Chao. II. Eftablijhment of the Dutch Eaft- India Company. 939 
male, of which they became Mailers ; and by fair Pro- 
mifes, and magnifying the Power of the French King, 
drew the Natives to join with them ; fo that thus far they 
had all the Succefs they could expert. But T'rinquimale 
was a Place of too great Importance for the Company to 
let it remain long in the Hands ol thefe new Conquerors •, 
they therefore fent Commodore Gocns from Batavia with 
a Fleet of fixteen Sail, ail of them large Ships, and well 
mann’d. On the firft Appearance of this Squadron Mr. 
de la Hay retired with his Ships to Surat , leaving a fmall 
Garrifon in his new Conqueft. The Commodore blocked 
up T'nnqumale by Sea, and debarking his Forces, befieged 
it at the fame time by land ; fo that he foon recovered it, 
together with one hundred and twelve Pieces of fineBrafs- 
Cannon, which the French had left there for its Defence •, 
fo that here ended their Views upon Ceylon , almoft as foon 
as they began. 
But Mr. de la Hay , when he came to Surat , advifed 
with Mr. Caron about the Meafures which they fhould 
next take ; and, purfuant to his Advice, refoived to at- 
tack the Fortrefs of St. Thomas , which about twelve Years 
before, the Butch had taken from the Pcrtugueze ; and in 
this fudden Attempt they were as fuccefsful as they had 
been before in furprizing Trinquimale , and juft as unlucky 
in keeping it. After leaving a good Garrifon here, and 
feeing the Magazines put into the bell Order poffible, the 
Sieur de la Hay thought proper to return to France with 
the only Ship that was left of his Squadron. But it fell 
out unluckily enough for him, that even this poor Con- 
folation of bringing home a few of the People he had car- 
ried out, was denied him ; for in the Road of Lijhon , his 
only Ship was wrecked, by the Malice of his Pilot, as it 
was fuppofed, more than by any Violence of Weather ; the 
rather becaufe Mr. Caron , two Captains, and feveral other 
Officers were drowned in their Endeavour to get afhore 
in the Long-boat, which was the Effedt, as is fuppofed, 
of fome Practices which the Treachery of Caron to the 
Butch put them upon taking ; but as this is a bare Suf- 
picion, and abfolutely deftkute of Proof, to infill upon 
it farther would be needlefs. 
This was the laft Attempt made againft the Commerce 
of the Eaft- India Company ; and during the Remainder 
of the Century, they were continually improving and aug- 
menting both their Power and their Commerce ; fo that 
at the Clofe of it, they were in a much better Condition 
than ever; for in the Year 1687, we find that they 
brought over One hundred and feventy thoufand Pounds 
Weight of Cinnamon ; and yet they brought over lefs 
that Year than they had done for many Years before, 
which fhews the prodigious Importance of their being 
iblely poffeffed of the Eland of Ceylon. On the nth of 
Auguft 1698, their Charter was renewed for forty 
Years, which gave them fuch an Acceffion of Power and 
Credit, as rendered them almoft as confiderable in the 
Eyes of ail Europe , as they were before in the Indies : And 
having faid that, it may feem altogether unneceffary to 
add any thing by Way of Explanation. 
15. We have now conduced the Pliftory of this fa- 
mous Company, from its earlieft Eftablifhment to the Be- 
ginning of the prefent Century ; and for what regards the 
Tranfadlions thereof from thence to the prefent Time, 
there is fo much faid in the firft Chapter of this Work in 
the Account we have given of Commodore Roggewein , 
that there feems to be the lefs Occafion for our infilling 
much on that Subject here, therefore we fhall content our- 
felves with mentioning only a few Particulars that have 
not hitherto fallen in our Way ; that as far as in our Power 
lies, there may be nothing deficient in the treating a Sub- 
ject fo curious and important in kfelf, and the Knowledge 
of which is fo peculiarly necefiary to a trading Nation. 
In the firft Place, though we have mentioned them oc- 
casionally before, we will more exadlly diftinguilh the 
Dates of the Company’s Charters ; the rather, becaufe 
many of the Butch Writers are not very exadt in that Par- 
ticular. The firft Charter was dated the 20th of March , 
1602, and was to continue for twenty-one Years. The 
fecond was granted the Year in which the former expired, 
for the like Term,' but with this Variation, that it was to 
commence from the firft of January , 1623, fo that it de- 
termined in 1644, when they procured a new Charter for 
the fame Term. Their fourth Charter bore Date the 7th 
of February , 1665, and was to exterfd to the 31ft or 
Becember , 1700; but the Company thought proper in 
1698 to obtain another Charter for forty Years, from the 
Determination of that which was then in being. And, 
again, in the Year 1717, the Company thought it requi- 
fite to apply for new Favours, but they were not able to 
obtain a new Charter, as they expedted ; however they 
procured a Placard, by which the States-General forbad 
all their Subjedls to fend any Ships to the Eaft -Indies , or 
any where within the Limits of the Company’s Charter : 
They likewife prohibited their Interfering in any manner 
in the Commerce of the Indies , without the Licence or 
the Company firft had and obtained for that Purpofe ; as 
alfo to have any Concern ,in foreign Companies, or to 
ferve on board any of their Ships; which Precautions were 
thought necefiary not only for the Eaft-Indic Company’s 
Security, but for the preferving this rich and beneficial 
Trade to the Subjedls of the Republick. 
There happened, about the Time that their Charter 
fhould have been renewed , fome Commotions in the 
Indies , which had like to have been or very fatal 
Confequence to their Eftablilhment ; and of which we 
have not, as yet, received in Europe any Account of 
thefe Tranfadlions that can be thoroughly depended upon ; 
all we know of them is this, that the Confpiracy having 
been difcovered among the Chinefe at the very Jundlure 
that it fhould have been executed, the Governor was con- 
ftrained to have Recourfe to the moll fpeedy Methods for 
fecuring the Safety of the Inhabitants, and preferving the 
City and Fortrefs of Batavia from falling into the Hands 
of the Enemy. It v/as in Confequence of this Neceffity 
that all the Seamen were landed from the Fleet, and had 
the Plunder given them of the Chinefe Suburb, to en- 
courage them to ferve the Company effedlually, which 
they did, by attacking and putting to the Sword the great- 
eft" Part of the Confpirators. By this fpeedy and fevere 
Proceeding, the City and the Dominions of the Compa- 
ny in the Eland of Java were preferved, but net without 
a vaft Effufion of Blood, which was followed by a formi- 
dable Rebellion, that was not fupprefled for fome time. 
Such as favoured the Governor and Council of the In - 
dies., pretend that all this was owing to the Wickednefs 
and Treachery of the Chinefe , who, notwithftanding the 
Mildnefs of the Company’s Adminiftration, had formed 
a deep and dark Confpiracy, the Defign of which was to 
extirpate totally the Butch that were fettled in Batavia 
and Places adjacent. Such again as were Enemies to the 
Governor and his Council, attributed the whole of this 
bloody Affair to their Male-adminiftration ; and would 
have us believe that the Chinefe and their Accomplices, 
were driven into all they did by the moil horrid Opprefii- 
ons, in order to afford an Opportunity for thus falling up- 
on and deftroying them, and thereby putting it out of 
their Power to demand the immenfe Sums of Money 
which were due to them from fuch as v/ere induftrious in 
bringing this Calamity upon them. Some again who pre- 
tend to Ipeak impartially, without Favour to the Chinefe , 
or Prejudice to the Governor, give quite another Turn to 
this Affair, and tell us that he was fo far from being an 
Enemy to the Chinefe , that he had been rather too much 
their Friend ; and for the fake of confiderable Sums of 
Money and feveral rich Prefentsthat had been made him, 
granted them fuch Liberties as were inconfiftent not only 
with the Intereft, but with the Safety of the Company, 
which were the true Caufes of their endeavouring to fub- 
vert the Government, and, to make themfelves Mailers of 
Batavia , and the Country about it, agreeable to the true 
Nature of the Chinefe , who are known and acknowledged 
throughout the Eaft, to be an infolent, ungrateful, and per- 
fidious People. 
However this Matter might be, it made a prodigious 
Noife in Europe ; and Baron Imhoff, \ the prefent Gover- 
nor-General, was fent over .to Batavia to fettle the Con- 
cerns of the Colony and Company, and to make a very 
ftridt Enquiry into this Affair. The Charter of the Com- 
pany, when it was near expiring in 1 740, was renewed 
only for one Year 5 but fince that Time, all Affairs have 
been 
