HINDOOSTAN. 
82 
Isabella, the prince regent, and royal family of Portugal. 
See the article Brasil, vol. iii. p. 350-352. 
The fpirit of oriental commerce which firft animated 
the Dutch, was brought into aftion, and inflamed, by the 
immenfe treafures they beheld every year entering the 
port of Lifbon, brought home in fafety by their own 
fhips, which appeared as if alone privileged to vlfit the 
eaftern world. They foon, however, determined to par¬ 
ticipate with them; and boldly advanced beyond the 
Cape, in queft of this land of unbounded treafures. Cor¬ 
nelius Houtman, in 1595, with a fleet of four lhips, was 
the firft Dutchman who navigated the Indian leas. As 
this was a voyage rather of difcovery than of traffic, no 
great riches were brought home; but the favourable prof- 
pe< 5 l he gave of their future attainment, and the eafe with 
which he acquired accefs on the coafts and iflands of Java, 
with whofe fovereign he had formed the ground-work of 
an alliance, were inducements l'ufficiently important to 
determine the United States of Holland to fit out another 
fquadron of four fhips on this fervice ; and which, in 1597, 
failed under the command of admiral Van Neck, whole 
prudence and valour foon fecured them a fettlement in 
Java and the Moluccas; and he returned with this good 
news to the Texel, loaded with their richeft productions. 
The Portuguefe had entered India with all the import¬ 
ance and hauteur of conquerors ; but the wary Dutch 
artfully concealed from the natives their ambitious views, 
and profeffed only to vifit their fliores as merchant-adven¬ 
turers. Their fuccefs was proportionate to their plain 
and fimple appearance ; and, hence their caufe was gene¬ 
rally favoured by the Indians in their contefls with their 
vain-glorious rivals. Thefe early fucceffes encouraged 
the enterprifing fpirit of the principal Dutch merchants 
to form themfelves into an Eaft-India Company; for 
which, in 1602, they obtained a charter. It was in vain 
that the Spaniards and Portuguefe now united their ef¬ 
forts to flop their progrefs ; a feries of triumphs over 
their combined rivals quickly enabled them to plant their 
ftandard in the Indian Archipelago, and at length opened 
the way to their final fettlement at Batavia ; a city, which 
in a few ages, became the rival in grandeur, in wealth, 
and population, with the proudeft capitals of Afia. See 
the article Batavia, vol. ii. p. 795. 
After lecuring themfelves firmly in their fettlement of 
Batavia, and rendering that city impregnable to the mod: 
formidable enemy that could be brought againft them, the 
Dutch, in 1655, made themfelves mailers of Calicut; in 
which ftrong hold the Portuguefe ftandard had triumph¬ 
antly waved ever fince the year 1500. In a fliort time af¬ 
ter, they took from them the valuable port of Columbo,- 
their principal fettlement in Ceylon ; and thus adding the 
only fecure mart for cinnamon, to the Molucca iflands, 
they fuccefsfully acquired, and fcrupuloufly retained, a 
complete monopoly of the trade for fpices. With the 
diflant empires of Japan and China they had formed com¬ 
mercial treaties, and carried on an almoft exclufive and 
lucrative traffic with thofe nations. They had eflabliffied 
their extenfive colony at the Cape of Good Hope; and 
were every where rifing in Hindooftan to the highefl point 
of power and fplendour, on the ruins of their once en¬ 
vied rivals, the Portuguefe; who now retained nothing 
in India but the iflands of Goa and Diu. 
But, in the nature of Human events, it was impoffible 
that this brilliant eflablilhment could long remain unen¬ 
vied, or enrich its proje&ors, without their experiencing, 
in turn, a fucceffion of rivals as formidable and vigilant 
as themfelves. Of this truth they had foon reafon to be 
convinced, by the preparations made both by the Englifh 
and French, to form extenfive fettlements on the fame in¬ 
viting coafts, and ffiare with them at lealt, if not exclu- 
fiveiy feize, this lucrative and important commerce. It 
was to the comprehenfive mind and vigorous meafures 
of the immortal Colbert, that the French are indebted for 
the eftablifhment, in 1664, of an Eafl-India Company, 
founded on a charter granted by .Louis XIV. for the term 
of fifty years, that their efforts and interefts might have 
time to confolidate. Fifteen millions of livres, about 
656,0001. fierling, were in a lliort time raifed ; and, in the 
fpring of the following year, four large fhips, equipped 
both for commercial and military operations, failed from 
Breft, and fafely arrived in the road of Madagafcar in July 
1665. 
After having experienced various difaflers at Mada¬ 
gafcar, and finding its fituation unfavourable as well for 
health as.for commerce, the colony, in 1668, on the united 
recommendation of two enterprifing foreigners, one the 
fieur Caron, a difaffedled Dutchman, and the other the 
fieur Marcara, a native of Ifpahan, they fettled in Surat, 
and other places on the Malabar coafl. By the active ex¬ 
ertions of the fame Perfian, who is laid to have been re¬ 
lated to fome perfons of dillinclion at the court of Gol- 
conda, they fhortly after got a footing at Mafulipatam, 
on the Coromandel coafl; they alfo obtained a fettlement 
at Bantam, in Java ; and at Balafore, and Hoogly in Ben¬ 
gal, as well as at.St. Thomas, where they had factories: 
and finally, after feveral fevere conflicts with the Dutch, 
they eflabliffied themfelves in great force at Pondicherry, 
which became an important capital in India. At the fame 
time, they were continually enlarging the fphere and adding 
to the flrength of the fortifications of this newly-erefled 
emporium ; from whence they carried on a lucrative trade 
with the other great marts of India, and, from the near 
neighbourhood of the diamond mines, they acquired a prin¬ 
cipal advantage from thofe rich commodities. 
After the lapfe of a few years, efforts were made to re¬ 
new the expiring charter; and, by a Angular, flroke of 
policy, an union, in 1719, was formed between the French 
Eafl and Weft India companies, under the general title of 
the “ Comfany of the Indies ;” with a new and increa- 
fed capital, of not let's than fifty millions of livres. Un¬ 
der thele favourable circumflances they not only extended 
their commerce on the Indian continent, but began to 
drive a brifk trade with China for teas ; with Mocha for 
coffee, and Arabian drugs; and with Baffora for pearls, 
and the rich articles of the Perfian loom. The great ifles 
of Bourbon and Mauritius were alfo by the fame fpirit of 
enterprife added to their acquifitions in the Eafl; and at 
Chandernagore, two miles below Hoogly, in Bengal, 
they had exhaufted their whole military fkill, in erefting 
a fort and baflions, fully adequate to refill any force tha"t 
could be fent againft it, at leafl by the native powers. 
Thus, about the year 1740, the French had completely 
and extenfively eflabliffied themfelves on the ffiores of the 
eaftern world. 
This wonderful activity and perfeverance of the French, 
to gain a firm add liable footing on the Indian continent, 
was unquestionably excited more by political than com¬ 
mercial views; at lealt in the breafl of Louis XIV. and 
his fagacious miniller. We have already had occafion to’ 
notice, and it was well known in Europe, that under the 
favourable aufpices of queen Elizabeth and James I. plans 
had been formed in England, and judicioufly, though 
flowly, carried into execution, for forming eftablifhments 
in Hindooftan, under the fanftion and authority of the 
Great Mogul. Jealous of the laurels which were to be 
plucked in that diftant region, whether by war or com¬ 
merce, the envy of the Gallic nation was awakened by 
thofe early adventurers 5 and a chofen party of French¬ 
men was loon on the alert, to feize, or circumvent, the 
advantages fuppofed to have been had in view by the En¬ 
glifh. Their plans, however, were not to be obftrufted 
or defeated. The merchants of London, convinced, by the 
enquiries that had been let on. foot in the country, of the 
advantages to be derived from the Indian commerce, had 
obtained from the public-fpirited queen a charter, bear¬ 
ing date the 31ft of December, 1600 ; conferring on them 
exclufively the right of trading to the Eafl Indies, for a 
certain limited time, connected with many other privi¬ 
leges and immunities ; and from whence may be dated 
the rife and progrefs of the Britifh East-Inbia Com¬ 
pany. 5 
