Book L 
908 
An hiftorical Account of the Inter courfe 
There are Feme imperious troublefome Rajahs whole 
Territories lie on the Banks of the Ganges , betwixt Pa- 
lam and Cajfamhuzaar , who pretend to a Tax on all Goods 
and Merchandize that pafs by, or through their Domini- 
ons of the River, and often raife Forces to compel Pay- 
ment ; but feme Forces from Fort JfMam in Boats gene- 
rally clear the/Paffage, tho* I have known feme of our 
Men killed in the Skinnifhes. 
In Calcutta all Religions are freely tolerated but the 
Presbyterian, and that, they, brow-beat. The Pagans^ car- 
ry their Idols in Proceffion through the Town. The Ro- 
man Catholicks have their Church to lodge their Idols in, 
and the Mohammedan is not difcountenanced ; but there 
are no Polemics, /except what are between our High- 
churchmen and our low, or between the Governor’s Par- 
ty, and other private Merchants, on Points of Trade. 
The Colony has very little Manufactory of its own, for 
the Government being pretty arbitrary, difeourages Inge- 
nuity and Induftry in the Populace ; for, by the Weight 
of the Company’s Authority,, if a Native chances to dif- 
oblige one of the Upper-houfe, he is liable to arbitrary 
PuniOiment, either by Fine, Imprifonment, or corporal 
Sufferings. I will give one Infcance out of many, that I 
knew of the Injuftice of a Governor of the double- headed 
Government in Anno 1706. 
There was one Capj:ain Perrin , Mailer of a Ship, who 
took up about 500/. on Refpondentia, from Mr. Ralph 
Sheldon , one of the Governors, in a Voyage to Perfia, 
payable at his return to Bengal. Perrin having difpatched 
his Affairs in Perfia fooner than he expedited, called at 
Goa, as he came Home, and bought a Surat built Ship, 
very cheap, and carried her to Gale cut, and took in a 
Quantity of Pepper for the Bengal Market, and having 
brought in his other Ship good Store of Perfia Wines, call- 
ed at Fort St. George , to difpofe of what he could there : 
But finding no Encouragement from that Market, carried 
it to Bengal. On his Arrival, he complimented Mr., Shel- 
don with the Offer of his Pepper .and Wine, But he de- 
clined meddling with that Bargain, farther than with as 
much c-f the Pepper, at the current Price, as would bal- 
Jance his Account of Principal and Refpondentia. Ac- 
cordingly, Perrin delivered fo much Pepper, and on the 
Delivery, required his Bond up ; but the Governor told 
him, that he being a Fellow troubled with the Spirit of 
interloping in buying Goods, and taking in Freights where 
he could bed get them, he would keep the Bond as a 
Curb on him, that he fhould not fpoil his Markets for the 
future. Poor Perrin tiled all his Rhetorick to get his 
Bond up, but to no Purpofe, and the Governor moreo- 
ver gave his Wine a bad Name, fo that he could not dif- 
pofe of that neither ; and all this Oppreffion was in order 
to ftraiten him, that he might be obliged to fell his pur- 
chafed Ship at a low Price to him, and his Affociates, 
which at laft he was obliged to do, holding a Quarter-part 
in his own Hands, to fecure the Command of her to him- 
felf, which after all he could hardly do. Perrin made his 
Complaint to me, but I was in no Condition to affift him, 
becaufe having three or four large Ships at Bengal, I was 
reckoned a Criminal guilty of that unpardonable Sin of in- 
terloping. However, I advifed Perrin to comply with 
his inexorable Matter, on any Terms of Agreement what- 
foever, which he endeavoured to do, that he might at 
lead keep the Command of his Ship, where he was fo 
much concerned, and had hardly done it but by Accident. 
One Day meeting me on the Green near the Fort, he 
flopp’d me to relate his Grievances, and begged, that if 
he was turned out of his own Ship, he might have an 
Employ in one of mine, which ! promifed he fhould. 
Sheldon efpied us out of a Window, holding a long Con- 
fabulation, and being impatient to know about what, fent 
a Servant to ' call Perrin, and he obeying the Summons, Was 
interrogated about what our Diicourfe was, and he told the 
Promife I had made him. Sheldon told him, that he was 
as capable to employ him as I could be. Perrin anfwered, 
that he knew that, but wifhecl that he would be as willing 
too ; fo Sheldon promifed chat he fhould command his own 
Ship to Perfia. 
But the’Wine frill lay unfold, though it was fcarce then 
in Bengal ; but the Name that it got firft in Fort St. George, 
and afterwards in Fort William , ftuck fo faff to it, that 
none of it would go off at any Price : So I advifed him to 
carry it off in the N ight in my Boats on board of one of 
my Ships, and I would try if J could ferve him in felling 
it, which accordingly he did ; and two Gentlemen of the 
Council being that Seafon bound for England , coming one 
Day to dine with me, I treated them and the reft of my 
Company with that Perfia Wine, which they all praifed, 
and alked me where I got it ? I. told them, that knowing 
that good Wine would be fcarce at Bengal that Year, I had 
provided a good Quantity at Surat, from whence I had 
come that Seafon. Every one begged that I would fpare 
them feme Chefts, which I condefcended to do as a Fa- 
vour, and next Day fent them what they wanted at double 
the Price the Owner demanded for it while he had it, and 
fo got off above one hundred and twenty Chefts, which en- 
abled Mr. Perrin to fatisfy moft of his Creditors. Sheldon 
provided a Stock and Freight for Perrin to Perfia , and put 
on board fome rotten long Pepper that lie could difpofe of 
no other Way, and fome damaged Gunnies, which are 
much in Ufe in Perfia for embaiiing Goods when they are 
good in their kind ; but, nolens volins, Perrin muft take 
them, and fign' Bills of Lading for good well-conditioned 
Goods; and yet after he was ready ‘to fail, he had been 
flopped, if he could not raife the Sum of 2500 Rupees to 
difeharge a Bill that at that Time became due, and was in- 
dorfed to Sheldon. I alfo helped him out of that' Difficul- 
ty, and took his Bond for the Sum, bearing Intereft from 
the Date at the current Intereft of on G per Gent. per Meii- 
feni\ {o Perrin proceeded on his Voyage to Perfia, but 
called at Calkcut in his Way home again, and laid up his 
Ship there, and took Protection of a Neyer , with the ! full 
Hand of 1 i,oco Pounds Sterling of Bengal Money, and 
wrote*' to Mr. Sheldon that he might -keep his former Bond, 
and he would take care cf his Part of the Stock in his 
Hands. He alfo wrote to me that he would take parti- 
cular Care to reimburfe me, but in a fhort Time after he 
died, and his Effects came into the Englifh Chief’s Hands, 
who detained them feveral Years, denying that ever he paid 
any till Governor Boone came to the Government of Bom- 
bay in 1715,' and then he made a lame Account. I have 
been fo prolix and particular in this Story, that it may form 
an Idea of the Deformity and difmal Image of Tyranny and 
ViBany, fupported by a Power that neither divine nor hu- 
man Laws have Force enough to bridle or reflrain. The 
" Company’s Colony is limited by a Land-mark at Governa - 
pore , and another near Barnagul, ab&ut fix Miles diftant, 
and the fait-Water Lake bound it on the Land-fide. It 
may contain in ail about ten or twelve thoufand Souls, and 
the Company’s Revenues are pretty good, and well paid; 
they arife from Ground-rents and Confulage, on all Goods 
imported and exported by Britijh ■Subjects, but all Nations 
befiaes are free from Taxes. 
It is very clear from this hiftorical Account of the Com- 
pany’s Affairs, and of their Government in India, that 
nothing held them together, but the [lender Tie of Self- 
intereft, which obliged fuch as other-wife hated each ether, 
fo far to comply, as to be able to make the Machine go 
on ; but ftill this was doing Things uneafily, and- nothing 
can be clearer than that the publick Intereft muft have buf- 
fered greatly, while it had no other Support - than- ■ thefe 
left-handed Affiftances, from fuch as wanted its Protection 
to make their private Fortunes. But we ivere ail this 
Time engaged in a foreign War, from the glorious Mo- 
tives of fettling the Ballance of Power, humbling France, 
and fecuring the Tranquillity of Europe, which lb much 
took up our Minifters Heads, that they had Fcarce Time 
to think of Trade and Navigation. Yet there is - nothing 
plainer than this to any Man who will ftudy the Intereft of 
this Nation, which one would imagine ihould be the Sci- 
ence of Minifters, than that an Application to the Exten- 
tion of our Commerce, is the foie Means of raffing the 
Power and Credit of this Kingdom, which muft be ren- 
dered confiderable Abroad, by its naval Force, and that 
naval Force cannot be kept up, or increafed, any other Why 
than by promoting a Spirit of Trade and Navigation. 
However, as the Heads of the Miniftry were now turned 
another Way, the Eaft- India Company was* obliged to 
think of fome Means of obtaining fuch Regulations in 
their 
