A General Meeting Was Held On The 30th May, At Dinner, On Board The
Trades-Increase, To Which Captain Saris And Captain Towerson Were
Invited, For Holding A Conference On The Farther Prosecution Of Our
Business With The Turks.
At noon came over from Mokha, the sabandar, the
mammi, and an aga, all appointed by the pacha to
Confer for an agreement
in satisfaction of our injuries; and finding he would abate nothing in
his demand of 100,000 dollars, they demanded leave to hold a conference
with the nakhadas, or captains of the Indian ships, and the principal
merchants, which was allowed. It seems this was for the purpose of
trying what additional customs could be levied on the Indian goods,
towards payment of the compensation demanded; but several of the
nakhadas, in consideration of former injuries, either staid away from
the conference, or opposed the augmentation; wherefore the three Turkish
officers took leave of Sir Henry, promising to give him notice of what
was to be done, as soon as they had an answer from the pacha; and thus
they departed again towards Mokha on the 9th June. All this time our
people were employed rummaging, opening, and repacking Indian goods fit
for our purpose, and giving English commodities in return for these.
The 11th June, Sir Henry, with the Trades-increase, and Captain Saris
with the Clove and Hector, departed from the road of Assab, carrying all
the Indian ships along with them to the road of Mokha. I continued with
the Pepper-corn at Assab, along with a small ship named the Jungo,
redelivering all the goods I had taken out of her on the 9th and 10th of
May. This being completed, I set sail along with her early in the
morning of the 12th, following our admiral and the rest to Mokha, where
we anchored in the afternoon of the 13th. The 19th, Sir Henry perceiving
that the Turks meant nothing but delay, and were even in our sight
unloading a ship of Kuts Nagone, he determined to hinder them till an
agreement was made in compensation of our wrongs. Wherefore, by his
orders, I warped nearer them with the Pepper-corn, and by firing several
shots made them desist from their labour: Yet all this week the Turks
amused us with delays, and came to no agreement.
The 26th, Sir Henry and Captain Saris convened a meeting of all the
nakhadas of the Indian ships aboard the Mahmudi of Dabul, where Sir
Henry, as he had done often before, recapitulated to them all the wrongs
and damages sustained from the Turks, declaring his resolution on no
account to permit them to have any trade with Mokha till he had received
ample satisfaction; adding, that having already repaid himself for the
injuries sustained in India, he must now be forced to carry them all out
with him to sea, that the Turks might reap no benefit this year from the
Indian trade. The Indians seeing that, by the abuses and delays of the
Turks, it was likely to become an unprofitable monsoon for them, though
their departure would be injurious to the Turks by loss of customs, yet,
rather than carry back their commodities, they desired to make a
composition with our two generals, paying a sum of money among them for
leave to trade. Accordingly, having no means to enforce satisfaction
from the Turks, without farther prejudice to the Indians, Sir Henry
determined to accept their offer, still leaving the satisfaction due
from the Turks to a future opportunity. To begin therefore, a
composition was agreed upon with Mir Mohammed Takkey, nakhada of the
Rehemi, for 15,000 dollars, she being nearly equal in value to the
other four ships.
Sec. 4. Voyage from Mokha to Sumatra, and Proceedings there.
Composition being made with all the Indian ships, and their several sums
in part received, Captain Saris sent away his vice-admiral, Captain
Towerson, on the 6th August. The 13th Captain Saris departed, having
received all the money due to him by composition from the Indian ships.
Having completed all our business by the 16th, we set sail on that day
with the Trades-increase and Pepper-corn, and passed through the straits
of Bab-al-Mondub next day, endeavouring to steer a course for Cape
Comorin on our way to Sumatra; but owing to calms and contrary winds we
were long detained in the gulf between the bab and Cape Guard-da-fui.
The 12th September we saw several snakes swimming on the surface of the
sea, which seldom appear in boisterous weather, and are a strong sign of
approaching the coast of India. The 13th we saw more snakes, and this
day had soundings from 55 fathoms diminishing to 40. At sunrise of the
14th we descried high land, bearing E. by N. about 16 leagues distant,
when we stood E. by S. till four p.m. when the nearest coast between us
and the high land bore E. eight leagues off. We then directed our course
south along the coast of India or Malabar, and on the 22d at nine a.m.
descried Cape Comorin. The 24th we had sight of the island of Ceylon,
and next day about noon we descried Cape de Galle, the southernmost part
of that island. The 30th we found much injury done to the wheat in our
bread room by wet; also of our coarse dutties, or brown calicoes of
Pormean, we found twenty pieces quite rotten.
The 19th October, at three p.m. we anchored in the road of Tekoa,[366]
where we found the Darling, which had been there ever since July in a
great part of the rains, which were not yet ended, having buried before
we arrived three of their merchants and three sailors. Most of their men
were sick, and they had got but little pepper, and little more was to be
had till next season, in April and May.
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