Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

33 z

went to vifit the eldeft, but fhe met her at the door and told her fhe could have noadmittance, her hulband being liable to profcription, if he admitted her into his houfe:and fhe believed the other lifter’s hulband durft not entertain her in his houfe. Thepoor lady, full of lorrow and grief, being abandoned by all her friends and relations,went back to her diftreffed family, and, having no vifible way of fupport, had oncefome thoughts of putting an end to her miferies; but her filters, unknown to theirhulbands, fent her fome relief by a trufty female Have in the night, and a letter (thatthey defired her to burn as foon as fhe had read), wherein they promifed to be affi flingin the maintenance of her and her children, till the Almighty fhould think proper todeliver her out of the perfecution.

The poor lady had both beauty and difcretion enough to recommend her to the vir-tuous part of mankind ; but none of the gentlemen that wilhed her well, durft makeaddreffes to her, only 'one, who had the command of a fhip in the Indian merchantsfervice; as he had no dependence on the general, nor his mailers in England, thoughthe could not well come within the reach of their perfecution, fo he courted her, andmarried her, but that was thought a capital crime, and the general acquainted his In-dian owners, that without they difcharged him their fervice, they Ihould alfo find theweight of his difpleafure; and accordingly, to avoid contefts with his excellency,he was difcharged : but grief put an end to his troubles, for he died within a year afterhis marriage, and left the poor lady another child to take care of, and above ioool.flerling of ftock for her and her family’s fupport.

As the Phcenix was in her way to India , fhe called at the illand of Johanna, and therefound an Englilh fhip, called the Briftol, flopping fome leaks in her bottom. CaptainTyrrel, by a difpenfing power from the King of England, feized her, and defigned tohave carried her to Bombay, in company of a fmall veffel that he had feized on thecoaft of Madagafcar. The Briftol funk the third day after they put to fea, but theother came fafe. The Briftol’s men were looked on as pirates, and one Mr. Mews, afupercargo was arraigned before the general’s tribunal, where he himfelf fat lord chiefjuitice, and, after his ufual manner of bellowing opprobrious names, he condemnedMr. Mews to lofe all that he had in the world, and x oool. befide, and to lie in prifon,at his own charges, till the fine was paid ; but Mr. Vaux, who was judge of the illandin petty affairs, Ihewed him the weaknefs of his fentence, and perfuaded him to fet thepoor man at liberty, and ordered him a paffage for England.

When Mr. Child firft got his commiffion to plunder, there were two of his owncouncil at Surat that were great eye-fores to him, viz. Meffieurs Petit and Boucher.They were gentlemen of good intereftin England, and had great remittances of monieson the Company’s fhipping coming yearly to them, to buy up diamonds and fendhome. General Child let them know, that he expected half of their commiffions as aperquifite to his poll, but they could not be brought to think fo : however they conde-scended, that if he would join his commiffions to theirs, which were much greater thanhis, they would be content to make an equal dividend in the commiffions; but thatpropofition he rejected, and was refolved to carry his point by fraud, and wrote to theCompany in England, of thofe two gentlemen’s ill fervices relating to the Company’saffairs, though 'none knew of any, but Mr. Child himfelf. Thofe gentlemen’s friendsin the committee of the company in England, acquainted them, by letters over land, ofthe danger they were in, and gave them [warning to be on their guard; and they ac-cordingly took an houfe Contiguous to the factory, and, by degrees, conveyed whatthey thought fit into their new lodgings, but retained their old ones in the factory.When the fhipping arrived, and the Company’s packet was opened, and read at the

i, council