Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

443

Atcheen, for many ages, has been a noted port for trade from Surat , Malabar,Chormondel, Bengal, Pegu and China . It lies at the north-well end of the famousSumatra , and, for many years, was blelfed with a woman's government. Queen Eliza-beth of England fent the Queen of Atcheen a compliment of fome Englifh rarities,among which were fome brafs guns, with the arms of England on them, and the friend-fhip cultivated by the. two Queens, procured great indulgences from the Queen ofAtcheen, to the Englifh who traded.to her country. About the year 1675, the Dutch made war on her, becaufe fhe would not permit them to fettle a fa£tor.y at Atcheen, orrather, to make her their valfal. They fhut up the port of Atcheen by their flapping,and flraitened the town for want of provifions and other aeceffaries, that came yearlyfrom Bengal, but an Englifh fhip came from thence with rice and cloth proper for themarket; but the Dutch , after their ufual manner, forbad the Englifh traffic, whilethey had a war. The mailer of the Englifh fhip being afraid of ruin by . the lofs of hisvoyage, fent advices to the Atcheeners to be ready near the fhore on a night that heappointed, and he would run his fhip afhore in the bay, loaded as fhe was, and theymight have both the corn and cloth,-whether the Dutch would or no, which project wasput in practice, and had the defired effect, with the lofs of the fhip only. This pieceof fervice fo pleafed the Queen, that fire called a council of her Orarxkays, and magnify-ing the Englifh friendfhip, in a full council declared all Englifh free of Atcheen, to payfor a fhip with three malls 100 tayeis, or about Sol. Her ling, as a prefent to the Queen,in lieu of all cuftoms, let the cargo be never fo rich, and for a brigantine or floop40 tayeis ; and that no Englifh goods fhould be carried to the cuftom-houfe, orfurveyed in their own houfes; and that-all-Englifh merchants’houfes.were to bereckoned as fanetuaries to fuch as could not pay their debts, or had committed anyflight fault.

This harmony continued till the year 1700, that the Queen died, and a Seid orpreacher getting a ftrong party, was made King, promifmg to do wonders ; but, in allmy travels, I never found a civil government, .with a prieft at the head of it, profperlong, and fo it fell out here. The firfl thing of moment he contrived, was to make theEnglifh pay 10 per cent, cuflom on the goods they imported, which they would notcome into, nor would they unlade their goods, but on the old footing.

In May 1702, I arrived there with a great fhip, and good force, for it was dangerousto traffic by fea, becaufe of the impediment that the-French and the, pirates gave totrade in India. I had on board a rich cargo from Surat , and, on my arrival I took thechap at the great river’s mouth, according to cuflom. This chap is a piece of filverabout eight ounces weight, made in form of a crofs, but the crofs part is very fhort,that we take with both hands, and put to our forehead, and declare to the officer thatbrings the chap, that we cpme on an honefl defign to trade, and after that ceremony isover, we go in our boats freely to the town,,which Hands about four miles up the river ;

. but before we take the chap, no boat muH go on penalty of a fine.

When I came to town, I went to pay my vifit to the Shawbundaar, who is cufiom-mafier, and common arbitrator of differences arifing among merchants. Some gentle-men that refided there, and fome maflers of fhips belonging to the Englifh, accompaniedme. I carried my boat’s crew, armed with fuzee and bayonet, for my guard. Afterfome compliments had pafi between the Shawbundaar and me, he told me, that if I■ had a mind to trade there, I muH carry my goods to the c.ufiom-houfe, and there to beopened, and 10. per cent, laid by for the King, whether we fold the refi there or no.H told him. that was. a new method that I did not underfland, and could not come into ;-but .withal .advifed him lo. take care how their King quarrelled with the Englifh, w hp

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