With This We Seemed Satisfied, And Gave Him
Many Thanks; And Indeed They All Seemed Perfectly Willing To Give Us
Every satisfaction, yet, in my opinion, not from good-will or justice,
but from fear, as they knew we were
Able to intercept their whole trade.
After some conversation about our ambassador, who now resided at
Constantinople, and about the Portuguese and Spaniards, whom Rajib said
were proud and faithless nations, we spoke of Sir Henry Middleton,
asking the cause of their treacherous conduct to him and his people. He
answered, that the then Vizier was a bloody, cruel, and ill-minded man,
and made worse by the instigation of the Turks and Arabs of Mokha, who
were enraged by the uncivil behaviour of our people, who made water at
the gates of their mosques, forced their way into the houses after the
citizens wives, and being daily drunk in the streets, would fight and
quarrel with the people,[290] things hateful in their eyes. These were
only in part the cause, for the covetousness of the governor, hoping to
have got their ship and goods, was the main cause of that scandalous
conduct, for which he was soon afterwards sent to Constantinople to
answer for his crimes.
[Footnote 290: Let English Christians read, blush, and amend - Purch.]
We dined that day with the scrivano, and hired a house of Hassan Aga,
one of our pledges, at seventy dollars the monsoon, or yearly rent, it
being all the same. The scrivano insisted to swear himself our friend on
his Koran, yet denied the present governor to be the person who captured
Sir Henry Middleton, which we afterwards found to be Turkish faith, or
absolute falsehood. We now agreed to pay at the rate of three in the
hundred, ad valorem, both inwards and outwards, though the scrivano
swore that all others paid five; all money, with silver and gold in
bullion, to pass free of duty. We remained this night with the scrivano
to supper, and gave him a present.
On the 29th of April we expected to have had our phirmaun publicly read
before all the merchants, and proclaimed to the people; but most part of
the day was spent in ceremony by the governor and other chiefs at the
mosque, on account of the death of Sultan Achmet, the Grand signior,
and the accession of his brother to the throne. They came riding past
our house while we were sitting at a window which opened to the street,
whence we made our obeisance to them, and they bowed in return. They
were all in grand gala, having their horses richly caparisoned. At four
in the afternoon we were sent for, but our linguist had got to a Jew
house and was drunk with arrack, so we sent an apology, under pretence
that Mr Salbank was indisposed, and promised attendance next day. On the
31st, the governor sent for us, and made our welcome known to all the
merchants, causing his scrivano draw up a phirmaun as full as we could
have wished, which he signed with his chop or seal in the afternoon at
the house of the principal scrivano, entirely according to what was
before agreed upon, by which we were to pay three per cent. for all we
landed, excepting money, and the same for all we took on board, except
victuals. We got afterwards a similar phirmaun from Mahomet, the pacha
of Sinan: and Rejib Aga gave us a particular safe conduct for Mr Salbank
and the rest.[291]
[Footnote 291: Copies, or translations rather, from the Arabic, are
given in the Pilgrims of all these three phirmauns, which it was not
thought necessary to insert. - E]
It was now agreed among ourselves that Mr Salbank and I were to remain
ashore to conduct the business of sales and purchases, while Mr Barber
staid on board to prepare and send such goods as we required. The 5th of
May we went to the scrivano to get leave to make arrack for the use of
our sick men; because, since our linguist and several of our people had
got drunk in the house of a Jew, we had complained, and procured an
order prohibiting the Jews from selling them any, and the governor had
even strictly enjoined the Jews and Turks not to sell any more arrack or
wine in the town. At our request through the scrivano, the governor
granted leave for a Jew, nominated for the purpose to brew arrack at our
house, but forbid any to be made elsewhere.
In the afternoon of the 8th, learning that the governor and principal
men were sitting in form at the Alfandica, to receive the Surat captain
who was then coming on shore, we went also to see the ceremonial of his
reception. We found the governor at the upper end of a long room,
sitting on a stone bench spread with carpets, having on the same bench
with him various merchants and Turks of quality, to the number of about
twenty. Opposite to him sat about as many in chairs, forming a lane down
the room to a square platform raised three steps from the floor, railed
in and matted, in which the scrivano and other officers of the customs
sat on carpets. The governor bid us welcome, saying he had given orders
to the chief broker to examine our goods and promote their sale. He then
desired us to sit down, two merchants offering us their places, and
called for coffee and tobacco to regale us.
About half an hour after, the nokhada, or captain of the Surat ship,
came ashore. His boat was curiously painted, having a tilt of red silk,
with many streamers, and sails of fine white calico. He was rowed by
twenty of his servants, all dressed in fine white calico, and he was
accompanied by a wretched band of music, consisting of drums, waits, and
bad trumpets, the noise from which was augmented by the discharge of
guns from his own great junk and those belonging to the town.
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