Hamilton’s account o? the east Indies.

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and that he being' the Mogul’s general, could compel thofe Rajahs to pay theirjuft debts, which they would make over to him : but the Nabob, not caring to enterinto a war with his countrymen on fuch a foundation, fent agents to acquaint thegovernor and council of Fort St. George, with his affairs at Vizagapatam . Theyproved deaf to all the agent’s propofitions and arguments, and hardly treated himcivilly, fo he went back to his mafter, with the account of his ill fuccefs. Uponwhich the Nabob came to a garden about half a league from Vizagapatam , accom-panied with 500 horfe, and 3500 foot, to demand his money. I being accidentallythere in a fmall Dutch-built {hip, that I had bought from the French , on my credit,at Fort St. George, and the factory being but ill manned, Mr. Haftings, who wasthen chief, and my friend, defired the affiftance of my arms and counfel in that junctureof affairs, which I very freely gave him ; and my opinion being alked in council, what Ithought about the affair, I advifed him and his council to compound the matter as well asthey could, and fpin out time, that we might better fortify the avenues to thefadtory.My advice of compounding the matter was rejected, but the other part we followed, fo,with feven Europeans that belonged to the factory, and twelve that were with me, andtwenty Topafes, and two hundred and eighty natives, moft of them fifhers, that livedunder the Company’s protection, we fortified fome rocks that the enemy was obliged topafs within piftol-lhot of, if they had a mind to attack us. We threw up breaft-works be-tween the rocks, and moored my fhip within piftol-lhot of the fliore, and had eight minionguns to fcour the fands, if they had attempted to come that way, and, for fix weeks wecontinued on our guard, and were often alarmed in the night, but finding us alwaysready to receive them, thay did not think it proper to force an entry into the town.

I had the honour to command all the out-guards, and the chief, with eight Europeansand twenty blacks, kept the fort. Thus we continued in perpetual watchings andalarms, till reinforcements arrived from Fort St. George, and then I left them, andproceeded on a voyage to Pegu. Both parties being very bufy, one ftriving to get hismoney by compulsion, and the other, to fave the Company’s money on any terms,right or wrong. The war being drawn to a greater length than was imagined at firft,and charges rifing higher than was expected, inclined them to make all up ami-cably, which was at laft effected by the Company’s paying near the fum that was atfirft demanded.

The Nabob, whofe name was Fakirly Cawn, would hear of no peace, without theCompany’s merchant, who was a Gentow, called Agapa, and a fubjeft of the Mogul’s,who was very adtive in the war, in encouraging the town’s people to defend themielvesand the Company’s intereft, and who alfo had wrote to fome neighbouring Rajahs,to embroil the Nabob’s affairs in his abfence, in order to divert him from purfuing hisdemands on Vizagapatam , fliould be delivered up to him, which, at laft, he was, andwas put to a very cruel death. He was fet in the hot fcorching fun three days, withhis hands faftned to a ftake over his head, and one of his legs tied up till his heeltouched his buttock, and, in the night, put into a dungeon, with fome venomousfnakes to bear him company, and this was repeated till the third night, when he ended hismiferable life; but the Company’s merchants, for the future, will be cautious howthey efpoufe the Company’s intereft again.

There was one Baily, a recruit from Fort St. George, on fome difeontent, defertedthe Company’s fervice, and entered into the Nabob’s ; but falling into an ambufh, wastaken prifoner by our men, and was fent to Fort St. George, where, for his defertion,he was defervedly whipped out of this world into the next, and there I leave him.

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