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| Aug. 4. |
1010. Court Minutes of the East India Company. Admission of Wm. Hollinshed, “one of the old merchant adventurers.” Walter Mountford to be continued in the Company's service. Payment to Mrs. Adderley. Fifty or sixty butts of Canary to be bought. Five ships to be sent to Surat at Christmas, including the new ship in the dock and two to be bought. Committee appointed to consider of some course for suppressing pirates. Cloth to be purchased. Christ. Bogan engaged as purser in the Charles. Petition of Geo. Muschampe for employment referred. John Herbert entertained. Letter read from Eustace Manne complaining of Capt. Downton's ill service in the loss of the Trades Increase, and justifying himself concerning the action for the French voyage ; but circumstances arguing his malice to be great against the Company, he is held unworthy of any favour. Letter from Alice Middleton as to the payment of dividends due to her husband, Sir Henry. Petition of Thos. Carwell, trumpeter's mate in the Dragon in the tenth voyage. A lease to be renewed to a tenant of the Bridge House lands. Relief granted to the widow of Wm. Melsham, late purser in the Clove. Proceedings of the committee at Deptford confirmed. Petition of John Martyn, complaining of his losses in the Company's service. [Four pages and a half. Court Bk., III., 458–462.] |
Aug. 8.
Bantam. |
1011. Robert Youart to the East India Company. Refers to his previous letter from Saldanha, which place they left on 18th May and arrived at Bantam 25th July with the loss of Thos. Browne and John Lattimer. Found General Downton with the New Year's Gift, but he is since deceased; Capt. Elkington, the bearer of his letter, and Capt Jourdain, the two principals for managing the Company's affairs. Concerning the intended voyage of the Advice to Japan; purpose on their return to invest the silver brought from Japan in silks or other commodities from Siam and Patani. Has received from Capt. Elkington, of the Gift, four of the King's letters, one to the Emperor of China, one to the Emperor of Japan, and two blanks, “which upon good occasion shall be presented.” [One page and a half. O. C., Vol III., No. 288.] |
Aug. 10.
Bantam. |
1012. John Jourdain to Rich. Wickham at Firando. Hopes he has received his last by “Rapghe” Coppindall in the Osiander. The death of General Downton has altered his determination of going home this year; Elkington is the General's successor, and is to go home in the New Year's Gift. The writer's salary has been increased to 150l. per annum, “with other favourable promises.” Counsels him to go forward in well doing in the Company's service. General Downton fought with the Portugals at Surat, and sunk three of their ships, The Hope sent home from Surat laden with indigo; the Solomon has gone for Masulipatam; hopes the Gift and Hector will be ready to sail for England in November, if the Hector come from Acheen in time. Mr. Ball in the Concord and Mr. Bailye in the Thomasine were beaten from the Moluccas by the Flemings, so the Concord is gone for Succadana and the Thomasine for Timor; daily expects them at Bantam. The Attendant is bound with a small pinnace to search the back side of Sumatra, where there is information of some good to be done. [One page. O. C, Vol. III., No. 289.] |
Aug. 17.
Sambopa,
[a fort in
Maeassar]. |
1013. Geo. Cokayne to President Jourdain at Bantam. Since the Thomasine left on 20th July, he has been called every day to the King [of Macassar], “or else he comes to our house to have me to resolve him as well as I can of such questions as he doth propound unto me.” The King's great preparations for war; the whole land making bricks for two castles to be finished this summer; 10,000 lances ready in the armoury with other warlike stores. “All this is to entertain the Flemings, for he will not be persuaded but that they will come to offer him some disgrace this next monsoon.” Yesterday a messenger came from Ternate, his business is imagined to be “concerning these drunken lobbores.” A great man of Solor says that within three monsoons the Flemings will be put out of all these countries; “there is a plot laid in all these countries for that purpose.” News that a Dutch ship will arrive within six da“pagarr” upon rafts, but not a man shall land; the commonalty would willingly put them all to the sword. His opinion has been asked, but he will not counsel them in any such proceedings; “they have all the reason in the world to make clear work with as many as they can of them, as all other places begin to do, for their proceedings are in blood;” they make war with all inhabitants where they come. Cloth and raw silk sold; other goods as yet lie dead, because the country is in turmoils. Men, women, and children are all at work fortifying their country. Yesterday the King mustered in the writer's sight 36,000 able men, all in Macassar, who may be called together in 24 hours. News from a Portugal who has lived 14) years in Amboyna as one of the country people, that, the Hollanders and Arrankayos “have been in divers ‘bicchares' to conclude a peace”; arguments used on both sides; the Hollanders saying they had put away the English, who came to fill their heads with idle tales, and can do them no good but delude them with lies. “It is to the Company's dishonour and a great shame to our nation to be so overprest and abused by the Flemings;“ the English might have all with half the force of the Flemings, if it were well followed. Hears that the English at Pooloway are gone over to Lancorde [? Lantor]. The King of Macassar will stand out by force of arms against the Flemings, “if it be possible let us work to keep them from settling here.” If he hope to do any good in the clove countries it must be through the King of Ternate. Advises him to buy the Flemings' house in Macassar, if they will sell it. [Copy. Two pages and a half. O. C., Vol. III., No. 290.] |
| Aug. 18. |
1014. Court Minutes of the East India Company. Sir Noel Caron's reasons, in answer to those formerly drawn by the Company and sent to Mr. Secretary [Winwood], read; it is conceived that the main end of the Hollanders is to endeavour to draw this Company to participate in their charges in the Indies against the Spaniard and Portugal, and so to help themselves out of the gain made by the English; but the Company are of opinion that patience and toleration will in time force the Spaniard out of the Moluccas, “whereas, if he be opposed, he will out of the pride of his heart, make his resistance, and strive by his uttermost to uphold that which otherwise of himself he would let fall;“ the trade in Cambaya of greater hope and expectation, would thereby be also participated in by the Hollanders. Answer to the objections that unless the two Companies join, the English will be beaten out of the Indies by the Spaniards, the Hollanders pretending that the English go into those parts under the countenance and defence of their banners, and while they maintain the war, the English reap the gain; the English Company would be well satisfied that the Hollanders should surcease from all war there and leave the English to the trial of their fortunes, being confident that in time they will eat the Spaniard out of that trade, only by underselling him in all parts of Christendom. Having already made offer of all that can reasonably be yielded, and finding the resolution of the Hollanders to keep the English away where they can, by forts, ships, or soldiers, it was thought fit to return no other answer, but to give Sir Noel thanks for his pains, and let him know that the Company cannot join by reason of the joint stock, “and so to give good words,” desiring to have good correspondence with them in the Indies. |
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Aug. 19.—Adventures of John Saris set over to Raphe Gore. Petitions of Wm. Methwold for employment as a factor, and of Thos. Bodman referred. Nathaniel Hanson refused. Suit of Eustace Manne, craving favour for past offences; to put in better security before he can be released. Mr. Burlamachi to be conferred with about some damasks returned by Sir Noel Caron. Purchases of Palmer and Couchman. Payment to Wooddall for supplying the surgeon's chests for the last eight ships; remarks on his proceedings and the system adopted by the Hollanders. Adventurers in the fourth voyage to underwrite what they will for prosecution of the suit in France, in expectation of the profit that shall be recovered from thence. French corn for biscuits. Ten tons of iron to be bought. Old ordnance for ballast. Gratification to Rich. Atkinson, he having perfected his account. Disposal of rents coming in for houses and lands. Mr. Bateman, the Company's solicitor, to decide upon a firm and certain tenure of the land at Blackwall. [Four pages and a half. Court Bk., III., 463–467.] |
Aug. 27.
[Siam.] |
1015. Lucas Antheuniss to Thos. Samuel. To give an account of his employment and all the goods in Janggamay and deliver them over to John Gourney, Cape merchant, taking receipts which he is to hand to the principal factor at Bantam. Having been found very exceeding negligent, he is directed to “clear and purge” himself to whoever he finds principal at Siam. Instructions concerning an obligation due by a Dutchman at Japan, which the writer sent to Mr. Cocks in May 1614. List of goods sent to Cambaya from Siam in June 1615; also of goods sent to Janggamay by Thos. Samuel and of those returned by him to Antheuniss. [Four pages. O. C., Vol. III., No. 291.] |
| Aug. 30. |
1016. Court Minutes of the East India Company. Letter read from John Davies, commander of the James, certifying his arrival from Bantam; Walter Mountford and Dixie Cletherowe sent to the Downs to his assistance. Arrival of a messenger with letters from the James. Request of Mr. Leate to take pepper out of the Globe, refused. Letters received from Edward Cristian, captain, and Nat. Salmon, master of the Globe, discoursing of their voyage from Bantam, the disposing of sundry of the ships from thence to Japan, the Moluccas, Patani, and other parts, and condemning the ill government of John Davies, master of the James, which delayed their return a month. Letter also read from Peter Floris concerning his voyage and the goods brought home on account of the 7th and 10th voyages, and joint stock, and desiring judgment against him to be suspended, in reference to imputations cast upon him by the Company until he might be heard. Gratification to John Salmon for supplying Christen, purser of the Globe, with money, and conducting him from Dover to London. None of the Company's journals to be henceforth lent, “before the copies of them be entered in their books, whereby the journals themselves have been lost, to the great prejudice of the Company, and some things known which are not fit to be published.” Confirmation of the sale of Raphe Allen's and Williams' adventures to Morris Abbott and John Holloway. |
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Aug. 31.—Dangerous sickness of Peter Floris. He is to be brought in a litter to London, “knowing how much his safety doth import the Company for the intelligence which they may receive of him.” Notorious abuses of those put in trust aboard, to be looked into. Letter read from Thos. Brockedon, factor at Patani, dated 23d July 1614, discoursing at large of the misgovernment of the captain of the James, his rioting and extreme drunkenness, whereby he hath caused much disgrace to the English nation, the master being an apt scholar to “imitate those loose and lewd courses.” Another letter read from Benj. Farie, dated at Patani 26th July 1614, giving notice of the particular employments at and voyages to Macassar, Cambasson, and other parts for trade; of the fort lost at Tidore by the Flemings, with 60 men, and of 18 of their men being cut off at Banda, the rest being very weak and likely to lose their castle. Certain letters to be read again. Report of goods to the value of 50,000l. brought home in the James, to be concealed. A settled price for the pepper, respited. [Three pages and a half. Court Bk., III., 467–470.] |
