СНАР. 4.

the wars among the native chiefs, and the overbear- BOOK I. ing influence of the Dutch, cramped and threatened to extinguish the trade of the English. And at 1662-67. Bantam, where the Dutch power was most sensibly felt, the feeble resources of their rivals hardly suf ficed to keep their business alive,1

During these years of weakness and obscurity, several events occurred, which, by their consequences, proved to be of considerable importance. The island of Bombay was ceded to the King of England as part of the dowry of the Infanta Catharine; and a fleet of five men of war commanded by the Earl of Marlborough, with 500 troops commanded by Sir Abraham Shipman, were sent to receive the possession. The armament arrived at Bombay on the 18th of September, 1662; but the governor evaded the cession. The English understood the treaty to include Salsette and the other dependencies of Bombay. As it was not precise in its terms, the Portuguese denied that it referred to any thing more than the island of Bombay. Even Bombay they refused to give up, till further instructions, on the pretext that the letters or patent of the King did not accord with the usages of Portugal. The commander of the armament applied in this emergency to the Company's President, to make arrangements for receiving the troops and ships at Surat, as the men were dying by long confinement on board. But that magistrate represented the danger of incurring the suspicion of the Mogul government, which would produce the seizure of the Company's investment, and the expulsion of their servants from the country. In these Bruce, ii. 130, 159.

СНАР. 4.

BOOK I. circumstances the Earl of Marlborough took his resolution of returning with the King's ships to Eng1662-67. land; but Sir Abraham Shipman, it was agreed,

should land the troops on the island of Angedivah, twelve leagues distant from Goa. On the arrival of the Earl of Marlborough in England, in 1663, the King remonstrated with the government of Portugal, but obtained unsatisfactory explanations; and all intention of parting with the dependencies of Bombay was denied. The situation, in the mean time, of the troops at Angedivah proved extremely unhealthy; their numbers were greatly reduced by disease; and the commander made offer to the President and Council at Surat, to cede the King's rights to the Company. This offer, on consultation, the President and Council declined; as well because, without the authority of the King, the grant was not valid, as because, in their feeble condition, they were unable to take possession of the place. After Sir Abraham Shipman and the greater part of the troops had died by famine and disease, Mr. Cooke, on whom the command devolved, accepted of Bombay on the terms which the Portuguese were pleased to prescribe; renounced all claim to the contiguous islands; and allowed the Portuguese exemption from the payment of customs. This convention the King refused to ratify, as contrary to the terms of his treaty with Portugal; but sent out Sir Gervase Lucas to assume the government of the place. As a few years' experience showed that the government of Bombay cost more than it produced, it was once more offered to the Company: and now accepted. The grant bears date in 1668. Bombay

СНАР. 4.

was "to be held of the King in free and common BOOK I. soccage, as of the manor of East Greenwich, on the payment of the annual rent of 101. in gold, on the 1663-68. 30th of September, in each year;" and with the place itself was conveyed authority to exercise all political powers, necessary for its defence and government.1

Subterfuges of a similar kind were invented by the Dutch to evade the cession of the island of Polaroon. The Governor pretended that he could not deliver up the island without instructions from the Governor of Banda; and the Governor of Banda pretended that he could not give such instructions without receiving authority from the Governor-General of Batavia. After much delay and negotiation, the cession was made in 1665; but not, if we believe the English accounts, till the Dutch had so far exterminated the inhabitants and the spice-trees, that the acquisition was of little importance. On the recommencement, however, of hostilities between England and Holland, the Dutch made haste to expel the English, and to re-occupy the island. And by the treaty of Breda, both Polaroon and Damm, on which the English had attempted an establishment, were finally ceded to the Dutch.2

In the beginning of 1664, Sivajee, the founder of the Mahratta power, in the course of his predatory warfare against the territories of the Mogul Sovereign, attacked the city of Surat. The inhabitants fled, and the Governor shut himself up in the castle. The

Bruce, ii. 104, 106, 126, 134, 141, 155, 168, 199. Macpherson's Annals, ii. 503.

BOOK I. Company's servants, however, taking shelter in the СНАР. 4. factory, stood upon their defence, and having called 1663-68 in the ships' crews to their aid, made so brave a resistance that Sivajee retired after pillaging the town. The gallantry and success of this enterprise so pleased the Mogul government, as to obtain its thanks to the President, and new privileges of trade to the Company.' The place was again approached

"we

1 Scant justice is done to the Company's servants in this brief notice of a conduct highly remarkable for cool and resolute courage. Sivajee's approach to within 15 miles of Surat was announced on the morning of the 5th of January, upon which the Governor retired into the castle, and the inhabitants fled from every part of the city except that adjacent to the factory. In the evening the Mahrattas entered, and part blockaded the castle whilst the rest plundered and set fire to the houses. During that night and the following day repeated demands and menaces were sent to the factory, but they were all met with terms of defiance. "We replied to Sivajee," says the despatch to the Court dated the 26th January, 1664, were here on purpose to maintain the house to the death of the last man, and therefore not to delay his coming upon us." It does not appear that any organized attack was made upon the factory, but the Mahrattas assembled in considerable numbers before it, and broke into an adjoining house. To prevent their establishing themselves in a situation from which they might offer serious annoyance, a sally was made from the factory which had the effect of dislodging the assailants, and putting them to flight, with some loss and three men wounded on the part of the English; this success was followed up with spirit-the plundered house was occupied-several sorties were made, and pushed even to the gates of the castle, and the neighbourhood for near a quarter of a mile round was cleared of the enemy. No further attempts were made to molest the factory nor its vicinity during the three days that Sivajee continued in possession of the town, and the inhabitants of the quarter in which the factory was situated were very thankful in their acknowledgements, blessing and praising the English nation," to whose valour they ascribed their exemption from the calamities which had desolated the rest of the city. The governor presented Sir G. Oxenden with a dress of honour, and recommended the interests of the Company to Aurangzeb.

The emperor in the first instance remitted the customs at Surat for one year in favour of all merchants, and subsequently granted a perpetual remission of a portion of the duties to the English in particular. The despatch from Surat states the proportion to be one half, but the translation of the Husb-ul-hookum, in the Records, says a half per cent.; and in

CHAP. 4.

by the same destructive enemy in 1670, when the BOOK I. principal part of the Company's goods was transported to Swally, and lodged on board the ships. 1663-68. The English again defended themselves successfully, though some lives were lost, as well as some property in their detached warehouses.1

At this period occurred one of the first instances of refractory and disobedient conduct on the part of the Company's servants. This is a calamity to which they have been much less frequently exposed,

the firmaun granted on the 26th June, 1667, the amount is stated at one per cent. out of three, the ordinary impost. A more important provision of the firmaun is exemption from all transit charges on any pretext whatever.-W.

1 Bruce, 144, 145, 284.-M. According to Orme, the English and Dutch factories were free on this, and on the former irruption, from either molestation or demand.-Fragments 14, 25. A very extraordinary statement, as he had access to the public records, which tell a very different story. On this occasion, as on the former, the English factory was defended with spirit, "the enemy," says the letter from Surat, "found such hot service from our house, having lost several men, that they left us.” Subsequently a parley was held with "the Captain of the Brigade," who agreed to refrain from further molestation, and "the house was quiet for two days." On the third day they again appeared before the factory, threatening that they would take or burn it to the ground; but Mr. Master stood in so resolute a posture that the Captain, not willing to hazard his men, with much ado kept them back, and sent a man into the house to advise Mr. Master what was fit to be done." In consequence of this communication a complimentary present was sent to Sivajee by two of the Company's servants; he received them kindly, "telling them that the English and he were very good friends, and putting his hand into their hands told them that he could do the English no wrong, and that this giving his hand was better than any 'Coul' to oblige him thereto." Sivajee was in fact desirous to conciliate the English, in order to induce them to return to Rajapore, where they had formerly had a factory, which they had abandoned in consequence of his exactions. The loss of their trade had injured the town of Rajapore, and diminished the Mahratta's revenue from it. Sivajee immediately afterwards left Surat. The French had saved their factory, by paying a contribution. The Dutch factory was without the town, and was not attacked, and these circumstances, with the interview between Sivajee and the English, inspired the Mogul Government with considerable distrust of the Europeans at Surat.-W.