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74 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
It was intended, before any intelligence could reach Surat of
the captures which these vessels might make, to endeavour, by
address, in the first instance, and, in the event of failure, by
force, to bring off the remaining factors, and the Company's
property ; and, for this purpose, Captain Wright was sent to
Surat in his ship, the ' Ccesar,' with orders to lay off the river's
mouth, and endeavour, by every possible scheme, to release the
agent and factors ; but, should that be impracticable, and the
design of Sir John Child in sending the expedition up the Gulf
of Persia, be discovered, then to seize on all ships belonging to
the Mogul, or King of Slam, notwithstanding they might be
under French, Dutch, or Spanish colours, and to detain the
principal persons on board as hostages for the safety of the
agent and factors at Surat.
The incident of the 'Dragon' having seized a Surat vessel
going to Siam, gave an alarm that the English intended
hostilities, and rendered impracticable the escape of the agent
and factors, who were carefully watched and detained by the
Governor, though no violence was as yet offered to their property
or persons. On receipt of intelligence of the seizure of these
officers, Sir John Child detained, by way of reprisal, all the
Surat vessels which were then in the port of Bombay. This
decisive conduct convinced the Governor of Surat that con-
ciliatory measures must be resorted to, or open war be inevitable;
for, as yet, he had not learned that any captures had been made
by the English ships sent to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.
Affairs were in this critical situation when Captain Andrews,
in the ' Charles 11,,' returned from the Persian Gulf to Bombay
with six Mogul vessels, under Dutch colours, detained during
his voyage. This event rendered it impossible to conceal actual
hostilities, and, therefore, Captain Andrews was despatched to
Surat to act in conjunction with the 'Caesar,' to seize on all
Mogul vessels he might meet with on his passage, or attempting
to enter the port, and to watch the Seedee's fleet, reported to
consist of two hundred galivats, which it was not the intention
of Sir John Child to destroy, if they kept in port, as this would
irritate the Mogul, who had recently been victorious in Viziapoor
and Golcondah ; but in the event of this fleet attempting to put
to sea, ])resumably under the order of the ]\Iogul, and with
intentions hostile to Bombay, the 'Charles IL' and the 'Ctesar'
were to attack them while crossing the bar of Surat. In the
event of Captain Andrews conceiving the force of the Seedee to
be too great, he was to retire to Bombay, where he would be
joined by five ships, which were equipping to oppose the
lesser fleet of grabs, fitting at Cambay for the invasion of
the island.
At tliis crisis Muchtar Khan, a nobleman of the highest rank,
and related to the Mogul, was appointed Governor of Surat, and