That the presents coming
for the king and prince, should not be opened at the port, but sent up
to court under the seals of the customhouse officers.
2. That
curiosities sent for presents to other persons, and for the merchants to
sell, should also be sent to the court sealed, for the prince to make
the first choice. 3. That the gross merchandize should be landed,
reasonably rated, and not detained at the customhouse, but that the
merchants, on paying the customs, should have full liberty to sell or
dispose of it as they pleased; and that the ships should be fully
supplied with provisions, without paying any custom for the same.
On the 4th, Asaph Khan sent me back my articles, after so long
attendance and so many false promises, some of them altered, and others
struck out, together with a letter, saying there was no need of any
articles, as an order from the prince to trade at Surat was quite
sufficient, he being lord there, and that no grant of trade at Bengal or
Sinde could ever be allowed. Notwithstanding all this vexation, I durst
not change my mode of proceeding, or wholly quit the prince and Asaph
Khan. I therefore drew up other articles, leaving out what seemed
displeasing in the former, and desired Asaph Khan to put them into form
and procure them to be sealed, or else to allow me to apply to the king,
that if he denied me I might leave the country. The substance of these
new articles was as follows: - 1. That all the subjects of the Great
Mogul should receive the English in a friendly manner, suffering them to
land their goods peaceably, and to procure provisions for their money
without paying customs for them. - 2. To have liberty, after paying
customs for their goods, to sell them to any one they pleased, and none
to force them to sell at an under rate. - 3. To have liberty to pass with
their goods to any part of the empire, without any farther exactions
than those payable at the port. - 4. To have the presents for the Mogul
and prince sealed without being opened, and sent to the ambassador. - 5.
To have the goods of those that might die freed from confiscation, and
delivered to the surviving English factors. - And finally, That no injury
should be offered to any of the English.
On the 8th, Asaph Khan sent me word in plain terms, that absolutely he
would procure nothing for me sealed, that in any respect concerned the
government belonging to the prince, and that I must rest satisfied with
a firmaun or order, signed by the prince, which was quite sufficient,
and I needed not to apply any more to him. This clearly revealed the
purpose he had so long intended, that we should be entirely dependent on
the prince; and I now had just cause to look out for new friends, Asaph
Khan having forsaken me. He that first took him for our solicitor
engaged us in all this misery, for he was the known protector of our
enemies, and a slave to their numerous bribes. I therefore determined to
try the prince, and to seem entirely dependent upon him. So I went to
the prince on the 10th, and desired he would grant his firmaun for the
four articles formerly sent to his secretary, which he threw down to his
secretary, so that I hoped to be at rest. I received it on the 11th, but
on reading it over, I found two of the four clauses much altered, and
one entirely left out; so I returned it, declaring roundly I could not
accept it, neither would I suffer any goods to be sent ashore. Never was
any man so distressed with such pride, covetousness, and falsehood.
At night, I rode to visit the prince's secretary, Mirza Socrolla, with
whom I expostulated the business, declaring my resolution to depart. But
I now found the firmaun quite different than I had been informed, and
containing all the clauses I had required, though in some phrases rather
ambiguous in my judgment, which the secretary interpreted favourably,
declaring it was the prince's intent to satisfy me entirely, and that
every thing was quite sufficient for our purpose. After urging the
obscurity of some points, and as he had declared the meaning of the
prince to me, I requested he would explain them in the same sense to the
governor of Surat, which he agreed to; and especially gave order that
the customer should pay for fifty pieces of cloth, which he had bought
many months before, and wished now to return upon the factors, to their
extreme loss. At the close of our conference, he expressed the prince's
desire that we would rely entirely on him, and not cross him in matters
belonging to his government, by applying to the king, declaring that we
should so find him a better friend than we expected. Being thus
satisfied, I was in some hope of success, especially as this man is no
taker of bribes, and is reputed honest, and pledged his credit that we
should sustain no loss or injury, every thing being referred to him by
the prince. So I accepted the firmaun, which, on having it translated, I
found very effectual and satisfactory.
The 16th, I went to visit the prince, intending to seem entirely
dependent upon him, till I heard what entertainment our ships were
likely to meet with. But I found him in much perplexity, fearing the
coming of Sultan Parvis to court, he being only at the distance of eight
coss, anxiously desiring leave to kiss his father's hands. The king had
even granted his desire, but by the influence of Nourmahal, the
favourite queen, he had revoked the permission, and Sultan Parvis was
ordered away directly to Bengal.[205] The resolution of the king to
remove the court from Agimere still continued, but no one knew certainly
where he intended to go.
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