To This I Answered, That The Proposal Was
Utterly Unfit For Me To Listen To; As Whatever I Promised I
Must
perform, though at the expence of my own life and of all under my
command, and that I could
Not possibly lend myself to fight against the
Portuguese on any account whatever, unless they first attacked me, as it
was absolutely contrary to my commission from my own sovereign. I added,
that, if the Portuguese provoked me by any aggression, I would not be
withheld from fighting them for all the wealth of the nabob: But he made
small account of this distinction, and, seeing that we refused to fulfil
his wishes, he opposed us in all our proceedings as far as he could, so
that we nearly lost all our former hopes of trading at this place. In
this dilemma, I made enquiry respecting Gengomar and Castellata, and
also of Gogo:[125] but could get poor encouragement to change for
better dealing, so that we remained long perplexed how to act, and
returned to our business at the ships.
[Footnote 125: Gogo is on the west shore of the gulf of Cambay. In an
after passage of this voyage, what is here called Gengomar and
Castellata, is called Gengomar or Castelletto, which may possibly
refer to Jumbosier, on a river of the same name, about sixty miles north
from Surat. Castelletta must have been a name imposed by the
Portuguese. - E.]
The 27th, in the morning, when Nicholas Ufflet went ashore, he found all
the people belonging to Swally had gone away from the water-side in the
night, as also all those who used to stay beside the tents, in
consequence of an order from the nabob; and was farther informed that
our merchants were detained at Surat, having been stopped by force when
attempting to cross the bridge, and had even been beaten by the guard
set there by the nabob. The gunner's boy and his companion, formerly
supposed to have run away, and who were in company at the time with our
merchants, being on their return to the ships, were also well beaten,
and detained with the rest. The 31st we began to take in fresh water, to
be ready for departing, as our stay here seemed so very uncertain. This
day, Thomas Smith, the master's boy, had most of the outer part of one
of his thighs bitten off by a great fish, while swimming about the ship.
The ravenous fish drew him under water, yet he came up again and swam
to the ship, and got up to the bend, where he fainted. Being brought
into the gun-room, the surgeon endeavoured to do what he could for his
recovery; but he had lost so much blood that he never recovered out of
the swoon, and shortly died.
In the evening of the 2d November, Mr Aldworth and Mr Elkington came
down from Surat, where they left Mr Ensworth very sick. They reported to
me their proceedings with the nabob, as formerly stated; but said they
were now reconciled, and that he had made fair promises of future
respect, with a free trade through all the country under his government.
I do not attribute his severe proceedings hitherto to any hatred or
ill-will to our nation, but to his fears lest we might unite with the
Portuguese against him, owing to my refusing to assist him against
Damaun. These his doubts and fears were increased by a knavish device of
the subtle and lying Jesuits; who, taking advantage of my refusal to
fight against the Portuguese without cause, at Damaun or elsewhere,
pretended with the nabob that they had a letter from the viceroy,
saying, That he and his friends the English meant to join their forces
and come against Surat. This devilish device gave much hindrance to our
business, by occasioning continual doubt in the nabob's mind of our
friendly intentions; and unfortunately likewise, Mr Aldworth had
strengthened these doubts and fears, though ignorant of the lying
inventions of the jesuits; for, thinking to mollify their rigour, he
rashly advised them to beware, lest their ill usage might force us to
join with the Portuguese against them. We likewise believed that the
order of the nabob, forbidding the people to trade with us on board,
proceeded entirely from his desire to thwart us: But we afterwards
learnt, by letter from Thomas Kerridge, that Mucrob Khan, and all other
governors of sea-ports, had express orders from the Mogul, not to allow
any trade with us till they had first chosen and purchased, for the
king's use, all kinds of strange and unusual things we might have to
dispose of.
On the 3d I called a council to deliberate concerning our business, and
especially how far we might proceed in aid of the natives against the
Portuguese, for which purpose we carefully examined our commission and
instructions. We also arranged the appointments of the merchants for
their several places of employment, both such as were to remain in the
factory at Surat, and those who were to proceed on the voyage. This day
likewise, sixty bales of indigo, and eleven packs of cotton-yarn, came
aboard from Surat, being goods that belonged to the twelfth voyage.
It was my desire to have been ashore among our merchants, that I might
assist in arranging our business at Surat; and this the rather because
of the turbulent, head-strong, and haughty spirit of - - ,[126] who was
ever striving to sway every thing his own way, thwarting others who
aimed at the common good, and whose better discretion led them to more
humility. But such was the uncertain state of our business, partly owing
to the nabob and his people, and partly to the Portuguese, who I heard
were arming against us; and besides, because I understood that the nabob
proposed to demand restitution for the goods taken by Sir Henry
Middleton in the Red Sea, at under rates, as they say, though I know
they had goods for goods even to the value of a halfpenny.
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