6o8 A. D. 1682. 



young king gave the Dutch pofleflion of the caftle of Bantam, which 

 commanded both the town and port, whereupon that company drove 

 out the Enghfli company's factors and fervants, and have ever fince pof- 

 fefled the place. This is our company's account of that affair, concern- 

 ing which they had many difputes and conferences v»-ith the agents of 

 the Dutch company ; and the later publifhed a pamphlet at London in 

 1688, for their vindication, the fubflance whereof is, that it was not the 

 Dutch, but the young king, who drove the Englifh from Bantam. On 

 the other fide, our company made it but too plainly evident, that the 

 voung king was purely the Dutch compatiy's inftrument for that vio- 

 lence, which enabled them to engrofs the entire commerce of Bantam ; 

 for which end, and at the fame time, they got him to expel the French, 

 Danes, and Portuguefe, as alfo the fubjeds of the mogul, and of all. 

 other Indian nations, although none of thefe had been parties in the 

 quarrel with his father. Our company alleged, moreover, that the 

 Dutch had formerly pradifed the like, in a fimilar cafe, at Macaflar, 

 and were now actually doing the fame, in a difpute between two rajas 

 on the Malabar coaft. It would be almoft endlefs, and alfo to very 

 little purpofe, to enlarge on the complaints of our company againfl the 

 Dutch, for injuries done them in India, or the Dutch company's vindi- 

 cation in anfwer to thofe complaints, and their accufations, in their 

 turn, of wrongs done them by the Englifli company. 



The Dutch, by obtaining the command of Bantam, became entirely 

 mafters of the wefl end of the great ifland of Java ; as Batavia had long 

 before given them a large dominion on the north fide of it. Yet, be- 

 fides the king of Materan on the fouth fide of Java, there are flill feveral 

 other lefTer fovereigns remaining unfubdued by the Dutch company. 



The Englifh Eafl-India company now began to fortify Bencoolen in 

 the great ifland of Sumatra ; by which important fetclement they have 

 preferved to England the pepper trade, which otherwife would have 

 been loft to our company, after being driven from Bantam. This fort 

 coft our company for completing it, in about ten years time, no fmaller 

 a fum than L25o,ooo. 



i6S^. — It was about this time that the ufeful conveyance of letters 

 and parcels by the penny-poft was firft fet up in London and its lub- 

 urbs, by a private undertaker, named Murray, (an upholfterer by 

 trade) who afterward afligned the fame to one Dockwra, who carried it 

 on fuccefsfuUy for a number of years, till the government laid claim to 

 that projeft, as conneded, and partly interfering, with the general poft- 

 ofHce, which was part of the crown revenue ; it was therefor annexed 

 to that revenue, in lieu of which Mr. Dockwra had a yearly penfion of 

 L200 fettled on him for life : but the firft mention we find of this re- 

 venue in the ftatute book was not till the year 1711, as will be feen 

 under that year. i 



