For Effecting These Purposes, The Sending The Woman Home, And The
Prosecution Of Trade To The Red Sea, I Have Sent Back Richard Steel To
Surat With The Necessary Orders.
As it is now declared that the king
intends going to Guzerat, I have altered my purpose about the goods and
presents; and have appointed Richard Steel, after having dispatched
other matters, to meet me there with the goods and presents, and his
engineers.
I have also sent my advice and directions to Captain Pring,
to make out an inventory of all the monies and goods in the two pirate
ships, and to land the whole, making it over to your stock; to give a
passage home to some of the chiefs, and to take the rest into your
service, referring to you at home to deal with the owners. My own fixed
opinion is, that their capture is legal and justifiable, and all their
goods forfeited. If you are pleased to restore any thing, be it at your
pleasure; but the more rigour you show to these, the better example you
will give to such scandalous piracies; for, if this course be pursued,
you may bid adieu to all trade at Surat and in the Red Sea, and let the
Turkey Company stand clear of the revenge of the Grand Signior.
I went to Asaph Khan on the 6th November, and shewed him the pearls
according to promise. As I had been previously informed, he told me the
sorts were not fit for that country; yet he was so pleased that I had
kept my word with him, that I believe I may say to you in the words of
Pharaoh, "The land is before you, dwell where you will, you and your
servants." We talked not about the price, but he vowed the utmost
secrecy, and that for my sake he would give more for them than their
value, not returning any, and would pay ready money. Of this he
professed to be in no want, and even offered to lend me whatever I
needed. I have promised to visit his sister, whom he has made our
protectress; and indeed, every contentment that good words can give, I
have received, besides good deeds. When the presents arrive, I shall
take care not to be too liberal to your loss; a little shall serve in
that way. Indeed Asaph Khan himself has given me this advice, saying
that such things are as well taken in this country sold as given, which
I find by the experience of others to be true.
Finishing these conferences in his bed-chamber, Asaph Khan rose to go to
dinner, having invited me and my people; but he and his friends dined
without, appointing us our mess apart, for they scruple to eat with us.
I had good cheer, and was well attended, the residue being given to my
servants. After dinner, I moved about the debt due by Groo, and told him
of the delays. He desired me to say no more, as he had undertaken that
business; that Groo, at his orders, was finishing accounts with a
jeweller, and he had given orders, as the money was paid, that it should
remain in the hands of the cutwall for us. This I found afterwards to be
true, and the cutwall has promised to finish in three days, desiring me
to send no more to Asaph Khan on that business.
I must not omit to mention here, an anecdote of baseness or favour, call
it which you please. When the prisons are full of condemned men, the
king commands some to be executed, and sends others to his omrahs, to be
redeemed at a price. This he esteems a courtesy, as giving the means of
exercising charity: But he takes the money, and so sells the virtue.
About a month before our remove, he sent to me to buy three Abyssinians,
whom they suppose to be all Christians, at the price of forty rupees
each. I answered, that I could not purchase men as slaves, as was done
by others, by which they had profit for their money; but that I was
willing to give twenty rupees each for them in charity, to save their
lives and restore them to liberty. The king was well pleased with my
answer, and ordered them to be sent me. They expected the money, which I
was in no haste to give, and even hoped it had been forgotten. But the
king's words are all written down[217], and are as irrevocable decrees.
Seeing that I sent not for the malefactors, his officers delivered them
into the hands of my procurator, in my absence this day, taking his
note for the sixty rupees, which I paid at my return, and set free the
prisoners.
[Footnote 217: Dixit, et edictum est; fatur, et est factum. - Purch.]
Having notice of a new phirmaund sent down to Surat to disarm all the
English, and some other restrictions upon their liberty, owing to a
complaint sent up to the prince, that we intended to build a fort at
Swally, and that our ships were laden with bricks and lime for that
purpose, I visited Asaph Khan on the 10th November, to enquire into this
matter. This jealousy arose from our people having landed a few bricks
on shore, for building a furnace to refound the ship's bell; yet the
alarm was so hot at court, that I was called to make answer, when I
represented how absurd was this imaginary fear, how dishonourable for
the king, and how unfit the place was for any such purpose to us, having
neither water nor harbourage. The jealousy was however so very strongly
imprinted in their minds, because I had formerly asked a river at Gogo
for that purpose, that I could hardly satisfy the prince but that we
intended some such sinister end. You may judge from this how difficult
it were to get a port for yourselves, if you were so disposed.
Notwithstanding all remonstrances, this furnace must be demolished, and
a huddey of horse sent down to see it done.
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