawe aboundance, but bought none . We

left“

ech of us a man beh inde us w ith 200 r[ials] a peece to bestoweafter we were gone , for they thought we brought aboundance

of mon ie to buy , and therefore helde them deare. Our men,having

bestowed the ir mon ie in d imons and comyng home,were robd and

so lost them all [see p . I have bought S ince at Mus ilpatam

d iamondes for pagodes for this account , and for 534 p [agodes]for

'

the account of the retornes from Pegu [see p . TheisI would have sent in th is Dutch Ship if I had had an ie warrant

thereunto. The Dutch have bought good store. I have also

bought some bezar stones,some for 24 r [ial]s per sere (wh ich is

1 2 and some derer. James Cartwright, second to Wi ll iam

M ethwo ld,died 6 September, D isposal of h is estate.

Wi ll iam Sm ith died Ap ri l 29, 1 621 . News from Surat regarding

the d isposal of the fleet , &c. Our ships made staie of two Surrat

junckes , but dismissed them againe after they had supp lyed ours

with powder and sho tt .’ I received a letter from Syam,whereby

I finde that Musi lpatan goods make two for one in S iam . The

factors at Jaquatra neglect to supp ly Syam .

’ ‘The English Sh ipBear e and the Dutch M edembl icke arr ived at Mus ilpatan for the

Dutch . They could p rocure no pepper at Achin under 64 rials thebahar.

’

News from Achin and Jakatra .

‘ A Frensh ship having

in the Red S ea sped not wel l , she came to Achin also for pepper

and procureth trade there, but lyoth long and performeth l ittle .

H i r men d ie apace. A Frensh facto r cometh to M usi lpatan

to make preparacion for trade against the com ing of the ir sh ip .

A report that the Dutch have surprized the other Frensh neere

Jaquatra1. A relacion o f the Danes Ships and the ir p lantac ions .

The Dutch d id chace a frigat of the Danes thincking them to

1 See p . 208 . Purchas cal ls M ethwold’

s companion ‘ S i r Andreas Socory, Governor ofthe Fort, Guide in Pal lecat

’

: for wh i ch we should read ‘ S ignor Andreas Soury,Governour of the Fort Geldria in Pal lecat

1 These ships belonged to Beauheu’

s fleet, which sai led from Honfleur in October,

256 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

be Portugales , &c .

1 I expect my Nunc D imittis, and hope to

come in the ferst ship ,according to your abso lute command of

S end nim lcome.

’

(1 71

; pp.)

ROBERT HUGHES AT PATNA To THE FACTORS AT AGRA,

MAY 1 9, 1 62 1 (Factory Records , P a tna , vol . i . p .

B i l ls for Rs . received ; also the l ist of goodsrequired forSurat . What goods they had already provided were th is morn ing

laden on two carts for Agra, and have made theire first manz ull’

[see p . 74 They have agreed to pay 1 —3 rupees 1‘ tuke 3

per

maund net,which is the current rate of the caravan they go with .

A native has been sent in charge, with s ix tierandaz es [see p . 74 n .]for a guard . They have sent all thei r coarse s i lk, as no purchaser

could be found at Patna . Some fine goods wou ld be useful for

p resents . (Copy . 1 p .)

THE SAME TO THE SAME,J UNE 2, 1 621 (Ibid .

, vol . i . p .

Acknowledges the receipt of bills for a further sum of Rs .

He is very sorry to hear of the death ofFettiplace . Wee apprehend

S urrats resolution for the desolvinge th is facto ry (our this yeres

p rovisions beinge Hughes cannot repair to Agra,as des ired , unti l the end of the rains, owing to

‘the beate of our

p resent bus ines and M r. Parkers indispos it ion of helthe’

.

‘ The

Princes ‘1arivall here with so greate a retienewe hath made this

p lace to narowe for h is entertaynment,wh ich hathe caused the

removinge diverse, as wel l merchants as otheres, from theire aboades,

whose houses hee hath l iberalye bestowed on h is servants amongst

which couppelment wee are disp laced , and have bine theise ten

dayes wandringe to cover ourselves and goods , thoughe but withgrase , to debar the heate and raynes , now in excesse which havingenow attayned throughe the helpe of Mr . Mouye 5

,wee endevor

agayne the plasinge our silkwynders .

’

(Copy . 1 31

; pp .)1 6 19 see Memoires da Voy age da Gener al B eau l ieu ,

in Thevenot’s Relations de diversVoy ages Cu r ieux1 See Hague Transcr ipts, I st Series, vol . iv. No . 1 38 .

1 Hughes notes that he wrote at the same time and to th e same effect to Surat.1 H ind. taka

, a somewhat varying fraction of a rupee two p ice in H indfis tan ,three in

Gujarat , and four in the Deccan, whi le commonly in Bengal the word i s used for therupee i tself.

1 Prince Parwi z (see p .

5 By paying a h igh price.

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258‘

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

be about September 25 , in order to reach Agra by the middle of

October. He thinks it unnecessary to have a permanent factoryhere

,as

‘S emmeanes

’

can be bought as cheaply at Agra,charges

cons idered . As regards Patna , the factors there will know best,but he ho lds it a more fitting p lace than Samari a, as it is reported

to affoorde greater qua[ntities] of wel l-made c loth ,-which is more

fitting our co[untry] then the cloth of these parts, being for the

m [ost part] of a sl ighter makeing and of uncertayne len [gths] andbreadths (A muck muti lated copy . 13 pp .)

ROBERT HUGHES AT ‘LACKHOARE’

To THE PRESIDENT AND

COUNCIL AT SURAT,AUGUST 3 , 1 621 (Factory Records , P atna,

vol . i . p .

It is impossible to send any more goods unti l October‘ here

beeinge noe other convayance to Agra but by carts, wh i ch by

reason of the rottenes of the wayes in the season of the raynes

passeth nott .’ They have up to the present bought p ieces

of cal ico,more than two-thirds -

‘at or under two rup[ees] nett

the p iece, as bought browne from the loome, and are the desired

breadthes, to say , the second sorte general ly knowne by the name

ofJafferchanes [see p . which both for length and breadth wil l

paral lel, if nott exceed,your narrowe Barroch baftaes . The re

maynder are fyner, broader , and hyer pry z ed , to say , from all

pryz es from two to six rup[ees] the peece .

’

In view of thei r recall,

they have ceased from buying S i lk ;‘ neither have we mett with

any more sahans .

’ Parker is at Patna buying l ignum aloes,of

which various sorts are to be had at from two to ten rupees the

seer of 33 p icos nett. Gum-lac can be purchased for 4—1

2rupees the

maund,but

, freight considered , would probably be bought cheaper

in Agra. Thei r amber beads are not worth more than e ight or nine

rupees the sere of 14 p ices. For the price of coral refers them to

Parker. (Copy . 1—3pp.)

JOHN PARKER AT PATNA To THE SAME, AUGUST 7 , 1 621

(Ibid ., vol . i . p .

‘Of the price and esteeme of currall in these parts I haveenquyred of the merchants which deales most in that commodity,who, as they say , never saw unpollished currall brought into these

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 259

parts, which , i f I mistake nott , ys the sort you seeke vent for. Inother p laces yt ys much spent to burne with the dead ; which

here they use nott . And for po ll ishinge or cuttinge yt into beads ,heer are nott workmen that hath skil l therein ; and therefore noe

commodity for th is p lace . Poll ished currall will sel l here,but in

smal l quant ity ; and at what pryce I cannott informe you, the

quall ity thereof beeing soe different . Curral l beads ys very wel l

requested for transporte into Bengala, and great quantityes thereof

wi ll yearly vend, to say for 50 or rup[ees] , at or about the

pry z es fol lowinge, vi z . those of 1 2 beads to a tanke 1 at 6 tanksfor a rup [ee] : of 6 to a tanke at 2 tanks for a rup[ee] : of 4 to

a tanke at I % tanks per rup[ee] of 3 to a tanke at 1—1

2 per rup [ee]and soe accordinge to theire bigues . For the sale of our remaynder

of amber beads I have shewed them to dyvers merchants sinceM r. Hughes h is beeing at Lackhoare, butt cannott attayne to above

9 rup [ees] the sere, at which rate rather then retourne them for Agrawould putt them off

,butt yt ys nott a commodity which yei lds

ready mony,and by reason of our sudden departure I dare nott

trust them out,though should be promysed payment within ten

dales . For the future send inge of which commodity I cannott

anymate you, yt beeing a commodity that wil l nott sell in any

great quantity, but in smal l parcel ls, as for 100 and 1 50 rup[ees] ,which wil l nott goe far therein ; soe a smal l quantity wil l furnisha great many of these merchants . I have nott yett provyded the

gum-lacke, nor elce for musters , the merchants, brokers, shop

keepers cttc . of the citty beeinge all in trouble for mony which thePrince requyers them to furn ish him with ; soe that none dares bescene to sel l a pyce worth of goods . But now he beeinge gone,I shal l soone imploy the smal l matter intended therein .

’

(Copy . 1 p.)

ROBERT HUGHES AND JOHN PARKER AT PATNA To THE

COMPANY, AUGUST 14, 1 621 (Ibid ., vo l . i . p .

The goods provided last year were, on thei r way to Surat , robed

and spoy led by the Decans armye.

’

The President and Counci l

1 A jeweller’s weight, equ ival ent to four ma‘

slzas .

1 The original letter (much damaged) forms 0. C. 98 1 . It bears the impress of a seal,

wi th a Persran inscription giving Hughes’

s name wi th the additi on of sauda'

gar-i-A ngr z

‘

z

(Engl ish merchant) .

260 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

p romised an early supply of money for a fresh investment, but i t

was March before any rem ittance was received. In all , Rs .

have been sent them ,and the sale of thei r goods brought in Rs .

more. They were directed to purchase 1 00 maunds of Bengal s i lk

and p ieces of‘amberty cal licoes of Lackhoare

’

; but thei rfunds wil l not suffice for such a quantity, and Surat can spare nomore money. They hope, however, to get together p ieces .

Of sahan cloth they have only been able to procure twelve corges’

,

cost ing 7 8 rupees net. Of silk the supp ly wi ll not exceed 25 maunds .They hope to leave Patna with their goods about the end of September, and will send ful l part i culars from Agra. (Copy . 2pp .)

WILLIAM B IDDULPH AND JOHN YOUNG AT AGRA TO THE

PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT, AUGUST 22,1 621 (Br i t.

M us . Eg er ton M S . 21 23 , f .

Have not been able to procure all the proofs they needed in thematter [Hariprasfid

’

s] debt ; so they must leave the

p rosecut ion of it to Surat . Nor -can they yet supply the accountrequested of the ir cattle . Wee perceave if againe you attempt thestayeing the Princes junck you will execute it to more resolute

purpose desiring it have noe worse success then the former, for atthat time it procured your redresse for your then present occas ion ,with l ittle or noe mo lestation to the Honnorable Company‘Concern ing the exporting of your ryal ls and des ireing to landthem at Goga [see p . 29] w i th the assistance of A sufchans

perwanna1,wee have bin someth ing large therein in our former ;

the Nababob [s ic]1absolutely refuseing to give any wryting to

that purpose, the Prince being soe neere and himself soe farr of,

and that it wi l l but breed us more trouble and d iscontent to offerto land parte of our goods at Surratt and parte in other ports thatis not in h is custodye. S oe that heere is noe relefe for that businesto be expected from hence, but must use meanes to the Pr inceh imselfe for redresse of such injuries

,which i f shal l denye, or not

give eare unto it , the stopp ing of his sh ipp wil l force

As to the provis ion and dispatch of goods . Indigo wil l be dear,such unaccustomed raynes hath drowned the greatest parte of

new ind icoe in the countryes .

’ They wil l observe the orders as

1 H ind.parwana, a wri tten order.’ 1 The Nawfib Asaf Khan.

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262 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

being but entred the bar, the wind turnes contrary, the t ide beingthen against us to returne

,were forced to com to anker, but the

suh'

e of the seaes caried us violently on the shoule, where wee laiebeating the space of one houre without hoope of being saved . But

loe in t ime of moast extremety (when helpe of man could not p re

vai ll) the m ightie King of heaven and earth,our good and gratious

God, did so provide for our safl'

ety that a l ittle asterne the barquethere was deep water into the which the barque was beatme by thewaves

,and soe mersefully saved from wrecke . Gods ho ly and

blissed name be praysed therefore. Haveing escaped this great

danger, I presently caused beter cables and ankers to be provided

which being fitted , the nex daie with helpe of four boats wee

passed the bar, and the 1 4th came salfely to the Globe in the road

of Mesulepatnam. But it being sunset before our arivall,could not

take in our goods that n ight , whan at nine of the clocke in the night

fel l a terible storme of raine with much wind, and wett fourteen of

the fardles, so that they were fain to be taken on shoar and dryed .

’

Some of the bundles got wet again in be ing carried back to the

ship, but the damage is Sl ight .‘The ship the Globe set sai l le

emediatly after my departure, and yesterdaie, the 26 curent , beforeI got on shore was qu it out of sight. I pray God prosper her and

send her a good and speedy passage to Jackatra. I t is thougth

good by Mr. Methwold to desolve the factory of Petapol ie, for

saving of charges but yf I might have perswaded, Petapol ie should

have yet continued for one year, ti l l better experience made of

Po l icat,for divers reasons to longe here to incert but in this l ittle

t ime I have been here in M esulepatnam I wel l perceive c loath is

dearer then in Petapolie by more then ten per cent . At my leaving

Petapol ie I left in debts owing to that account only one of 3 23

pa[godas] , and sould the night I came awale, at midnight or

near that t ime, al l the remainer of our brasse,viz t . 5 ca[ndes] ,

1 3 ma[nes] , 1 ve is 1,sould at 60 pag[odas] new per cande , con

tain ing 20 ma[nes] each mane I doe estem at 26 lb . haberdepoise,

and the new pagoda worth about 13 rial l of eight,Span ish money .

A lso I sould ditto time 36 ca[ndes] of lead at 1431; pa[godas] Old perconde, to pay at three mouthes . Wee did formerly sel l smal l

quanteties at 20,1 8

, 1 7 , and I 6 pa[godas] per cande, til l latly1 Eight viss made a maund

,and twenty maunds one candy.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 263

inordred per M r. M ethwold I sould at last prise mentioned near60 cand [es] and had I stayed but four dales more I thinkoI should have sould all the rest. This was sould to suffi tient

cometes [see p . 47] to be paid at three mouthes time ; but com ingto M esulepatnam Mr. Methwo ld would have no more sould at that

p rise nules they paid redy mony. The purselaine remaines in statu

quo prius , which I locked up and brought the keye with me

th’

o ther goods , being only lead , I left in charge with an English

man named R ichard Sm ith , a sailer (I having first to ld over all thebars of lead and carefully taken the contents of each bar accord ing

to the stampe marked on them) ; and I left directions with h im,

nam ing the parties that hee m ight trust in the sale therof, and not

to‘

sel l,unless for redy mony

,to eyn ie other parte . Yet , to ad

farther to my trouble, the verie instant o f my departure I had al l

my mony that I had six daies before paid for custome returned

mee,and was glad to give s ix pa[godas] more to part quietly

without farther let . After my arival l in Mesulepatnam, which was

the 1 5 th curent , I was much bastned for my accounts,being made

beleeve the ship should not staie above three or four daies at most ;but throw much hast missing a quarter pa[goda] in my bal lance

(wh ich is not usually found at first tryall), I was inforced to del iveronly a perfect invo lse, p rom ising by next conveiance (Engl ish or

Dutch) to send jornall and leadger with a perfect bal lance ,which yetshal l not in eynie po int d iffer or alter from invo ise sent , for at Shipesbeeing here I coulnot obteyne so much helpe as one man to bould

my jornall whi lst I pri cked over my leadger. I have bin tyed tothese tedious accounts now four years , and although I have ernestly

requested to be freed therof, yet cannot, but am by M r. Methwo ld

yet againe aponted for accountant and casheer here in Mesulepatnam .

The keep ing of these accounts would not be very ted ious yf they

were ordred by denomenac ions of moneyes that hath even parts in

it,as 8 ca[sh] to the fanam and 1 6 fan [ams] to a pagodo , which

wil l p roduce no les fraction then c[ash] , but being kept at

9 c [ash] to the fan [am] and 1 5 fa[nams] to the pagodo breeds lnto l larable fract ions not fitting merchants accounts

,for ther is more

troble to reduce the fraction then about all the rest of thaccount ;and when al l is done

,not the value of 3d. found more or les . But

when these thing[s] shal l com to the general l bookekeeper to enter,

264 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

what a labrinth it wil l bring him into . But these things would beordred at home by yourselves that for the future these erors may

be avoyded (which I may justly cale erors) ; and yf I thought

I should be tyed to theis intrecat accounts,I would rather serve

other waise without wages then with doble wages continue inthem ,

for although I know wel l enough how to reduce a fraction

to h is least denomenacion , yet to bee much troubled with them

is and rediculus to keep them in such great account .’

He sends an abstract of the invoice of the goods for Jakatra ;also particulars of charges . Provisions purchased for the ship and

for the Engl ish house at Jakatra. A nnexed : Abstract of goodsladen on the Globe, amounting to pagodas cash . A lso,

the fol lowing l ist of charges, viz .

Custom and ‘ dalalie 1 ’

Gifts (two years)Expense of d iet ( 19 months)Extraordinaries (ditto)Charges of merchand ise (ditto)Salaries (two years)

(Holog rapk. 6 pp .)

WILLIAM METHWOLD,MATTHEW DUKE, AND FRANCIS

FUTTER AT MASULIPATAM To THE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL AT

SURAT, AUGU ST 27 , 1 621 (Br i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 2123 , f .

Apologi z e for thei r long s i lence . The attempt of the Globe toreach Petapol i failed , and they were consequently forced to bring

the goods thence in a native boat,with the result that it was only

the present that the Globe sai led. Letters sent per Signor

Ravesteine 1 , bound in the S ampson to the Red S ea Pr ices of

gum-lac . For s i lke of Bengala to be procured in this p lace, I am

wholy hopeless to effect , for the trade hether is most uncertaine ;some yeares noe marchaunts

,other wh i lest noe passadge ; and the

last yeare (as I have fo rmerly advised) all taken or stranded by the

Portugal l .’ They are glad to hear that Surat has gained more

1 H ind . dala'

l z‘

,brokerage, commission.

’

1 Pieter Gi l lesz van Ravesteyn had formerly been the Dutch chief at Surat (see p. 1 5)and was now returning thither from Jakatra, via Masul ipatam and the Red Sea.

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266 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

Goa to [Ormus P] , by the same English surgeons report which‘

escaped from [Macao P] and brought the newes of the lost Unicorne.

1

This coast [is] not yet freed of all the Danes,from whome an

E ing l ish woman , [wh ich] came out in thei r fleet , a maid about 24,upon a ginga[tha]

2 came to Po l lecat,and was after l ittle stay there

honn[estly] married to the preacher of the fort.’

The [Dutch P] atMasul ipatam and Achin . Abstract sent of the cargo of the Globe.

They complain that the Company ignore them and have not for

many years written to them . (Copy . M uc/t damag ed. 8 pp .)A nnexed z— Invo ice of Globe : Red percal las ,

’

chowters Bengal la,"

gum-lac,

‘dungries ,

’

red dragons elaus,

’ ‘ dragon malies,

’

petafrangies,

’ black dragam selaws,’

canigoalonies ,’

serasses corges,

’

wooven tapes,’ ‘ tappe finnes ,

’ ‘anacke dragams,

’ ‘go ld thrid wroughtin this cloth

,

’ d iamonds (1 73 , conta ining 3 29‘mangal ines bez ar

stones,butter

,&c . Total [pagodas] : 2 ( 1 p.)

WILLIAM B IDDULPH AND JOHN YOUNG [AT AGRA] To THE

SAME [ABOUT SEPTEMBER 1 621 4 (Ibid ., f .

As regards the great jewel , they wil l obey Surat’s instructions to

keep it till a higher price be offered or further orders come from

the Company. We ight of the great ruby. The p ictures they will

sel l at the best rates possible . A l l thei r quicksilver disposed of.

The tusks are cracked and sp l it, but they hope to find customers1 The Un i corn , proceeding in company wi th the Royal fumes from Bantam to Japan,

was towards the end of June, 1620 , driven by a storm on the coast of China not far from

Macao . The crew got safely on shore, and were thus the first Englishmen to land on the

coast of the Celestial Empi re. They were wel l treated by the natives , who sold them two

vessels in which to make their way to Jakatra . A second storm , however , separated thepai r, and whi le one succeeded in reaching i ts destination, the other was captured by thePortuguese and taken into Macao. The crew were imprisoned , but the barber-surgeon,here referred to

,in return for med ical service to the daughter of the Governor, was set

at l iberty and made his way to Masul ipatam in May, 1 62 1 . See P urckas itis P i lgr imes,

vol . i . p. 642, vol . i i . p . 1696 Hague Transcr ipts at I . O.,I st Series , vol . iv. No. 1 39 ; Cocks

’

s

D i ary , vol . i i .1 Malayalam cbanna

'

tam, a double platform canoe made by placing a floor of boardsacross two boats , with a bamboo rai l ing hence also a raft

’

(Port .jangaa’a) . Cf. P ur

cltas, vol . i . p . 3 1 5 (

‘there came aboard two g ingatkas or boats and p . 63 1 their boat

being spl i t in pieces, made a g ingada of timber1 Telegu manjal i , the seed of Adenantkera pavonina , used as a weight by jewellers.

I t was about equivalent to a carat.1 The copy is not dated , but i t is marked as received October 2. Letters from Agra

to Surat usually took from twenty-five to th irty days, and from internal evidence the dateappears to be as given above.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 267

for them shortly. They regret to hear of the insolence of the

Dutch,wh ich they hOpe wil l in time be curbed . Letters from

‘ Semana ’

advise that [Robert Young] has 50 fardles of cal ico

ready,and hopes to make them up to 70 ; also that John Willoughby

has returned from Lahore with Rs . after spending Rs .

in presents to recover that amount . For th is expense they are

not i esponsible, as they advised him rather then to give anything

of value, to leave what the rest was ; yf not received in season to

come with Mr . [Robert] Young hether, and wee would procure

suffi cient order for i ts recoverie Our freinds in Brampoore advise

us that Mounserechan 1 is revolted from the Decanyes and is come

to Brampoore to the Prince, where hee i s receaved with great

honnour.

’

The business of Soares is l ikely to be revived,as he is

expected at Burhanpur shortly. The factors wish for cop ies of thedocuments connected with the case. There is no Copy of the

Prince’

s farman at Agra ;‘ therefore hope you can furn ish them

from thence yf not, for a smale matter A fz ullchans cheefe ban ian,

whoe keepes register of all firmaens given , wil l give them c0pp ies

of both fi rmaens sent from hence about that bus inesse .

’ They wish

this troublesome matter wel l d isposed of. In a former wee gave

you advert isement of divers Sinde marchaunts that weare come

hither to comp layne to the King that [wee had P] perforce takentheir goods at sea [see p . 1 86] and s ince they are grownein prosecuteing that businesse in soe much that A sulphchan sentfor us and wished to give them content

,or el ce they would com

p laine to the King, wh ich would be much to our nations d ishonner,

and for our sakes hee hindered them from thei r purposes . Wee

have abso lutely denied to have any such passage , but that weeknew yf they had taken any goods it was the Port ingalls , and these

peop le onely subornd by them to comp layne against us ; but i f

they could proove that our peop le had taken any of this Kings

subjects, after answer from Surratt wee should give them an

answer, and wee doubted not but to content, e ither in monyes or

reasons sufficient to the contrary. Whereupon they shewed theNabob an inventory of all thei r goods that weare shipped in that

shipp or boate,being taken out of the Customers books there and

Witnesed by the Customer and all his cheef offi cers . To which1 Mansur Kh5n, described later as a Portugal l renegado

268 THE ENGLISH FA CTORIES

wee gave such answers as weare then necessary, and that wee coulddoe noth ing there in until l rece ived reply.

’ They request speedyinstruct ions

,as the comp lainants are press ing for justice . Thomas

Hawkridge understood (and so d id they) from previous letters thathe had been p romoted to a merchant’s p lace, which he has wel ldeserved for his pains taken so many years in these parts in the

Honourable Company’s service ; as , however, i t now appears that

this was not the intention,they have tried to persuade h im to con

t inue an attendant, but he is very unwil l ing to do so .

‘The 6th

present the K ing’s peshchanna

1 went out ; and to-morrow the Kinghimselfe departs this c ittye

1,and in h is progresse is intended , as

report saith , for A dgmeere and soe for Mandoe ; but as yet noecertaintie.

’

Hughes has not yet arrived from Patna . [Robert]Young writes that if not hindered by the rains he and h is goods

wi ll reach Agra the l oth p roximo .

‘ By report th is hundred

yeares there hath not bin such extrem itie of raynes,lusoc much

that most parte of the new ind icoe drowned , and the o ld muchimprooved .

’

P .S .- Hawkridge s tarted two days ago towards

Patna to meet and hasten the factors and the i r goods. (Copy .

M uck damag ed. 4 pp .)

ROBERT HUGHES AND JOHN PARKER AT PATNA To THE

FACTORS AT AGRA,SEPTEMBER I 3 , 1 621 (Factory Records

,

P a tna,vo l . i . p .

Thei r letter of August 1 9 came last night . The orders from

Surat 3 canno t now be carried out,as they have practical ly cleared

all thei r business here and are just about to start . Hughes is to

p roceed at once, and Parker to fo llow with the carts in about fourdays time . They have been obl iged to pay 2&rupees per maund for

carriage to Agra carravan burbust’

[see p . and cannot hope

to arrive before October 3 1 .

‘The raynes hath bin soe extra

ordynary this yeare that extraordinary charges cannott any way

1 Pers. p i s/z-klza

'

na,

advance-service,’i . e. tents sent on for erection at the next

stopp ing-place.

1 He did not real ly leave ti l l Abz‘in 1 2 = October 22 (see El l iot and Dowson’

s H istory ,vol . vi . p . Such delays were common enough

,as for one thing i twas always necessary

to wai t for a lucky day.

1 For the factory to be continued,Parker remaini ng In charge unti l the arrival of

Young from Agra.

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270 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

merchants have paid 200 [s ic] rup [ees] per carte, soe that i t is nottunrequiz ite that some Englishman accompany the goods, by whose

presence the greatest parte or all may peradventure be saved , wh ich

I shal l endeavour . M r . Hughes departed hence the 1 3 th current

and went by the way of Lackhoare, to hasten away the clothbought there to Mobulepoore

1, which is theire p lace of lad inge and

appo inted me to make what hast I could and send away the goodshere to meet them,

which haveinge efl’

ected , to goe for Lackhoare

to imbale four or five fardel ls yett unpacked and clere some smal l

matters there, and thence to proceed in company of the goods with

what speed poss ible for Agra .

’ They recently bought fifty maundsof gum-lac

,a few Malda wares for patterns for Pers ia, some

amberties and various stuffs as samples . (Copy . 13pp .)JOHN PARKER AT PATNA To THE FACTORS AT AGRA

,

SEPTEMBER 1 7 , 162 1 (Ibid .,vol . i . p .

Will start as soon as the rain permits, which‘dayly powreth downe

in such quantity that I cannott gett an hower of fa i re wether

whereby to send forth the goods, which nowe is all ready for thecarte ’

. (Copy . 3 p .)EDWARD HEYNES AND ROBERT HUTCHINSON AT BURHANPUR

To THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT,SEPTEMBER [ 1 8 P],

1 621 (Br i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 2 1 23 ,f .

Have received the testimony from B iddulph in the matter of

Herpaxad’

s debt but the latter has no means,and SO they leave

the money to be recovered at Surat by bribeing of your Governor ’.The complaint from the Surat factors has been presented to C[o]jaAbdala Hassan who promised j ustice and ‘wished us rest content,for hee would mayntaine noe servant to wrong us or our nation

’

Negotiations for sale of coral , &c . They would be glad to be

furn ished with a broker who wil l give his whole attention to their

bus iness . The present one‘ hath deluded us ’ in the buying of

gum-lac ,‘ hee haveing made a mempoke thereof under culler by

others,in soe much that e ither wee must pay dearer then wee

formerly advised you, or elce rely on his perfo rmances .

’ They

request to know what articles are to be inserted in the Prince’

sfarman

, prom ised at Is-hfiq Beg’

s arrival . (A damaged copy . 23pp .)1 Perhaps Mohub Al i pur, near Mussowrah. Evidently the factors took the lower road

from Patna to Benares (through Sahserfim) .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 27 :

JOHN WEDDELL 1, N ICHOLAS BANGHAM , JAMES BEVERSHAM ,

JOSEPH SALBANK , AND WILLIAM HOARE,ABOARD THE 3

’otvA s

OFF DAMAN,TO THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT

,

SEPTEMBER 1 8 , 1 621 (Ibid ., f .

They set sai l from England the ofApri l , 1 621 did not

touch at the Cape, but refreshed at Augustine 2 and Joanna 3

and heard by the Rose of P ring’

s departure for England in theR oyal 7 ames in June last. They have only lost fourteen men in

the whole fleet . They would be glad of some fresh victuals .

(A muck muti lated copy . 1 p .)

R ICHARD SWANLEY’

S4 ACCOUNT OF HIS VOYAGE To SURAT

(Mar ine Records , vol . xxxiv) .

1 6 21 , March 1 9. Sai led from Tilbury. May 30 . Saw the island

ofTrinidada.

5 June 30. Sighted ‘

the land of the Table Bay but

continued thei r voyage, as they had already lost much time .

July 4 . Overtaken by the Rickard and the Rose, both outward

bound .

6 Ju ly 23 . Anchored in St. Augustine’s Bay [Madagascar] .Here wee had great store of fresh victles

,as beefes

,sheepe, goats ,

and hennes , as much as wee would des i re and very good Cheape , for

the peop le would take noe money but s ilver chaines and counterfett

bludstones . There wee had for a sillver chaine of the matter of

a foott long,which cost in England some five or s ix shi ll ings , a good

beefe which wer worth in England some four or five pounds ; anda goate or a Sheepe for four or five bludstones . The people thereare very bould

,for they would come abord and cate and drinke

1 Went out in Bonner’s fleet of 16 18 as master of the L ion ,returning in her to England

in September, 1 620. He was thereupon promoted to the command of the fleet for thefol lowing year. A brief account of his distinguished after-career wil l be found in the

D iet. of Nat. B iograplty .

1 A bay on the south-west coast of Madagascar.1 One of the Comoro Islands.4 He was master or master

’s mate on thejam ,

Captain Weddell ’s flagship . The othervessel s of the fleet were the Wltale, the Dolp/z in , and the Lion .

5 The smal l vol canic i sland of that name in the South Atlantic, 700 miles from Braz i l.For Capt. Best

’

s account of a visit to i t in 16 1 2 see Letters Received,vol . vi . p. 291 .

Of 20 and 100 tons respectively. They had sai led from England in January, 1621 , incompany wi th the A nne

,the Lesserjames , and the Fortune. These three were bound for

Bantam,whi le the R i ckard and the Rose were intended for d iscovery abought the Cape

of Good Hoope (Wood’s journal , Mar i ne Records, vol . xxxii i) . Weddell had beeninstructed to take them on to Surat should he meet wi th them.

27 2 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

with us,and they would take any thing that wee would give them ;

but wee could never see that they wer treacherus or to steale any

th inge from us (but very August 1 . The R ickard was d is

patched to sai l along the coast to discover whether there was anygood harbour to the northwards . August 2. The fleet sailed .

August 1 2. Anchored at Joanna,one of the Comoro islands.

August 1 6 . The R ickard rejo ined . August 1 8 . The fleet sai led.

September 4 .

‘This day there was a feast abord the Dolpkine.

Being very merry in the even ing,when the captain came from

thence, there was three peeces shott off . S o i t p leased God that

with one of the peeces Hugh Woodcock , being in the skiffe under

the peece, was Shott over, that noe man knewe what was become

of him , but a peece of his capp was founde in the skiffe sterne.

’

September 1 2.

‘This day in the afternoone wee saw great store of

snackes , which a man shal l commonly see when hee is within thirty

or forty leages of the land .

’ September 1 5 .

‘ From the last dayof August to this day in the morn ing wee bore a slack sai le to

l inger out the tyme for com ing upon the coast of Surratt, for feare

of fowle weather, which commonly contynueth until l the 1 6 or 20

of September.’ September 2 1 . Anchored outside Swal ly sands .

September 23 . The President and merchants came on board .

September 24 . The R ickard arrived with a Portuguese prize of

200 tons , laden mostly with ivory.

1 September 26 . The‘

j‘onas

went into the road . September 27 . The Wkale,Dolpkin , and

prize came over the bar. Sep tember‘The A ndrew , M r. Pinder

being master, brought in a pri ze, which was a juncke of the

Mellickambers , which he had taken com ing from the Red S ea,

1 Th is capture i s described in an undated letter printed at p . 7 29 of Purchas’s firstvolume. It is a wonder to tel l i t, the Ri ckard being a p innace of about twentie tunnes,manned with fourteene men and boyes

,and having but two smal l falconets in her , and the

Portugal l of two hundred and fiftie tunnes, wi th two hundred and fiftie in her, whereofseventie were Portugal ls, the rest mesti cos and slaves. The R ickard, comm ing up w iththem , plyed her demi -dogs so well that in the shooting Off twenti e shot, i t pleased Godthey k i l led their captayne ; which the rest perceiving stroke al l thei r sai les amayne, and

l ike tal l men came aboard the R i cka rd , sixe at a time, where the master caused them to

be bound ; but fearing to have too many aboard , though bound , he sent a terriblecommand to the rest aboard

,that upon thei r l ives they should depart their shi p into their

great boat ; which they very val iantly performed , and left their ship, to the utter di sgraceof themselves and al l their nation.

’A rather longer account of the exploit is given in

Purchas’s second volume, p . 1 791 .

1 This date appears to be wrong (cf. p .

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274 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

‘ Banians books ’

; so the‘Cass ie

’

does not know what to do .

Advice as to the settlement of the d ispute . By the casaina 1 ’

they rece ived the amber and scales and have credited Surat ac

cord ing ly . Upon the arival l o f Isack Beag (whome wee havevi z ited accord ing to your o rders), wee sol ic ited anew A fz ul lchon forthe Princes fi rmaen

, promised at first in presence of many hombras 1,

both of King and Prince. With much earnestnes hetould us that

[he P] had receaved letters from the Mel lik Amber that our shippshad taken a junck o f h is comeing from the Red S ea : that CojahAbdala Hassan 3 had received advi z e from Surrat that

taken out of the Pr[ pretences they knew not

unreasonnable and trouble at first to have sought

rest [itut ion by way of peticion to the Mel l ick andbefore wee had taken such Vio lent course weare soe

troublesome and unprofitable that the P[rince had] reso lved to

give us leave to departe h is kingdom [P and if not, to] commaund

us forth by force, i f [we] would not l ive as and d iscreet

marchaunts . To wh ich wee rep lyed [with the l i]ke earn estnes that

notwithstanding the tyme of w[inter] had made the wayes unsafe

and unpassable for any of our nat ion to travel l to the court of the

M el l ick with securitie , yet wee had indevored to make our recourse

to h is ambassador in sute (P) of satisfaction according to equitie,

but could not be adm itted to his presence, hee denieing conversation

with us, and onely sent a scornefull and proud messuadges [s ic] inl ine of j ust ice or restituc ion affi rmeing that the Mell icks and [s ic]unhonnorable action by breatch of h is word and cowle ‘1 induced us

to soe a setled reso lut ion as to requ ite him wi th force and vio lence in

soe that [not P] a shipp or boate Shou ld passe to and from any of h is

ports until l wee weare ful ly satisfied . Wee further said that noe man

knew better then h imselfe the insufferable injuries wee had suffered

th is many yeares together , as wel l from the Princes servants and

ofii cers in Surratt,as from o thers the King and Princes subjects

e lce where : that wee weare not onely abused in our persons, dis

p oyled of our goods, but debarred of our trade,which hath been

1 Treasure-caravan (see note on p .

1 Grandees (Arabic umarci , real ly the pl . of amt'

r ) .3 Khwfija Abdala Hasan.

1 Safe conduct (Ar. gaul) .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 275

and now i s graunted us by thei r sundry fi rmaens extant : that for

these wee have often sought by pet ition for j ustice and reformac ion

at the hands of the K ing, Prince, and h imselfe, and as yet could

receave none, but rather more wrong heaped upon our sufferings,which we could not longer indure , but must be p layne and give

them to understand that wee intend to r ight ourwrongs by our owne

force,seeing wee cannot finde j ustice by the Prince, to whome wee

are day ly sutors : that as wee came into this country by virtue of

the Kings fi rmaen authorizing us , soe should’

[par t torn away ] .After many othe r d isputes desired us to have patiencebut a few [more days unti l the P] Prince should confir with Isack

Beage ] have our firmaen ; and to the end hee

[m ight the] better knowe our des ires , hee wil led us to drawe [the

parti]culers wee required wh ich haveing ready wee [then] del ivered ;the coppy whereof wee send you.

’ They are confident Of obtain ing

redress , at all events as soon as the ships’

arrival is announced .

‘Yt

is our op inions the[y] great ly feare us, and the more by the

adjoyneing . By your dealeing roundly with them you Shal l [find]them tractable

,not dare to oppose us or take any V iolent co[urse]

to wrong us . Isack Beage useth us curteously , and gives us many

p rom ises of favor and frendsh ip in al l your affaires . H is com ing

up to court (as wee understand) is through his owne des ires, no tcal led for . H ee hopes to be your Governour and D ivan [d iwén] ,to remoove Jamshead Beage

,against whome hee hath made some

comp laints . What they are wee understand not,but wee feare hee

w i lbe soe powerful] as wo rke h is owne ends.

’ They send accounts

rece ived from Agra also bi l ls for money remitted to Surat . They

are p repared to accept bi l ls for as much more. Messages to theAgra and A hmadabfi d facto ries. (Copy . Damag ed . 43 pp .)

CONSULTATION BY THE UNITED COUNCIL OF DEFENCE ATBATAVIA

,OCTOBER 6 [N. S . SEPTEMBER 26 1 621

(0. C.

The Engl ish members undertake to p repare three Ships by the1 5th to take part in the projected cruise on the Malabar Coast. Theyalso prom ise to add their p innace the D rag on

’

s Claw , if she can be

got ready in t ime ; and the Dutch undertake to send the Li ttleE nkkuisen with the fleet , making five ships and two p innaces on

T 2

276 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

the Dutch side, and three ships (the Exckang e, A nne, and D iamond )and one p innace on the Engl ish . The answer to be returned to the

Pangeran of Bantam considered . [S igned by Fursland , Fi tzherbert ,Brockedon . and Haz elwood for the English

,and Coen, Carpentier,

Lam ,and Dedel ] for the Dutch .]

A nnexed ( i) Instructions for Jacob Dedel ],

-Adm i ral,and

Humphrey Fitzherbert , V i ce-Adm iral , of the squadron ‘o rdained

to sayle fo r the coaste off Malabarr and Goa ‘ For disabl ing our

common ennem ies , furtheraunce o f trade upon the coast of Malabar ,and restaurat ion of the decayed India trade in the kingdome of

Greate Brittaine and the United Netherlands ,’

the Council of

Defence has decided to dispatch n ine ships and two p innaces, with

men ,viz . 754 on the Dutch and 3 85 on the English vessels .

Dedel ] is made Adm iral , with his flag in the Good For tune, and

Fi tzherbert Vice-Adm iral , in the Royal E xckang e. A l l important

matters are to be settled by a counci l , cons isting of the Adm iral ,V ice-Adm iral , and principa l Officers , Vi z . Jean van Gorcum 1

,Jean

Lievenaer, and Mews Sanders for. the Dutch , and Walter Bennett,Bartho lomew Goodal l , and Alexander Ball for the Engl ish . In the

event of the death o f the Adm iral , Van Gorcum wil l succeed ; andshould Fitz herbert die, Bennett wil l become Vi ce-Admiral . Justiceu i l l be adm inistered by Dedel] and his particu lar counci l or by

F i tzherbert and his particular counc i l , according as the offender IS

a Dutchman or an Engl ishman . This fleet is sent expressly‘to

doe the Portingalls al l the spoyle that may bee , and to destroye

their carracks and gal l ions I t wil l p robably be best to sai l along

the coast from Cape Comorin to Cochin and thence to Goa .

A visit might be paid to Cal i cut to obtain information,and to see

whether the Samorin is d isposed to send a fleet of frigates to assist

in attacking the Portuguese ; but they are not to wai t any time

for this purpose, as it is important to surprise the enemy if possible.

Arriving at Goa, and finding the carracks safe under the protection

of the forts, they are to cruise in front of the harbour unti l the end

of March or the com ing of the north-west monsoon . They may

then,if time perm its, go to the Gu lf of Persia to surprise the

galleons there, and afterwards proceed to Mozambique or the

Jan van Gorcom, afterwards member of counci l at Batavia

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278 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

WILLIAM MARTIN,GEORGE PIKE , AND JOHN GLANVILL AT

BROACH TO THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT, S EP

TEMBER 27 , 1 621 (Br i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 2 1 23 , f .

Request a supp ly of money, and also an answer about theGovernor’s indigo [see p . The ‘M irga ’

[see p . 1 7 8] is s ickat Ahmadabad , and has asked them to help h im to

1

a l i tt le sack .

They hope some wi ll be spared to h is servant . (Copy . 3 p .)

JAMES B ICKFORD,NATHANIEL HALSTEAD

,R ICHARD LAN

CASTER,WILLIAM H ILL

,AND JOHN CLARK AT SARKHEJ To

THE SAME,SEPTEMBER 27 , 1 621 (Ibid .

, f .

D ispatch to Surat of a caravan of sugar,&c . ,

intended forPers ia

,under the charge of Thomas Quince

,surgeon . They have

now got together over baftas,and shal l continue to buy ti l l

the end of the month . Indigo has also been purchased , and is

being put up in square baskets. Your newes of the approach of

Peeter G i les 1 with an English S ampson is of no good disgestion

with us , for it wi lbe l ittle grace to Us to have them confront us with

a captive detens ion of our owne shipps in the full vew of both our

selves and all these infidells .

’

Its detention is a flagrant breach o f

the treaty. They request an early supp ly of funds . Lancaster

departs shortly to Cambay to provide pangeries [see p . 1 7 8

They cannot find means of rem itt ing to Burhanpur. B ickford

expresses his thanks for perm iss ion to return to England . H i l l isbetter, and wil l decide later whether to go or stay. Some items

in the accounts explained .

‘ S uph ie Cann [Safi who has

been kind to them ,has requested a pass for a smal l vessel of his

bound from Gogha,

‘ called the Tavery2of Suphie Cann .

’ This

they have given , but he wishes to have a second from Surat . They

trust the fleet from England will come to Swal ly al l together,when ,

uniting with the Ships a lready there, they wi l l be able to looke a

boulder enemye in the face then Ruffrero Dondrado with h is S ix

galleons As regards the Mokha trade,they cons ider i t hazardous

to send a single ship thi ther this year, in View of Portuguese attacks .

1 Van Ravesteyn (see p. The S ampson (the ship in wh ich Jourdain had beenk il led) had been retained by the Dutch in compensation for their B lack Lion, burnt whi lein the possession of the Engl ish.

1 Possibly tart” (cf. p .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 279

They approve an experimental trade at Dabho l , but the merchantsshould not land w ithout hostages . Will iam Laughton wil l bereturned, but they ask for another youth in h is p lace. (Copy .

M uck damag ed . 83 pp .)

[CAPTAIN JOHN WEDDELL ,] ABOARD THE 5‘0NAS AT SWALLY,

To THE SAME,SEPTEMBER 27 , 1 621 (Ibid.

,f .

The fleet is now entering the road . The yonas , Rose, and

R ickard yesterday got over the bar ; and he hopes the Wkale,Dolpkin ,

and pr ize wi ll do the same ere n ight . They wil l land the

goods des ired as soon as possible. Prize money for the mariners .

He‘hopes to careen all h is Ships . A s regards the proposed

employmen t of the R ickard, he thinks there will be a risk of

capture by the Portuguese , and that i t would be better to use

a nat ive boat, if procurable . (Copy . Damag ed . 13 pp .)

N ICHOLAS BANGHAM , ABOARD THE WHALE [AT SWALLY] ,TO THE SAME

,SEPTEMBER 28 , 1 62 1 (Ibid. , f .

A S to the landing of elephants’ tusks and other goods. (Copy .

Damag ed. 3 p .)

R ICHARD BARBER AND JUSTINIAN OFFLEY AT BARODA To

THE SAME , SEPTEMBER 29, 1 621 (Ibid., f .

Thank them for news of the arrival of the fleet . Would be glad

of a supp ly of money. (Copy . Damag ed . 3 p .)

CAPTAIN JOHN WEDDELL , ABOARD THE 5‘0NAS , To THE

SAME,SEPTEMBER 30, 1 621 (Ibid., f .

S upp ly of certain art icles . Packing of cotton wool . A rigid

search has been made aboard the pri ze, but he can find no gold,

though he hears the p innace’s c rew shared about 200 r ials before

they came to Swal ly .

‘You certifie that the Dutch have bought

slaves aboord,but (as you) I know n ither the quantety nor the

sel lers . Be you p leased to leam e both those.

’

Sends three bottles

of beer,sack

,and claret . P .S .

— Four of the slaves have escaped .

(Copy . Damag ed . 2 pp .)

280 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

ROBERT TOTTLE [AT SWALLY P] To THE SAME, SEPTEMBER

[30 P] , 1 62 1

Concern ing the del ivery ofgoods . (Copy . .Muck damag ed . 3p .)

WILLIAM MARTIN,GEORGE P IKE, AND JOHN GLANVILL AT

BROACH TO THE SAME,OCTOBER 1 , 1 62 1 (Ibid.

, f .

Have sent letters to Ahmadabad , with a samp le of the Governor’sind igo ; and hope now to have a l ittle peace til l a reply is received .

They were glad to hear of the arrival of the fleet,and have noted

the instructions conveyed in the Company’

s letters . Money is

u rgently needed . (Copy . Damag ed . 1 p .)

THE SAME To THE SAME , OCTOBER 1,1 621 (Ibid .

, f .

Immediately’

after the dispatch of thei r letter to Surat,c ob beage ’

[Yaqiib Beg] , in l ieu of furn ishing the prom ised

sample , sent for thei r broker, and announced h is intent ion of

del ivering to the Engl ish all the indigo he had by h im . He refused

to speak to the factors , and o rdered the bales of indigo to be la id

at the door of the Engl ish factory . A t n ight they were at last

adm itted,when hee tould us directly that what hee had donn was

by [order P] from h is master, and that hee was noe foo le,to be

longer deluded with delayes, but haveing sent it to our howse hee

was freed from his charge , and therefore would the daye followe

ing cause it to be wayed , and requ i re money for the same accord ing

to these brokers estimation They emphatical ly repudiated al l

responsibi l ity for the indigo , and moreover to ld him that they had

not room in their house to stow a quarter of it. ‘ But nothing

p revai leing , wee departed, at which instant a storme of thunder

and rayne came that wett these bales which weare without doare in

the street ; which hee perceaveing wee would not take i t into 0111

custody caused them to be carryed into the masseet 1 next our

howse.

’ They desire speedy orders for their gu idance in the

matter. (Copy . M uck damag ed . 1 p .)

EDWARD HEYNES AND ROBERT HUTCHINSON AT BURHANPUR

To THE SAME , OCTOBER 2,1 62 1 (Ibid .

,

A S regards the business of Soares , the sentence received bothagainst h im and our selves ’

is not yet reco rded,but is expected

1 Mosque (the Arab ic map'

id being in India softened into mas t’d ) .

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282 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

letter. They are busi ly buying indigo,&c. A longer letter wil l

fol low. (Copy . Damag ed. 3 p .)

GILES JAMES AT SURAT To PRES IDENT RA STELL [AT SWALLY] ,OCTOBER 3 , 1 621 (I bid. , f .

The Governor has refused to clear the rials at the -. custom-house

until James wr ites to Rastell ‘ that all the goods wh ich maye betermed by the name of topha [see p . 1 26 n .] Should immed iately besent upp I perceave the Customer and hee are joyned to vex us ,

and if you suffer those goods to come upp before wee have our

corral l with in this towne and our rialls out , my op inIon IS that weeshal l fa i le both of the one and the o ther

,unless wee come of with

a large bribe .

’

(Copy . 3p .)

JAMES B ICKFORD , WILLIAM H ILL , AND JOHN CLARK ATAHMADABAD To THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT,OCTOBER 4 , 1 621 (Ibid . , f .

Request a copy of the Company’

s letter and orders ; also in

telligence whether the Dutch have arrived , for most parte of our

comodity depends on thei r arrival] , which wee yet ho ld in suspense.

’

They rejo ice at the news of the fleet’

s successful voyage . The

baftaes wee have provided for this y eare amount to bes idesthe Dowlca [Dholka] l inens, which wee are now peruseing .

’

Lan

caster [at Cambay P] has been ordered to cease providing goods forthe southwards

,and they wil l do the same . Copies required of

the Company’

s orders for embal ing and marking their goods . They

have no news to send,but des ire some from you,

that wee may

give a l ittle ease to our wear ied spiritts, almost tired and choakt

with dust . ’ (Copy . Damag ed . 13 pp .)

EDWARD HEYNES AND ROBERT HUTCHINSON AT BURHANPURTo THE SAME , OCTOBER 5 , 1 62 1 (I bid .

, f .

Forward a‘

perwan of Cojah Abdella Hassan to his servant

Pelwan S aphed [see p . commanding from h im good usadge and

al l necessaries for our peop le in Swalley’

. When they complained

of these abuses,a former servant of the Governor, who happened to

be present , defended h im , afl‘i rm ing that the Engl ish were unruly

and offered force. This they den ied, and declared that the real

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 283

cause of the dispute was that they had refused to give the Governor

a bribe o f S ix yards of red cloth,with the result that he ‘ Stopt the

currant Of our businesse 20 dayes together, by which wee lost our

monzon the last yeare , and noe other cause ; at which his master

gave him such a looke of d isconten t that made h im feareful l to

rep ly any fu rther in h is defence . H ee charged h im to deny us

n ither water nor carts for carriadges nor any th ing that us or our

p eop le wanted ; not demaund custome or any other duties of us

other then formerly hath been given by us , nor to wrong us in the

least k inde ; and that in case there should any d ifference happen

betwixt them and us , to advise h im of it and not themselves to

execute justice. Hee wished us to write to the commaunders of

our fleet to cause our peop le to behave themselves c ivelly and

freindly , and they should want nothing that was necessary for

theire refreshing or otherwise . I f not,upon j ust complaint of them

hee shou ld then (contrary to h is minde) debarr them of al l things .

To this effect hee hath caused h is perwann to be written . Wee

are confident hee wi ll in h is private commaunds write h is Governour

rowndly of our comp laints , for hee seemes to bee much mooved at i t. ’

They are sti l l endeavouring to obtain the desired farman from Afzal

Khan,and likewise the farméins in settlement of Soares

’ claim and

the business of the indigo . (Copy . Damag ed . 13 pp .)

JOHN PARKER [AT LUKHAWUR] To THE FACTORS AT AGRA ,OCTOBER 1 621 (Factory Records, P a tna, vol . i . p .

Laded h is Patna goods on S eptember 23 from M endroo Seray,

towards Mobulepoore and came hither to pack up the few rema ining . Th is done

,he has been wai ting for the weather to clear. ‘

A nd

now at last com inge to d ispeed them ,I fynd the packs soe heavy that

they are nott portable e ither on oxen nor by caharr [see p . 1 05though offer treble the freight accustomed betweene this and

M obulepoore, where the carts and rest of the goods have attendedthese I 5 dayes , and the wayes soe untoward that in the bestseason of the yeare they are unpassable for carts, and camells

are nott here to be procured at any rate, for whose burden thesef[ard les] were intended .

’ Hughes before h is departure engaged

both oxen and kahars, but the latter have discharged theire ladinge,some in one place, some in another

,themselves run away and left

284 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

me to gather the goods togeather’

. H e has sent word of this, ashe fears he cannot poss ibly get to Agra in time for the .goods to go

down to Surat th is season . He would have been glad of the farmanment ioned in their letter ofAugust 27 , but now the country ys soe

quyett he thinks he can manage without it . (Copy . 1 p .)

R ICHARD SWAN’

S ACCOUNT OF HIS VOYAGE IN THE HART

To THE COAST OF ARABIA (M ar ine Records , vol . xxx) .1

1 62 1, April 6 . The fleet set sai l from Swal ly ; also the Dutch

p innace Good For tune. Apri l 9. The E ag le and the Dutch p innace

parted company with the rest, bound forAchin and Bantam . May 1 .

Captured the S . A ntonio, of 200 tons,laden with rice and bound

from Goa to Muskat and O rmus . She was renamed the M ayfl ower .

‘ By these Portingalls wee understand Ruy Frere de Andrade to

"bee busie in reparing h is foure sh ipps at Ormus, and that Don

Emmanuel] de A ssevedo is departed about fiftie da ies past from

Goa in h is succor with two gall iouns , one whereof is the same in

which the Vi ceroy was personall iewhen hee fought with CaptainDownton ’

s flecte.

’

May 7 . Surprised the bound to Goa

from Mo zamb ique. She was rechristened the P r imr ose, and proveda better sai ler than any other in the fleet . May 1 7 . Having m issed

Soco tra, largely owing to the bad Sai l ing of the M ayflower (‘that

leeward they steered northwards,in the hope of reaching

Dafar, on the coast of Arabia . May 24 . S aw land , Wh1C11 they

concluded to be one of the Kuria Muria Islands , though the Po rtu

guese declared it was Matraca 1and that the coast was dangerous .

M ay 25 . Standing along in search o f a road , the Har t and Roebuck

lost s ight of the rest of the fleet . After wait ing awhile, they judged

i t best to keep on their course along the coast , sounding frequently.

June 2. Anchored off the island of Macera 3 and obtained abun

dance o f water from some p its three-quarters of a m ile inland . The

natives were verie tractable’

,and traded goats for rice and cal ico .

June 1 2. Moved to a bay at the north-east end of the island , where

1 Kerridge was on board Swan’

s vessel . For another account of this voyage seePinder’

s

narrative (supra , p. 220

1 Ras Madraka, the south-west point of the Gul f ofMasi ra.

1 Masi ra Island, off the south-east coast of Oman, between Ras Madraka and Ras-al

hadd.

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286 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

wee wayed this daye and went for Soar, because that the Shackalee

[Shaikh Al i ] hadd prom ised to be our fre inde,who 1s king of Soar

and the cuntry e aboute.

’

June 24 . Anchored at Sur. June 25 .

They put ashore the Portuguese capta in of the S . A ntonio,who

returned next day with refreshments . June 27 . The Captaine gave

h im some boyes and some weomen slaves that weare good for

noth ing, and so hee made the cuntrye peapell to bye our risse.

’

J une 28 . Letters received from the H ar t and Roebuck, which were

answered next day . During the next few weeks the greater part

o f the prize rice was d isposed of, and the M ayfl ower , which was

in a very leaky condition ,was thereupon broken up for firewood .

August 8 . The H ar t and Roebuck rejo ined and al l the sh ips

anchored at The London’

s Hope .

1 Jem ison resumed his p lace

in the H ar t. Here the fleet obtained ‘ great storre of wood ’

.

August 1 5 . They sai led for Ind ia . August 24 .

‘ The London

and the P r imrose went from us to Debul l this n ight . ’ August 3 1 .

Anchored near Chaul . September—October.

‘Wee of and one of

Choole spent 3 8 dayes expectinge the jounckes from the Read S ea,but the Dutche prevented it by taking of them .

’ September 14 .

A crwell n ight of raine and thunder and of l ightning this raine

and l ightn ing was called by the peaplle the Ol liphante1, which

comethe once a yeare .

’ September 29. The London arrived from

Dabho l . October 1 . The A ndrew was sent to Surat . 3 October 9.

The rest of the fleet fo l lowed . October 1 0. Met two sh ips dis

patched by Captain Weddel l to announce h is arrival at Surat.October 20 . Anchored in Swal ly Road.

1

(6 pp .)

smal l shot and bow and arrowes ; but the Lord fought our battel l,so that but one of our

men were lost ; yet landed we dai ly wi th brasse base and smal l shot unti l ] al l our shipswere watered ’ (Pinder , ut supr a ) .

1 Khor Jarama, three and a hal f m i les west of Ras-al-hadd. It i s descri bed in the

P ersi an Gulf P i lot as‘a fine basin wi th a tortuous entrance a m i le long and only 1 50

yards broad,between cl iffs 60 feet high ’

. I t seems a p ity that the old name i s not

preserved in our charts to commemorate the vi sit of Blyth’s squadron.

1 See H obson-jobson ,z ud edn .

, p . 343 .

1 The thirtieth of September I was sent to goe for Surat in the A ndrew,by order

from Captaine El i th , and to adverti se Master Thomas Rastel l of our passage, he beingchiefe in the factori e ; and in my passage for Surrat I surprised a ship of that princeswhich had formerly wronged our masters, and carr ied her to Surrat, surrendering her tothe chief factor (Pinder, ut supra ) .

The remainder of Jemison’

s journal is occupied wi th the return voyage to England inthe Hart.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 28 7

ROBERT JEFFRIES IN CHAUL ROAD To THE COMPANY, OCTOBER

5 , 1 621 (0. C.

‘Wher‘

as latelye the Counsel] of S uratt had not ice of an un

fortunate accident befal len unto Your Honours in the surpriz al l

of a caffi la (with Lahor and Agra goods) under the conduction o f

Robert Hutchinson,deceaved in confidence of a prom ise made by

M eleek Ambar,Protector to one of the K ings of Decany , who

with h is armye had invaded the territories of the Mogul l , and

through whose conquest our goods of necessitie were forced to

importune a passaige, Consultation resolved to imp loy the London

for the Red S ea,so wel l to guard the Har te and Roebucke, who

haveing (through many h indrances) at length attayned a late

d ispatch from S ual ly to the losse of their monson, as also to

endeavour a sat isfaction uppon the j unks of Dabul l, Chaule, o r of

any o ther porte belonging to that faction ; which to effecte,goods

o f some value were laden for Mocha (under which our projects

m ight have the better countinance) and your Suratt Counsel l causedme to assiste ; wherunto I will ingly consented ; albeit our dess igneswere prevented through our late departure (being the 7th ofApri l l

when wee tooke our leave from Ind ia), by meanes wherof thefo rmer lynes had thei r intended passaige made frustrate , confident

they shou ld have found convayance by way of Gran Cay ro . SO

that nowe I am with the 4th [s ic] of October anno 1 621 in the porteof Chaule , being soddainly by consultation cal led to a further and

ymportant ymployment in your affayres which requireth d ispatch ,wherof I had not ice yesterday, am theron to morrowe to departe,wh ich doth much prevent the relations of my desiers, not having

tyme to peruse what I have written ; wherfore doe entreat pardonif any errour be commytted in the cop ies heerwith accompanied,which you may p lease to cause rectified by the sence , which I am

assured w il l agree with the orig inal ls . But before I further

p roceede concerninge my nowe ymp loyment , you may be p leased

to understand that in our intended course for the Red S ea y t

was our fortune to encounter two Portingal ls , on the 2nd and

7 th of Maye, the one from Goa bound for Mascate with ri ceand many o ther groce comodities , the o ther from Mossamb ique

The first part of the letter is a copy of Jeffries’

letter ofMarch 14, 1621 (see p.

288 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

with goods of some value for Goa , as al so about 6 ,0’

00l . starl ing

in rials of eight, go ld, &c ., as M r. Kerridge,beinge acquainted

w ith all passages , w i ll relate more perticularly unto Your Honours.

Wee endeavored to attayne Socotra, but could not, so that ex

pence o f water and winter season commaunded us to d iscover

a remeadye to p revent both ; wheruppon wee made_

our course forthe coast ofArabia Fae l ix

,which discovered on the

'

25th of May,

the Har t and R obucke made towards the land to seeke some con

veulent p lace to passe the winter season , who th inking wee would

fol lowe them ,wh ich wee could not (without losse of company with

our prizes), where they found water and some other bare refresh

ments at the ilaud Masse ira. The London,A ndrewe, M ayfl ower

,

and P r imerose went within Cape Rosalgate [Ras-al-hadd] , and the

7 th ofJune anchored at Tewee [see p . 28 where wee had all sortes

of refreshments unti l l certayne Portingalls (sent from Mascatte)forbid and defended the watering-place ; but wee toke yt without

asking leave, and therof had our pleasures , and for the i r dishonestie

wee burned the towne and spoyled many their date trees . In which

p lace Bartholomewe Symonds,our master surgian , and ministers

boy were treacherously surprized , and John Hawtrye by one of h is

fel lowes accidental ly S layne. From which place wee departed the

22th ditto some e ight leagues towards the Cape at a road cal led

Soar, where by letters wee had often correspondence with our absentfreinds , and where I sould the rice of our p rize, amounting to almost

1 9,000 1arees [see p . 227 being indeed so much monies given Your

H onours,wh ich had been so much lost had not my industrye and

p rojectes prevayled to vend the same ; for the Sh ip was so lameand leakie that further she could not continewe with us , and was

a trade beate out of barren rocks with troublesome beggarlye

merchants . SO after having laden into our other sh ipps the remayninggoods of that sh ip , gave her leave to s inke . The 8th ofAugust wee

departed from Soar (plying towards the Cape) , when wee met with

the Har t and Roebucke, which came to anchor neer us,being some

four m iles within yt, wher i s an excel lent harbour, with a boldethough narrowe entrance , but within spatious, with several] i lands,and where above two thousand sayles may safely ride all weathersfree from stormye furies ; which p lace wee cal led Londons Hope ;

whet is store of wood and are wel ls , but the water somewhat

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290 THE ENGL ISH FACTORIES

rates) doe and wil l prove in England as deere a penniworth .

M r. Kerridge is partlye determined to further a factories establ ishment this yeere at that p lace ; which yf wee omyt, the Flemen

1

wi l l doubtles enjoy the opportunitye . I had almost forgotten mybus ines required a present departure, havinge indeed much of thisk inde to relate , and of force must referr tyl l better -opportunitye.

In Chaul wee arrived the 28th September, when after salutacionso f our arrivall

,M r. Kerridge certified that M eleeke Ambar had

by letters offred compos it ion for our losse. Wherfore (to joynehands with opportun ity) Consultac ion , after due considerac ion,

commaunded me to so l licite in that behalfe,hostage being

given for my securitye. In which ymployment the A lmightie

God graunt me prosperous successe. Amen .

’

(Holog rap/z .

1 0 pp .)

PRESIDENT FURSLAND AND THOMAS BROCKEDON AT BATAVIA

To CAPTAIN FITZ HERBERT, OCTOBER 6, 1 621 (0. C.

Supplementary instructions for the voyage to the Ma labar Coast .

Precautions for the proper division of the prize goods . To be frugal

in expenses for refreshing at any p laces on the coast,‘not exceeding

the Companies orders to give men but fower fresh meales in theweeke

’

though at the [Comoro] Islands, where refreshing is

p lentiful and cheap , he may use h is discret ion . They have provi ded

rials for the expenses of h is squadron also sword-blades for

sale or barter. They have furnished h im with letters to the facto rs

at Surat (in case he proceeds thither) , desi ring them to supp ly h im

with men,mun it ions

,and victuals .

P .S .—The Samorin 2 owes the Company 3 ,083j

1

2 rials of eight ,and he prom ised Fursland , when the Dr ag on cal led there, that he

would pay it with interest . You shal l finde good words from him

and fa ire p rom ises , but i f you get any satisefactione, i t is more then

we can expect from him ; and to pay ourselves out of h is vesel ls

canot now be donne, in regard of the hope of setel ing a trade there .

Wherefo re you may demaund it by frindly meanes, and take what

you can gett of him in parte of payment .’

( 1 71

,pp .)1 Fleming (Dutch) .2 The ti tle of the H indu sovereign of Cal icut. For its origin see Hooson-jooson , zud

edn., P’ 977

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 29:

JAMES B ICKFORD,NATHANIEL HALSTEAD ,WILLIAM H ILL , AND

JOHN CLARK AT AHMADABAD To THE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL

AT SURAT,OCTOBER (Br i t. M us . Eg er ton M S . 2 1 23 ,f .

A re glad to hear thei r friends at B roach have resisted the attemptto force the Governor’s indigo upon them .

‘Wee are of op in ion it

i s ] ambuz ar [see p . 64 n .] indico , which in England is valued (as it is)nought and not worth the fraught whome.

’To buy it would be to

act against the Company’

s express orders . They find it diffi cul tto comp ly with the directions from home to Specify the exact weightof each bale .

‘The squar basketts are not made all of one bigg

nesse,’and moreover ‘

all ind icoe fi lls not al ike ’

; therefore they

cannot without more t ime and help comp ly with the Company’s

d irections. They would be glad to know the Surat factors’

opinionsin this matter. P .S .

— They beg to be supp l ied with o il, vinegar,beef

, pork , &c .,from the ships . Some cheese would also be welcome.

(Copy . Damag ed. 11, p .)

THOMAS QUINCE AT BROACH To THE SAME,OCTOBER 7 , 1 621

(Ibid. ,f .

Inquires whether the goods he is bringing from Ahmadabad shouldbe del ivered at Surat o r at Gengellpoore [see p . 23 1 A lsoe

I thought good to certifie you that there came from A madavads

with mee Signor john Bapt ista the Po lonion1and Signor Sebastian

the Venet ian , which have both of them goods in company with

yours . S ignor Sebast ians is,I th inke, most of it indicoe ; but what

the other is I know no t.’

(Copy . Damaged. 31, p .)

R ICHARD BARBER AND JUSTIN IAN OFFLEY AT BARODA To THESAME, OCTOBER 7 , 1 62 I (Ibid.

,f .

They were glad to hear of the fleet’s arrival and the impending

dispatch of funds to their factory. Mr . Offley has been very i ll

and diseased s ince h is arrival , which he attr ibutes to the air and

bad water. He begs perm ission to return to Surat to consult thei r

surgeon . (Copy . Damag ed . p .)

i . e . the Pole. He was probably the Polack mentioned by Roe (Emoassy , p.

H is companion was no doubt the ‘ Sebastiano Fiorino al luded to above, p. 223 .

U 2

292 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

EDWARD HEYNES AND ROBERT HUTCHINSON AT BURHANPURTO THE SAME

,OCTOBER 7 , 1 62 1 (may .

On complaining to Is-haq Beg of the prohibition at Surat of thetranspo rt of thei r rials,

‘hee answered with many excuses and

a world of great words of fre indsh ipp and favour, desi ring to meet

us the next morneing at A fsul Chans and then both themselves

and us shou ld conferr of that bus inesse. Which accordingly weed id ; and , after a long tyme of s ingle conference, wee shewed the

wrong offered us in the restraint of our ryal ls, our necessitie in the

transporte and sale of them,and the great inconven ience wee shou ld

sustayne by thei r detention , affi rmeing that this must of necessitie

make another breach betwixt us,wherein they weare the onely

instruments . It weare to long to write you the discourses ; there

fore om itt for brevities sake, and conclude that wee finde A fsul Chanand Isack Beag to be the onely occasion of the proh ibic ion in them ,

although they seem to couller i t w ith good words . Afsul Chan

began with a long appollegee that the P rince was very earnest to

put us from his porte and writ to h is father to commaund us out

of h is country ; but himself and Isack Beag had del ivered good’

words of us and asswaged that heat (as they terme it) hee hadaga inst us . Wee weare as rownd with them ,

and desired them to cal lus into the guselchan [see p . 2 73] where wee m ight heare as muchfrom the Princes mouth and receave h is firmaen to that effect, after

which wee wou ld not staye a daye longer then was necessary forour embarqueing. Whereat that [they P] rep lyed noe ; they weareour freinds and vowed by all thei r divel ls, as the i r fathers sowles ,

‘

that with in few dayes wee should have our firmaen des i red , written

soe effectually and such agreement made betwixt us before the

Prince as never hereafter there should be breach of freindsh ipp

that all Guzerat was now They would not , however,

procure another parwana for the transport of the rials, though

they offered to allow them to be removed to the English factory,

and prom ised that i f Is-haq Beg and the English were unable to

agree upon terms for purchas ing them , the latter should then be

perm itted to transport them . Meanwhi le , a letter should be wr ittento Cojahnaceere [Khwaja Nasi r] and Jam Coo le Beage [see p . 145 ]to furnish the English with any money they might require , free of

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294 THE ENGLI SH FACTOR IES

lyneing them with red gagiea 1accord ing to those formerly made.

’

They should be ready shortly. (Copy . Damag ed.

CAPTAIN JOHN WEDDELL AT SWALLY To [THE PRESIDENT]AT SURAT

,OCTOBER 8

,1 62 1 (M id, f .

In rummaging the last prize , they have just found about 3001.under the wel l near the mainmast . They are now draining off all

the water in the hope of finding more. Stores,&c .

,needed ; also

a supply of money . ( Copy . M ack damag ed. 1 p .)

WILLIAM MARTIN,GEORGE PIKE

,AND JOHN GLANVILL

AT BROACH TO THE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT,

OCTOBER 9 ,1 621 (Tomi , f .

They are urgently in need of funds . With regard to the indigoYaqi

'

i b Beg endeavoured to force upon them , the [P Shek]dare

[see p . 205 n .] has s ince importuned them to take it in . Upon their

refusal he threatened to prohibit the weavers and o thers fromdeal ing with them ,

and further toprevent their dwel l ing within

the town . They expect that Yaqub Beg when he returns wi l l takesome vio lent course, and they would be glad therefore of further

instructions . Gunny wanted . They request orders regarding thenumber of narrow bafras and bucker to be bought. It is now too

late this year to provide the baftaes of extraord inary length andbreadth ’ required by the Company. They hope to c lear thecaravan from Ahmadabad to-day . (Copy . Damag ed . 2 pp .)

CAPTAIN JOHN WEDDELL AT SWALLY To [THE PRESIDENT]AT SURAT, OCTOBER 9, 1 621 (1M , f .

Since his last letter they have found to the quantity of 300 rials

of eight , and hope to d iscover, yet more . Requests the appo int

ment of some one to see it dispeeded up from the waterside .

He sends a bottle of beer, and wou ld have sent more,but they

keep a ll our bottles alofte and doe not returne them back ’

P .S .— ‘ Yf the Dutch Pres ident doth come downe with you,

I

des ire to knowe of it a daye before your comeing .

’

(Copy . p .)

Gujarati ga/ zya'

, cotton or si lk cloth used for l ining. The name is said to be

derived from the Persian gajor gaz , a measure of vary ing lengths.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 295

THE SAME To [THE SAME] , OCTOBER (Ibid .

, f .

Enumerates the goods landed yesterday from the junk . H er

monyeswee hope wee shal l finde under her bal lest.’

Yesterdaye,

spying a saile with a flagg in the mayne topp , I j udged her to be

the London , but come ing aboo rd of her I perceaved it was the

S ampson wi th Ho l landers i n her,come from the Red S ea

,where

shee hath taken what wee looke for, I meane the juncks of S haulle

and Dabull . O f seven Further you shal l

understand that the Governour on this s ide water hath given order

that wee shall have nither carte to carry your goods to Surratt nor

to br ing us water,ne ither suffer any thing to be brought to the

waters side. I pray you to take o rder with him there or suffer us

to right ourselves upon him .

’ Begs the use of a horse to ride

between Swally and the waterside ; also a thousand mahmfidi s on

the sh ip’

s account . (Copy . Damag ed . 1 p .)

THE SAME To THE SAME , OCTOBER 1 0, 1 621 (Ibid . , f .

Provis ion of ship’

s stores . They are closely supervi sing the

rummaging of the prize, whose captain , p i lot , and passengers are

sti l l aboard, as also the s laves . I f the Po rtuguese prize is to proceed wi th the fleet

,dutty for her sai ls should be supp l ied . The

Do lpnz'

n m ight be sent down to give her a Spel l ,‘ if you intend to

keep one there st ill. ’ 1 The j unk of Surat is repo rted by the

Dutch to be com ing with their o ther sh ip [the Wesp] .‘ Th is

Flem ing wh ich is now arrived hath maney Moores woomen aboord ,

but what they intend to doe with them I knowe not.’

(Copy .

Damag ed . I p .)

THE SAME To THE SAME , OCTOBER 1 02, 1 621 (Ibid. , f .

Rumour of a Portuguese fleet,but whether intended hether

,o r

to joyne with those fo rm [erly at] Jasques, is yet uncerta ine Begs

h is speedy repair to the port, both to advise with regard to thei r

own proceedings and to confer with the Dutch commander ‘about

h is shipps consorting with us and speedy putting to sea for much

better weare i t in my judgement to meet at sea then to be to strictly1 A t the Bar of Surat, to watch for the returning Surat junk .

1 The posi tion of this letter in the book, as wel l as i ts contents, suggests that the dateshould real ly be the 15th.

295 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

l im itted in a dangerous harbour 'He is concerned for the safety

of their blockading vessels. Instructions requested whether they

are to cont inue unlading . A s the supp ly of carts i s l imited he

suggests that a warehouse be hired at Swally for the temporary

housing of the chanderouz e 1 , cowhe seeds [see p . 8 3 and other

goods . (Copy . Damag ed. g p .)

ROBERT JEFFRIES AND N ICHOLAS CRISPE 2 AT ‘ DEUGAR 3,

’

NEAR CHAUL, To THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT,OCTOBER 1 0 , 1 621

In reguard Coge Daut [Khwaja Daad] , a marchaunt greatly

esteemed by Mellique Amber , and sent purposely to receave and

accompany to the court such as should be appo inted to the recon

s i lement of our difference with him for the spoy le of the Agra

caffila, came soe lately to Choule, wearie through his speedy

repaire, wee began not our jomy this daye, as was determined but

in the morning (God will ing) wee shall without any hinderance.

A lbeit this afternoone brought . w ith it sad t ideings to this

Governour and people , whoe certified mee that our new fleet from

E ingland had eight dayes since taken theirjunck which to us was

a fest ival ], hOpeing that wee shal l hold the Mellique to the moreresonabl e condic ions in satisfieing our masters losse, and (on con

ference with h im) by meanes thereof wi l l stand on tearmes on the

better advantage. This Governour, tristified with the said tideings,d id earnestly intreat us to wryte these lynes unto you to sollicit

that the ir goods might be kept from spoy le or purloynement, and

that kinde entreaty be extended to such of their people as shalbe

deta ined in our custodie unti ll such tyme as you shou ld understand

what successe wee should finde with the Mellique ; whereunto wee

1 Mai z e (Arabi c Hiandarnr) .1 Went out to India in 16 1 7 as purser

’

s mate in the Bul l , and returned in her at the endof the fo llowing year. In 1620 he was appointed purser of the London , and later on was

made a factor. In Feh . ,1 624, h is brother El l is petitioned the Company to grant him an

increase of wages, and he was then ‘ commended to be a very honnest, suffi cient yongma n

’. Soon after, however , came the news that Nicholas had been lost in the wreck of

the W/zale off Surat in March,1 623 . On Oct. 5 , 1624, adm inistration was granted to

El l is Cri spe for the estate of his brother Nicholas ‘ late of Al lhal lows,Lombard Street ’

;and later (March , El l is having died

,fresh letters of adm inistration were issued to

an uncle Nicholas . The celebrated S ir N icholas Crispe was probably a cousin.

3 The Dewghur’of the Indian Atlas a vi l lage about two mi les from Chaul .

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298 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

perceave per this enclosed letter 1 from the factors theare,which

having lately receaved,and beeing the first s ince the payment of

your part of the garrison, I thought fitt to send you as wel l to let

you see the charges as such other difficulties the letter recommends

my endeavours to remedy ; whearin I have fruitle sly mooved in

as much as concernes the entertainement of unnecessary so ld iers,

i t beeing a po int of their commaund,in which case whatsoever

they bou ld necessary m ust be requis itt , keep ing us close to the

artic le which enjoynes us halfe payment ; wh ich they say they doe

not purposely augmen t, be cause their masters orders enjoynesthem to al l conven ient frugalety . And for matter of trade,certaine art icles agreed uppon per the Counsel l of Defence [see

p . 253 ] (whearof you cannot choose but be long s ince advertised)compriseth its who le order of manadging , whearin wee are obl iged

to acquaint them w ith our intended investments , and they desiring

the same goods are to contract together wi th us, or, yf not, to

suffer us to proceed alone ; wh ich beeing done so farre as our

cap ital l wi l l extend , they are not restrayned from farther trade yfthey have better meanes ; a po int M r. M i l ls m isunderstandeth , for

wee are to acquaint them with our wants and intents,not they us

,

and thus they bould us to the strict sense of all agreements,wh i lest

themselves vio late or infringe in part of all authentick and serious

treatyes .

’ 2 The S eniedam , which arrived September 1 5 from

1 Not extant but it i s evidently the last of the letters abstracted in the fol lowing ‘ Notesregarding the Engl i sh factory at Pul i cat ’ (0. C . 885)

9Apri l l , 1 621 . The Globe sett sai le from Jaquatra towards Pel licatt, and in h it ThomasM i l ls and John Mi lward went in hi t to reside at Pel li catt. (F rom P res ident Fursland

'

r

journa l .)9 ] uni . Thomas M i l l [s] and John M i lward arived at Pel l icatt, and nothing coul d then

be executed there on our partes ti l l the Governour for the Dutch in that place shoul d therearive from Musi lpatam . (Letter f rom M i lls , f n/y I O,

‘The Dutch pretende debts standing out in Pel l i catt for 2 or 3000 pagodes . (D i tto,

ju ly 16 ,

Ours in Pel l icate wri te that they had paid our moyety of the charges in Pelli cate forthei s three monethes past, vi z t . 94055 [ri als]

For the souldiours pay, three monethes, 8 7 1 1} r [ ial]s .

For the Forte charges, 685 r[ ial] s,besides the expence of powder, shott, and other muni tion , to be brought to accomptafterwardes. That the Dutch do put in and out souldi ors at their pleasure w ithout ourknow ledge or consent. (D i tto, S eptember 22

,

2 On Aug . 1 2, 1 6 21 the Dutch Governor-General wrote to his subord inate at

Masul ipatam (Hague Transcr ipts, Series III . vol. i . No. L I ) d irecting him to discontinue

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 299

Jakatra, brought not a word from the Engl ish there , and he is

confident the Dutch concealed her intended departure . They have

depopulated Banda and terrified the people of Pulo Run into

subm iss ion . O f all this,however, the Company will have rece ived

fu l l information from other sources . He hopes soon to report in

person . P .S .— Prices of sp ices brought by the S e/ziedam. (Holo

g r ap/z . E ndorsed as received by way of Holland ; 1 622. I 73

; pp .)

WILLIAM MARTIN,GEORGE PIKE

,AND JOHN GLANVILL AT

BROACH To THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCILAT SURAT,OCTOBER 1 2,

1 62 1 (B r i t. M us . Eger ton M S . 21 23 ,f .

Have received the letter and present for Yaqab Beg .

‘ Ten

dayes s ince hee went from hence with al l h is souldiers to fightagainst the Gracees 1 at M ajaculmarye

2,1 5 course hence B rodera

waye ; where hath been many hurt and S layne on both s ides .

Amongst o thers his brother is S layne. When h imselfe wi l l returneis uncertayne .

’ I t may be difficult to provide a guard for the

convoy to Ahmadabad . Have received bills of exchange for

mahm ii d‘

i s,which have been accepted . They can never

get advances from these shroffs, and in fact have always had

trouble to get the money when due . Further instructions des ired

regard ing the goods to be provided for Ach in , &c. The money

when received will only pay the ir debts . They were glad to hear

that measures had been taken for the free passage of their goods

the practice, at Pul icat and elsewhere , of buying cloth jointly with the Engl ish We are

not bound to do so by the contract, and we do not consider it advisable to bind ourselvesi n the matter ; so do your best , wi thout mak ing the Engl ish any wiser than they are. We

again warn you not to trust them in the least, for we find it productive of no good . I t is

also desirable that they should l ive outside rather than inside the fort. Do not let theminfringe on our jurisdiction, honour, and prerogative. Make them pay from month tomonth the hal f of al l expenses of the fort and garrison of Pul icat, and do not agree tothe payment of any portion here (unless i t should be to your advantage) . In th is waywe shall avo id the necessity of running after the Engl ish , and they on the other hand wi l lhave to come to us.

’

1 The term Grasid was o riginal ly appl ied to a m i l i tary and predatory chief in Malwa,Rajputana, Guz erat, and Cutch, claim ing a portion of the revenues of certain vi l lages ,either as a grant original ly from the superior authori ty, in requital of m i li tary service

, or

as the price of forbearance from plunder (Wi lson’

s Glossary ) . I t was, however, extendedto mean any k ind of blackmai ler or freebooter see the quotations in Hooson-jobson, 2nd

edn . , p . 395 .

2 Not identified.

300 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

through Unc l isear’

[see p . 1 1 3 which wil l save both trouble andexpense. The goods from Ahmadabad were dispatched threedays ago , but they do not yet know what the customs on themwil l amount to . M r. B ickfo rd writes that the Governor’s indigois ‘ Jambusar

’

, but they are informed it is of Sarkhej . I t restssti l l as formerly, some in our howse

,the rest in the messeet

’

[see

p . 280 (Copy . Damaged . 2pp .)

CAPTAIN JOHN WEDDELL AT SWALLY TO [THE PRES IDENT ATSURAT] , OCTOBER

11 2, 1 621 (Ibid.

,f .

They have searched every crevice of the p rize, but have not

found above 48 rials since thei r last advice. It would be an

infinite labour to throw out all the bal last, which is at least s ix feet

deep , and all of a clayey substance . The captain and purser

declare themselves ready to forfei t the i r heads if any more money

be found ; but i f des ired he wil l exam ine them more strictly ‘ by

pun ishment or the feare of torment ’. They understand that

content is given to the insulting Governour and that orders have

been issued for the supply [of carts P] . The Dutch have been

aboard the prize to see the blacks, but he does not know their

intentions. I have bin very inquis it ive to learne the pass[age] ofthei r proceedings in theise partes , as we l l in relati [on] from the

cheef of them as by populer divu lgements ; and thus much I have

understood . They have taken one of the juncks belonging to

theise parts of the Mogol ls dom inion2and have sunck her, with

them that were in her,and have taken four or five more of Dabull

and D iu (of which I doubt not but you have already understood),and that out of these it is reported they have taken to the valew

of two tonn of gowld , besides o ther treasure invallueable ; which

i rregu lar course of thei rs I much feare wil l fal l heavy upon us if

they he suffered to carry away the spoyle, and wee left destetute

1 September’in the MS .

1 V i z . of Cats according to Van den Broecke’s letter in Hague Transcripts (Seri es I.vol . iv. No . This i s probabl y the Cuts-nagore

’of Downton and the Cache ’

of

Bocarro , identified by S i r Henry Yule (Hobson-jobson , p . 286) with Mandvi , in Kutch .

Van den Broecke says that the persons on board were set ashore on the Arabian coast.H e confirms the statement that this and other vessels taken had passes from the Dutchfactory at Mokha, and forwards a copy of a strong remonstrance he had received from the

Governor of Dabhol .

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302 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

and sai lors must be sent to man her,

‘our owne being altogether

ignorant of the passages of that river . ’ ‘You may well tearmethe Dutches dealeing hard and thei r shuffling cruelty .

’

He thinks

thei r action is l ikely to endanger English interests, and that

something should be done to stave off the consequences .

‘You

have much respect with the Governour and Cheefes of th [ is] towne.

You may make appeare how utterly ignorant wee weare of all

these theevish proceedings. Their cheefs are al l ready at Surrattin pawne there soe we l l as you, among whome the master of theshipp , one without whome they cannot goe to sea

,hee alone being

al l the marriners in her. I know your more creditt the i r more then

enough to match them and but your word hether shal l strengthen

me suffi ciently to keep in my power (for answer to hereafter

objections) whatsoever they at present in this roade most falcelyand inj urious ly cal l myne [s ic] . Excuses his bo ldness in tenderingthis advice

,but begs a speedy answer. I greatly feare the Dutch

hath caught the bird which wee soe long have expected , I meane

the junck of this towne, for noe . other purpose yet to make thei r

peace with these peop le, and peradventure have to that end left

their p innace to waft her hether. In such case be p leased to

scert ifie whether at arrivall they shal l continew thei r possession or

that I shal l cease her out of the i r hands , with whatsoever pertinent

to her,for the causes you have already determyned . That p innace

som saye to contayne the treasure of the surprised P .S .

U rges an early valuation of the prize goods in o rder that the sai lors

may know what to expect, as an encouragement for the future.

(Copy . Damag ed . 3 pp .)

EDWARD HEYNES AND ROBERT HUTCHINSON AT BURHANPUR

To THE SAME, OCTOBER 1 3 , 1 621 (Ibid ., f .

Letters received and dispatched to Agra. Have so ld their Bulgar

h ides but find no demand for thei r coral , amber, and ivory . They

are thinking of sending the amber to Agra . It is rumoured that

[Soares] , hearing of Bangham’

s arrival, has app l ied to Hackum

Cushall [Hakim Khush-hal] for the Princes firmaen to send [forThey do not believe this report, and are confident he can

do nothing. Hee pretends the losse [of] rupies , showes all

men long scrowles of part[iculars P] , which causeth many to beleeve

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 303

him and pitty h is m isfortunes. Wee cannot yet finish [with] A fsulchon and Isack Beage for our fi rmaen, although dayly wee vis itt

them and press it with much earnestnesse. H is departure towards

Surratt is reported to be shortly beforewhich ifwee receave i t not

to content, you shal l soon understand thereof. In the meane time

wee desire your pat ience .

’

P .S . Wee understand that Rustan

Chon’

[Rustam Khan] with other umbraes [p . 274 n .] are inorderedto fetch in the Raja of Daytah [p . 74 When hee arive, wee

wil l petition against him and by firmaen free ourselves of the ex

tortion in that p lace.

’

(Copy . Damag ed. 1 % pp .)

EDWARD HEYNES AT BURHANPUR To THE SAME,OCTOBER 1 3 ,

1 62 1‘

(Ibid . , f .

I have now continewed in these parts two yeares beyeond thel im itts of my former resolution,

’

and i t is nearly seven s ince he left

England .

1 Requests permission to return by the next ships . (Copy .

Damag ed . I p .)

MATTHEW DUKE AT MASULIPATAM To THE COMPANY,

OCTOBER 1 3 , 1 621 (0. C.

Wrote by the Globe and also by way of Surat [see p . This

smal le sh ippe or yolke2 is mostly ladne with pepper, procured on

this coast at a towne caled Tegne-Patnam 3

, near St. Thome, butbrought thear overland from the coast of Malabar

,cost (as I am

informed) with all charges 70 rials the behare (dear enough) . The

rest of her lading is long c loathe (the sorte not unknowne to your

selves) and sum stuffes of Bengale, with such other comod ities as

these parts afford . The 15 th September here arived the S ebeedom

of Delft came from Jaccatra to this coast in a month,but

brough [t] no letters for the Engl ish,which seemeth wery strang

unto us al l, and cannot but doubte that there i s sum great falling

out at Jaccatra .

’

Dutch excesses in the Bandas . Pu lo Run con

quered . Bantam st i l l refuses to have dealings with either Dutch orEnglish . A French ship burnt at Jakatra. Fight between three

1 It wi l l be remembered that he came out with Roe as his secretary.

2 Yacht ( the Dutch Naerden) .3 Afterwards the site of the Engl ish settlement cal led Fort S t. David . It is nearly a

hundred miles from S t. Thome’ .

304 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

Dutch vessels and a Spanish plate ship in the South Seas .‘The

’

said Dut[c]he have l ikewise sent s ix shipes to the coast of Malabar

to meet w ith the Portingale galeons . Here is now on this coast,

bes ides this smalle ship now returning for Hollan , two great Dutch

sh ipes , one of which is shortly to goe for Jaccatra ; by which sh ipI purpose , God will ing, to send jornall and leager of al l your affa ires

of Petapo l ie for now there remaneth no more but the pursselaineto sel l, the lead being al l sould and moast part of the mony receivedfor it ; the rest wi lbe paid in a month or l ittle moar, for it is in very

suffitient mens hands which lead mony once rece ived , ther will then

remaine only a debt of 3 2—1

2 pa[godas] , and the purselaine ; which

purselaine I doubt wi l l not sel l thear, but must be transeported tosom other part . The lowest price the lead was sould at i s 145

pagodas per cande , the cande contain ing 20 mane, and each mane

neare 26 lb . habberdepo ise . The Ho l landers have yet som store of

lead,but it is in three square blocks . Sum bars they have also

,

but not many. The bars are most vendable and Petapol ie best

market for that comodety , and in m ine opynion a fare better p lace

for buyeing of sundri so rts of cloath in greate quantety and far

better Cheape then hear to be had . I meane on the Engl ishes part,by reason that the Dutch with there great soms drawe most men

to them . I t is now two mouthes s iththence I came from Petapol ie ,and in al l this t ime I doe not knowe that ther is bought or con

t ra[c] ted for one fardle of cloath ; only ther i s pagods paid

the Dut[c]he Governor, Andres Sere [see p . 255 n.] on peeces

of longe cloath to be del ivered in at M esulepatnam in n ine mouthes .

This bargen was concluded betwene M r. Wm . Methwo ld and dictoSere long s ince , but they have t il l July to deliver i t in

,which is

somwhat late. Yf I m igh [t] have advised , the manadging of this

cloath should have ben in the Englishes hands, part ly to have seeneinto that trade, wherein the Dutche doe invest two-thirds of thermonyes ; and in regard of there longe experience they have had

of the comodeties on this coast , I cannot but thinke they finde that

trade moast profitable. But al l thinges are caried by a single duble

vo ice and not ordred by consultation ; which I could wishe were

otherwise, for considering that the factory o f Petapol i is dissolved,wee are enow to have steered our owne course and not to saile

,

by

another mans compas . I doe not incert this caut ion upon any

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306 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

shipes . I pray God bl ise and preserve your shipes that went

from Suratt , and keepe them and all o thers from danger. The

Portingales have sent to the releefe of four of there gal leons which

are at Ormusse two o ther ga l leons, and inordred all s ix to sta iethere for the comm ing of others out of Portingalle ; which once

joyned , doe purpose sum exp lo i te aga inst the Engl ish . I pray

God to devert there wi cked devices and let the harme they p retend

to others to ther owne overthrowe . I t is here now latly

reported that the Decan warrs are ended and truse taken betwenethe M ogull and them ; which yf, it is to be hooped ther wi lbe somegood vend for your great sto re of purselaine in theis factories, which

God grante to good profitte .

’

(Holog r aph. 5 pp .)

WILLIAM HOARE AT SWALLY SANDS To THE PRESIDENT AT

SURAT,OCTOBER 14 , 1 62 1 (Br i t. M as . Eg er ton M S . 21 23 , f .

The goods are being rap idly fo rwarded to Surat. Requestsinstructions whether the ‘ couba seeds [see p . 83 op ium, and

myrrh should be sent up , or we ighed , packed , and p laced on board

the sh ips . (Copy . p .)

CAPTAIN JOHN WEDDELL, ABOARD THE 9f0NAS , To THE

S AME , OCTOBER I 5 , 1 621 (Ibid . , f .

Suggests that some one be sent by land to Chaul or some such

p lace for news of the ships. Will forward h is accounts to-morrow.

(Corr 2p .)

R ICHARD LANCASTER AT CAMBAY TO THE PRESIDENT AND

COUNCIL AT SURAT,OCTOBER 1 5 , 1 621 (Ibid. , f .

Progress of the investment. More money required. Commends

the bearer, an Armen ian named Joseph Guffall to thei r courteous

treatment. P .S . Signor Cogea Dervece [Khwaja Darwesh] ,from whom he has rece ived many courtesies , sends h is salutations.

(Copy . Damag ed . 31, p .)

JAMES B ICKFORD , NATHANIEL HALSTEAD, WILLIAM H ILL ,AND JOHN CLARK AT AHMADABAD To THE SAME

,OCTOBER 1 7 ,

1 62 1

They are about to start for Sarkhej , and wil l write from thence .

The letter forwarded has been presented to the Governor of

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 307

Ahmadabad,who prom ised to send an answer, to write to the

Governor of Surat ‘ for paseing toffa’

[see p . 1 26 and to send

some horse ‘to asist the convoye from Radwassett 1 Halstead

wi l l be dispatched to meet the convoy, though he can i ll be spared .

They w il l do thei r best to p rovide the goods required but the time

al lotted them is short . (Copy . Damag ed. 1 p .)

JOSEPH HOPKIN SON AT SURAT To [PRESIDENT RASTELL ATSWALLY] , OCTOBER 1 9, 1 621 (Ibid .

, f .

Letter and bil ls of exchange sent to Cambay. H e is about to

d ispatch bills for mahmfidi s to Broach . Two letters from

Cambay for the President and Captain Weddel l were sent to

Swal ly this morning. (Copy . Damag ed.—3 p .)

THE SAME To THE SAME , OCTOBER 1 9, 1 62 1 (Ibi d. , f .

The bills fo r Broach have been sent off. Letters received from

Burhanpur. There is a rumour that two English ships have been

taken by the Portuguese , but he is persuaded it is false. (Copy .

Damag ed. 73 p .)

WILLIAM MARTIN,GEORGE PIKE

,AND JOHN GLANVILL AT

BROACH To THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT, OCTOBER 1 9,1 62 1

Regret that Surat cannot supply them with money . Have

ordered 200 corge of stuffs for Achin , but wil l endeavour to reducethe number

,and ‘what wee can lessen with them of that kinde

shalbe made into bucker for E ingland Of selaes they have not

got many, as they are particular in the i r cho ice of the raw cloths ,

and have rejected many. Provis ion of baftas , blue and white,and

‘cannakins

’

[see p . 95 They are st il l p lagued about theGovernor’s ind igo . The ‘ Shakdare [see p . 205 n .] and Cutwal l

’

[see p . 48 n .] tried to persuade them to take it into thei r house ,which wee utterly refused .

’ They have,however

,agreed to send

a samp le to the factors at Ahmadabad , who , if they approve of i t,may negotiate direct w ith the owner

,who is at present in that city.

This has been done,and M r. B ickford advised . S albank arr i ved

1 The point where the road from Baroda crossed the Mahi , near Vasad . This wasprobably the l imit of the j urisdiction of the Governor of Ahmadabad.

X 2

308 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

with his charge on Sunday morn ing, the 14th , and left that evening

for S ambelott 1 where many coaches,camels

,&c . , were waiting

for Yaqub Beg’

s horsemen to convoy them to Ahmadabad . Wee

weare in good hOpe your Governours p irwanna would have con

t inewed this yeare for free passage of our goods at Unkleyseare

[see p . but the offi cers say- the date of that is out.

’ They

have consequently been forced to pay 14 p ice duty on the gunny

brought by S albank. Writing paper wanted . (Copy . Damag ed.

asre )

R ICHARD BARBER AND JUSTINIAN OFFLEY AT BARODA TO

THE SAME , OCTOBER 19, 1 62 1 (Ibid. , f .

The ir packing is at a stand for want of the delayed gunny.

‘ Tyme tarrieth for noe man .

’

S albank has arrived , and has

presented the Governor with some cloth . He has now departedfor Ahmadabad with a guard of 30 horse and 30 foot. Owing

to other buyers com ing to ‘S inekerra 2

the price of gum-lac has

risen . They request instructions as to its purchase. (Copy .

Damag ed. I p .)

WILLIAM MARTIN,GEORGE PIKE , AND JOHN GLANVILL AT

BROACH To THE SAME,OCTOBER 2 1 , 1 62 1 (Ibid ., f .

Have now received the gunny, and wi l l send on the portion

intended for Baroda. The Customs officers demand further duty

on it. An appl ication should be made to the Governor of Surat‘to rule those peop le

’

. (Copy . Damag ed. p .)

JAMES B ICKFORD,NATHANIEL HALSTEAD

,WILLIAM H ILL

,

AND JOHN CLARK AT AHMADABAD To THE SAME,OCTOBER 22,

1 621 (Ibid., f .

Returned hither from Sarkhej on hearing of the approach of

the convoy, which has arr ived safely. They thank them for the

news sent,and answer various po ints in thei r letter. Instructions

required as to the mode of packing cal icoes and indigo ; also advice

as to the intentions of the Dutch, that they may prevent some of

1 Not identified.1 Sakhera or Sankheda, about twenty mi les south-east of Baroda.

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3 1 0 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

regards ‘cannakeens

’

,i t is not necessary to open every p iece ;

‘ three [or] four p eeces in each busta 1 wi lbe suffic ient.’

He

would be glad to have their instruct ions for embal ing the goods .

(Copy . M a i n damag ed . 2 pp .)

CAPTAIN JOHN WEDDELL,ABOARD THE 5‘0NAS , To THE

PRES IDENT AT SURAT,OCTOBER 23 , 1 62 1 (Ibid . , f . 94)

Requests instructions as to the disposal of the women s lavestaken in the first prize . They have surveyed the Portuguesevessels captured , and find them ‘ very sufficient

,and will stand in

great stead in our future businesse ’

. He th inks the two laden

ships should accompany the fleet to Jask . Wou ld also be glad to

know whether they may depend on the assistance of the Dutch,and , i f so

,what arrangements have been made ‘ concerning his

p roportion [of auth]oryty‘The p ledge from the Mel l ick

Amber 2 lodgeth ashoare meere our court of guard,with whome

alsoe by h is great intreaty the captain of that country junck to

accompany h im . They require als‘

oe some of thei r woomen to be

w ith them .

’

Requests instructions on this po int, and also as to

the supp ly of money,&c .,

to these p risoners . (Copy . Damag ed .

1 ti )

CAPTAIN R ICHARD BLYTH,R ICHARD SWAN

,AND CHRIS

TOPHER BROWN AT SWALLY To THE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL

AT SURAT,OCTOBER 23 , 1 621 (Ibid .

, f .

(P ar t i lleg i ble.) Trust that they may expect the President and

Council shortly on board the ships for d ispatch of business . (Copy .

Damag ed. p .)

JAMES B ICKFORD,NATHANIEL HALSTEAD, ANDWILLIAM H ILL

AT SARKHEJ To THE SAME , OCTOBER 24, 1 62 1 (Ibid ., f .

(P ar t torn away .) Have received samp les of Jambusar indigo,‘ which by noe meanes may not be medeled withal l , it not beingworth the carriage home .

’

The treasure arrived safely at

Ahmadabad on the 1 9th , in charge of S albank,and the escort of

1 Bale (Hind . basta) .1 As hostage for Jeffries and his companions (see p .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 3 1 I

fourteen Engl ishmen set out on thei r return journey the 22nd .

S albank has gone to Cambay. Request advice on certain po ints ,and news of the intentions of the Dutch . (Copy . M ae/t damag ed.

PM

CAPTAIN R ICHARD BLYTH,ABOARD THE yam s

,To THE

SAME,OCTOBER 24 , 1 621 (Ibid.

,f .

I t wil l be diffi cult to shift the logwood from the London . The

sh ips wi l l be ready to sa il within ten days . Money requ ired for

p rovisions, &c. Delay in landing the ‘ruenasse

1(Copy . Damag ed .

r.)

W ILLIAM HOARE,ABOARD THE DOLPHIN

, TO THE SAME ,OCTOBER 24, 1 62 1

S ixteen carts have been sent off with goods , and the rest shal l

fo llow . He would be glad to know how he is to be disposed of.

I f to the southwards, he hopes they wil l permit h im in the interim

to accompany the fleet to Pers ia ‘and take such share as the

A lmightie shal l allott mee He has been very badly treated,but

w i l l not trouble them with further comp laints . (Copy . M i te/t

damag ed . 1 pp .)

THE SAME To THE SAME,OCTOBER 25 , 1 62 1 (Ibid . , f .

(P ar t torn away . ) Gunny,&c . , requ ired for packing. A l l the

goods belonging to Mr. Pinder’

s pri ze have been sent up ,‘the

seeds and husks of cowha [see p . 83 n .] excepted,’ regarding which

instruct ions are awa ited . M r. Kerridge sealed the hold of the

London’

s prize, and nothing can be done with regard to that t il l

he returns or sends o rders . The wine and beer asked for wil l

be forwarded as soon as possible. Requests instructions abouta parcel of knives on the If the coffee is to go to Jask

,

the ship in which it is to be sent should be des ignated . (Copy .

M ae/t damag ed. 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE , ABOARD THE HART,To THE SAME

,

OCTOBER [P 1 62 1 (Ibid ., f .

[The captain of the j unk P] comp lains of thei r repacking and

mixing the coffee,declaring that it be longs not to the Mal ik

1 Rama,Indian madder.

3 1 2 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

but to the passengers in the ship , who wil l not consent to its‘

d isposal ;‘ for whose sakes this Cabaly

1pretends h is master

will the sooner end , if the i r goods disposed and expo rted by us .

’

Kerridge thinks this should be cons idered , as he is of Op inion the

Mel lique wi l l make some reasonable end though not to our full

demaund (Copy . Damag ed . p .)

JOSEPH S ALBANK AT CAMBAY To THE SAME,OCTOBER 27 ,

1621

(P ar t torn away .) Heere is flye ing newes abroad that

Master Kerridge ‘hath taken a junck loaden with goods and the

subjects of th is King, and they doe repo rte that very shortl ie all

the E ing li sh shalbe laid fast and their goods seazed upon .

’

He is

confident , however , that Kerridge has done nothing indiscreet .The Governor here uses the Engl ish kindly, and should thereforebe remembered with a present . Lancaster is anxious to procurea bottle of beer i f possible . (P ar t torn away .) Praises

‘Master

Payne ’

,who is very des irous of emp loyment. He seems more

skilful than Pike, whose honesty is also doubtful . (Copy . M uck

WILLIAM MART IN , GEORGE PIKE, AND JOHN GLANVILL AT

BROACH To THE SAME, OCTOBER 28 ,1 62 1

Purchase of goods . More money needed . The English convoy

from Ahmadabad arrived yesterday mo rning,and left for Surat the

same evening . (Copy . M ack damag ed. 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE,ABOARD THE HART

,To THE SAME , OCTO

BER 29, 1 621

Perceives the ir dec is ion about the coffee. Particulars of the

we ights, &c . ,of priz e goods . The captaine &c . masters heere,

conceaveing the course held with them in our voyage for pilladgeinghath bene very strickt, are des irous to see you before they parte

w ith the treasure ; which alsoe for other respects is necessary, for

some of them being things of va l ue may save custome, and therebybe freed from the officers fingering.

’ Packers wanted ; also baskets

for the indigo . (Copy . M nendamag ed. 1 71, pp .)

1 Apparently the pledge referred to on p . 3 10 (Arabi c gabz’

l, a

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3 14 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

[THE FACTORS AT AHMADABAD] To THE SAME, [OCTOBER 3 11 621

Have several t imes asked Surat for information on various

po ints, and principally for your advice of the Dutches proceedings,who have now both p revented you and us , for last even ing Henrickand [the P] Po lack

1arived heere

,but wi l l not be knowne what their

businesse is . They pretend a jorney to Dowlca [Dho lka] fordutties to make sai les ; but wee hope you conceave the Po lack

wou ld not come from Surrat with such haste and expedicion uponsoe sl ight an occasion .

’ They therefore beg earnest ly for advice

as to the real intent ions of the Dutch . They would also be gladof a decis ion regarding the packing of the ir indigo . (P ar t tornaway .) P .S .

-They have sorted some of their rials and del ivered

them to the m intmen, the o ld at and the new at 2 rupees

3 3 p ice. They send H i l l ’s book of baftas bought . (Copy . 1 14 pp .)

R ICHARD BLYTH,RICHARD SWAN

,AND WILLIAM BAFFIN [AT

SWALLY] TO THE SAME , [NOVEMBER 1 P] , 1 621 (Ibid. , f .

Have careened the P r imrose and done thei r best to make her

t ight and serviceable, but with l ittle success . They request the

Council’

s Op inion whether, i f brought up to Surat, she could be

sheathed by the country carpenters, she being a new shipp , onely

spoy led with the worme, soe that to make her fi tt for any service

she must be new plancked from the kee le upwards’. They think

this m ight we l l be done, the Dutch building at thei r owne p leasure.

O therwise, she must be pulled to p ieces,‘ whereby the Company

S hal l receave prej udice, shee being such an exce l lent mowld thatthe eye of man hath not commonly seen a better .

’

(Copy . M ac/t

damag ed . 1 p .)

[WILLIAM BLUNDSTONE P1] To THE PRES IDENT AT SURAT,[NOVEMBER 2 P] , 1 62 1

Learns from Mr. Kerridge that he has been granted paymentof the money detained from him by the Agent in Persia. H is

1 Probably the Pole mentioned on p . 291 .

1 Servant to Edward Connock, Whom he accompanied to Persia. After his master’s

death he appears to have been sent back to Surat (see p.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 3 15

wages as settled in England were to be 6l . per annum , whereof he

had received about 1 31. to the time of his com ing from Persia,though it was on ly half of what was due for years . While h is

master l ived h is wants were supp l ied , but he is now unprovided

with many necessaries and begs assistance . (Copy . M ac/z damag ed.

1 R)

WILLIAM MARTIN,GEORGE PIKE , AND JOHN GLANVILL AT

BROACH To THE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL ATSURAT,NOVEMBER 2,1 621

(P ar t torn away .) Goods now sent down under the charge of

Thomas A ldsworth ; thei r value —41; mahmfidi s . They could

not dispatch them earl ier,‘ for that all the boats and porters have

been these three or four dayes, and are yet, imployed [ in] thecarrye ing of Cojah Jehan [Khw

'

aja Jahéin] and Merja

(wh ich are come from Amadavaz ) thei r [leskar P] over the river.’

(Copy . M nclt damag ed. 1 p .)

THOMAS KERRIDGE , ABOARD THE HART,To THE SAME,

NOVEMBER 3 , 1 621

Packing and lading of goods. Hopes they are coming downto-morrow. Returns the Bantam letters, and inqu ires for thosefrom Masul ipatam . (Copy . Damag ed . 1 p .)

ABSTRACT OF LETTERS FROM ROBERT JEFFRIES To THE

SURAT FACTORS,OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER

,1 621 , DURING H I S

M ISSION TO MALIK AMBAR (Factory Records, M iscellaneous ,

vo l . i . p .

Fr om Nocbiere 1 (Date notg iven .) Indians make some unfortnate daies for travai le . They remaine two daies in the c ittie ofJan

neerez. They arrive within two m iles of Doultabaud 3

the 25 th of

October,beeing the court ofMel ick . A hundred and fifty men

,horse

1 Not identified. Probably some vi l lage in which Mal ik Ambar had temporari lyestabl ished hi s head quarters.

1 Junnar, in Poona d istrict, seventy m i les north-east of Bombay. It was there thatDr. Fryer visi ted the Nawab Mukhl is Khan in 1675 .

1 Daulatabad, the famous fortress, anciently known as Deogiri, whi ch has played a

l eading part in the history of the Deccan from the earl iest times. It is situated ten mi lesto the north-west of Aurungab

'

ad.

3 1 6 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

and foote, sent from Me l ick Amber,who des irs the ir repair unto him ;

They came to Nock iere and were admitted to the presence ofMel ick

Amber. Mel ick Amber demaunded the cause of thei r com inge bya Portugall renegado , h is interpreter. Jefferies makes aunswere in

Portugesse . H e del ivereth the Counsel ls letter to M el icke . Mel icks

interpreter begann l ike a schoole boy to spell the le tter . Mel icke

takes the letter from the Portugall and gives it to h is Maltas 1 .M elicke demaunds the losse wee sustained upon the caph i la. Hee

aunswered s ix leques 2 of ruppes ; the prime cost of the goods

ruppies . They are d ism ist from the presence of M el icke.

They repaire to the ir tennt and Mel ick sends them six sheepe, rice ,meale , &c .

,for their provisions . They retourne Mel ick thanks for

thei r good cheer. They are sent for by Melick,and carrie a present

with them of nine yards of scarlett . Mel icks porter denis Robert

Lea enteraunce . Mel ick consu lts with Jasper Gomes,a Portugall

renegado . M r. Jefferies des ires adm ittaunce for h is interpreter .

They te l l Mel ick of thei r present . He den is to receive i t unti l l

d ifferences were ended . Mel ick demaunded whether d ifferences in

theh ; muntrie betweene man and man were governed by consc ience

and j ust ice ; with Jefferies repl ie . Mel icks secound demaund howe

cou ld they require the spo lle of the caffila of him with aunswer to

i t. Jefferies first reason : in reg ard of the distrust of Yacute

Canens [see p . 23 1 ] arm ie he sol lic ited a warraunt for passage of

the goods. Mr. Lea nowe interpreteth , fearinge the Portugalls

d ishonestie in that office . Mogo lls enemies to the Decans and

frinds to the Engl ish . The Mel i ck laid the fault of the robbing of

the caffi la upon ours , because they would not take such wales as

they were counsel led . Secound reason : Mel icks promise . In a

letter of the 22th September to the commander of our fieete at

Chaule hee prom iseth instant satisfact ion. Jefferies saith that in con

science and j ustice Mel ick out [ i . e . ought] to make satisfaction . The

p rime cost of the losse amount to rupp ies, but the losse

growing thereby wou ld be s ix leques ruppies . Mel icks aunswer to

Jefferies secound reason : in h is letter hee promised to doe what

1 M r. Joshi suggests that this i s a m istake for the Gujarati manta, an accountant orsecretary.

1 Lakhs . Jeffries was no doubt making a l iberal estimate of the money that the goodswould have produced in England.

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3 1 8 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

M el ickes courte.

’

Requests that the A ndrew may be reserved totake him to Pers ia,

and suggests that Kerridge should go th ither asAgent

,with himself for second . Hee l s marvelous

‘

d iscontent att

the delaies of Mel ick for h is dispatch .

’

If he cannot have the

A ndrew,he must follow by land . He is prom ised h is d ispatch , and

to have h is adm ittaunce to the M el icke,without whose leave none

ma ie departe . One of the Mel icks Viziers 1 fledd”

from him withhorse . Mel icks delaies is martirdome to M r. Jefferies .

’

M oni ng o1, tne 2nd November .

‘ Jefferies had his dispatch fromMel ick Amber and rece ived aunswer as formerly that hee would

make noe restitution or sat isfaction for the robbery done . H ee can

not arrive att Surat by the 7 th currant . Dangerous travail l ing in the

H indo es countrie without companie . Hee hopeth to be att Suratt by

the 10th of November. M oningo twenty courses from Dultabaudin the waie to S uratt. Jefferies whol ly d ispatcht from Mel icks

wearysome delayes . What hath passed hee wil l fully re late unto

the Pres ident at his meetinge .

’

(2—5pp.)

JAMES B ICKFORD, NATHANIEL HALSTEAD ,WILLIAM H ILL, ANDJOHN CLARK AT AHMADABAD To THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL

AT SURAT, NOVEMBER 4 , 1 621 (Factory Records, S nra t, vol . ci i . f.

(F irst par t miss ing .) Recommend certain concessions to someindividuals not named. (Copy . p .)

EDWARD HEYNES AND ROBERT HUTCHINSON AT BURHANPURTO THE SAME

,NOVEMBER 6

,1 621 (Ibid .

,vol . ci i . f.

On receipt of the letters from Surat of October 1 1, they again

so l icited Khwaja Abdala Hassan for a more effectual parwana to hisservant Pahlawan Safi d [see p . 28 1 ] but he answered that he had

been informed that the Engl ish at Swally had used Vio lence to theK ing

’

s subjects , and that comp laints to the commanders on the

po int had been ignored . They rep l ied that these statements werefalse

,and made counter-comp laints of the Governor ’s behaviour.

Nevertheless , Abdala Hassan refused to give them any further

parwana , though he prom ised that Is-haq Beg shou ld be instructedto look into the matter and see j ustice done on both s ides . This

1 Probably Jadfi Ray (see p .

1 Not identified .

THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES 3 1 9

i s all that can be expected from him .

‘After many delayes and

as many disputes had with A fz ul Chan and Isack Beag about our

articles and fi rmaen prom ised , at last (as the 29th past , three dayesafter Isack Beag had taken leave at court) wee weare cal led beforethe Prince at the durbarr ; when , after some conference with A fz ul

Chan and Cojah Abdel la Hassan about our articles (which wee

perceaved to be [ in] the ir hands and no t del ivered) , the Prince gaveus this answer, that if wee would l ive qu ietly with his subjects [and]trade c ivelly l ike marchaunts , not offer force to the peop le of his

porte nor robb the juncks and boats of Mussallmen1or Banians

pass ing the seas, e ither subjects to h imselfe or other his neighbour

p rinces , wee should then have content in all our desires , h is porteand ‘

al l other his p laces shou ld be ours, and more free to us then toany marchaunts ; yf not , wee had then h is lycence to leave h is

porte and depart the country. Wee replyed that wee alwayes

l ived freindly with h is peop le and treated them c ivelly as became

marchaunts, both at h is porte and elce where ; that wee came to

trade, not to doe vio lence or fo rce ; and that wee were wel l assured

there hath not any man to this tyme within his kingdomes made

complaint against us of bad dealeing or wrong don by us,but such

of h is [officers P] and servants at Surratt as doth day ly seeke to

stopp the c[ourse] of our businesse to the end to extorte bribesfrom us for private gaine, which being denied them doth yet vex

[us to] our great prej udice, notwithstand ing upon their wee

have the Kings firmaen given us for good [usage P] whoe, doubting‘

to be blamed upon our comp laints [made P] against the ir oppress ions

, preventeth us with falce informations to H is H ighnes (whenhee was to credulus) ; that by meanes thereof our petic ions are

sl ighted [and] not regarded when wee seeke reformation and

to their vi llanyes , without any mannour of j ustice or hope

thereof from H is H ighnes. For our surprisal l of juncks and boat s

at sea, wee appealed to his owne for the justnes thereo f,i f in cause ourselves should of our wrongs in that kinde,when upon knowledge it is apparant to the world wee are

both robd [and] dispoyled of our goods , abused in our persons ,both by Mussalmen and Banians on shoare , against whome upon

complaint wee can nither finde j ust ice , reform[ation] or rest itution ,1 An early example of this incorrect plural.

3 20 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

nor other remedy can be found to releeve us. Lastly, for our

departure from his porte and countrey , wee answered wee should

be ready 5 00 to doe if hee p leased to give us firmaerf [autho]riz ingus , whereby wee m ight justifie our returne to the Kings Majestieof E ingland , by whose command , together with the lycence of h is

father and h imselfe, wee had this many yeares traded within his

kingdoms . To this hee replyed not,but said hee had directed

Rustan Chan [see p . 303 ] to the Goverment o f Guz aratt, and IsackBeag to be Governo r of the porte, to whome on al l occasions weeshould repaire for justice and from whome wee should seeke the

lycence of our p rivi ledges, and what they should graunt us should

by himselfe be confirmed. To which wee answered that by ex

perience wee had found sl ight reguard of us and of our comp laints

at the hands of h is Governors when wee sought for j ustice,and that

wee cou ld nott [rely P] upon such priviledges ; that it was h is owne

p romise, together with A fz ul Chans , that caused our attendancethese four mouthes for h is fi rmaen , both for j ust ice in our inj uries

and reformat ion in the abuses of his servants ; that wee wearecommaunded to de l iver him these articles, which wee then presented, accompan ied with a moore

l in gould (fivewhich were noe other then his father formerly graunted us

,and to

require h is firmaen for confirmat ion ; which if hee p leased not

to affoord us,wee desired his firmaen to depart from his porte,

which shou ld end our attendance and all o ther suites to H is

H ighnes . Whereupon againe conferring with A fz ul Chan and

Cojah A bdallaz on,hee demaunded to see his fathers fi rmaen of

privi ledges, which wee affirmed to be with you in Surratt ; and

makeing no further speech of them ,hee tooke our articles and read

them , and to the last,which concerned the landing of our currall

and buying of goods for Mocho ,hee rent them in sunder and threw

downe the paper, sayeing wee should n ither have lycence in the oneo r other of them

,see ing that nothing elce but the profitt and bread

of his people could content us . S oe rise ing, gave us order to comeat n ight to the Gushall Chon [see p . 273] for a fuller answer ; whereattending, wee found h im so fu ll of other busines that ours was not

1 Mohur. In Elkington’s notebook, 16 14—1 5 (Factory Records , M i scel l ., vol . xxv) there

i s a note that the go ld mahoores then current were of four sorts, worth 25 , 1 2115 , 1 0 , and5 rupees respectively.

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322 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

alwayes kept good quarter. Hee promiseth you extraordinaryfavour, and wee partly beleeve you shal l finde i t so

,and the trade

to Mocho by his lycence if you have fairely. You mustdepend on h im,

for hee is soe amp le in the affaires of Surratt that

there can be noe contradiction by any in what [hee] commaundeth'

nor justice found with the Prince against him when he injureth

you ; in case whereof there is left you noe o ther [redress P] thenyour owne force to releeve you.

’

The bus iness of Soares i s stil l in

the same position . The Cass ie [see p . 39 n .] refuses a copy of the

j udgement against h im,and awaits the arrival of Bangham . The

indigo question is also unsettled . Amber received , but no oppor

tunity has yet offered for i ts dispatch to Agra. Its value at

B urhanpur. They are in treaty for sale of part of the coral .

Signor Gori c has again returned to Burhanpur to seek camels,which are not to be procured , and he is now bargain ing for carts .He has prom ised to take their ind igo to Surat . They approve the

a

prOposal to send a cargo to the Red S ea on the return of the fleet

from Pers ia (‘ i f in case two shipps should bee reserved in these

partes for the next yeare and to force the trade,if necessary, by

stopp ing the Prince’s j unk.

‘R ampaxad wil l shortly be in meanes

to paye his debts, for that Chon Chonna hath promised him buratts

[ see p . 20 1 n.] for rupies on certaine jageres1 for satisfaction .

’

Rs. remitted to Agra. Provis ion of rustlack [see p . 64

They cannot procure any‘of the sorte of deap lack

1 in

They are sorry that the pri zes are not of greater value,and trust

that the hopes of satisfaction from Malik Ambar wil l not prove

delusive.

‘The actions of the Dutch in the Red S ea by surprisall

of thejuncks after cartas geven them in the port of Mocha makes

them stink before the Prince and peop le. Yt \ may happely proove

[our] good, in that our proceedings savours more of j ustice and

humanitie, which may begett ,

a better respect of us in the

and Prince when they compare the actions of both nations, and

procure us the trade of Mocho by consent for their owne securities.

It is referd to Isack Beag,who doubtless wi ll so l ic ite you to

accompany the i r juncks in that trade if these broyles at sea

continew ; in which you must be careful l the Dutch intercept you1 See note on p. 90.

1 Probably an error for d ig-lac (Mahr. dig, crude

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 323

not by thei r proffered service, which is to be doub ted, for there

hath lately past private letters betwixt him and the Dutch President,which gives us cause of suspition .

’

(Copy . Damag ed. 812 pp .)

THOMAS RASTELL, GILES JAMES , WILLIAM MARTIN , AND

JOSEPH HOPKINSON AT SURAT To THE COMPANY,NOVEMBER 7 ,

1 621 (Abstract only. Factory Records, M iscellaneous , vol. i . p .

‘The London, Hart, and Roebncbe and A ndrew went from S uratt

toward Mocha the 7 th of Apri l l . The Governour of S uratt

breaketh his promises and p layeth rex1 with our people and

busines . Hee denied us the transporte of our monies to severall

factories . Wee were constreyned for the freeing of our busines to

give the Governour r[ ial] s, or yei ld to be so much exacted

upon, with purpose to take restitution when occasion shal l fitt us .

Our cavidall of r[ ial]s , &c . , sent up to Amadavaz arrived safely

there the I st of Maye. What investments they had made for

Persia. Our lynnen for England is gathered upp browne from

manie weavers for ready monie, yea, partly aforehand . Wee were

enforced to use our creditt at Amadavaz . Our commodities laye

dead undisposed . Our corral l was deteyned in the custome-house

t ill 20 July , when the raines were come to hinder the transport

thereof.’ COral and amber at Burhanpur not yet disposed of. Some

ivory so ld there, but that at Agra and Surat is sti ll on hand .

None to be sent for a year. The sale of our leade was prohibited

to al l, and restreyned onely to the Princes officers, who have long

beate upon it, and in September bought all at 73 mam [fidi s] . A ll

not yett del ivered , nor one-third of the amount rece ived . Haveing

laid aparte our care of provisions for other p laces, wee have

applyed ourselves for investments for England haveing provided

sufficient ladeinge for the London and another shipp ( i f Persiasupp ly) , vi z . narrowe baftaes , broad baftaes,niccanees , semianoes , duttees, 200 bales B iana indico ,

maunes Serques, 100 maunes si lke, good store of gum-lacke

and most part ready for imbal ing . A hope to furnish maunes

1 There is another abstract of the same letter under 0. C. 1009, but i t i s not so ful l .1 To play rex meant to act as a king, do anything you pleased . Nares in his Glossary

quotes from Du Bartas Then plaies he rex ; tears, ki ls, and al l consumes.’

Y 2

3 24 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

pepper, whereof wee [could P] have had ma[unds] , i f theDutch had not interposed themselves, at lesse then 15which they have raised to 1 9 ; and doe meane to shoo t the

pepper in hould amongest the round churles of indico , which forhast cannot be packt into square basketts. The king of A cheene

wi ll not lett h is pepper goe under 64 rials that bahare, and yet

sould i t to the Guz eratts for 32 rials . Two Dutch shipps retournefrom A chein without pepper. The French noe better. The

French att Bantam laden with pepper fired hirselfe . The Dutch

have conquered Banda . The Globe arrived at M esul ipatan about2oth June. By hir letters of 8 th Apri ll from the President at

Jaccatra were sent by the waie of Mesulipatan and received at

S uratt. The Dutch are sa id to make a jest of the demaunds of

restitution . The Dutch sent the Engl ish S ampson and a smal ler

sh ipp for the Redd S ea and Suratt with supposed great supp l ies.Upon the doubt of the raisinge .of Cerques ind ico upon the

cominge of the said Dutch shipps , ours bought mo re indico att

1 0 rup [ees] the man. Weddells fleete arrived att Suratt the

22 September, haveing lost but 1 6 men in the vo iage. They

toucht not at the Cape, but refresht themselves a t St . Augustins

and Joana [see p . where they had good quarter and mett

the Rose and R i ckard. The R ickard of h irselfe surprised a

Portugal l shipp of Mombasse undervalued att 6,000l . sterling

][see p . and gave the fleete one-sixth in ready monie and

some [s ic] . The London ,H ar t

,and Roebncbe were crossed with

’

windes, cou ld not gett into the Red S ea,but wintred at Cape Rosal

gate. Our shipps attended the Chaule and Dabul l juncks, but thee

Dutch prosecute [sic] them . Our[s] roade att Chau le and Dabull

from the 2oth August to the 8th October in vaine . Mel ick Amber,havinge intel ligence of our intent ions, sent to our shipps letters of

p rom ises of satisfaction of our goods intercepted from Agra

whereupon Robert Jefferyes was sent to his courte. The A ndrewe

tooke a junck of Mel ick Ambers com ing out of the Red S ea, not

worth 3 ,000l . The Governor of Mocha had late ly made such aveines

[see p . 1 2] that l i tle treasure was brought thither this yeare ; soethat the juncks retourned poore. The Dutch in the Red S ea gave

cartasses or assuraunce to the juncks to passe free, and yet most

treacherously,to thei r great infam ie

,made seisure of six vessells,

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3 26 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

of commodit ies. The Company’s instructions have been com

municated to the factories concerned . Wee have dissolved our

factorie at Lahor and reduced it to Agra,where semiahoes are to be

p rocured and Lahor indico as easi ly as at Laho r , with farr lesseexpence . Will iam B iddulph by his great paines and travai les

hath made an agreement for the great desperat debt which hath

stood long out . Whether some part of the charges shal l not bee

putt upon the old jo int stock . Wee are yet doubtful l of the

encouragement from Pers ia to vend cloathes and 600 kersies

yearely , for your Persian factores have beene prod igall in manie

prom ises unperformed . The dissentions of your factors in Persiaare the princ ipal l causes of soe manie inconven i enCIes there. IfRobert Jefferies finde not dismission from Me l ick Amber veryeshortly, you wilbe unprovided of a facto r to settle your Pers iabusines

,for none can bee spared from Suratt , and of wining of

M r. Kerridge there is noe possibillity. A yearely supp l ie of eightor ten thousand mauns of leade required at S uratt, if the Dutch

give not cause to lessen that quantitye. Quicks i lver all sould ;

worth 1 50 mam [fidi s] the maun,which is 4s . 6d . the pound. Two

thousand maunes wi ll sel l att pleasure . That sent in the Londoncame wel l packt , without leakedge. In unpol ished corral l , not to

exceede forty or fifty chests a yeare, ti ll you find wee have sould

the former. To bee of deepest col lour and thickest peeces, though

Shorte yet some of the meaner sorte wil l doe well , soe the col lour

bee goode. The last yeares sortes are for the most parte wel l

l iked, and wee hope of good sales nowe that the warrs are com

pound inge ; yet maie peradventure come short of the proffi tt

formerly made. Yet that peop le are in purpose to re l inquish their

co rral l trade out of the Red S ea,seeinge ours soe much better

then thei rs. To write the bymarke of the sortement of every

chest ; soe the price of each aparte, for the better informat ion of

our judgement. The weakenes of the chests in Captaine Shill ingsfleete brought great losse in waight by empty inge them into caske

and sacks. The po l ished corral l wee conceive wi l l find noe bettermarkett then S uratt. Pers ia hath taught us to send noe more

thither. To Mocha wee will send a chest accordinge to your

direction ; but wee expect noe good markett for i t theire . Ofamber beades

, the fairer sortes, both white and yeal lowe, you maie

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 327

send for 5ool . yearely . One hundred paire of Bulgaria hides ; all

former sorts sould . Your prohibition of Bengal ia s i lke we have

made knowne ; as also of your desires ofv

noe more then three or

four thousand peeces amberta cloath yearely . Whereby wee have

also disso lved the factorie of Puttana, and will write to Mesul i patan

that they p roceed noe further in provid inge Bengala si lke,although wee finde thei r prices to agree with your des i res . The

cloath of gould , velvetts , sattins , tapistrie, &c . , received in the lastfleete are all sent up by the Princes appo intment , and upon h is .

adventure are sent up to the courte . Wee are confident that thecloath of gould wil l please and sel l to proffitt . To provide eight or

ten peeces sattins and grograins brokated lett one bee grounded

blacke.

1 Your jewel ls also wee have sent up by N icholas

Banghame and John Leech land . Your directions for sale of

your jewel ls wee have written out and imparted to those whome‘

wee imploye therein . Wee will observe your injunct ion concerning

the 1,000l . you paid upon thee jewel ls in England . The double

looking-glasse, which cost is sould for rupp[ees] . The

three rubies,cost 90l . , sould for rup [ees] . The aggatt

p i ctures come farr Shot te of your esteeme of them , by reason of

quantities brought in by the Venetians ; those that are allready

sould of the said aggatt p ictures doe produce but fifty per cent.

proffitt, whereas in tymes past such yeilded three for one . The

great rubie besett with d iamonds,invo iced at 1

,000l . sterl ing, will

yei ld here but rupp[ees] . D iamonds are much fal len in price

by reason of the myne lately found . That great rubie is crackt,and lesse then its waight advised by 1

93 . Wee are nowe freed from

mo lestat ion of Sueres concern ing N icho las Bangham. Wee th inck

M idnalls executors wil l prosecute us noe further for the goods wee

recovered of his for the interessed in England . M r. Towersons

wife hath noe minde for England . Wee denie hir maintenance.

She comp laineth of hir husband . Fourteen bales of cloath landed

at S uratt the rest sent for Persia,but a hundred of them to be

reserved in the ships for Mocha. The disposeing of your shipps

uncertaine, upon diverse consideracions . If our shipps here doe not

overcome the Portugalls, but either doe not fight or part upon1 ‘ For the Prince desi reth it ; on whose satisfaction in such services dependes his

favors to us’

(0. C.

3 28 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

equall termes, then must wee reteyne the greater force here for thesecuritye of the rest, though the charges be great .

’ Supply of

ind igo ; its sifting and embal ing. No provis ion made for Bantam,

but they are proceed ing with the investments for Sumatra , though

the h igh price of pepper there is a discouragement . If the Dutch

leave Ach in , i t will not be safe for the Engl ish to have anyth ing

there.

‘ Frances Fettiplace , Henrie Edmonds , John Chalkh i ll,Wi ll iam Dounman

,dead .

’ The ir wil ls and inventories wi l l be sent

by the next fleet . The great pearl sent in B ickley’

s fleet , which

cost 34ol ., so ld for Rs .

‘ Incourragment for great pearles .

’

The extra rials intended to be sent were not received .

P .S . (Nov. Wee made staie of the Princes juncke arriveinge

out of the Red S ea , with l ittle goods or monies. In the junck wee

found r ials be longing to the Decans, and have attached

them for which wee make accomp t wee must beare manie oppos i

t ions. Robert Jeffries arrive[d] from Mel ick Amber without an ie

restitution or expectat ion .

’H is name inserted according to order

in the King’s letter [for Persia] . They refer to Kerridge for

further information . B iddulph , Bickford, H eynes , and Hutchinson

wil l return in the next ships. They request a supply of experienced

factors to fi ll the gaps ; also ‘ incouragment by inlargment of

sallarie unto such as are wel l deserveinge’

. They wi l l venture

to increase John Bangham’

s pay in anticipation of approval.

Rastell requests the Company to nom inate a successor to h im,

should James be unwil l ing to take the post .‘ Great troubles to

give instructions for strategemes against the enemie. Provision of

shott,whereof your shipps were meanely stored . Pacifying the

marriners in the distribution of more then one-s ixth of the pri ze

goods . Rewarding them that have borne the brunte,and yet

must, of the fights

,and rewards to d ismembred persons for the

better incouraginge of others .’ Kerridge was paid one-third of

his last year’s salary 1 on his return in the London . Some

additional goods put in the Roebuck. Thomas Thorneborough has

been repaid -3 mam [fidi s] for the expenses of the Har t and

Roebuck since Apri l 7 . (6 pp .)

1 This is explained in 0. C. 1009 tomean from his rel inquishing h ispost as President tohis return to Surat.

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330 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

up from Surat . They Cannot now pack their round churls of indigointo square baskets , for want of t ime . They hope to d ispatch theindigo to Surat very soon , and the cal icoes shal l fo llOw later. The

rials are be ing sorted for del ivery to the m int,and as soon as they

are turned into rupees a supply shal l be sent to Cambay. The

exchange thither is at p resent h igh , vi z . three-quarters of a rupee

per cent . S albank i s indebted there Rs . The two bottles

of beer were very welcome. P . S —Halstead and H i l l are at Sarkhej

packing the loose indigo ,and so are the Dutch . (Copy . 3 pp .)

N ICHOLAS BANGHAM AND JOHN LEACHLAND AT BURHANPURTo THE SAME , NOVEMBER 1 7 , 1 621 (Ibid .

, vol . c i i . f.

Announce the ir arrival . The goods sent up in charge of JamshedBeg were taken to the Prince

’s court, but nothing can be done till

his return from hunting . Heynes and Hutchinson are absolutely

determined to go home ; so either Bangham and Leachland mustremain for that purpose, or fresh factors must be sent . As for the

Kings comeing to Mandoe, there is’

no speech thereof, but that hee

is gonu from Agra towards Cabull .’ Instruct ions des ired as to

clearing the accounts . D ifficu lty in sel l ing coral. The jewels they

wil l try to dispose of at the court. They wil l soon be destitute

of a house. It wi l l never be otherwise in this p lace soe long as

wee doe not secure ourselves of a house for longer tyme then from

month to month. If you doe thinke i t fitt that wee shal l disburse

or lend one thowsand roopies upon a handsome secure house for one

yeare , payeing over and above the interest what such a house

shalbe worth .

’

Request speedy instruct ions. (Copy . 1 p .)

N ICHOLAS BANGHAM,EDWARDHEYNES

,AND ROBERTHUTCHIN

SON AT BURHANPUR TO THE SAME, NOVEMBER 1 8,1 62 1 (Ibid.

,

vol . ci i . f.

For the Red S ea they wi ll provide, as ordered , 150 maunds of‘rustlack

’

and 20 corge of ‘ woddanie dammany1 ’

. They cer

tainly will not enter into any engagements with the Prince or Afzal

Khan without the previous sanction of the President and Council.

Bangham arrived on the 1 2th,and with h im Jamshed Beg. The

1 Apparently some k ind of piece-goods.

‘

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 3 3 1

‘ cloth of gould,&c .

,is at present in the Princes sercare [see p .

but referred by h imselfe for i tts vew unti l l h is returne from hunting ,which wi lbe three or four dayes hence They wi ll endeavour to sell

the jewels to the best advantage . Jameshead Beag is l ike againe to

be your Governour.

’ This favour hee hath donn us, that the Prince

by h is report is we l l p leased , takes we l l what is brought h im ,and

may

'

peradventure be induced thereby to favour us . For a firmaen

for the Agra caph i la , when wee receave advise where and what i tis

,shalbe indevored ; but for your freedome of dut ies at Uglis iare

[A nkleswar z see p . 1 13 ] and Daytah , your answer is that it hath

bin an antient custome,which may not be contradicted that you

pay noe more then the riatts 1 of the King wherewith you must becontented ; that the l iveings of [the] Raja of Daytah is advanced

by such meanes, and to h im you must be sutors for releefe ; the

Prince cannot proh ibitt h im ,when from h im hee receaves yearly

tribute to greate valew,which must be raysed by meanes of such

dut ies . Wee made rep ly to this as that our p rivi ledges given

us by the firmaens of the King gave us free transpo rt o f our goods

without payeing any duties or custome but at the port onely ;amp l ifieing our rights to the fu l l . But what shal l wee say where

j ust ice is not to be found P The poore must loose thei r right soe

i t is with us . Wee complayne and receave naught but delutions.

’

H eynes and Hutchinson tender thanks for permiss ion to return to

England , and beg that arrangements may be made to rel ieve them

speedi ly of thei r posts , that they may repai r to Surat to get readyfor the voyage .

‘ M r . Bangams goeing up to Mandoe is prevented

by the Kings p roceeding in h is progresse towards Lahore or Cabul l

whereupon you shal l not need to detayne us heere on p retence of

that journey.

’ They have gladly yielded place to Bangham ,

‘our

ancient good freind.

’ Our fower monthes sute with much care

and trouble hath at last p roduced from the Prince th is fi rmaen1

wee send you,which although it doth not in part iculer confi rme

punctual ly every of our articles del ivered, yet inc ludes all except ing

the two last (for your curral l and Red S ea voyage only) . Yt gives

you lycence for your howse, for transport of your ryalls , the d is

patch of all mannour of goods outwards and inwards from the

1 Ray ot (ryot) , a subject ’, particularly a farmer or a peasant.1 Not extant.

3 32 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

custome-howse without detenc ion on any pretence, to transport them

at our p leasure (wherein Is your lead included , not by name but m

genneral l , which could not be amended by al l our disputes and

intreaty for itts exp ress ion) , orders for Pelwan Saphead [see p . 28 1 ]to our good usadge, with others which upon translat ion you will

perceave . Such as i t is you must take i t thanckfully , and never

expect better from this Prince . Wee have donn our best to procure

i t effectual ly, and wee are of Op in ion that notwithstanding it is notsuch as wee des ire yet i t wilbe such as you never receaved better .Your faire carridge and wel l order ing Of our unruly peop le will bring

you forth love and fa ire passadge to your busines and the voyageto Mocho wi lbe yours for thei r owne securities . Upon receip t of ourfirmaen from A fz ul Chon , in place of ours was del ivered us a fi rmaen

to Rustum Chon,Emett Chon 1 , and o ther Governors , which wee

redd and found therein onely a commaund for them to have care tothe porte of Surratt

,and that, upon advise of 1 2 gal l ions from the

Portingal ls which intended th is yeare to come into the Roade tofight with us the E ingl ish , wished them to have respect of us , and toasist us much it was for our favour which firmaen

,findeing it not

to concerne our busines, wee returned

,wh ich was after dispeeded .

Wee wright this to the end you may apply yourselves to EmettChon, your ould freind , and Mr . B ickford to Rustan Chon , that bythe one or both of them you may curbb Isack Beag, that Jew,

ifhee shal l un [reason]ably oppose you. Yf Jamshead Beag returne

your Governor,i t wilbe soe farr his dishonnour that wee hope in

sho rt tyme you shalbe de l ivered from that vi l la ine . Of this you

shal l heare from us as the reports affordeth . The newes wee have to

wright you of the court is that the Prince continewes one yeare and

halfe more heere that Jaddoo Raye [Jada Ray] , one of the princ ipal l generalls of the Deeanns , is revolted and receaved at this court

with great honnour ; that there is a fi rmaen sent to the King of

B ishapoore to commaund him to send in his tribute by the tymeof the Princes wa igh ing h imselfe

1,and p resently to del iver Up into

the Embassadors hands and souldiers of this King h is d iamond

m inde 1 ; which if hee refuse to doe, there shalbe a publ ication of

Open warr against h im . Brampoore at present is a leskar [see1 Himmat Khan, Governor of Broach .

1 Presumably on his birthday (January 5, O. S i ) . 1 See note on p. 208.

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334 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

t ity should be‘

sent in each ship . The Newland fish keeps wel l .Butter melts and leaks out i f not put into cho ice

\

casks. Morecheese should be sent. More than half the tal low candles melted

and were ofno service. Lamps should be new, as the old ones wastemuch o i l . (71p .)

JAMES B ICKFORD AND JOHN CLARK AT AHMADABAD To THE

PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT, NOVEMBER 1 9, 1 621 .

(Factory Records,S urat

,vol . ci i . f.

Since their last letter to Surat on behal f of Suphie Cann and

o thers whose money had been taken in the Portuguese prizes, theyhave been much troubled by those peop le, who acknowledge tohave receaved answer, but not to thei r expectations .

’ Safi Khan is

in a posit ion to hinder their business greatly, and wee des ire you

to give his peop le in Surrat an abso lute answer whether you intend

to keep or del iver the money.

’

At the same time they do not wish to

press them to surrender anyth ing which may lawfully be detained .

(Carr i n)

THE SAME To THE SAME, NOVEMBER 1 9, 1 621 (Ibid .

, vol . cu.

p .

Wee lately wrought you in the behalfe of Gangee

[Ganj i’

P] concerning certaine money which hee saies was taken inthe [juncks] lately surprised by our E inglish freinds. H is impor

tunetie is such as wee cannot avo id the wrighting to you againe in

h is behalfe . The l ike wee have donn for Suphie Cann yet in both

wee intrude not to desire youmore in either of their behalfes then

what yourselves shall see reason for i t. Onely wee intreat you toshew them what curtesie you may and advise us of your intention

by the first.’

(Copy . 71

; p .)

JOHN GOODWIN AT'

SURAT TO [PRESIDENT RASTELL ATSWALLY] , NOVEMBER 20, 1 621 (Ibid. , vol . ci i . f.

Forwards the des ired books of account . Isack Beag is arived,

which wee doubt you have heard of. The rumour heere goes, and

reported by some for certaine, that it is determyned by h im and

the rest heere in towne that there shal l noe shipp of theirs goe for

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 335

the Red S ea, and that wee are in election at your returne hether to

be clap t up in prison yf you restore not the goods wee lately tooke

from the Dabull slave and agree unto their demaunds as alsoe our

warehowses in Muselpottam to be seased on by Me lleck Ambers

o rder, as wel l Dutch as English ; which I leave to your considera

t ion to consult on.

’

(Copy . it p.)

WILLIAM B IDDULPH , ROBERT HUGHES , ROBERT YOUNG , AND

JOHN PARKER AT AGRA TO THE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL AT

SURAT,NOVEMBER (Ibid .

,vol . ci i . p .

A re unable to procure the des ired testimony regarding the debt

[of No sale yet for their ivory. They will send

musters of gum-lac , as desired , and wil l try to dispose of the cora l

on its arrival. On the question whether it w i l l be worth while todispatch some one to the court for the sale of the jewels

,they cannot

advise t i l l they know the number and value of them . Howsoever,wee doe conceave in few mouthes there wi lbee necessitie for ones

beinge att the court, or rather indeede forced to bee there, to give

answare to the S indea marchants, &c .,as you wil l perceave in a

followinge po int in h is due p lace.

’ They are sorry they cannot

help Surat in thei r dispute with the custom-house officers. What

goods were sould the Kinge and Quene Were registered in the

Princes duffters [see p . 26 1 and if they will not shew them it is ther

d ishonestyes.

’

An inventory of Fettiplace’

s effects i s forwarded

for transm iss ion to England . They fear the great jewel wi l l never

yield more than was first offered by Asaf Khan,and they have no

hopes of its sale before the King’s return or the dispatch of some

one to the court . The Company were much deceived in the

buying of it,and the sel ler ought to make restitution . Account sent

ofM r. Willoughby’

s proceedings in Lahore about the moneys there

recovered and disposed by him . They were glad to hear of thehappy conclusion of Soares

’

s business,though they fear he may

renew h is su it and seek just ice from Bangham .

‘What you have

advised concerninge the Sindee marchaunts wee apprehended and

put i t in execution before your advises came, with absolute deniall

to have any knowledge of such busines ; which with the NabobA suf Canns favour have soe long delayd them of and sti l l continue

the same ; which wee are well assured wee cannot long put them off

3 36 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

soe, all men exclaiminge against us that wee give them not satis

faction . And sence the Kings departure they have caused us to

bee sent for [by P] the cheifes of this place, with noesmale troble

and much shame to answare such a bus ines, but per vertue of

the Nabobs perwanna which hee gave us after his departure thisc ittie in our behalves , they wou ld not meddle with [us , but] orderedthem to seeke just ice of the Nabob

,who few dayes [s ince] departed

to the lasker after the Kinge . S oe that wee expect that shortly that

some of us wi lbe sent for to give answare , if the Nabob continue notour frind . Howsoever , wee are of op inion that before i t bee longewee shalbee fo rced to make them satisfacc ion, and therefore i t isnecessary you advise forthwith your abso lute reso lution herein

,for

you value the prize at and odd rupp[ee]s and there demaundsare rupp[ee]s, soe that wee feare to make shew of any com

possition. A nd none wee dare to trust to doe it underhand,for

feare of more troble ; for if i t bee once knowne wee goe about to

compound with them ,they will force us to the uttmost pennye.

Thereforewee conceavenoe co rse soe fittinge (after your approbat ion)for our cred itts and easiest conclus ion as to referr it to the Nabobto end the same , and sti l l to affeirme wee knowe nothinge thereof,but what hee shal l p lease to commaund wee are wi llinge to per

forme, in reason,i f the[y] wil l not per other meanes bee shifted of.

’

A speedy reply on this po int is So l icited . They have sent a copy

of the merchants’ demands,which they consider exaggerated .

They have procured the imprisonment of the chief of the

mocadams [see p . 74 n .] hired at Manda,and hOpe to recover some

o f the money paid for carriage of the captured goods. Mr. Hughes

came to this p lace the l oth of last month Mr. Yonge and

M r. Willowby arrived here with there goods from Semana the 1 2th

same month ; and Mr . Parkar with theire Pattana goods arrivedhere the 14th present ; and

,acco rd inge as you required , wee

endeavoured to have d ispeeded a first caph i la with the Agra and

Semana goods, and for performance had h ired camells and gott thesaide goods two courses out of towne to a seraye [see p . 1 03 ] the25th of last month ; and parte of our camel ls comeinge to take

there lad inge from thence were forcablye taken from us, beeinge

p resently uppon the K inges departure the c ittie , in soe much thatwee could per noe meanes procure them againe, that Kinge and

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.

338 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

was”

that they were dai ly in hopes of being able to advise the

d eparture of the caravan . (Copy . 4p? )

CAPTAIN JOHN WEDDELL AT SWALLY To THE COMPANY,

NOVEMBER 23 , 1 621 (Notes only . 0. C.

Advises a supp ly of ammunition to Surat . The al lowance of

pease and oatmeal in the fleet of the Wnale was“

excess ive ;‘ it

decayeth before it can be spent .’ They had not enough ordnance,

and were obl iged to borrow two p ieces of the Dutch .

‘ Advise tocontynue the cost and charges of barges .

’

Thei r white wine and

wormwood wine prooved marvalous comfortable to our menn ’ 1

Oakum and old canvas to be sent in greater quantities. Masts that

have already been in the Indies should not be trusted. (115 p .)

GEORGE PIKE AND JOHN GLANVILL AT BROACH To THE

PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT, NOVEMBER 24, 1 621 (FactoryRecords

,S urat, vol . cii . f.

Request a speedy supp ly of money, as at present they are forced

to borrow from thei r broker. They have arranged for the provision

of erramees [seep . 6 and the sussies 1 are in good forwardness

Instructions desired as to further purchases of baffas. (Copy . 1 p .)

R ICHARD BARBER AND JUSTINIAN OFFLEY AT BARODA To THE

SAME, NOVEMBER 24, 1 621 (Ibid .,vo l . ci i . f.

Forward thei r accounts and promise the speedy dispatch of the

goods provided for England . They have now but mahmfid‘

is

in hand ,‘a smale quantetie to imploy 800 workemen

,

’

and more

money is urgently required. (Copy . 3; p .)

CAPTAIN BLYTH To .THE COMPANY, NOVEMBER 26, 1 621 (Notes ,

only . 0. C.

Complains much of lack of powder and shot . The W/zale’s fleetcould not supp ly the London, which has only 26 lb . of Engl ish and

1 This courte being made acquainted that wormwood beere is very excelent, wholsom,

and soveraigne for preservacion of mens heal thes at sea, and yett no charge (or very l ittle)unto the Companie, they appoynted Mr. M ountney to take care that two hogsheads foreach shi ppe be prepared and put into them for their uses ’

(Court M inutes,Nov. 20,

1 Some kind of silk cloth ; see Hobson-jobson, s.v. soosie

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 339

the same quantity of Surat powder ; the latter is worth nothing

and no supply can be got in the country. They have obtained

suffi cient shot at Surat , though at high rates. Shot m ight in future

be put into the ship s as ballast . The Dutch secretly by al l meanes

seeketh by al l cunning practiz es to damn ify you.

’The London ,

Wltale, yonas , Dolpkin ,L ion

,Rose, Rober t, S /ti ll ing , and R ichard

sai led for Pers ia November 25 . (3 p. )

JOSEPH SALBANK AND R ICHARD LANCASTER AT CAMBAY To

THE PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL AT SURAT, NOVEMBER 27 , 1 621

(Factory Records, S urat, vol . c ii . f.

S albank is anxious to know whether his letter intended for h iswifehas been del ivered to the care of the master of the Dolpnin.

Thei r provision for the Red S ea is progress ing, but since news came

of the arrival of the j unks at Surat prices have risen three or four

rupees per corge. They hope to have finished in eight or ten days ,and would be glad of instructions as to their return journey. Heere

are many reports concerning the takeing of a shipp by the E ingl ish

wherein was goods belonging to Moores of this countrie , which

amownt unto great somes as they report, and that the Eingl ish

shalbe clapt up fast and thei r goods seased upon ; and yesterday

nightwee heard that yourselfe and al l the rest of the E ingl ish wearegonu from Surratt , onely two youths left and the Governours peeons

to guard the howse. Wee woonder much at this great rumour and

wee would gladly. know the truth . I have feared that dogg Isack

would doe all the wrong hee could to the E ingl ish .

’

(Copy . 1 p .)

JAMES B ICKFORD,NATHANIEL HALSTEAD ,WILLIAM HILL, AND

JOHN CLARK AT AHMADABAD To THE SAME, NOVEMBER 30,1 621

(Ibid.,vol . c i i . p .

Have been forced by H immat Khan ’s importunity to agree withhim for the purchase of his indigo at Broach , contingent on its beingequal to the samples . Rs . 800 advanced to him on account

a sorrie some for a Governour to borrowe.

’

P .S . (S arkbej, Dec.

—Detai ls of the bargain,one clause of which they regard as

‘an

exaction of his casanth ie 1 to help h imselfe (1 p .)1 H ind . bizazancbt

'

,

‘treasurer, cash ier. ’

Z 2

340 .THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

GEORGE PIKE AND JOHN GLANVILL AT BROACH TOTHE SAME;DECEMBER 1

,1 621 (Ibid. , vo l. cii . p .

As they are much in want of money, they request permission todraw upon the Ahmadabad factory, for which at present there are

special facil it ies. (Copy . p .)

N ICHOLAS BANGHAM , EDWARD B EYNES,AND ROBERT

HUTCHINSON AT BURHANPUR TO THE SAME, DECEMBER 3 , 1 621

(Ibid . , vol . ci i . p .

Jamshed Beg has del ivered to the Prince the English fine goods

brought up by him from Surat . Part of the tapestry was rejected,being rotten or in bad condition ‘

all the rest he commanded intohis sercar [see p . 1 60] and referd us to his Meersamon [see p . 26 1 ] tocutt pr ice for them .

’ This they hOpe to effect in a few days.

Instructions requested as to the disposal of the rejected tapestry. No

news yet of the caravan from Agra. A farman shal l be appl ied for

as soon as i ts approach is notified .

‘

Jamshead Beage, by meanes

of our goods sent by him , hath gotten much respect with the Prince.

Hee i s in hope to retorne againe your Governor, but not unt i l l afterthe arivall of John Cul li Beage [see p . l 45 n .] at court

,who by

a fermaund is lately sent for to cleare him of many accusations that

Isack Beage att h is beinge here hath layd to h is charge. A fz ul

Coun opposeth him ,which gives cause of doubt that Isack Beage

wil l prevai le against him , and hee directed to some other emp loy

ments . ’ The Dutch caravan has this day started for Surat, and

with it the Engl ish indigo under the charge of ‘ S ignor Gorle and

Company The packages are all in good condition , gunned 1 over

and newe marked with the Companyes marke 1 by us Rustlack‘

and chowpera lack’

[see p . 84] sent by the same conveyance.

Arrangements for payment of carriage . N0 news received fromA gra. Thei r markets l ie dead . (Copy . 13pp .)

EDWARD HEYNES AND ROBERT HUTCHINSON AT BURHANPURTo THE SAME

, DECEMBER 7 , 1 621 (Ibid ., vol . lc i i . p .

Intell igence received from Agra that their caravan had not started,for want of camels

,and the Dutch were in l ike case. Evidence

1 i . e. gunny-cd (covered with gunny) .1 Specimens of the Company’s bale-mark are figured in S ir George Birdwood

’

s Report

on the old Records of the India Ofi ce, pp. 72, 73 .

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342 THE ENGLISH“

FACTORIES

with the Portingales proves true by confirmatione nowe from our

owne people received , but the bales of s i lke receaved out

of Persia proves to be but 5 26 bales. We are gladde to heare that

someth inge is retorned , for nowe there i s hope that more wi llfol lowe yearely, which if may be bought att such prizes that it mayproduce good proffitt, i t wilbe in tyme a riall trade . The two

sh ippes Har t and Rowebucbe winter in the Read S ea in companye

of the London , where they intend to take restitution for your lossecaph il la spo i led by the Decanis , but their purpose fai linge, they lnten d to retorne togeather for Surratt and to send away the pre

mentioned two laden shippes for Englande from thence in October

last. By letters from Palacat we perceave the short tyme of their

a boade there hath not given them suffi cient experience of the maner

of trade in that p lace, wherby they cannot informe us what benefitt

may accrewe therby . The Holanders are kinde in their outward

complement and entertainement, but we doubt the i r performaunce

for our part of benefitt by trade there wilbe as in all other p laces ,as may appeare by thei r pretendinge of debts stand inge out there,which must be receaved before we shal l have any share ; and

by all l ikel ihoud the proffitt which that p lace may afforde wi ll not"

be answerable to the charge, consideringe the goods most needful l

there made may be procured as wel l in other places, as we are

informed from the factors of Petapool ie ; and the Dutch havebetter meanes to maintaine the ir charge in that p lace then weehave

,by settinge out friggetts and pinnises to sea to take purchase

1,

wherby they gett more then thei r whole charge amounts unto,

as you may perce ive by the copp ie of M r . M i lls letter received 1 ,unto which we referre you for more large relations conserninge the

s tate of that bus ines. The cargason of goods sent in this shippe

from M esulapatnam is not soe much as Mr. M ethold had meanes

by him to provide , which he excuses for want of advise and the

harenes of the p lace not affordinge larger quantities but upon longe

tyme of giveinge out moneyes before hande. For advise we have

not bene wanting, as may appeare by copp ies of our letters sent

h im but if such quantities as we require are soe difficult to be pro

cured , we cannot expect to be furnished accordinge to our desires

or as your ymp loyments will requ ire yet the Dutch receive farre1 To take priz es. 1 See note on p . 298 .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 343

greater quantities yearely . We send herewith a letter from Mr .Meth

wo ld unto you, wherin we make accompt he hath advised att

ful l of the state of that factory, and answered your des i res con

cern inge corral l and o ther commodities . The commodities received

from thence fittinge for Englande we have laden in the Cbar les , as

appeares by our invoice,wherin we have incerted the partyculers ,

be inge dyamonds, longe cloth , and gum-lacke part of the last beingefor the Pegu accomp t, as is expressed . The rest of the remaines

for the cleeringe of that accoumpt we have also sent you accordinge

as we receaved the same. This sort of longe cloth it seemes pertheir advise is the beste and only sortes which that p lace affords

fittinge for Europe, al l other sortes beinge soe thine that by judg

ment of our frinds att Suratt (unto whom Mr . Methwo ld formerly

sent paternes of divers sortes) they are not fittinge for England .Of this sorte nowe sent

,having made triall , you may p lease to

advertize us what quantities you desire yearely to be laden forEngland. There is peeces contracted for to be delivered by

the Dutch , which is contrary to our des ires, for we intended the ful l

quantytie required by us for the furnishinge of your factories heare

shold be provided before any large investment shold be made for

England ; but if the Dutch performe honestly in del ivering good

cloth, and not falcyfied (which we much doubt of), there wi lbe noelosse by what is agreed for.

’

( 1 12 pp .)

JAMES B ICKFORD , NATHANIEL HALSTEAD, WILLIAM H ILL,

AND JOHN CLARK AT SARKH ‘EJ To THE PRESIDENT AND

COUNCIL AT SURAT, DECEMBER 1 2, 1 621 (Factory Records,

S urat,vol . ci i . p .

The indigo wil l be sent off a lmost immediately. Our lynens

and l ight goods must fo l low after,as fast as they cann bee made

ready. Cabeere [Kab‘

i r] and two other of our servants have done

noth inge elce this month but goe upp and downe from p lace to

p lace and howse to howse with a chawebuck [see p. 48 n .] to causethe washers and beaters to bringe them in .

’ They are in need of

money and doubtful of credit ; so would be glad of a remittance i f

possible. (Copy . 1 p .)

344 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

JAMES B ICKFORD AT SARKHEJ To PRESIDENT RASTELL Ar

SURAT,DECEMBER 1 2, 1 62 1 (Ibid ., vol . ci i . p .

I am senc ibly sorry for your many trobles in Surratt, which I

see not how you can remeadie . Cecbaras [Shaikh Paras P] with hisregement of rougues begines nowe to bend h is mal ice this way ; for'

I had noe sooner d ispeeded the general l1 but Surrge Nack [Sarj i

Naik] came heither and tould mee hee had made us readie cartesJ'

but uppon a letter received from Rustomdogg1 he with all the

,

rest of the adawayes [see p . 1 29] of this p lace were commanded to]

come to the derbare , and there S uph ir [Suphie P] Caun , Mahome

Tushy [P and all the val laines of any emynence

this cittie, charged them in the K inges name and a great pthey should not bringe us any carts nor lade any of our goods so

that I perceave hee is resolved to tiran ize as wel l abroad (wher heehath any power) as with you ; and sure I beleave wee shall havel ittle peace here soe longe as you disagree with him there.

’ I f they

succeed in accommodating matters, he“

requests early intimationand a pass for them and thei r goods. (Copy . 1 p .)

JOSEPH SALBANK AND RICHARD LANCASTER AT CAMBAY TOTHE PRES IDENT AND COUNCIL AT‘ SURAT, DECEMBER 1 3 , 1621

(Ibid.,vol . ci i . p .

They are sorry to hear of the troubles and vexat ions caused by

that serpent or dogg, Isack Beage’

, and fear ‘ there is l ittle hoope

of better usage amongst these pernitious helhounds’

.

‘Tapsiles

provided of white and black, some with broad and some withnarrow stripes, as ordered . Of the red and white they have somein the house already, and have bespoken more. They are buying

these commodities at as low rates as possible, and they give no

credence to their brokers,for wee knowe they are men that have

l ittle faith , troth, nor honesty, and this our op inion of them that

they practiz e nothinge more then to coz en us and gett our monny.

’

Detai ls of the investment. They again request instructions forthei r return journey. (Copy . 1 % pp .)

1 General letter (see the preceding document) .1 Apparently a play upon the words Man and cams. The mediaeval travel lers latinizedGreat Khans by Magni Canes

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346 THE ENGLIsH FACTORIES

S ignor John Yo'unge and 50 servants more, which consisted of 194

camel les , whereon was laden all S immany [S amfina] and Pattanna

p rovision,as alsoe what indico &c . in Agra, save onely 24 fardels

ind ico which wee ware constrayned to detaine here for want of ourcomputent nomber of cammel ls .

’ They thought it better to keepback this indigo than to delay the caravan

,which may after al l

arrive too late in Surat for dispatch of the goods this season.

Rate of came l-hire. Advances to B iddulph and Young. The

latter is to return from Burhanpur, and can bring up any goodsthat may be sent from Surat to that p lace. Few dayes after

Mr. B iddulphes goe inge hence, accord inge to former c onsultation

and advice written you, wee d ispeed ed M r. Yonge1and John

W illouhbye for Samana,there to sett a beg[in] inge in those

p rovisions for this insuinge yeare ; unto whome wee d i livered inread ie monny and bil ls of exchange rup [ees] , and shal l hence

forward supplye them farther accord inge to there advise and your

o rder for those provisions, both in the broade and narrow call icoes

of those prizes.’ B i l ls of exchange rece ived from Burhanpur.

Money advanced to the camel-men. Letters received from Ispahfin

by the hand of an Ital ian merchant , Vi llentin Bernadine, which

they have opened and now forward . The Ital ian is to return in

a few months and is will ing to take back an answer. The Dutch

are not yet gone hence nor can they gett cammel les to lade there

goods ; yet once nere posest of the halfe, but A bdell

Hussen comeinge from Brampoore hath taken them and they

attend others and better successe.

’

D irections awai ted from Surat

for provision of goods . Wee here l ittle newes from the lesker,the

Kinge beinge at or beyonde Hardowa [Hardwar] on h is way for

Cabull . Yet wee expect short ly to here of our S indymen,who are

ther in exclamation against us for there right, and wee have our

answare read ie you last inordered, which is al l they are l ike to

have (unlesse perforce) unt i ll your further advise. Yet considera

tion ought to bee taken herein for the sett ing a period to soe

brangl ing a busines ; but herein wee referr you to Mr. B iddulphe,whoe can best informe you of there demaunds to us and our

nations d isgrace. Some o f the Ballochs are here in prison whoe

underwrot to carry the last yeares caph ila to Mando,and wee hope

1 Robert Young.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 347

to gett Some of our monnyes they receaved in retorne before they

gett loosse, if we can find no more then justice.

’

(Copy. 3 pp .)

WILLIAM MARTIN , GEORGE PIKE, AND JOHN GLANVILL ATBROACH To THE SAME

,DECEMBER 19, 1 621 (Ibid .

, vol . cii . p .

Acknowledge the rece ipt of mahmfidi s . Seventy returnedas not passable Request instructions as to the purchase of

Yaqub Beg’

s dutty and ‘champaree

’

, of which musters were for

warded yesterday. H immat Khan is press ing for payment for his

indigo , but they have put him off on the p lea that i t has not beenall del ivered . He is with Rustam Khan , who is yet to stay two or

three days , which doth h inder the whitinge of our cloth , his lasker

beinge ther where our washers doth use to wyte it .’ Thei r proVision of baftas goes on apace . They are retain ing John Georgeand R ichard Brown , accord ing to order

,in the expectation of some

emp loyment for them . (Copy . 1 p .)

JAMES B ICKFORD , NATHANIEL HALSTEAD, WILLIAM H ILL ,AND JOHN CLARK AT AHMADABAD To THE SAME, DECEMBER 20,1621 (Ibid.

, vol . ci i . p .

Yours of the l oth currant wee receaved the 1 8th , togither withthe copy of your consulltation, wherby wee now ful ly understandthe many m isseryes and extreame exegents you have been plungd

i nto since the departure of our fleete through the more then bar

barous t irannie and salvage deal inge of these viprous, dessembl inge,and crockadil like Currs

,whose over you wee may and doe

lament but cannot amend .

’ They trust that by the divine assis

tance they may be set free from the hands of these monsters and

duly requite them for soe many unsufferable wrongs and disgraces‘Wee perceave the dogg of Decan is of the same faithlesse faith

these fyrebrands are, and his coule [see p . 274 n .] of as much value asthis K inges fi rmaunes that hee gives when hee is drunck and denyes

when hee is sober. Thers noe ream idie but pat ience (perforce) fora while. Wee should all in this case remember the French poesie

M on neur vindra . You know when tyme and Oppertunity meete

what you have to doe in this as wel l as in the other, and therefore

leave itt to your wanted cares to effect as you in your better

knowledge shal l see cause.

’

They are glad Jeffries returned in

348 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

t ime to proceed to Persia as Agent ; and they wish Kerridgea happy passage to England with the two ships under h is command.

Money supp l ied to Cambay and Broach,with the result that they

are,

in debt themselves . Safi Khan has forbidden the lading of

thei r goods ; and even if they obtain his permission to leave, thei r

creditors wi l l probably stop them . The Dutch with al l theirgoods haveinge quited Cambaya are com againe to S erquese, wherethey beginn againe to buy indico newe and old att about rupp[ees]9—19; or 92

1, per m [aun]d . N inety m[aun]ds they bought after there

arrivall the next daye and are nowe very busie in bespeakingesquare basketts after our fashon. They professe to have but

rup[ees] more to bestowe, but they have soe offten faild of ther

prom ise as wee dare give noe cred itt to there words, and wee are

veri ly perswaded that though they buy not much nowe they intend

a very speedie retorne hither againe, and if they have any meanesthey are l ikely to sweepe the markett cleare before them except

this factory bee supplyed in tyme, whereofyoumay p lease seriously

to cons ider.’ They trust the Company wil l not be angry with them

for not translatinge the round fardels into square owing to their

want both of t ime and space, our yeards beinge soe ful l of lynens

and fardels that ther is hardly rome for our coach to stand in it

and the fardels bee p i led up one upon another five or six h ighe.

O rders given for the purchase of seryas at Dholka.

‘You know

the Dutch are po l it ique and divell ishly subtle,this p lott suspitious

and dangerous to us, i f they gett out of the country with all theremen and goods

,which is very l ikely they intend , not haveinge

anyth inge upp in the country, andWalter Hutou [see p . 2 1 9 n .] upponthe way from Agra towards Surratt . Mr . Rastell knowes wel l att

h is goeinge upp hee intended not to retorne soe soone. What to

think of i t wee knowe not, but referr it to your accostomed vigilent

care to looke into and prevent with what secresie you may withoutsuspition, to avoyd our owne ruyue. A l l that wee can say of these

here is that theie entend very speedily to bee with you in Surratt

with all there goods and two horses which Pollsbrooke is buy inge

here to carry with there goods to the southwards to Coune [Coen]the i r General l, but tis to bee doubted Vanderbrook wil l have

one of them for his owne sadle, though,

not in this country which

it behoves you to have [an] eye into, least haveinge put soe many

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350 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

Rustom Coun and the o ther from Isack Beage, and haveinge

“

del ivered them to Mahomood Hassen [Mahm iid Hassan] , at

present Governors Deputie of this place, hee forthwith cal led forus and lade open the manners of his rece ived directions

,and in

freindly manner willed us to surrcease further buy inge whereuppon

wee demanded how wee should recover our meanes remain inge in

the workemens hands, beeinge to value of m [ahmfid i s] . H is

rep ly was i f monnyes may bee retorned,use your best meanes for

retorninge thereof ; if not, dispeede your servant forthwith for the

p rocuringe Isack Beages scrite [see p . that $00 you mayerecover your goods ; ti l l when I wish you forbeare your accos

tomed marketts .

’ They accord ingly send the present note, andtrust permission will be obtained for them to finish thei r business.

(Coen i a)

JAMES B ICKFORD,WILLIAM H ILL

,AND JOHN CLARK AT

AHMADABAD To THE SAME, DECEMBER 24 , 1 621 (Ibid.,

vo l . ci i . p .

‘These onely serve by an ordinary pattamar1to advise you

what in our last of the 2oth and posscript of the 21 th currant wee

touched, in the pointe of ladeinge our goods, which will not bee

perm itted without restitucion of the larrees demaunded by

Suffy Caun , who i s sti l l the same man, and to shew the uttermost

of his sp leen hath for the same cause stopt al l the Hollanders

goods in S erquese , being all laden and readie to departe the towne,with there p ions [see p . 145] and al l o ther th inges necessary pro

vided for ther journy, which makes them frett l ike gumd taffitta1

soe that i f this day they gett not l icence to departe they are

resolved to unlade there cartes againe and to save a needles

charge, and to discharg both them and there other retenue til l wee

have l icence to lade, which now wee th incke wil l not bee til l all

our goods bee readie soe that wee shal l make but one caphila of it

all,which wilbee the greatest that ever went out of Amadavaz

appertaineing to marchants. You p lainly see wherunto wee are

1 Foot-post, courier.1 Cf. I have remov

’d Falstafl’ s horse, and he frets l ike a gumm’

d velvet ’ (Henry 1V

(Fi rst Part) , i i .

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 35 1

d riven and to what inconvenienceis wee must stoop i f you will have

any goods hence this yeare . If wee must needes right ourselvesabroade, larrees wilbee as wel l paid as the greater extorted

somes ; which wee refer to your cons ideration , and intreate your

reso lution may bee speed i ly made knowne unto us . The departure

o f the Dutch out of this country is very susp itious, they makinge

many brave threats to bee revenged on these doggs for wrongs

receaved with double gaine,

some of them by circumstance

Speakinge very dowtful ly of there residence or departure.

’ M r.Halstead is at Sarkhej . (Copy . 1 p .)

WILLIAM MARTIN , GEORGE PIKE, AND JOHN GLANVILL ATBROACH To THE SAME, DECEMBER 26, 1621 (Ibid .

, vol . cii . p .

Yaqub Beg has now dec ided not to sell his cal icoes. Requesta present for him, that wee may continue in h is favour.

’

For his

indigo he wishes to be paid in gold so some abraims1 should be

sent, which are valued here at mahmt’

idi s 83 (P) and two p ices .

Would be glad of a further supp ly of money, as the markets are at

p resent reasonable good (Copy . 3 p .)

JOSEPH SALBANK AT CAMBAY To THE SAME,DECEMBER 26,

1 621 (Ibid., vol . c i i . p .

‘ Yours of the 1 8th currant wee have receaved,and under

stand inge thereby your peace and quietnesse with Isack Beage,

which wee perceave you knowe the cause to proceede more in

regard of there owne good then any affection towardes us ; yet,

seeinge noe reamedie,wee pray God continue itt. For the departure

of the Dutch out off these parts, lett us looke to ourselfs as wel l as

wee may, for our op in ion is they wil l never doe us any good , but,as they have abused us in the southwarde partes , soe wi l l they

the l ike here, i f possible they can .

’

The ‘tapsiles

’

and‘ coria

chawders’

[see p . 64] are promised within four days.‘ Burro ls

’

[see p . 62] and‘ sabanes ’ (P) are not to be had, and they cannot

substi tute other goods unti l they receive some money, being at

present in debt to the extent of Rs. at least. If a supp ly

1 A Turkish gold coin (Ibri himi ) . Fryer ( 1677) mentions that in Persia the abrahmee

was worth twenty-seven or twenty-nine shahi s (9s. or 9s. 8d ).

352 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

can be sent, they would increase thei r stock of‘kannikies ’

[see p . 95‘al ladg ies,

’ ‘mentasses,’ ‘ corie and

champall chawders’ Their creditors are pressi ng them for

money, and wi ll probably prevent thei r goods leaving the

town unti l payment is made. B i l ls for Rs. received fromAhmadabad, made payable to Lancaster only, on _

the ground thatthe

‘shrofes

’

in Cambay wil l have nothing to dowith Salbank .

This the shrofes deny . S albank complains of B ickford’s conduct

towards him in this and other matters,and declares that henceforth

he will never writ one s illable to him , nor have any thinge to doe

with him , more then the tyme of the day’

. (Copy . pp .)

R ICHARD BARBER AND JUSTIN IAN OFFLEY AT BARODA To

THE SAME,DECEMBER (I bid.

,vol . ci i . p .

Return Is-haq Beg"s scrite

’ finding, on its being perused byboth ‘Trikumdas [Trikamdas] and ano ther mo l la 1 , that it i s‘ rather against us then with us

’

. It authoriz es them to recover

their goods from the washers and beaters, whereas they are real ly

in the hands of the weavers ; and i t makes no mention of thei r

keep ing their markets. A new order should be obtained if

possible. A bil l of exchange for mahmfidi s receive d .

P .S .—The new

‘ scrite should mention that the debtors are

Katteries 1 and Tags 3,which they wee cal le weavers there worke

one broads and the other one narrows I t should also be addressed

to‘Mahomood Hassen

’

,and not to the brokers,

‘which dayly

seeke to hinder us.

’

(Copy . 9, p .)

JOSEPH SALBANK AND R ICHARD LANCASTER AT CAMBAY‘TO THE SAME

,DECEMBER 29, 1 62 1 (Ibid. ,

vol . c it. p .

‘This present morninge, beinge the 29th currant , Agga Sal low

[Agh'

a Sal ih], Governor of Cambaya, sent for us to com before

1 TheMahometan priests are cal led Moolaas. . . These Moolaas . . employ much oftheir time as scriveners, to do business for others or to teach their young chi ldren(Terry’s Voy age to E ast India, ed. 1 7 77, p.

1 The caste of R izatr i s or weavers i s sti l l fairly strong in Surat and Ahmadabad (seeBombay Gazetteer , vol . ix. pt. I , p .

1 Gujarati Tag ias, a weaver caste doing better class work.

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‘

354 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

sad and so ll id shewer without intermiss ion) soe much unexpectedrayne

,as in al l the pastt t ime of the raynes there fe l l not soe much

but the ind igo , being under cover in the ir warehouse, was untouched .

The ir l inens were in great danger,as they were in the yards .

However, with the help of Sk ins , ‘c ittringes &c . , they saved

most of them from harm . Had the goods been a lready on the

way , they could not so wel l have been ‘ defended from the rage Ofthe rayne nor cou ld the damage have been so eas ily made good .

In our last wee advised you the stoppage Off the Dutches goods

l ikewise by S affy Caun ,which causeth but our more trouble by the

empo rtunity of the Dutch to gett cleared againe , be inge stayed for

our cause . Three dayes togeather they had our brokers (wh ich weecould i l l spare) to free them , but could not , S affy Caun say inge

wee were all one , and would not bee otherwise perswaded til l I had

accknowledged both the contrary and that not they but wee had

taken the sh ipp with his larres under our handes ; the which with

good reason because I d id refuse (not haveinge the certa ine knowledge of any such thinge from you, or if I had , would not have

accknow ledged any such th inge to them), the Dutch che i i here wassomewhat moved

,and out of the basenesse of there inbred condi

tion cast mee in teeth with curtes ies they had done our President

&c . in Surratt in tyme of there freedom and your trowble, keepeinge

you in there howse and g iveinge you meate and drinck when you

were not perm itted to buy any for yourselves, forgettinge to ment ion

that ever you lent them I,OOO ryal ls to buye them meate when they

knewe not where else to have it,nor soe much as once takeinge

notice that here in Mr. Brownes tymeWalter Heuten twice with his

ret inue had both there meate, drincke, and lodg inge for h imselfe

and S ix Dutch more for a month togeather , besides rup [ee]slent h im w i th powder, shott , and match for h is journy downe, which

with a muskett lent h im for A gra was never yet retorned . But

these th inges with many more canno t bee remembred , such base

ungratfull slaves they bee,whoe in p laine wordes tould us they

must advise to there masters of our d iscurtisie, yet with many

intreat ies praied us to assist them ; which in conclus ion (thoughI had much other bus ines) I resolved to doe by goeinge to SaffyCaun myselfe and uppon good cons ideration to acknowledge rather

1 H ind. skz’

tranjz‘

,a coaxse carpet of striped cotton.

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES 355

by word of mouth then by writtinge that wee were two nations , andthat wee did our bus ines apart each from the other , one not be inglyable to answare any thinge what the other d id which I conceavewil l bee some thinge to rep ly to these peop le if hereafter they shou ld

(as they p retend) take any of there shipps of this country and makeus undergoe there troble and satisfacyon but wee hoope you wil l

p revent both by us inge some privat meanes for there stOpp inge in

this country t i l l wee bee readie to put our designes in practice ;wh ich must bee keept betwene a fewe of you with as much secres ie

as maye bee ,for I am much mistaken if some wordes have not

been covertly spooken to mee here by them ,which concern inge them

and our captived shipps I have written hence to you. But to con

c lude this po int, my goeinge to S affy Caun p resently C leared both

them and there goods, though it were not o f force to gett l icencefor our owne

,which must attend your further en largment by release

Of those larres taken in the Fo rtingal l vessell , soe unjustly demanded

by uncerta ine owners,though for the present to powerful l claymers

for satisfaction . Haveinge more then Bayard in the stable to seccure

them , they laugh at our detention Of such triffles,when in there

powers there remaines quant ities Of goods which they knowe wee

maye not want to lade this yeare .

’ 1 The Dutch probably sufferedfrom the rain on the way to Surat . The messenger can inform them‘ what troble wee had to safegard our goods, which wee d id by

fi ll inge al l our lower lodgeinges , bes ides our warehowse roome,

dyninge roome, and wyne howse , with all other drye places in our

howse w ith fardels l inens , our stable and all other places beinge ful l

beefore’. Think that if the o ther factories can lade the London ,

Ahmadabad , with the pepper to be bought at Surat , can fi ll another

ship . Money wanted . Request ear ly advice should more indigo

be required . (Copy . 3 73

; pp .)

GEORGE PIKE AND JOHN GLANVILL AT BROACH TO THE SAME ,DECEMBER 3 1 , 1 621 (Ibid . , vo l . Ci i . p .

Acknowledge the receipt of the ir letter and of the present for

Rustam Khan . He left a few days ago ; SO Martin , two o ther

Engl ishmen , and a broker have gone after h im to Baroda. The

1 i . e.

‘we cannot do without, if we are to lade th is year

’.

A a 2

356 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

letter to ‘our Governor, Hamutt Caun

’

, is also received, but they

awa it the return of thei r broker before presenting it, as they have

a fresh grievance wh ich on presentation Of the letter they mayinduce h im to remedy, for this present day hee hath p rohibited

all the brokers in towne to buye any corse narrowes t i l l his newintended provision of ten or twelve thousand m [ahmiidi s] bee fullyaccomp l ished.

’ Accounts forwarded . The remainder of H immat

Khan’S indigo has arrived from Baroda, and wil l be examined on

Mart in’

s return . (Copy. I p.)

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358 THE ENGLISH

Annas, 194, 204.

Anne , Queen , 241 death of, 1 10 , 1 1 5 .

Anne, the, 3 1 ; goes to Mokha, xi i i , 2—6,

1 7- 19, 27 28. 3 2. 3 3. 79 ;

returns to England , 28 , 60 , 6 1 , 68 , 7 7 ,7 8 , 8 1 , 140 ; sunk near Gravesend

,216 ;

goes to Bantam , 2 16 n . ,27 1 n . ; sent

to the Malabar Coast, 2 76 , 3 29.

Antheuni s , Lucas, 42—44, 5 2.

Arab,Khwaja

,landlord of English house

at Surat, 36 , 37 , 1 50Arab ia , visi t of Blyth

’

s fleet to, 284—9.

Arakan ,14.

Armenians, 90 , 91 , 1 00,1 02

,1 70, 1 7 1 ,

306.

Armour,not wanted

,164, 1 74.

Arrack . S ee Rack .

Arras , 1 8 , 54.

A t terra,8 5 .

A rt/z iy d , 85 n .

A r z 107 , 1 09.

A 7 22“

, 97 , 273 .

Asab , 5 7 .

Asaf Khan, 4 n . , 108 ; Roe and

, 9, 1 1 , 38

purchases goods, 2 1 , 1 23 , 1 54, 160, 335 ;and pearl s, 9, 20

,1 3 1 , 1 5 5 , 1 58 ; be

friends the Engl ish, vi i , xix, xxxi i i , 1 746, 260 , 26 1 , 267 , 335 , 3 36 ; and the

Dutch , 21 9 ; petitions to, 146 , 1 75 ; hi sdaughter married to Safi Khan, 3 53 ;hi s ship , 2 , 4.

A sam, 5 1 , 1 1 2

Asi rgarh, 21 1 21 1 n .

A stalu Island , 45 .

A Zlendant, the, 48 n .

Aughmul l surraye, 199.

Aurangabad, 3 1 7 n .

A van z’

a , 1 2, 3 24.

Avans , Mountains of,2 10 , 218 , 23 1

note on,210 n .

B dba'

g iznr i'

, 5 2.

Bacalow, 333 n .

Baccanor , 203 , 21 5 .

B aelzc/za befi -e/zod, 146.

Badgeas, 93 .

Badore, tol ls at, 88 , 89.

Bael fruit, 10 , 76.

Baffin , Wi l l iam ,xi i i ; master of the Lon

don ,204, 225 signs a l etter to the

Company , 227 ; Signs a letter to Surat,3 14 ; notice of

, 204 n .

Baftas, purchase of, passz

’

m ; made into

canekeens, 96 , 142 ; suitable for Eng

lan d , 85 ; breadth of, 5 2 , 75 , 294 ; pri cesof, 6 1-4, 109 ; dyed , 6 2, 1 78, 235, 250,

301 , 307 ; inferior to amberties, 236

increased quantities required for England ,

Baglan, 74 n.

FACTOR IES

Bahadur, a pilot, 2.

Bahadur Shah, of Gujarat, 12.

Baikanthpur , 197 n .

B a i l -wan , 1 79.

Bai rams, 93 , 1 1 8,28 1 ; white, 63 , 94

I 00 ; dyed , 63 , 64, 94, 95 , 100, 269 ,

prices of, 63 , 64.

Bai z e, 78 .

Balaghat,289.

Bales,rules for marking, 93 , 1 02

, 3 29 ;the Company

’

s bale-mark, 340 .

Bal l,Alexander, 276.

Ball,George

,x ; letter from ,

1 10 ; l ettersto , 24, 43 , 1 14, 1 1 6 ; arr ives in India

,

l 10 n . ,1 52 ; goes to Batavia, 196, 208 ,

25 4 ; his intentions suspected, 1 85 ;

praised , 210.

Balfichi s,84 96 , 97 102 ; im

prisoned, 346 ; recovery ofmoneys from,

347Bamboo mats

,25 1

Bampa ,servant ofWi lliam Methwold

,21 7 .

Banda Islands,the, 49, 277 , 299 , 303 , 3 24.

Band-i -nzndat,236, 247 .

Bandoleers, 3 1 .

B andngddr , 74.

Bangham,John, 6 , 191 , 216 letters from ,

747 190 ; letters to : 3 7 1 88 : 90 1 962 97 ;1 22 1 88 1 89, 2 14 ; sent from

Agra to Surat, 73 , 8 5 , 88 1 02, 1 1 2,

1 22, 16 1 , 1 70, 1 73 ; di spatched again to

Agra, 1 8 8,19 1 ; goes to Lahore, 21 2,

2 14 ; returns to Agra, 2 14 ; and then

proceeds to Surat, 214, 23 1 ; privatetrade of, 1 89 ; wages of, 1 86 , 2 1 6, 3 28 .

Bangham,Ni cholas , 1 6

, 3 7 , 1 1 2 ; returnsto England

, 7 , 24 ; recoveries to be

made from , 1 85 claim of Soares against,78 : 897 92 ) 10 1 , 1 1 8 2 1 70

—32 3 27 ,

3 35 ; arrives in India, 27 1 , 302 ; lettersto Surat, 27 1 , 279, 3 30 340 ; sent

up to Court, 3 27, 330, 33 1 ; orders cancel led , 33 1 .

Banks,John , 222.

Bannupanos , Ilho dos, 45 .

Bantam ,references to, passz

'

m ; letter from ,

1 letters to , 24, 43 , 5 5 , 65 goods andmoney for, 27 , 62 , 92, 93 , 1 00

,1 26 ;

wheat sent to , 58 , 63, 1 84 ; factorsblamed, 5 2, 56 ; news from , 49, 86 , 303 ;Ch inesejunks sei z ed at, 1 5 2, 1 56 ; FIenchat, 3 24 ; Pangeran of, 276 .

Banyans, passz'

fn note on, 80 n .

Bapti sta , John, 291 , 3 14B arat, 20 1 , 3 22.

B ardward, 198 , 247 .Barbary , 162 169, 206, 209.

B aroast,248 , 268 .

Barber, Ri chard , letters from, 107, 108 ,279. 291 . 308. goes

INDEX

to Mokha, 35 sent to Baroda, 1 89desi res to return to England , 234.

Barges, 3 38 .

Barker, Thomas , agent in Persia, xxvi , 2,

45 , 143\

letter to , 140 ; death of,xxvi i i , 2 16.

BarkI‘

I r, 203 , 2 1 5 .

Barnardi,Phi l ip ,

1 7.Baroda, letters from ,

279 , 291 , 308 , 3 38 ,

345. 349. 3 5 2 ; lettel s to..94. 95

96—98 ; goods to be prov1ded at

, 93 ,23 5 ; Hutch inson sent to , 75 , 8 7 ; tradestopped. 89. 92. 1 00

.1° I . I 05.

106 , 1 35 , 1 38 ; attempts to buy throughb IOkerS, 98 , 1 07 , 1 10

,1 1 3 ; and to

Obtain fresh leave to trade, 1 09, 1 27 ,1 3 5 ; recovery of money

,1 1 7 ; Barber

sent to , 1 89 ; funds at, 23 5 ; Ofi iey

appointed to , 25 2 ; the factors forcedto ‘ leave , 345 , 3 50 ; Governor of, 92, 94,

95 96. 98. 99 I S9.

30

Barrogch . S ee Broach.

Barwick,Thomas, 1 10

,1 57 notice of

,

1 10 n .

Bassein, sh ip bu il t at, 8 3 .

Barta, 3 10 .

Batacala. S ee Bhatkal .Batav ia , references to ,passz

'

fn ; founding of,xl Ii i ; letters from ,

196, 23 2 , 290 , 3 29 ,

341 , 349 ; letter to , 248 ; affa irs at, 234goods , &c . ,

for, 208,25 1 , 264, 34 1

Counci l of Defence at, 275 ; agreementregard ing Pul icat, 25 3 .

Bayard, 3 55 .

Beabadis, from Cambay, 93 .

Beads , 78 , 1 84. S ee also Coral , Agate,Crystal , & c .

B ear , the (Dutch ship) , 1 65 .

B ear , the (Engl ish ship) , 1 10 n . ; capturedby the Dutch, 1 67 ; resti tution offered

,

277 .

Beaul ieu , General , 254 n . , 255 72.

B ee, the , sent to Persia, 25 , 30, 3 1 and to

Masul ipatam and Bantam ,27 , 4 1

—3 , 5 1 ,

5 2, 86 , 1 56 ; master of,see Hatch , John,

and Newel l , Richard .

B egum S /zdfi z'

,the, 1 27 .

Behar, 195 , 206 .

Bel l , Wi l l lam , 7 , 45 .

Bel l s,used for barter

,68 .

Bel lwan , 1 79.

Bem imas, 6 2.

Benares, 199 , 206 .

Bengal , attempts to open up tradewi th , 1 I 6 ;Roe and

,xx ii i , 14, 50 n . ; trade between

Masul ipatam and , 50, 264 ; si lk from ,

m id, 46, 5 2, 5 8 , 77 , 1 1 2, 1 16, 1 27 , 1 5 3,

1 5 5 . 16 1 . 1 93. 197. 205 . 2 1 2. 235.25 3 , 260

,264, 3 27 ; tarar and grass

cloth from ,1 1 2

,197 ; sahans from , 197

stuffs from , 1 78 , 303 ; qui lts from , 84,103 , 1 95 , 198 , 206, 235 ; carpets from ,

254 n . ; Portuguese in, 14, 195 , 197 ,

Benjam in . S ee Benz oin.

Bennett , Walter, 276.

Benthal l , John ,143 .

Benz oin, 5 8 , 62, 66 .

Berbera, 56 .

Betenga,1 .

Beriewe. S ee Variao .

Bernad ine , V i l lentin , 346 .

Best, Captain Thomas, 78 , 1 80, 221 n . ,

27 1 n .

Betel , 66, 3 1 7 .Beteles (p iece-goods) , 42.

Beversham,James

,27 1 .

Bez oar stones , 5 7, 208 , 255 , 266 .

Bhadwar,8 8 n .

Bhatkal , 56 n . , 66 , 68 , 8 1,25 2.

B iana indigo , 1 16,1 84, 3 23 .

Bible,given to a native Skipper, 69.

B ickford,James

,28

, 3 2, 190, 300 , 307 ,3 3 2, 35 2 ; letters from ,

278 , 28 1 , 28 2,291 . 30 1 . 306. 3 29. 334

3 39. 343—5 . 347. 35 3 appointed

accountant atAhmadabad,1 79 becomes

Chief there, 234 ; to return to England ,

Bi ck ley, Captain John , 1 25 , 1 29, 1 32 , 1 3 3 ,1 86, 328 ; arrives at Swal ly, 1 24, 1 25 ,1 27 , 1 28 1 36, 14 1 ; hi s account of

the voyage, 1 24 ; letter from,23 2 ; l etters

to , 1 24, 1 25 , 1 28 1 29 ,1 3 2 , 1 79

—8 1 ;h is expedition to Jask, 1 27 , 1 3 1 , 1 33 ,1 36 , 143

-5 , 148, 1 79

—8 1 ; h i s visit to

Dabho l,23 2.

Bicuntpoore, 1 97 .Biddulph , Wi l l iam , 96, 99 104, 1 1 1

,

1 23 , 2 19 , 269 , 270 ; letters from, 20, 78 ,167 , 25 7 , 260, 266

, 3 3 5 ; letters to , 8 8 ,

94, 1 03 , 107 , 1 1 1,1 21

,1 23 , 1 26

,1 30 ,

145 , 149 , 1 54, I 6o,

1 8 1 appo intedagent at Court

, 6 , 59 ; detained at Surat,79 ; goes to Agra, 8 5 , 88 , 90, 16 2, 169 ;his negotiations at Burhanpur for the

release of the caravan, 89, 91 , 92, 100—3 ,1 70 ; and at Court , 106—8

,1 1 2

,1 1 7 ,

1 1 8,1 2 1 , 1 35 , 147 , 26 1 ; fo l lows the

King , 1 64, 1 7 3 , 1 74 ; recovers some

debts,1 73 , 1 8 2, 3 26 ; desires to return

to Engl and, 169, 207 , 234, 25 1 , 3 28 ;leaves for Surat, 3 3 7, 345 ; advance to ,

346 ; notice of, 20 n .

Bi jepur. 78. 97. 265 ; King of. 54.

78 n .,190 ; intrigues against Mal ik Am

bar, 3 1 7 ; Jahangi r demands tribute, &c .

,

from , 33 2.

Bimee, 93 .

360 ,

THE ENGLISH

Bi rams. S ee Bairams.

B iscui ts, made at Broach, 1 21 .

Bisheshar, 236 .

Blachioes , 24.

B lack Bear , the (Dutch ship ) , 41 .

B lack Li on , the (Dutch ship) , capturedand burnt, 1d ,

1 56 , 1 59, 278 .

Blekidge,’141 .

Blok,Adriaan Maartenssen

,202.

Bloodstones, 58 , 6 1 , 75 , 27 1 .

Blundstone , Wi l l iam ,140 ; letter from,

3 14 ; notice of, 3 14 n .

Blyth, Captain Richard, letters from ,227,

3 10 , 3 1 1 , 3 14, 338 ; succeeds CaptainShi l ling

,225 , 229 ; h is fleet goes to

Arab ia, 243 , 244, 246 , 248 n .,284

-9 ;

returns to Surat, 273 ; to proceed toJask

, 3 10 ; h i s position wi th regard to

Captain Weddel l , 3 1 3 .

Bodman, Owen, 1 56 .

Bohemia, King and Queen of,216.

Bonelace, 2 1 , 54, 78 , 164.

Bonner, Captain Robert , arrives at Surat,5 1 , 78 ; his voyage, 5 3 ; letter from ,

6 7 ; letter to, 50 ; goods brought by,54 , 1 34 , 162 sai ls for Bantam ,

62,65 ,

68 ; cal l s at Dabhol , 69, 1 83 , 23 2 ; at

Bhatkal , 70 ; at Cal icut, 65, 7 1—7 3 , 76,1 56 ; and at Achin ,

1 56 his death, xl i i ,73

Boralho , Joi o , 220, 222.

Boral ls. S ee Brawls.

Borax , 1 2, 5 1 .

Bowers , Peter, 1 5 7 .Brampore. S ee Burhanpur.Brass

,208 , 262.

Brawls, 62, 93, 35 1 .

Brinjaon, 1 n ., 73 , 86.

Broach , letters to and from , and referencesto , passz

'

m ; importance of, 1 ; Engl ishfactory organi z ed, 7 ; surgeon sent to ,

104 ; Ofii ey jo ins, 234 ; Engl ish housenext to a mosque, 280 ; repairs to , 85goods provided at

,66, 75 , 76 , 8 7

10 1 . 1 27. 1 79. 23 5 ; trade t e

strictions at, 89, 92, 93 , 95 , 10 1 , 1 35 ,1 59 ; bleach ing of cal i coes at

,1 1 3 , 168 ,

347 ; dyes used at, 85 provisionsbought at, 1 19

—21 , 1 23 ; customs at,

88 , 1 88 Dutch factory at , 200 n.

Governor of, see H immat Khan and

Muhammad Yar ; Vice-Governor of,226 (see also Yaqiib Beg) Customer of,1 33 01)Broadcloth , passz

'

m best colours of, 78 .

Brockedon, Thomas , 249, 254, 276 ; letters from,

1 96, 290 , 329.

Brodera . S ee Baroda.

Brooks, Chri stopher, 23 .

Brown,Ri chard, 347.

FACTORIES

Browne, Chri stopher, appointed master bfthe Roebuck, 225 ; letters from ,

227 , 3 10.

Browne, Edward , 222.

Browne, John, Chief at Ahmadabad, 1 25 ,1 3 2 letter from , 7 ; letters to , 50 , 1 29,1 30 , 1 33 , 148 , 155 , 166, Roe’sopin ion of, 16 ; charges against, 8 ; tosucceed as President, 1 1 1 ; his i l lness

and death , 1 79, 190 207, 25 1 his

wil l and estate,190, 25 1 ; h is grave,

309 notice of, v .

uckar .63 . 64. 93 . 1 79 . 294.Bulgaria hides. S ee H ides, Muscovy .

Bul l . the. 1 2. 21 . 24.1 38 , 160, 169, 296 n .

Bul l ion, sent instead of rials, 8 , 79 , 168,1 84.

Burhanpur, letters from , 37 , 269, 270 , 273 ,292. 293 . 302. 303 . 307 . 3 18 .

33° 34° letters to . 88 . 94.

96 , 97 , 104 , 107 , 1 1 2,1 14 , 1 1 7 , 1 19,

1 22 factory d isso lved, 6, 16

, 5 2 ;factors again sent to , 3 7 , 99, 10 1

,1 89,

190 , 249 ; wi thdrawal debated , 234 ;Engl ish house at, 3 30 , 3 33 goods provided at, 76, 100 , 107 , 1 14, 1 1 8 , 1 27 ,141 ; calicoes dyed at, 94 (2) fundsavai lable at , 235 ; cost of carriage, 5 1 ;caravan detained

,see Biddulph and

Soares ; besieged by Mal ik Ambar’

s

forces, 207, 2 10 ; rel ieved by ShahJahan 210 n . ; Mansfi r Khan arrives at,2 1 7 ; a leskar of Deeanns,

’

3 32.

Butt (steel ) , 76 , 8 8 , 94.

Butter, 1 21 , 1 23 , 266 ; packing of, 334.

Byrams . S ee Bairams.

Cabaly, 3 1 2.

Cadias, 62, 92 .

Caharr. See [ fa/ai r .

Cainegoulons (piece-goods) , 43 , 266.

Cairo , 207 ; letters sent by way of, 59, 83 ,28 7 .

Cal i coes, the Company want more, 46, 75

Cal icut, Pepwel l’

s fleet vi sIts, 1 ; Bonnerat

,65 , 7 1—3 , 76, 1 56 ; no further at

tempt to be made to trade at, 55 , 76

Samorin of, 20, 5 5 , 5 8 , 7 1 , 76, 276, 290.

Cal l ian Shagger. S ee Kalyan Shagird.Calvert

,M r . Secretary, 219 n .

Cambay, 1 ; letters from , 293 , 306 , 307,3 1 2. 3 1 3 . 3 29. 3 39. 344; 3 5 1 , 35 2 3

letter to, 50 ; Duke and Bickford sent

to, 28 ; Heynes at, 50 ; factory made

independent of Ahmadabad , 234 ; Hal

stead made chief at,234 ; Lancaster

sent to , 278 Salbank proceeds to , 309 ( 2)3 1 1 ; goods provided at, 5 2, 75 , 93 , 94.102, 105 , 1 78, 28 2

,293, 30 1 ; cost of

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THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

at Surat as a factor, 214 ; sent to Ahmadabad , 234, 252 signs letters, 278 , 28 1

,

28 2. 291 . 306. 3 1 8 . 3 29. 334

3 39. 343 , 345 1 347 : 353C larke

,W .,

1 1 1 .

Clone, the, 1 5 1 , 1 56 , 165 .

Coaches, used by Engl ish factors, 76, 93 ,1 25 , 1 28 , 1 79, 348 .

Cochin, 48 , 2 14 , 276 .

Cochineal,1 8

,1 84, 250 ; not wanted , 21 ,

54, 78 pr ice of, 1 69.

Coco-nuts , 66 , 70 .

Coen , Jan Pietersz oon , 1 57 , 201 , 276 , 348 .

Coffee , 296 , 306, 3 1 1 3 1 2 ; orderedfromMokha

,8 3 , 143 ; price of, in Persia ,

8 3 .

Cognac, 33 3 .

Co i tmore,Rowland, 25 n .

Cojanaz an. S ee Ni zam,Khwfija.

Co l l Imatt,24 n .

Committees ,’

47 , 263 , 305Comorin, Cape , 1 , 7 3 , 86 .

Comoro Islands, 68 , 1 24, 27 1 , 272, 277 ,

C onnock , Edward, agent In PersIa, 21 3 1 ,

3 14 n . Roe and,1 7 his ach ievements,

xxv, 5 5 h is death, xxvi .

Connowaye , 3 8 .

Conserves, 10 , 1 1 9, 1 4 1 , 250.

Conyskins, 2 1 .

Copland, Rev. Patrick , 3 2 letter from ,

25 ; notice of, xlvi i , 25 72.

Copper, 100 , 1 14, 142, 144 ; basins , 66.

Coral, 47 , 141 ; trade in ,

xvi i , 1 84, 265 ,269 ; imported from the Red Sea , 1 3 1

use of,1 3 1 , 259 Portuguese trade in,

10,184 ; ordeIed from England

,1 8

,

3 26 ; sale of,207 , 258 , 259, 270 , 28 1

,

289, 301 , 302, 3 26 ; importation resistedat Surat, see Surat ; natives rel inqu ishtrade in

, 3 26 ; pol ishing of, in Bi japur,255 ; heade. 4 1 . 44. 259

Corconna . S ee Karkhi na.

Corge, 192, 260 note on,6 1 n .

Corias, 64, 3 5 1 , 352.

Cornel ius , the Dutchman, 78 .

Corronel l ,’

243 .

Corsi , Francisco, 1 5 , 1 73, 25 2.

Cosbeg , 1 40 .

Cotton goods, passi rn qui l ts of,10

, 92,

30 1 ; wool , 63 , 76 , 94, 1 6 1,240 ; yarn

not to be sent home, 58 ; from Masul ipatam , 41 . 44, 49 °

Course.

’S ee K os.

Covado , 21 ; length of, 163 , 192, 197 , 205 ,236 note on , 21 n .

Cowha. S ee Coffee.

C owl . S ee Qaul .Crackers, 289 .

C rane, Henry, 225 .

Cranganore,1 .

Crispe, Nicholas, xxxII ; letter to the President and Counci l at Surat, 296 ; noticeof, 296 n .

Crosby , Henry , journals of, 1 24, 144.

Crystal beads, 5 2.

Curti s , John , 1 3 2 .

Gutba . See K'

z'

tdba .

Ga lena, 74.

Cutcherry , 145.Cutsnagore, 300 n .

Cuttonees, 1 0 , 92 , 301 .

Cutwork bands, 2 1 .

Da Gama, Dom Francisco , appointed Viceroy of Goa

,285 n .

Daooalz,1 23 .

Dabhol , Pepwel l’

s fleet at, 1 proposedvi sit of the A nne to, 19, 27 , 3 3 Bonner

’

s

fleet at, 69, 7 7 , 8 1 , 1 8 3 , 23 2 ; Bickley’

s

vi sit to , 144 n . ,23 3 ; ShIl l ing

’

s fleet at,203 21 5 ; Blyth

’

s ships at, 286

289, 324 ; trade at, 2, 3 , 1 39, 1 58 , 1 84 ;Portuguese trade at, 25 2 ; merchantsfrom

, 96 , 108 , 1 1 1 proposed factory at,1 39, 1 90, 23 3 , 240 , 25 1 , 25 2, 279 , 289,

3 25 ; ships of, 1 65 ; Engl i sh to capturethem , 6 , 23 2, 244, 25 7, 28 7, 3 24 , 3 25 ;Dutch take them

,295 , 300 , 3 1 7 , 3 24,

3 25 Engl ish to be compel led to makeresti tution , 3 35 ; Governor of

,233 , 289,

300 n .

Dafar , 284.

Daftars , 26 1 , 3 35 .

Dahlak , 5 7 .Dafiy ek, 248 .

B ala'

l z'

, 264.

Dale , S ir Thomas,dispatched to the East,

xxxix ; ho lds to ransom a Portuguesecarrack, 5 3 , 7 7 ; goes to Masul ipatam ,

xl i , 1 10,1 1 5 , 1 36 , 1 5 2, 1 56, 165 ; dies

there, 140, 1 5 2, 1 5 7 , 1 65 .

Dal ique , 5 7 .Daman , 37 , 8 3 , 27 1 .

Damasks, 1 8 8 .

Dana. S ee Lac .

Danes,the, dispatch a fleet to the East,

xl iv ; at the Cape , 1 24, 1 27 ; bound forCeylon, 1 27 , 1 36 ; arrive there, 1 66 ;attacked by Portuguese

,1 66 chased by

Dutch,255 ; thei r depredations feared,

1 3 1 , 1 39, 146, 149, 25 1 , 3 1 7 ; settle at

Tranquebar , 254 n.,25 5 , 266 , 3 33 ; an

Engl ishwoman escapes from,266 .

B arber. 9 1 . 3 19. 344

Darrel l , Henry , arrives in India , 214 ; proceeds to Persia , 25 2.

Darwesh , Khwaja, 306 .

Daryfibfid ; 1 78 n .

.Dastzi rz‘

, 1 63 , 192, 193 n .,194, 204, 205.

INDEX

Dates, from Persia, 141 .

Batid, Khwaja, 296, 3 1 7Daulatabad , 3 1 5 , 3 18 .

Davie, Walter , 225 .

Dayta. S ee Dhaita.

De Albuquerque, Fernao, Governor ofGoa ,1 54 n .

,208 n .

De Andrade,Ruy Freire, dispatched from

Li sbon, xxvi i , 1 2 7 , 1 36, 143, 154 arri vesat Ormus, 204, 206 , 21 5 ; figh ts wi thSh i l l ing’s fleet

,220-9, 241 ; rumoured

death of, 228 ; prepares for a fresh eu

counter , 245 , 278 , 284 ; reinforced , 293 ,297 , 306 , 3 25 the Pride Of Portugal228 .

De Az evedo , Don Emmanuel , 284.

De Carpentier , Pieter, 254, 276.

De Chaves,Bal iaz ar, 220.

De Duyts , Abraham ,25 2.

De Haz e, Hans , Dutch Agent at Masul ipatam , 48 , 1 65 .

De Norouba , Dom Affonso, appointedV iceroy of Goa , 285 n .

De S i lva , Captain Franci sco , 225 .

De S ilva y Figueroa,Don Garcia

,xxv n.

Dedel,Jacob, 254, 276, 27 7 ; admiral of

the jo int Engl i sh and Dutch expedi tionagainst the Portuguese , 276 3 29.

Defence , Counc i l o f, at Batavia , 275 , 298 .

Defence, Treaty of, xl i i , 1 1 0 , 200 , 209, 2 1 5,

Deheig ,’248 .

Delhi , Jahangi r at, 33 7 .

Denton,Adam

, 42—4, 1 66, 209.

Deo V ishnudas, 3 29.

Derebaudes, 1 7 8 .

Derngam . S ee Dhfirangaon.

Dengar,296 .

Devi l ofD elft,’the , 202.

Dhaita, 74 ; tol ls levied at

, 74 n . ,8 8 , 89,

1 22 303 ; Engl i sh refused exemption, 3 3 1 Raja of

,see Partab Shah .

Dhfirangaon , 93 , 94, 99, 100, 1 04 , 107 .0 17065

,1 89 .

Dholka , 28 ; note on , 28 n . ; goods from ,

6 2. 64. 75 76. 142. I 78. 235 28 2.

D iamond , the, 1 24 n . ,1 25 , 1 28 , 1 80, 1 8 1 ,

206 , 2 1 2, 276 , 329 .

D iamonds,sent to Batavia, 208 , 254, 266 ,

343 ; less in demand , 25 1 , 3 27 ; purchase of

,25 5 ; scarce and dear , 265 ;

a m ine d iscovered near Masul ipatam ,

207 , 3 27 ; Methwold vi sits i t , 208 n .,

2 1 7 , 25 5 Jahangi r demands i ts cession,208 n.

, 3 3 2 m ine closed , 265 reopened ,208 n .

D Ig-lac. S ee Lac.

Dimittees, sent to England , 250.

D iu, tolls exacted from junks , 8 1 , 8 3 sh ipsof, 1 09, 1 19, 165 ; Engl ish to capturethem , 4, 6 , 19, 20, 244 ; one taken , 227 ;Dutch sei z e two , 300 , 3 25 .

D iul-S ind , 2 ; trade of, 1 2, 14 ; note on,

1 2 n . ; Portuguese at, 14 ; sh ip taken,1 8 1 , 1 86 ; c laim for restitution , 267 ,335 3 36. 346

Diwan,105 , 1 50 , 27 5 .

Dodsworth,Henry, 3 2 .

Dogs, sent to Ind ia, 68 .

Dol lars, 1 8 7 , 333 .

Dolpkin , the, 27 1 n . , 272 279, 295 ,309, 3

1 1 339 (2)DombIa , 5 7 .

Dopattahs , 195 .

Dounman, Wi l l iam ,

death of, 3 28 .

Downton , Captain , 284.

D ragon ,the, 54, 65 67 , 68 ,

70 7 3 , 7 7 , 290 ; takenby the Dutch, xl i i n . 167.

D ragon’s Claw , the , 1 56 275 , 3 29.

Dragons (piece-goods) , 42, 266 .

Duist,Franci s

,202.

Duke, Matthew,letters from,

165 , 209, 303 ; letter to,goes to Masul ipatam,

26 1 ;accountant there

, 263 , 305 ; desires toinvest in the Company

’

s stock,210 and

permi ssion to return to England, 2 10.

Dulka. S ee Dholka.

Dungarees, 266 .

Dunnage, 25 1 .

Dutch , the, Roe on the pol icy of, 14, 1 7 °

competi tion in India, 1 7 °

shi ps , passz7n°

at the Cape, 202, 21 5 ° troubles w1th i n

the Far East, passz

'

m ; capture Engl ishships. 48 . 49. 7 3. 1 5 7. 1 66 . 167 . 1 79.1 8 1 1 8 5 ; negotiations at home,1 10, 1 25

—7 , 142 , 15 7 , 200 , 25 1 ; agree

ment respecting Pul icat, 25 3 jo int fleetfor the Malabar Coast

,xl h i

,275

-7 , 290,

304, 3 29 proposed co-Operation in the

Persian Gulf, 3 10, 3 25 ; capture a FrenCh

ship , 255 ; chase a Danish sh ip , 255 ;take Portuguese vessel s , 48 , 165 ; fightW i th the Span iards, 304 ; designs on

native shipp i ng , 3 , 5 , 244, 25 1 surprisejunks , 286 , 295 , n . , 3 22,

3 24 ; invited to settle at M amenipatam ,

254 buy Slaves, 279 , 300 . S ee also

Ach in , Agra , Ahmadabad , Masul ipatam ,

Mokha , Pul icat , Surat, &c .

Dutties) 46 : 5 1 2 5 8 : 6 1 1 621 641 75 1 76

93 , 95 , 142 1 6 1 , 1 7 8 , 1 8 3, 20 1 ,

235 295 . 3 14. 3 23 . 347 ; note on.

46 n . ; dyeing of, 30 1 .

Dyer, letter to, 1 29.

Dyes,used at Broach , &c. ,

8 5 , 86 ; the

best made at Agra,162.

364

E agle, the, 225 , 23 5 , 249 ; goes to Persia,203-7 , 214, 21 5 , 220—8 ; detains the

Surat junk, 240 sent to the southwards,

248 n . , 252, 284.

Earz edash . See A rz

East India Company, letters addressed to,I, 7 7 1 2 3 1 3 1 23 7 25 : 27 1 292

4 1 : 441 462 477 671 68 2 782 86 1 1 3411 5 1 , 1 5 2, 1 56 , 160, 165 , 167 , 1 8 3, 196 ,206 , 207 , 209, 21 2 , 227 , 23 2 , 241 , 249,254. 259. 26 1. 297 . 3 23 . 333

3 3 8 , 34 1 references to letters from,85 ,

1 26 1 27 , 1 28 , 1 38 , 143 , 160, 1 8 3 ,2 1 2, 214, 229, 234, 23 7 , 28 2 d irectionsfor the management of the trade in India

,

5 8 , 1 25 the di sposal of shi ps left to theSurat Counci l , 250 ; copies of correspondence to be sent home

, 5 1 al so

l ists of persons employed, 5 3 di rectionsfor the payment of wages and for the

reali z ation of the estates of deceasedfactors, 53 ships to be sent home earlier ,

235 , 244 ; use of fresh meat l 1m ited ,1 33 , 249, 290 ; gi fts from natives to bebrought to account, 47 , 56 ; factors notto have wives in India, 21 inqu iry to bemade regardingAbyssin ia, 56 , 60 ; ordersregard ing the trade in Persia , 1 29, 141 ,149 ; the stopping of the Prince's junkauthori z ed, 214 , 237 ; complaints of certain piece-goods, 1 26

,160

,1 69 ; they

desire more cal ico and less indigo , 46, 75 ,1 1 5 , 1 16, 1 3 7 ; their treatment

of Roe , 2 16 their negotiations wi th theDutch , 1 10 , 1 25 , 1 5 7 ,Edmonds, Henry , 58 , 216 , 25 2 ; death of,

3 28 .

Ekaria. S ee Ikkeri .

Elahye. S ee Gaz .

Elatches. S ee Layches .

Elephant, the (storm) , 286 .

Elephants’

teeth , sale of, 14, 47 , 54, 76 , 78 ,1 84 , 1 89, 206 , 266 , 269, 28 1 , 28 9, 302 ;troubles with the Custom House officialsover, 10 1 1 34, 14 1 Portuguese tradein, 1 0 , 1 1 ; brought from East Afri ca,5 7 . 58

E l z'

z abet/z , the, 1 24 n . ,1 25 .

Embro ideries, 1 8, 164, 192.

Emeralds, 1 8 , 21 .

Enamel,1 8 , 21 , 54, 247 .

Enaume. See ] na‘

m.

Engano,1 10 n . ,

1 56 , 1 5 7Eramees

,62 , 64, 76, 142, 23 5 , 250 ,

3 38 .

Erz e.

’

See A rz i’

.

Ewing, letter to, 1 29.

Exclzange , the , 202, 2 14 , 276, 329.

Exchange , rate of,85 , 102 , 104, 146 , 1 55 ,

1 8 2:198 : 236 : 248 1 3291 330 °

THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

Expedi tion , the, goes to Jask , 45 , 55, 66,6 8

, 7 7 , 79, 140, 141 ; priz es taken by,66, 68 , 75 , 7 7 , 79 proceeds to the south~wards: 54) 56 1 65: 662 70 7 7 ,1

56

6;

G

taken by the Dutch , 167 ; officers0 ,

Factors, l ists to be sent home yearly, 53 ;

estates of, 5 3 forbidden to marry inIndia, 21 experienced men wanted , 252,3 28 ; increase of wages , 169, 1 84, 3 24.

Fai z -ullah, Mi t z i , 1 50 n .

Fanams , 263 .

Farman-naw‘

s,107 .

Fatehpur Si kri , Jahangi r at, 82.

Feathers, 54 , 192.

Ferrars , John, 5 8 .

Fettiplace, Francis, letters from, 46, 160 ;letters to, 102

,107 ; to remain another

year , 58 at Agra, 219 to go home,234

death of, 256, 25 7 , 3 28 ; estate of,261

,

3 28 , 3 35 ; Roe on,1 6 ; notice of, 46 n .

Fettipoore. S ee Fatehpur Si kri .Fiorino ,

Sebastiano , 223 , 29 1 .Firm,

’145 .

Fitz herbert, Captain, in command of the

Bantam fleet, 202 n . ; the voyage out,202 n .

,203 annexes the Cape, 202, 2 15

succeeds Captain Pring at Bantam ,21 5

vice-admiral of the fleet for the MalabarCoast, 276 27 7, 3 29 ; letter to, 290.

Folding-cases , 54.

Forrest, Henry, 43 , 209Fortification in India impracticable, 1 3, 52.

For tune, the, 27 1 72.F rancis

,the, 3 1 49 , 86 .

Freeman, Robert, 102, 1 03 .

French,the, 5 , 25 1 , 3 1 7 fleet for the East,

146 ; at Achin , 254 n ., 25 5 , 3 24 ; at

Masul ipatam ,254 n . , 255 the Dutch

and , 25 5 , 303 ship burnt at Bantam , 3 24.

Furs, not required, 1 68 .

Fursland , Ri chard , 65 , 66 , 68 , 69 ; at

Achin,1 56 ; President at Batavia, 196 n .

254, 276 ; letters from ,290 , 3 29 , 341

letter to , 248 .

Futter,Francis, goes to Masul ipatam, 165 ;

letters from, 264, 349 ; letter to, 21 7 .

C adel les,63 .

Gads , steel , 76.

Gay'

zya’

,294.

Gandevi , 29, 1 23 ; note on, 29 n .

Ganj, 192.

Ganjawar , the, 1 1 3 .

Ganj i , 3 34.

Caz , 2 1 n . ; i ld/z i'

, 192, 197 .

Gelalepore, 1 78 .

Gengel lpbore. S ee Jahangi rpur.Genti les

,

’8 1 .

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35 5 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

Hatch, John, master of the Bee, 19 mademaster of the Gift, 5 1 86 ; chart by , 30 .

Hatfield , 1 3 .

Hawkridge,Thomas

,164, 1 70 , 268, 269,

3 3 7 . 345 ; pay of. 1 7 7 ; promotion of.268 .

Hawtrey, John, 288 .

Hayward , Ni cho las, 23 1 to proceed homeoverland , 23 5 , 23 7 .

Haz elwood, Richard , 276.

H elabaz e. S ee Al lahabad.

H emsall , Wi l l iam, 21 .

Henrick, 3 14 .

Hensel le or Henslaus (steel) , 76, 88 , 94.

Hepworth, Robert, 222.

H eroa cloth,1 1 2.

H ergee. S ee Harni .’

Heuten, Wouter, at Ahmadabad, 3 54 ; atAgra, 2 19 ; goes to Surat, 348 noticeof

,2 19 n .

Heynes, Edward , Secretary to Roe, 303 n .

sent to Mokha , xi i i , 19 , 20, 32 , 3 3 n . ,

3 5 36 ”w 441 66 ; at. c ambaY7 50 ;at Surat, 1 46 ; fourth in counci l there ,1 86 1 8 7 , 1 89, 1 90 sent to

Ahmadabad , I 5 5 to go to Baroda , 1 89sent to Burhanpur instead, 190 ,

2 1 1 n . ,

2 1 7 , 21 8 , 249, 25 1 ; private trade of, 50 ,1 8 8 (2) charges against, 269 to returnto England

, 303 , 3 28 , 3 30, 3 3 1 letters

from ,1 8 3 , 1 8 8 269, 270 , 273 , 280,

28 2. 292. 302. 303 . 3 1 8 . 34°

letter to, 50 .

H ides,Muscovy

,2 1

, 78 , 1 05 , 107 , 1 60,

164, 1 69, 1 84, 1 92 , 246 , 302, 3 27 ; note

on, 55 n . use of, 169.

H i l l,VVIl l iam , at Ahmadabad, 1 89 , 234,

278 , 3 14 at Sarkhej , 330 letters signedby

,278 , 28 1 , 28 2, 29 1 , 301 , 306 , 308 ,

H immat Khan,Governor of Broach , 88 ,

1 23 , 1 3 3 148 , 149, 1 5 1 , 1 5 2, 1 5 5 ,1 60

,166

, 3 3 2 goods and presents

for,1 05

-7 , 1 1 3 , 1 60 ; petition to , 144 ;

letter to, 3 56 ; appo inted Governor Of

Ahmadabad, 230 ; his indigo , 273 , 278 ,29 1 : 294, 3 1 3 1 3 291 3392

Hoare, VVIl l Iam , letters from,68

,27 1 , 306 ,

3 1 1 desires to gO to Persia, 3 1 1 ;noti ce o f

,68 n .

Hobb, Richard, 1 5 1 .

H ogreporepatam ia . S ee Patna.

H ope, the . 2 , 4 1 , 1 z 4 n . ,1 25 .

H opkinson ,Joseph , member of counci l at

Surat, 1 8 7 1 90 20 1 , 203 , 204,2 10 2 16—1 9, 230

- 2, 234,

243 ; made warehouse~keeper, 1 90 ; letters from , 1 89, 214, 307 3 23 .

H ound, the, 1 56 , 1 66.

Houton . S ee Henteh .

Howard , 1 72.

Howe, Edward, 145 , 146 .

Hudson,M rs .

,1 9 , 7 7 .

Hughes, Robert, letters from ,1 60

,191

197—20 1

,204, 21 2 , 2 1 7 229, 236

246. 248 . 253. 256—9. 268. 3 35 . 345 ;

sent from Agra to Patna,1 8 2 , 21 2

249 ; appo inted Chief at Agra, 234, 25 1 ,

25 7 , 26 1 ; takes up h is post, 268,270,

28 3 , 3 36 ; h is seal , 259 n .

Hughson , Wi l l iam , 43.

H iigl i , 2 1 3 , 2 14.

Hum/cums,193 , 206.

Hundz’

s, 8 5 , 146 , 1 8 2, 236 248 ; note

on, 85 n .

H ussarees, 94.

Hutchinson , Robert, 269 ; l etters from,

1 05 , 106, 243 , 269 , 270 , 273 , 280 , 282,292. 293 . 3o 2. 3 18 . 34° lettersto, 8 7 , 94

—8 ; at Burhanpur , 3 7 ; madea factor

, 5 8 ; sent to Baroda,8 7 , 92 ;

returns, 10 1 wounded, 145 Register atSurat

,1 86

,1 89 ; sent to Burhanpur ,

1 89, 2 1 1 2 1 8 , 249 ; proceedingsthere” 230 , 23 1 , 243 , 28 7 , 341 ; desi resto return to England , 293 , 3 28 , 3 30, 3 3 1 .

Ibrahim Khan, 1 50 .

Ibrfihim i ( co in) , 3 5 1] .éat p ingangs, 94.

Ikhlas,2 .

Ikkeri, overtures from the Raja of

, 56 , 60,

[ newe, 96 , 97 .

Indigo,from Agra and BIana

, 47, 59, 6 1 ,73 , 84 , 8 5 , 86 , 102

,1 1 6

,1 22, 1 84, 235 ,

260, 268 , 3 23 ; from Ahmadabad and

Sarkhej, 7 , 9, 6 1 , 62, 86, 1 00, 109, 1 1 3 ,

1 16.1 84 . 23 5 . 278 . 3 23 . 3 24. 3 29. 348 ;

from Jambusar, 64, 291 , 300 , 3 10 ; fromthe Coromandel Coast, 3 , 4 1 , 44, 49,1 1 6, 1 58 , 208 , 25 5 ; from Lahore, 3 26 ;price of, 6 1 , 62 , 64 , 86, 1 1 6

,260, 3 24,

348 l oss of weight in drying , 250 ; sandput into bales, 25 1 , 35 3 packing of, 5 1 ,

29 1 . 30 1. 3 14. 3528348 less to be sent home, 46, 1 1 6 , 1 26 ,1 27 , 1 3 7 , 214 ; caravan robbed, see

Young, John .

Ingana. S ee Engano.

Interlope ,’

30 .

Interlopers . S ee Pirates.Iron

,from Surat, 1 , 76 , 8 8 , 142 ; Engl ish,

54. 63 .

Isam s, 5 1 note on

, 5 1 n .

IS-haq Beg , Governor of Surat,obstructs

Engl ish trade, 89, 94 , 97 , 10 1 , 106 , 109,1 wri tes on behalf of the factors,1 1 1

,1 1 2 ; the Prince orders him to be

INDEX

punished , 1 1 2 ; Kerridge writes to , 1 14,1 20 ; l icenses purchase of provisions,1 2 1 prohibits sale of coral

,1 3 1 quar

rel wi th,144—5 1 he is superseded, 148 ;

goes to Burhanpur, 270 ; complainsagainst h is successo r

,275 , 340 ; and

hopes to become Governor again, 275 ;re-appo inted ,

28 1 , 3 20 ; the factors at

Burhanpur and , 274, 275 , 28 1 , 292 , 293 ,

303 , 3 18—22 ; returns to Surat, 3 34 ;

obl iges Engl ish to restore thei r booty,3 39. 344. 349

-

5 2 ; hi s character. 1 23 ,1 26 , 28 1 , 33 2.

Ispahan, letters from , 346 ; letter to , 25 7 .

Itimad-uddaula (Mi rza Gh iasuddin Mu

hammad) , 4 , 5 .

Ivory. S ee Elephants’

teeth .

jacz'

nt/z,the, captured by the Engl ish and

renamed the P r imrose, 284—9 , 3 14.

Jada Ray, 26 1 , 3 1 8 , 3 3 2.

Jafarabad, 1 80.

Jagi r, 90 , 3 22 term explained , 90 n .

Jahan, Khwaja, 3 1 5 .

Jahan Lodi , Khan , 333 .

Jahangi r , the Emperor , 33 3 quits Ahmadabad for Agra, 1 0 ,

1 7 , 19, 2 1 , 79 , 80 n . ,

1 6 2 ; at Fatehpur Sikri , 8 2 ; starts for

Kashmi r, 108 , 164, 1 74, 1 7 7 ; back inAgra, 26 1 leaves again ,

268, 3 30, 3 3 1 ,

3 36 , 33 7 , 346 ; letters to and from

James I and, 2 1 , 22 3 8 , 219 ; Roe

and , I 4, 7 5 Biddulph and , 1 73 ; goodssold to , 20 1 , 3 35 ; farmans from, 59, 80,89 , 96 ; demands diamonds from the

King of Gol conda,208 n . ; refuses to

receive a Portuguese ambassador , 1 5 , I 7the Dutch and

,21 9 n . ; his drunkenness,

jafidng z‘

r, the ( ship) , 2, 4.

Jahangi ri s (piece-goods) , 213 .

Jahangi rpur, 23 1 , 291 .

Jakatra, xl i i i , 49, 8 7, 349. S ee also

Batavia.

Jalaalpoer , 1 78 n.

Jaller, 1 21 .

Jam Quli Beg , M i rza, Captain of SuratCastle

,292 ; letters to , 1 20 ,

145

prevents the Engl ish from buying a house10 1

,1 03 ; acting Governor, 1 20 ( 2)

2 1 8 ; goes to Burhanpur, 340.

Jamal Khan, Governor of Surat, 100, 1 50 ,1 76 ; ordered by the Prince to be pun

i shed, 1 1 2 ; offers the Engl ish a house,

10 1 , 1 03 character of, 1 50 .

Jambusar , ind igo from ,64, 291 , 300, 3 10 ;

note on, 64 72.

James I , and the Dutch,1 26 ; letter to

Roe from,vi , 16 ; Roe

’

s letter to , 21

letters to and from Jahangi r,21

,22

3 8 , 219 ; letter to the King of Ach in,

5 8 , 64, 66 to the Samorin of Cal icut, 5 8

7 1 ; to the King of Socotra, 66 ; to the

Shah of Persia , 3 28 .

James, G i les, letters from , passim ; letters

to , 1 1 2,1 14, 1 1 7 , 1 19 ; arr ives

in Ind ia,vi ; Company

’

s orders regarding , 58 ; censured, 68 ; sent to Burhanpur, 99, 10 1 , 103

-5 , 107 ; returns to

Surat , 1 1 1 , 1 1 2 ; proposal to send h imagain to Burhanpur, 1 89 ; made ac

countant at Surat instead, 1 90, 249.

jomes, the. See Royaljames and Lesser

james .

Jam ieson , Archibald, account of voyage toSurat, 203 ; narrative of the fights ofi

'

Jask,226 ; and of the voyage to Arab ia

,

28 5 .

Jamshed Beg, 1 82, 307 , 308 ; appo intedGovernor of Surat

,146 , 148 , 140 ; peti tion

of the Engl ish to , 1 50 ; reaches S urat,1 55 bribes given to ,

1 8 7 , 3 23oppresses the factors, 1 8 7 , 1 89 , 28 2 , 3 23vi s i ts the London ,

225 redress of grievanoes

,240 ; complaints of Is-haq Beg

against, 275 ; he i s d ism i ssed, 28 1 goesto Burhanpur, 3 30 , 340 ; l ikely to be re

instated, 33 1 , 3 3 2, 340 .

Jangee Madoytee, 98 .

Jangerpoai e. S ee Jahangi rpur.

Janjmer , 29.

Janneere . S ee Junnar.

Janoji Madhoji , 98 .

Japara. 49.

Jarama , Khor, 286 n .

Jarolee , 94.

Jasames. See A si m .

Jask ( see also Persia) , trade with , 1 2, 19 ;the B ee sent to , 25 , 30, 3 1 voyage of theExpedi tion to

, 45 , 5 5 , 66 , 68, 7 7 , 79 ,140 , 14 1 ; Bickley

’s fleet proceeds to

,

I 33 . 1 36. 143—5 . 148 . 1 79

—8 1Shi l l ing’

s sh ips go to ,203 , 204 , 206 ,

207 , 2 1 5 , 220—8 , 241 ; Blyth’s and Wed

del l’

s fleets sent to , 3 1 0 , 3 25 , 3 39 ; letterfrom, 227 ; si lk from ,

229 ; native pas

sengers in Engli sh sh ips , 141 , 220, 301

the fleet from England m ight go first to ,1 86 ; a smal l vessel needed for, 1 86 ;an unsuitable port, 3 1 a chart of

, 30,1 80, 1 8 1 ; proposed fortification of, 143 ,229 .

Jaunpur, carpets from ,1 93 .

Jeffries,Robert, 67 n . ; letters from , 241 ,

28 7 , 296 , 3 1 5 , 3 3 3 ; sent to Persia,

143 ( 2) quarrels wi th Cardro and

others , 144, 241 , 242 ; at Surat, 243 ,

3 33 ; sent in Blyth ’

s fleet, 28 7 , 3 1 3 ;deputed to Mal ik Ambar

,xxx i i

,28 7 ,

290, 3 10 n ., 3 24, 328 ; his account of

3 68 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

his mission, 296, 3 1 5 , 33 3 ; ordered toPersia. 3 1 7 . 3 1 8. 3 96. 3 28. 347. 348 ;noti ce of

,241 n .

em ison . S ee Jamieson.

esson , Randal , goes home overland , 207 ;made mate of the London , 23 7 ; advanceto , 237 .

Jesui ts in Ind ia. S ee Corsi .Jew, a , 21 7 .

Jewels, imported free of duty, 39 ; sent tothe Court for sale , 2 19 , 25 1 , 266

, 3 27 ,

3 30, 335 . S ee also Diamonds, Pearls,&c .

Jiddah,ships for, 109, 1 1 3 , 1 36 .

Joanna. S ee Comoro Islands.

Jonas, the, 27 1 , 272, 279 306, 3 10,

3 1 1 3 39Jones, Thomas, 43 ; letters from , 43 , 44 ;

recal led , 1 96 ; praised , 2 1 0 .

Jourdain ,John

,xxxix

, 58 , 1 10 n ., 156, 15 7 ,165 ; ki l led , xl i i , 278 n .

unnar, 5 1 5 .

2.

Kabi r , 343.Kabul

. 33 1 . 337. 346 .

Ko lza‘

r , 105 , 106, 283 note on, 105 n .

Kalyan , 248 .

Kalyan Shagi rd , 1 14.

Kamsfikha, 200 n . ,205 .

Kandahar, taken by the Persians, 333 .

Kanott. See Qana'

t.

Kanfing zz , 1 20 .

Kdeklzdna , 198 .

Rarodra, 3 3 .

Karwdnsard i . See Sarai .

Kasar , 193 .

Kashmi r, Jahangi r goes to , 108 , 164, 1 74,1 7 7 .

Katteries, 3 52.

Keel ing , Captain, x, 7 , 1 86.

Kenn, John ,192 n . , 195 n .

Kerridge, Thomas, President at Surat,let

ters to and from , and references to,passim ;previous service of

, vi ; Roe’

s op inion of,16 , 23 ; goes with Blyth

’

s squadron to

Arabia,xxxi

,248 , 249, 25 7 , 284 n . ; re

turns to England, xxxi i i , 1 1 1 , 207 , 25 1 ,28 5 ; proposed appointment to Persia,3 1 8 , 3 26 ; salary of, 60 n ., 3 28 .

Kerseys, 2 1 , 78 .

Kessure, 1 93 .

Khandarfis , 296 .

Khankhanan, the, detains an Engl ish caravan

, 89, 1 70 ; negotiations wi th, for i tsrelease, 89

—92, 97 , 99 , 100, 103 104,

105 , 107 108 109, 1 1 1 , 1 1 8,

1 70-3 peti tion to , 90, 1 70 he releases

i t. 1 20—2 orders compensation forthe lost ind igo

,1 21 154 ; Operations i

against Mal ik Ambar, 21 1 , 33 3 ; promiseto Ramprasad, 3 22 notice of, 59 n .

K/zdsmima , 248 , 25 3 .

I

A batr z’

s, 35 2 n .

K/zaz dna , 9 1 , 1 88, 190 274.

3 39.

Khorasan , si lk from ,25 I .

Khurram , Prince. S ee Shah Jahan.

Khush-hal , Hakim ,1 7 1 , 302.

Kirki , 3 1 7 .

Kishin, in Arabia, 67 n. , 68 .

Kishm , in Persian Gulf, captured by thePo rtuguese

, 3 3 3 .

K i tdoa , 92 n .

Knives, 54 , 6 3 , 64, 78 , 168 , 1 84.

Kol lur, discovery of a diamond mine at,208 n .

Kora rupees, 1 1 3 .

Kos , 191 , and passim Jahang m, 191term explained , 8 2.

Kotwal, 48 , 198 , 307 term explained , 48 n .

Kunst, John Cornel ius , 202.

Kuria Muria Islands,284.

Kutch junk,sei z ed by the Dutch, 300,

3 25 °

Lac (gum-lac) , purchase of, 1 1 , 46, 86, 100 ,104, 142, 1 84, 235 , 250, 254, 266

,

27° 28 1.289. 3 23 . 335.

343 ; Moore lac. 84. 23 5 a’émi

l ac , 84, 235 dig-lac, 3 22 ; ras lac,

64, 84, 235 , 3 22, 330 , 340 ; for dyeing,76 , 16 1 , 199 ; prices of

, 5 1 , 62, 64, 84,

Laccadive Islands , 203 .

Lackhoure. S ee Lukhawur.Lahore, 26 1 , 3 3 1 letter from, 214 ; tradeof, 1 95 ; carpets from , 5 1 , 5 8 , 168 ;indigo from, 3 26 ; goods to be obtainedfrom, 1 78 , 1 8 2

,235 ; proposed factory

at , 1 83 ; factors sent to , 1 88 , 190, 21 3 ,234 they return , 267 , 3 26 , 3 35 .

Lakhimpur, 94.

Lam , Jan Dirckz oon, 276 .

Lambskins , 2 1 .

Lancaster,Richard, at Broach, 1 28 ; letter

to,1 28 ; wounded at Surat, 145 ; sent

to Cambay, 167 , 234, 278 ; proceedingsthere, 28 2, 30 1 3 1 2 , 352 ; letters signedby. 278. 293. 306. 309. 329. 339. 344.

35 2.

Landturm, 22 I .Langri l l , 68 .

Lanquin si lk, 208 .

Lantegree , coral pol ished at, 265 .

Lari bandar. S ee Diul-Sind.

Lari s, 227 , 349, 3 54, 355 ; equivalent of,227 n .

Lasizéar .’

3 z . 235. 3 15. 33 2. 346

Laughton, Wi l liam,279.

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3 70 THE ENGLISH FACTORIES

M asseet, 280 , 300 .

Masts, 68, 338 .

Masul ipatam ,letters from, 41 , 43 , 44, 49,

1 10, 1 5 1 , 1 5 2, 1 56 , 165 , 1 8 1 , 207 , 209,21 7. 254.26 1 . 264. 297 . 349 ; letters

to, 76 , 88 , 1 14, 1 16, 1 1 7 1 20, 1 27 ,1 58 , 1 59, 167 ; factors at ( see also

Denton, Duke , Methwold , 8 2,196 ; grievances of, 265 control led fromBantam , 6 ; ships from Surat to , 27 , 5 2,7 7 : 86 ; from Bantam : 5 2: 7 7 ) 255 : 324 ;trade at, 208, 210 , 304, 3 27 , 342 ; pri cesof goods at, 42

—4 ; indigo from , 41 , 44,

1 84, 208, 255 ; cal i coes of, 1 1 6, 208,

343 ; coral for, 184, 265 ; Dale’s fleetat

,1 10

,1 36, 1 52—4 ; Fring’s fleet at,

1 10 n .,1 53 , 1 5 7 , 1 5 8 , 165 ; trade with

Red Sea , 1 1 3 , 305 ; Dutch at, 42, 44,

55 . 1 84. 208.209. 254. 255. 265. 266.

305 , 343 ; pay a fixed sum for customs,

41 ; their troubles with the natives , 48 ,265 hosti l ities at, 209 ; Mogul invasionfeared at, 49 Governor of, 1 5 7 , 265 , 305 .

Matraca, 284.

Maund , weight of, at Surat, 60, 76 ; at

Dabhol , 289 ; in Persia , 8 3 ; at Masul ipatam ,

1 53 , 25 5 at Petapol i , 262, 304 ;the Jahangi ri

,1 99.

Mauritius, 6 7 3 33 .

M avee, 63 .

M ayfl ower , the, 284-8 .

M az zi r , 105 , 1 06 ; note on, 1 05 72.

M ea’

emolieé,the

,254, 254 n .,

255 , 265 .

Mendroo Seray,283 .

M ekta, 3 16 n .

Mempoke,’270.

Mentasses, 62, 93 , 293, 352.

M esticos, 2 72.

Methwold , Wi l l iam, 44, 1 10 n .,165 , 262 ,

263 . 305 . 342. 343 letters from.

I ! 41 ) 49> 1 5 2 , 207 , 21 7 ) 254) 2647 297 ,349 ; letters to , 1 1 5 , 1 5 8 , 1 59, 167 ; hisjourney to the diamond m ine, 208 n . ,

21 7 , 255 ; his recal l , 207 n . , 209, 21 7 ,254, 265 ; notice of

,1 n .

M idas,23 2 .

M z‘

ddeloa rg , the, loss of, 29, 65 , 92 n . ,1 20 .

Middleton, David , 67 , 333 ; notice of, 67 n .

Middleton , S i r Henry , 28 , 35 .

M idnal l, John , 1 85 , 3 27 .

Mi l ls, Thomas, 298 , 298 n . , 305 , 342.

Mi lward, John , 298 n .

M inisters. S ee Cardro, Copland , Golding.

M ints. S ee Ahmadabad and Surat.

M irando , Francisco, 220.

M iringoni , 1 24 .

M irjhasaj, Governor of Mamenipatam,

254 n .

M i rmi ran, 60.

M i rsdman,26 1

, 340.

M ittfoones. S ee Mutfoones.

Mobulepoore, 270, 283 .

‘Mocheares,’

5 1 .

Moguls, in Patna, 195 , 197 .

Mohairs, 54, 78 , 1 22 , 164, 246.

Mobi l la . S ee Comoro Islands.

Mohub Al ipur, 270 n .

Mohur,gold

, 3 20.

Mokha (see also Red Sea) , value of thetrade to , 2-4, 27, 1 30, 1 85 ; gold from,

1 36. goods from. 55. 78. 143 ;commodities for, 65 , 79, 1 00 , 109, 1 36,1 8 5 : 1 86 3 25 1 : 3 1 3 ) 326 ) 330 , 3 39 ; Eng

“

l ish voyages to , see A nne and Li on

letters to the factors, 8 3 trade forbiddensee Surat ; no ship sent in 1620, 207 ,Blyth’s fleet fai ls to reach , 244, 245 , 257 ,28 7 ; unsafe to send a single ship to,278 ; intended renewal of trade, 3 25 ;letters sent via, 59, 8 2 ; Indian shipstrading to , passim ; Engl ish offer to

convoy native vessels to , 5 , 1 3 ; nativepassengers for Engl ish ships, 301 Dutchat, 200 | n . ,

264, 300 n . , 305 , 3 24 ;Governor of (see also Rajab Agha) , 67 ,324°

Mol ies, 91 .

Mombasa, 3 24 .

M omjama,106 .

M ondafrabar , 1 80.

Moningo , 3 1 8

M onnox, Edward, 6 , 143 223 , 242

sent to Persia, xxvi , 2 , 30 ; quarrels withJeffries, 241 , 242 blamed

, 333 .

Monomotapa, 58 .

Moon,the, 1 56.

Moroh, 1 56 .

Morse teeth, 54, 1 1 3 , 1 84.

Moryes (piece-goods) , 42.

Moz ambique, 5 7 58 , 204, 276, 285 ,288 , 3 29 Governor of, 58 .

Muhammad Taqi, 344.

Muhammad Yar, M i rzTa, 1 33 , 1 78 ; vi si tsthe Engl ish ships, 203 ; made Governorof Broach , 230 ; goods sold to

, 87 , 1 13 ;presents for, 105 , 278 .

M ukaa’a’am

, 74, 336, 341 .

Makame, 74 .

Mulher, 9 1 72.

Mul lah, 352 .

Mulmuls, 74, 1 93 n .

Mundy , Peter, xxiv n .,105 n .

,1 82

,

1 92 n .

,193 n .

,1g5 m ,

197 n . ,199 n .,

200 n .

Muqarrab Khan, Governor of Gujarat, 9h is deal ings with the Engl ish at Ahmadabad

, 9, 1 1 , 1 2 28 ; his trading ventures,19 ; he is transferred to Patna , 9 n .,

INDEX

191 n . transactions with the factorsthere, 1 91 192, 199

—20 1 , 206 , 2 1 3 ,230, 246 , 248 desirous of novelties

,

9, 199 ; a good paymaster, 199 recal led ,236 ; proceeds to Agra, 246 , 248 ; sons

oh 246 .

Murshidabad, 1 94 n.

Muschamp, George, 196.

Musk. 47. 52. 235Muskat, 1 8 1

,220

,227, 284, 285 , 28 7 ,

288 .

Muskett, John , 225 .

Musl in. S ee Lawn and Mulmuls.

Musquette, 78 , 89, 91 , 1 70.

Musqui t, Anthonia, 220.

Mussal lmen,’

3 19Musserad. See M asarrat .

Mutfoones,63 , 93 , 94.

Muz afarabad , 1 80 n .

Mynas, for the Company , 199, 200, 214.

Myrobalans,1 0

, 76 .

Myrrh, 8 3 , 143 , 306 .

Naerclen , the, 297 , 303 .

Nakar , 248 .

Nae/meld,69.

Narapela. S ee Ni lapall i .Narayan ,

289.

Narsapurpeta, 305 .

Nasi r, Khwaja , 292.

Natcare,

’248 .

NathuShah , 9 1 , 1 33 .

Needham ,Peter, 7 1 .

M 20 Year’

s Gif t, the. See Gift.N ew Z elano

’

,the, 1 66 , 166 n . ,

1 96.

Newel l , Richard , 5 1 , 86.

Newland fish, 3 33 n .

, 334.

Newlee, 63 .

Newrees, 63 , 93 1 78 .

Nicanees, 5 1 , 6 1 , 94, 1 79, 235, 3 23 .

N icholl s,Wi l l iam , 66 ; letter from, 24 ;

letters to, 64 , 329.

Ni lapal li , 1 10 n . ,1 36 , 1 52, 1 57 .

M'

s/rada r, 76 .

N i sfidn , 107 , 1 3 1 .

Ni zam ,Khwaja, 1 16 .

Nockiere, 3 1 5 , 3 16 .

Norwich stuffs, 1 8 .

Nosari,1 24 ; restrictions on Engl ish pur

chases at, 89, 92, 95 , 96, 101,

1 27 ,1 35 relaxed, 105 , 106 ; Portuguesecapture boats from, 1 19.

Nossa S en/zora a’o Porta S egura , the, cap

tured, 45 .

Nossa S enkara a’e M erees, the, ca tured ,

220 , 226,227 ; burnt, 221 , 22 229,

241 .

Nessa S enfiora o’e Remedio, the, captured ,

225 .

Nundownepore, 192 n .

3 7 I

Nunsery. S ee Nosari .Nfir Mahal , vi i , 4 n . , 1 7 7 , 20 1 , 335 ; junkbelongi ng to

,8 1 .

Nar i rupees, 236

Oakum requ i red , 338 .

Oeresz ma'

,the , 166.

Offley, Justin ian, letters from ,279, 291 ,

3 38. 345 . 349. 35 2 ; arrives in Ind ia.2 14 ; sent to Broach , 234 ; proceeds toBaroda , 25 2 i l lness of, 291 to bringdown goods, 345 .

Oflley, Robert , 1 8 5 .

Okely, Edmund , 225 .

Olpad, 1 32, 238 , 240 ; Governor of, 1 32,238 , 240 , 28 1 , 28 2, 3 1 8 , 3 3 2.

Oncleseare. S ee Ankleswar.

Op ium , 306 ; for Persia , 76 , 142 ; sent

to Achin , 65 not to be sent home, 8 .

Orange, the, 202 .

Oranje-ooom , the, 1 10, 1 57 , 165 .

Orissa, 193 n .

Ormus,trade of, 1 2 ; sh ips of, 45 , 284 ;

Roe thinks i ts capture unl ikely unlesswi th Persian help , 1 6 , 1 7 ; rumouredoutbreak at, 1 7 ; preparations to attackEngl ish fleet, 45 ; Ruy Frei re at

,1 36 ,

143 , 204, 21 5 , 266 .

Oxen, at the factories, to be appraised, 93 ;transport by , 102, 283 .

Pagodas, passim ; value of, 1 5 2 , 1 58 , 262.

Pahlawan Saf i d,Governor of Olpad , 1 3 2,

238 , 240 , 28 1 , 282, 3 18 , 33 2.

P aisa, 169.

Palna , 73 term explained, 73 n .

Palsgrave , the, 2 16 .

Palsgrave, the, 1 24 n . ,1 25 .

Pamre, 1 89 , 23 2.

Panana, 7 1 .

Panchawira , 6 2.

Pangeeta, 93 .

Pangerees , 63 , 1 78 , 278 , 293 , 30 1 ; term

explained, 1 78 72.

Paper , from Ahmadabad, 7 n ., 76 , 142.

P ara, 97 .

Paras, Shaikh , 344.

Parchment, 6 1 .

P ara’a, 246 .

Pargana , 145 , 1 70 , 205 , 21 3 .

Parker, John, letters from ,160, 199, 200,

2 1 2, 2 1 7 229, 258 , 259, 268—70,283 , 3 35 , 34 5 ; made fourth at Agra,103 , 1 70 ; desires to go home, 165 ; sentto Patna, 198 , 199 200

,202, 21 3 ,

258 , 26 1 appointed accountant at Agra,234 ; i l lness of

,256, 25 7 ; leaves Patna,

268 ; arrives at Agra , 3 36 .

Partab Shah, 74 n . ,88 n . , 1 22 30 33 1 .

S ee also Dhaita.

372 THE ENGLISH FACTOR IES

P arwana, 1 22, 1 33 , 260, 28 1—3 , 308 , 336 ,

34Parw

gi z , Prince, quarrel wi th hi s brother,

108 n . ; made Governor of Behar,236

hi s servants take charge at Patna , 236 ;he is expected there, 248 , 253 ; arrives,256 turns the Engl ish out of their house ,256 ; h i s extortions, 259 ; leaves Patna,259 .

Passes given to native vessel s by the Engl ish, 2 , 4, 6 , 278 ; by the Dutch , 3 22,3 24 ; by the Portuguese, 3 , 4, 6 , 1 2, 1 5 ,3 8 n .,

8 3 , 1 8 1 , 25 2.

Patan , 102 n .

Patani , 1 58 , 165 .

Pathans, 89, 90, 92, 94, 1 93 .

Patna,letters from ,

197—201 , 204,m

.21 7 229. 236 ( z ) . 246. 248 ,

253. 256 258 . 259. 268—70. 28 1 °

factors sent to , 1 82,

234, 249 ,

house taken at, 1 92, 197 ; burnt, 246—8

their fresh dwel l ing taken away fromthem

,256 ; goods obtainable at, 192 ;

funds avai lable, 235 ; freight to Agra,191 , 256 , 268 , 269 ; length of covid at

,

205 , 236 ; purchase of si lk and silkwinding at

,1 93 , 197 , 1 98 , 205, 2 1 7 , 229 ,

234 , 253 , 260 ; dissolution of factoryordered, 234, 256 , 25 7 ; intended con

tinuation of, 26 1 ; not carried out, 268 ,269 ; departure of the factors, 270 , 3 27 ,336 ; goods sent to Surat , 257 , 259, 346Patna a suitable place for a factory, 25 8 ;Portuguese trade at, 195 , 197 , 21 3 ;native merchants at, 1 95 ; Governorsof

,see Muqarrab Khan and Parwi z .

Pattamar , 3 50 ; term explained , 350 n .

Pattimee , 102.

Pattolas. S ee Pettolas.

Pawn , 3 1 7 .

Payne, 3 1 2.

Pearl s,sale of, 9, 1 1

,20

,1 3 1 , 1 55 , 1 58 ,

1 69, 1 85 , 1 89 , 191 , 3 28 ; to be sent to

India, 16 , 1 8 , 20 , 2 1, 44, 1 74 ; not

wanted, 54, 78 Dutch bring, 41 .Pedrer i a , 62

Pegu, 14, 44, 49, 1 54, 265 factors sent to,42

-4. 1 54. 209. 255 . 343 ; King of.

2

Pelsagrt, Dutch factor at Agra, 193 12.

Penguin Island,21 5 .

Pente (pentlt) , 192.

Peons , 145 , 2 1 1 , 339.

Pepper, Malabar, 55 , 60, 66 , 69, 70 , 77 ,100, 1 14, 289 ; pri ce of, at Surat, 3 24 ;Coromandel , 303 Achin, 255 , 3 24.

P eppercorn , the, 1 10, 1 56, 15 7 , 165 .

Pepwel l , Matthew,1, 49, 5 2, 1 83 .

Percal las (p iece-goods) , 42, 266.

Persia (see also Ispahan and Jask) , Engl ish

trade wi th , xxv , 1 2, 16, 52, 79, 1 29, 142,1 85 , 20 1 , 333 ; factors, &c . , in (see also

Barker, Connock, Jeffries, Monnox) , 1 1 ,143 , 144, 23 7, 252 letters to

,140 , 200 ;

quarrels of. 46. 143. 1 85 . 326 . 3 33 ;Roe’s instructions to ,

2 Kerridge proposed as agent, 3 1 8 , 3 26 ; purchase ofsi lk, 2

, 1 6 , 46 , 7 7 , 140 , 1 8 1,216 , 229

243 ) 3 23 : 342 ; gOOdS for, 16> 76 : 83

100, 1 14, 1 1 8,

1 26 1 3 2, 1 33 , 1 36 ,140 , 14 1 , 144, 1 6 1

,1 69, 1 8 2, 1 84, 1 85 ,

1 95 , 197 , 206 , 25 1 , 278 , 3 23, 3 26 ; spicesfor, 16

, 65 , 140—2 ; Dutch competition

feared , 30 ; Portuguese and , xxvi i, 16 ,

3 33 ; Shah of, 3 1 , 143 , 3 28 ; captures

Kandahar , 3 33 .

Petafrangies, 266.

Petapol i , 305, 342 letter from , 47 ; letterto , 21 7 position of

,xxxvi i i

, 41 n . tradeat, 41 , 44, 1 5 1 , 1 65 , 26 1

—4 , 304 ; factory

dissolved, xl iv, 262, 304 ; trade com

mended , 209, 262, 304.

Pettolas, 63 , 93 , 95 , 102.

Pettus, Edward, 186 .

Phenix, John, 222 .

Pi ce, proposal to melt, 1 42 ; proh ibited,144 ; number to the mahm i

‘

rdi and the

rupee, 269.

Pi ctures, 266 ; very saleable, 54 ; not

wanted, 78 , 1 64 ; except for presents,1 74 ; presented to the King, 1 1 1 .

Pike, George, left at Surat, 56 ; employedas a factor

,250 ; at Broach , 273 ; his

honesty doubted, 3 1 2 letters signed by,3 73. 278. 28° 294. 299. 307 .

3 1 2. 3 1 3 . 3 15. 338. 341 347.

0

35 1 . 355 °

P i lgar chawdar, 63 , 93 .

Pinder, master of the Andrew, 272,

30 1 , 3 1 1 h i s narrative referr ed to ,

202 n . , 220 n . , 284 n . ,286 n .

P intadoes, 24, 46, 5 1 , 16 1 .

P ippl i , 21 3 .

Pirates in Easternwaters, 5 , 1 7 , 24, 29, 13 1 ,1 39. 1 85 .

P i slte/za'

na , 268 .

P i sltéas/z , 107 .

P itcharies, 63 , 93.

Pi tt, Richard, 65 n .

Pitt, Thomas,65 n .

Pitt, Wi l l iam , 65 n .

Plague, at Agra, 47 , 8 2.

Pole, a. S ee Baptista.

Pol lsbrooke, 348 .

Polonia cloth, 162.

Pomerin, 1 89, 23 2.

Ponani , 7 1 n .

P0pi l lees, 94, 235 .

Popinjays (cloths) , 47 .

Porcelain, sale of, in India (seealso Soares) ,

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3 74 THE ENGLISH

Ravesteyn. See Van Ravesteyn.

Rayat, 33 1 .

Red Sea , the (see also Abyssinia, Jiddah ,ana

'Mokha) , origin of Engl ish trade in,xi ; Ind ian junks in, 69, 7 1 , 109, 1 39,23 2 ; captured by the Dutch , 286, 295 ,

300, 300 n . , 3 22 a French ship vi si ts,255 ; coral from , 55 , 1 3 1 .

Redondo, Conde de, 3 1 , 1 54.

Reeses. S ee Rasseyes.

Rex, to play, 3 23 .

Reyses. S ee Rasseyes.

Rez a, 1 92, 205 .

Rials, exchange of, 7 ; packing of, 3 33 ;

invoiced at 4s. ,8 ; calculated at 4s. 6d . ,

xx ; rated at 5s . in paying wages, 1 8 7value in rupees, 8 , 3 14 ; in mahmiidi s,106 1 40, 146, 1 55 ; in pagodas,1 58 ; gold rials, 5 7 .

R ich, S ir Robert, 1 7 , 29.

Ri elzara’

, the, 27 1 , 272, 279 3 39 ; captures a Portuguese ship , 272, 3 24.

Ri ckman, 45 .

Robbins,Wi l liam ,

141 .

Rober t, the, 339.

Robinson , Peter, 225 .

Roe, S ir Thomas, 26, 56, 60, 8 1 , 8 5,

97 , 108 , 1 1 2,1 34, 140 1 50, 162 ,

1 73 1 80 n ., 21 5 , 2 19 n .,25 2 ; letters

from. 2. 1 2. 1 3 . 1 8. 23 . 27. 3 3. 5°6 7 ; h is correspondence with James 1, vi ,16

, 21 letter to, 49 ; h isjournal , vi , 1 3instructions for Persia, 2 h is advocacyof trade with the Red Sea, xi ; instruotions for the voyage to Mokha, 19 ; ontrade with Persia

,1 2 his

_relations wi th

Jahangi r,14, 75 ; and Asaf Khan, 9,

1 1 ; negotiations with the Prince, 38 , 40,59, 79, 80, 3 21 and wi th Partab Shah,74 n . ; arrangements at Surat, 58 , 75 ,1 25 ; confers w i th Dutch, 65 ; negotiations wi th the Portuguese, 1 5 1 59 ; goeshome in the A nne, 28 , 7 7 , 8 1 , 1 10 n .

,

1 25 , 13 5 , 1 59, 1 76 ; results of h is em

bassy, vi i i ; the Company’

s l iberal ity to ,

2 15 ; complaints and charges against,54s 59s 75s 76: 91 ) 92: 1 67 ; 1315

wi fe, 50 .

Roebuck, the, voyage of, 202, 203 ; arrivesat Swal ly, 203 , 206, 214, 21 5 , 227 ; sentto Jask , 203 , 204, 207 , 220—8 , 237 , 242 ;Christopher Browne made master of

,

225 ; proposal to send her home, 235 ,237 , 249, 342 goes to the coast of

Arabia, 244—6, 248 n . ,284

-9, 3 23 , 3 24,

342 leaves for England,285 n . , 3 28 .

Rose, the, 73 , 1 56, 1 67, 2 16, 27 1 279,

Rowe, John, 45 .

Royal Anne. See Anne.

FACTOR IES

Roy al Exelzange, the. See Ext/range.Royal fi rm s

. the. 25 . 25 22 .27

86 1 56 , 266 n ., 27 1 3 leakiness of,1 5 , 29.

Rub ies, 14, 1 8 , 21 , 1 85 , 266, 3 27.Ruby ,

the, 1 24 n. , 1 25 , 1 33 , 1 34, 206, 21 2.Run, Pulo, conquered by the Dutch , 299,303 .

Rana‘

s, 3 1 1 .

Rupees, equivalent in mahmr‘ i di s, 235 ;number of p ice to , 269 ; lzuna

’z'

, 248 ;bora

'

,1 1 3 ; n i

‘

zr i'

, 236 siélea, 1 1 3 ,1 8 2 tdz a-siééa

‘

,248 .

Ruslack. S ee Lac .

Rustam Khan. 1 88. 344. 347.355 made Governor of Gujarat,320 , 332

Ruy Fterre. S ee De Andrade.

Sahouy, 63 , 93 .

Saffron, pri ce of, 1 69.

Saffron de la terra, 142.

Safi Khan, requi res a pass, 278 his claimfor restitution of money taken from a

Portuguese pri z e. 3 34 344. 345. 348

50, 3 5 3 stops Dutch goods, 3 50,3 54, 35 5 married to a daughter ofAsafKhan , 3 53 .

Sag-snaa’a baelzeba , 1 5 1 .

Sahan cloth, purchases of, 46, 1 78 , 193 ,197, 206, 230, 23 5 , 258 , 35 1 ; price of,6 1 , 260 ; used for qui lts, 84 ; suitablefor England, 85 ; note on, 193 n .

Saidabad,1 94.

Sai lors, diet of, 1 33 , 1 85 , 250, 290 ; mortal i ty amongst, 1 85 ; riotous conduct5 2, 1 5 3 , 1 54, 1 56 , 250 ; private trade1, 1 84, 21 5 ; pri z e

-money claimed by ,see Pri z e-money wages advanced to,1 8 7 .

St. Augustine’

s Bay, 27 1 3 24.

St. Lawrence. S ee Madagascar.

Sakhera, 308 .

Sal-ammoniac, provision of, 76, 100, 1 1 3 ,142 not to be sent home

,8 , 5 8 .

Salampores (piece-goods) , 42.

Salbank, Joseph, letters from ,27 1 , 309,

3 1 2. 3 1 3 . 3 3 95 3 39. 344. 351; 35 2 ; sent

to Mokha, xi i i , xiv, 9, 27 , 3 3 , 3 536 n . , 44, 66, 69, 79 ; at Surat , 146 ;designated by the Company for employment in the Red Sea, 249 ; returns toIndia, 27 1 sent to Ahmadabad and

Cambay. 307-1 3. 3 29. 3 5 2 praised.1 862payment to, 1 86 ; his wife, 3 39.

Sal ih Agha. S ee Cambay,Governor of.

Salmon , Nathaniel , death of, 5 1 86.

Saltpetre, 25 1 .

S amalelz , 206.

Samari a, town of, xxi,168 ; goods to be

INDEX

provided at,1 78 , 25 7 ; factors sent to

,

1 8 1-3 , 234 267 ; letters from ,25 7 ,

26 7 ; funds at, 235 ; goods from , 25 7 ,

3 36, 346 the factors return, 3 36 ; dispatched again, 33 7 , 346 ; permanent

factory unnecessary , 25 8Samanas or Sem ianoes (p i ece-goods) , xxi ,

236 ; Purchase Of; 46 : 47 s 5 1 : 5 8 ) 7 3 ) 93 ,1 83 , 1 8 8

,20 1

,234 , 23 5 , 3 23 ,

3 26 ; price of,6 1

,16 1 packing of, 1 6 1 ;

the Company d issatisfied with, 1 26 , 160 ,1 69 ; suitable for England, 84, 168 ; thePortuguese buy , 214.

S amari tan , the, 67 n .

, 3 33.

Sambelott, 308, 309 n .

Samor in, the. S ee Cal icut.S ampson ,

the, 1 56 , 166 , 264, 278 , 295 ,3 1 7 n o

. 3 24. 3 25 (2)S . A nton io, the, captured and renamed theM ayfl ower

,284

-8 .

San Thome, 303 , 305 .

Sana, 34, 1 36 ; Pasha of

,letter to and

farman from, 34 , 3 5 , 44 , 67 .

Sandal-wood in Madagascar, 55 , 67 .

Sanders,Mews

,276 .

Sanguis Draconis, 60, 66.

Sankheda, 308 .

S ard i , 1 03 , 336 .

Sarkhej,situation of

, 7 n . ; l etters from,

278 , 3 10, 343 , 344 ; Engl ish factors at , 7 ,35 1 ; Dutch at.

348. 354. 3 55 ; rud igo from. 6 1 .62.

Sarpfi slz , 74Satgaon, 195 , 197 , 198 , 206.

S ati,247 .

Satins , wanted, 1 34, 3 27 ; sale of,

Sattevi la, 62.

Saunders, Richard , 1 85, 201 .S avoye. See S awai .

S awaz‘

,194, 204 205 , 253 .

Scales and weights, 8 , 274.

S eiz iedam, the, 202 298 , 299, 303 .

S creets , 4, 273, 3 50, 35 2 ; term explained,4 n .

Scrivan , 23 2.

Sealas. S ee Selaus.

Seatum,222

,223

Sebastian . S ee l ‘ iorino .

Sebesi, Pulo , 1 56 n .

Seer, weight of, 169, 1 93 , 194, 21 3 .

Sebum cloth. S ee Sahan.

Selaus, 63a 93 7 94 266)Sel impore, 192 n .

Semianoes. S ee Samanas.

Senend, 167 n.

Sequins , 227 , 3 25 .

Seraphins, 2 16 .

Seras (piece-goods) , 63 , 93, 235 .

Serasses (p iece-goods) , 43 , 1 78 , 266.

Serbandy si lk (see also Patna) , 194, 197,198, 205 , 229, 25 3 ; term explained,194 n.

Serebaffes,63 , 64, 94, 1 00, 1 1 8 .

Sern . S ee Mauritius.

Seroyne, letter to, 1 80.

Seryas, 348 .

Shag, 21 .

Shah Jahan (Khurram) , Prince, v , 167 ;Governor of Gujarat, 9 n . Roe and , 1 3,14, 38 , 40, 59, 75 , 79 ;

‘absolute k ing ,

’

1 7 confirms Engl ish trade at Surat,1 8

h i s farman for the Engl ish house there,3 7 ; he quits Burhanpur, 5 2 ; h is messages to the King of Bi japur, 54, 332 ;rel ieves Burhanpur, 2 10 n . h is relations

w ith Mal ik Ambar, 333 ; grants farmans

for the release of the caravans, &c . ,106,

107 1 1 8 , 1 20, 1 21 petitions to, for

redress of grievances, 1 21 , 1 26 1 3 1 ,1 3 7 , 146 1 74, 1 75 ; h is differencewith h is brother

,108 n . ; angry about

a picture, 1 1 1 , 1 23 ; in d is ace with h isfather, 1 22, 1 23 ; presentsgo

r

r,1 3 1 buys

Engl i sh goods, 1 34, 1 84, 20 1 , 340 ; re

fuses to perm i t Engl ish trade to Mokha,164, 1 8 2 Biddulph obtains farmans

from, 1 74-7 ; Heynes obtains a farman

from ,270. 273 . 28 1 . 292. 3 19. 3 20. 3 30

‘

2 ; hi s junk, 92, 106 , 108 , 1 1 3 , 1 1 71 1 8

,1 22, 1 24, 1 26

,1 27 , 1 30, 1 3 1 , 1 36 ,

1 5 1 , 165 , 1 73 , 1 75 , 25 1 , 260 ; stoppedby the Engl ish, 240, 3 28 ; h is mother,162 , 163 ; his birthday, 33 2 n .

1 50.

S lzalt i , the. See B egum S luibi , the.

S lut/ n"

, value of, 83 , 140.

Shahnawaz Khan,60 n .

, 8 1 , 84, 90, 91 ,r 70 n .

S lza‘

lzu,248 .

Shashes (turban cloths) , 58, 64, 76142, 1 89.

Shehr, 1 1 3 .

Shekesty, 198 .

Sherehooks, 68 .

S bibdar , 205 , 273 , 294, 307 .

S ki ll ing ,the, 3 39.

Shi l l ing,Captain Andrew ,

letter from ,28 ;

goes to Mokha (see also A nne, the) , 28 ,3 3 , 35 3 7 ; h is second voyage to

India, 202, 203 , 2 14, 227 goes to Jask ,203 , 204, 206 , 207 , 2 1 5 ; h is fight wi ththe Portuguese, xx ix , 220-8 , 241 deathand burial of, xxix, 225 , 226

,228 , 242 ;

notice of, 28 n .

Shipbuilding in India, 1 1 3 .

Ships, should be commanded by merchants,1 excessive expend iture on fresh meat,133 ; to be sent out earl ier, 206 ; to

3 76 THE ENGLISH

reach home before the end of August,235 , 244 ; to be fitted with sherehooks

,

&c . , 6 8 ; disposal of, left to the SuratCounci l , 250 .

Shirts ofmai l , 1 8 .

S bi tranjz"

, 354 n .

Shot, expended in fights offJask,225 , 243

deficiency of,224 , 226 , 228 , 3 28 , 33 8 ,

3 39 Surat authorities forced to supply ,238 , 240, 255 ; making of, 30 1 ; chainshot, 68 .

Shroffs, 8 , 91 , 1 10, 1 1 9, 1 33 , 1 55 , 1 8 7, 1 89,2 1 8 , 236 , 265 , 269, 299 , 3 52 ; term

explained , 8 n .

Shyam , 25 3 n .

Siam,1 5 8 , 1 65 , 255 .

S ideabaude , 194.

S ibba rupees, 1 1 3 , 1 8 2, 248 .

S ilk (see a lso Bengal , China, Patna, Persia ,from Agra , 5 8 , 1 26 , 1 55 ,

1 6 1 , 1 69 ; from Khorassan, 25 1 ; pur

chase of, at Masul ipatam , 44, 1 5 8 ; pat

terns for England,1 84 ; sleeve si lk

,198 ,

205 ; kinds of raw si lk,198 .

Si lver, imported in ingots, 8 , 79, 1 68 , 1 84 ;cloth of, 1 8 , 163 , 174 ; lace, 1 74 ; chainsof, 68 , 27 1 .

S immulye , 206 .

Sind. S ee D iul-Sind .

S inekerra , 308 .

‘ S ircar,

’

160, 1 8 7, 192 , 200, 246 , 33 1 ,

340 ; term explained, 160 n .

S irhind, 1 67 n .

Sironj , 1 08 n .

Slaves, 286 ; d isposal of, 3 10 , 3 1 3 ; boughtby the Dutch , 277 279, 300.

Smith , Ri chard, 263 .

Smi th, W i ll iam , 255 .

Smythe, S ir Thomas,vi , 23 , 50, 23 2

Soares, Francisco , claim by, for china del ivered to Nicholas Bangham , 59, 7 7 ,89—92. 94. 97. 99

- 104. 108. 1 1 8 1 34.1 6 1 , 1 70—3 letter from Kerridge to , 97 ,102 ; hi s reply, 104 ; the claim revived ,but rejected , 267, 269, 273 , 280, 283,3 22 ; rumoured intention to reopen the

case, 302, 3 27, 33 5 ; h i s character, 89n . ,

273 noti ce of, 89 n .

Socotra, 68 ; the L i on to cal l at, 60 , 66 ,8 2 ; Bonner’s fleet m isses, 68 ; Bi ckley

’

s

fleet unable to cal l at , 1 26 ; Blyth’s fleetfai l s to reach, 284 , 28 8 ; al oes from , 60,66, 142 royal letter for King of, 66 .

Sofala, 5 7 , 207 .

S ol l imatt, King of, 24.

S olomon , the, 48 n ., 49 .

Sonagaon , 1 95 n .

Souri , Andries , Dutch chief at Masul ipatam , 254 n .

, 304 349 n . ; h is vi sitto the d iamond m ine, 208 n . ,

255 .

FACTORIES

Spain, King of, 58 .

Spalding, Augustine, 1 5 2, 1 54 ; lettersfrom , 1 56, 1 96 ; letters to , 1 14, 1 1 7.Spangles, 63 , 64 n

Spaniards, fight w1th the Dutch, 304 .

Spi ces, the Portuguese bring , 1 1 , 195 , 214 ;sold in India, 42 ; wanted for India, 1 8 ,5 2, 65, 208 , 34 1 for Persia, 1 3 , 16, 30 ;for Mokha, 67 prices of, 47 .

Spikenard , 8 3 , 1 55 , 198 .

Spirits, not to be sent to India, 1 8 , 21 .

Sprage, Thomas, 3 7 ; sent to Golconda,3 3 7 38 7 59: 7 7 : 1 73 ; imprisoned at

Burhanpur, 7 7 , 78 , 1 70 ; handed over tothe Engli sh , 89—92, 96 , 97, 101 , 1 7 1- 3 ;released , 103 ; at Broach , 1 19, 1 21 , 166 ;embarks in the Cbar les, 1 85 .

S tamets, 43 , 47 .

Stanton , Robert, 23 7 .S ta

g, the, captured by the Dutch, xlu , 1 57 ,

1 7 .

Stavely, John, 43 .

Steel , Indian , 1,1 6

,63 , 65 , 76 , 94, 1 16 ,

141 weight and pri ce, 88 .

Steel , Ri chard, 8 , 2 1 , 50 ; not avai lable forRed Sea , 4, 6 ; starts for Agra , 28 ;quarrels wi th an official , 60 ; returns toEngland , 60, 7 7 , 1 69 his project forwaterworks

, 4, 6 , 1 1,1 3 , 16 , 54, 169 ;

and other schemes, 1 1, 1 2

,16 ; com

plaints against, 1 7 , 24, 3 2 ; private tradeof, 60 ; his house at Surat, 103 ; his

wife, 1 6 , 1 7 , 1 9, 21 , 28 ,Strachan, George, surgeon, 237 n . ,

241

25 2.

Stro6

ng waters, not wanted , 54, 78 , 164,1 8 .

Suakin , 57 .

Suffer,Condye, 1 70 1 7 1 1 73

Sugar and sugar candy, 66 ; purchase of,1 2 , 5 1 , 7 3 , 76 , 97 , 102, 1 1 2 , 141 ; sale

able ih Persia, 1 6 ; price of, 1 02.

Sukadana, 265 .

Sultanpur, 1 95 72.Sun

, the, loss of, xxxix, 1 10 , 1 10 n. ,1 14,

1 56 , 1 85 .

Sundelva, 91 .

Sii r,Blyth’s fleet at, 285 , 286, 288 .

Surainge, 108 n .

Surat, Governors of, l ist of, 1 50 (see also

Jamal Khan,Is-haq Beg , and Jamshed

Beg ; Captain of the Castle, see JamQul i Beg ; Customer of, 78 , 101 , 106,107 , 1 09, 1 1 2, 1 24, 141 , 1 5 1 , 23 2, 28 2 ;

bri bes to, and other officia ls,1 88 , 232,

238 , 3 19 ; m int establ ished at, 36, 40,2 1 8 , 293 in consequence , the Engl i share forbidden to export their rials, 218 ,238 , 240, 25 1 , 260, 292, 323 ; pmh ibition withdrawn, 3 25 , 33 1 mosque

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3 7 8 THE ENGLISH

Tiku, ships for, 1 , 1 65 ; goods for, 65 , 88news from

,24 ; events at

, 56 , 7 3 ; the

Engl ish expelled from, 49, 65 68 , 7 7, 8 2

Engl ish shi ps captured at, 1 67 the

Dutch at, 49 , 65 .

Tin, 66, 78 ; sale of, 47 , 54, 20 1 wanted ,1 34, 233 ; pri ce of, 1 84 ; the Portuguesebring, 10, 1 1 , 55 , 195 , 2 14.

Tipton, Francis, 30 , 47 , 55 , 60, 140.

Ti rana’a

‘

z, 74, 256 .

Tobacco , 20 n . ; price of,64, 1 09 ; the

Prince’s junk laden wi th, 92.

Toddy,1 85 .

Told , 47 ; equivalent of, 5 7 note on, 47 n .

Tomson, Thomas, 2 14.

Topha. See Tukfa .

Tortoise-shel ls, 5 5 , 68.

Tottle, Robert, 1 19 , 1 22 ( 2) letter from ,

280 ; letter to , 1 22.

Towerson , Gabriel , 24, 23 7 , 3 27 ; sai ls forEngland, 7 7 ; goes to Bantam ,

2 16 pri

vate trade of, 1 6,60 ; h is wife, 1 6

,1 9,

89 n .,1 55 , 168 , 1 84, 3 27 .

Tracy, Wi l l iam ,141 .

Trade, private, 1

,1 84, 1 88 1 89, 208 ,

2 1 5 ; prevalence of,1 53 , 1 58 ; charges

of, 8 , 16, 50 , 60, 1 8 3 prevention of,

5 2, 143 ; prohibi ted at Pul i cat, 254.

Tranquebar, establ ishment of Danes at, xlv,254 n .

Treaty of Defence. S eeDefence, Treaty of.Tricandies

,63 , 94 , 95 , 142 ; note on

, 95 n .

Trikamdas , 352.

Trinidada Island , 27 1 .

Tucker, John, 70, 73 .

Tuckrees, 197 n .

Tukfa , 1 26 , 1 3 1 , 230, 273, 28 2, 307.Tuke,’ 256 .

Turbith,8 3 .

Turkey, Sul tan of, 16,20, 35 , 57 , 6 7 ,

245 .

Turmeric, 62, 76, 235 , 250 .

Tway, Robert, 309 .

Ufflet, Nicholas, xxi n . , 1 0 n . , 6 1 n . , 1 57 ,1 65 , 1 85 , 195 n .

Umara, 274, 303 .

Umbras, 274, 303 .

Un icorn , the, I , 2, 41—3 , 5 1 , 1 52, 1 56

Unicom’

s horn, 1 1 , 58 , 1 84.

Un i ty , the, 202 , 2 14.

Urpal l . S ee Olpad .

Uz beg, 333 .

Vaggee. S ee Hajl .Van Baccum ,

Nicolas, 202.

Van den Broecke, Pieter : his voyage to theRed Sea, xi ; l oss of h is sh ip, xxxvi , 65marches across India, 29 arrives at

FACTOR IES

Surat as Dutch chief, xxxvi , 200 n

240 n . ,294 , 300 n . , 3 23 , 325 n.

, 348 .

Van Gorcom , Jan , 276 .

Van Ravesteyn , PieterGi l lész , xxxvi i , 1 5 n .,

264 , 278 ; noti ce of, 264 n .

Van Uffelen , Abraham,appointed Dutch

chi ef at Masul ipatam, 349, 349 n .

Variao , 1 29.

Vel lum , 6 1 .

Velvets,21

,164, 1 74, 1 88, 192.

Venetians in India , 5 3 , 25 7, 291 , 327.Vengaroon , bay of

,1 5 7 .

Veni ce gold,164 .

Verm i lion, 1 1 , 1 8 , 42, 47, 55, 78 , 1 54, 189.

Verourd, 1 98 , 247Vienna, reported srege of, 2 16.

Vi l injam,I n . , 73 , 86 .

Vi rji Vora, 86, 1 14, 23 1 .

Vi ss, 208 n . ; equivalent of, 262.

Vi z eapore . S ee Bi japur.

Vyse. S ee Viss.

Waldo , Lawrence, 1 53 .

Walker,Joseph, 16 7, 1 89, 285 .

Wal ler,Thomas, 222.

Wall is , 66 .

Wayen van Z eelana’

, the, 200 n . , 20322

Wapjamg Church , col lection for, 25 .

Watchets, 5 1 , 6 1 , 62, 1 62,1 78 , 235

250.

Wax, from Abyssinia, 5 7 ; seal ing 58,

Weddel l , John, 1 32, 1 33 ; letters to , 1 80,

7 307 ; letters from , to the Surat factors27 1 . 279 295 30 1

306, 3 10 , 3 1 3 ; to the Company, 338second voyage to India , 27 1-3 ; arrivalat Surat, 279, 28 1 , 286 , 324 ; ordered toJask

, 3 10 ; h is posi tion wi th regard toCaptain Blyth, 3 1 3 ; notice of, 27 1 n .

Wesp , the, 295 , 3 24.

Wka le, the, 27 1 n .

,272, 279 3 38

3Wl

a

iegt, sent from Surat to Bantam, 58, 63,1 84 ; purchases at Surat and Broach,

Wheatley, Henry, 333 .

White, Daniel , 56 , 70—3 .

Bear , the (Dutch ship) , 1 5 1 , 1 54,1 5 8 .

Wki te B ear , the (Engl ish ship) , 202, 214,254 n . ,

25 5 .

Wight. S ee Whi te.

Wi lloughby, John, letter to the Company,1 67 ; appointed third at Agra, 1 03, 169 ;follows the Court, 1 64, 1 74 ; sent to

Lahore, 1 73 , 234, 3 35 ; returns to Agra,267, 3 36 ; dispatched to Samari a, 337,346

INDEX

Wine, not to be sent to India, 1 8 , 21 , 168

beneficial to the sailors, 338 .

‘Woddanie dammany,’

330.

Woodcock,Hugh

,27 2.

Woodroffe, Henry, 1 84.

Woodroffe, Richard , 60 .

Wool ley, Nicholas, 285 .

Wormwood wine, 338 .

Yaqub Beg, Deputy Governor of Broach,280

. 294. 299. 347. 3 5 1 .

Yaqut Adi l Shah, Mal i k , Governor of

Dabhol , 289 .

Yaqut Khan, 23 1 , 3 16 .

Yaqut Sid‘

i, 297 .

‘Vo lke,’ 303 .

Young, John , 1 89 ; letter to, 15 1 ; letters

signed by, 260, 266 ; sent to Surat, 16 1his caravan plundered, 59, 74, 8 1 , 84,

379

102,

2 10 ; steps taken to procure com

pensation, 89, 1 1 8 , 1 20, 1 2 1 , 154, 1 70,1 73 250, 269, 273 , 3 22 ; d ispatchedto Agra

,8 8

,89, 1 70 ordered to Patna

,

18 2, 26 1 ; sent to Burhanpur, 346Young , Robert, 1 32, 1 5 3 , 309 ; letter to ,

1 32 ; letters signed by, 145 , 146, 25 7 ,3 3 5 ; sent to Samari a and Lahore, 1 8 1 ,1 8 2, 1 88-9 1 , 2 1 2 2 14 , 234, 257 ,267 returns to Agra

,268

, 336 ; sent

again to Samari a, 3 3 7 , 346.

Yfrsuf,Shaikh, 1 50.

Z afarkhani s, 1 93 , 21 3 , 258 note on, 193 n .

Z ambesi River, 5 7 .

Z amorin. S ee Calicut .

Z awchobe, 142.

Z eila, 56 .

Z ulfaqar Khan, 150 .

OXFORD

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PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY