No. 55.— 1904.] FRANCOIS caron. 317 
In fact Caron, the foreigner," was much suspected by the 
French of not dealing fairly with the Company. On the 21st 
April De Faye died of dysentery in Surat, not without any 
suspicions of having been poisoned by Caron. 
Caron was now sole Director in Surat. The other officers 
desired an investigation into Caron's dealings, and delegated 
Father Ambroise de Preuilly, Chief of the Capuchins, to 
approach Caron and make the necessary inquiries. Caron, 
however, resented this, and turned him out of his house, 
threatening to put him in irons. 
He thereafter wrote to Paris a long report on the trade in 
India. At the end of the Appendix to this report the author 
says : — 
Heer Caron, to carry out his schemes as regards cinna- 
mon, wrote in the Bay of Cochin the following letter to 
the King of Ceylon, which shows what a superior man he 
was : — 
" Sir, — Matters in the East have become quite notorious 
in Europe, where its kings and princes seek a means whereby 
they can enjoy in full freedom and satisfaction what grows 
on your lands and on your ground. Therefore opportunity 
was sought to found a new Company in France, which has 
been started in the royal city of Paris. And in order to its 
lasting development, the most Christian King of France has 
thought fit to send out noblemen to offer presents to Your 
Imperial Majesty and to consider such means as may 
bring about a lasting treaty and friendship with the king- 
dom of Your Majesty, that it may overflow with blessings, 
happiness, and prosperity, as formerly in the days of your 
predecessors. 
" But I have appeared so late in this coast of India that it 
was impossible for me this year to completely carry out the 
directions of my king. In the meantime I venture with all 
respect to take this opportunity of bringing to Your Majesty's 
notice that I am one of the old servants of Your Imperial 
