That mouth
where the Expedition now came to anchor, was probably that called the
Pitty river, being the most north-western of the Delta, in lat 24 deg. 45'
N. and long. 67 deg. 12' E. from Greenwich; being the nearest on her way
from Guadal, and that which most directly communicates with Tatta, the
capital of the Delta of the Indus. - E.]
[Footnote 117: Such is the vague mode of expression in the Pilgrims; but
it appears afterwards that he was governor of Diul, at which place Sir
Robert Shirley and his suite were landed. It singularly happens, that
Diul is omitted in all the maps we have been able to consult; but from
the context, it appears to have been near the mouth of the Pitty river,
mentioned in the preceding note. It is afterwards said to have been
fifteen miles up the river, in which case it may possibly be a place
otherwise called Larry Bunder, about twenty miles up the Pitty, which
is the port of Tatta. - E.]
[Footnote 118: Tatta is not less than seventy-five English miles from
the mouth of the Pitty, and consequently sixty from Diul. - E.]
When the lord ambassador left us, we requested he would send us word how
he found the country disposed, and whether we might have trade there;
and for this purpose, we gave his lordship a note in writing of what we
chiefly desired, which was to the following purport: "That our coming to
this port was purposely to land his lordship; yet, as we had brought
with us certain commodities and money, we were willing to make sales of
such and so much of those as might suit, if we could obtain licence and
protection for quiet trade; and, with the governor's permission, would
settle a factory at this place, to which, though now but slenderly
provided, we would afterwards bring such kinds and quantities of goods
us might be most suitable for sale. The commodities we now had, were
elephants and morse teeth, fine fowling-pieces, lead and tin in bars,
and some Spanish dollars. If we could not be permitted to trade, we
requested leave to provide ourselves, with refreshments, and so to
depart."
The 30th September, the ambassador had an audience of the governor
concerning all his business, to whom he shewed the firmaun of the king
of Persia, as also the pass of the king of Spain, thinking thereby to
satisfy the jealousy of the Portuguese residents at that place, who
reported, on pretended intelligence from Ornus, that Don Roberto Shirley
was come from England with three ships to the Indies, on purpose to
steal. They peremptorily refused to give credence to the Spanish pass,
saying it was neither signed nor sealed by their king, in which they
could not possibly be mistaken, knowing it so well, and therefore that
it was assuredly forged. On this, the ambassador angrily said, that it
was idle to shew them any king's hand-writing and seal, as they had no
king, being merely a waste nation, forcibly reduced under subjection to
the king of Spain, and mere slaves both to him and his natural subjects.
Yet the Portuguese boldly stood to their former allegations, insisting
that the ambassador had other two ships in the Indies.
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