Tobacco 700
leaves for a dollar. Eggs a penny each. And the king, who is universal
merchant, would only take Spanish dollars, refusing our English money.
[Footnote 407: This letter was a brief summary of the disadventures of
Sir Henry in the Red Sea by Turkish perfidy; as in his own journal has
already appeared, with a caveat to all English ships, and notice of the
road of Assab. - Purch.]
[Footnote 408: The editor of Astley's Collection, who appears to have
been an orientalist, gives this name and title, Soltan Amor
Ebensayd. - E.]
The 27th, I called a meeting of the merchandizing council, to whom I
read the company's instructions, and the letter from Sir Henry
Middleton, received from the king of Socotora. By the instructions, we
were led to expect good store of aloes at this place, but the king was
quite unprovided, and could not furnish any before next August. And as
we were appointed to go from hence to Aden and Mokha, in the Red-sea, in
case the monsoon did not serve for Surat, which we were now strongly
dissuaded from by an account of the wrongs done there by treachery to
Sir Henry, I represented that we should find it very chargeable to
remain here or in Delisha roads for six months waiting the monsoon, as
there was no getting to the coast of Guzerat until the end of September.
My opinion was therefore, notwithstanding the bad tidings from Sir
Henry, that we should proceed for Mokha, having with us the pass of the
Grand Signior, which the former ships had not; by which means we would
be able to certify to the company of what avail the pass might be,
taking, care, however, to stand well on our guard, and not to trust any
one ashore without a sufficient pledge.
