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. The disarming of our men
was what chiefly disobliged our people, though the weapons were only
lodged in the custom-house, and those only belonging to the ship's
company. I told Asaph Khan, that we could not endure this slavery, nor
would I stay longer in the country, as the prince gave us one day a
phirmaund for our good usage, with a grant of privileges, and
countermand all the next by contradictory orders, in which proceedings
there was neither honour nor good faith, and I could not answer for my
continuing to reside among them. Asaph Khan said, he would speak to the
king at night on the subject, in the presence of the prince, and
afterwards give me an answer.
I went again to wait upon Asaph Khan on the 18th, when he made many
protestations of the Mogul's affection to my sovereign and nation, and
to me, and assured me he had risked the prince's disfavour for our
sakes, and had full assurance of a complete redress of all our
grievances:
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