Page 278 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

278 EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST

portant matters to engage his attention at the time in the
shape of rebellions in Cooch Behar and Assam, which neces­
sitated his leading an expedition to those regions. As
things turned out the difficulty was settled by the release
of the ship and the tendering of a humble apology.
The Restoration, which had given the English Bombay
and had brought in its train for the Company a new charter
of a far-reaching kind, empowering the Company to build
fortifications, raise troops and make war on non-Christian
powers, strengthened materially the influences which were
at work for the opening up of the Bengal trade. Sir Ed­
ward Winter, who had been sent out as President of Fort
St. George to reorganize the factories in Madras and Bengal,
early came to the conclusion that a bold and even aggressive
policy must be adopted both on the Coromandel Coast and
in Bengal if the Company was to hold its own. He advo-
cated that the Dutch example should be followed of main­
taining a powerful naval force to keep the native authori­
ties in awe and ensure protection for trade. His conclusions
were sound as events proved, but the Directors in London
took alarm at his ambitious schemes and sent out in 1665
Mr. George Foxcroft to supersede him. It was an arbi­
trary measure, which led to one of the most extra­
ordinary episodes which are to be found in the chequered
history of the English in India.
Foxcroft, with his son Nathaniel, on landing in Madras
met with a very cool reception from the local English com­
munity who were in entire sympathy with Winter’s aims.
Defects of temperament on the side of the Foxcrofts added
as time went on to their unpopularity. They were Puri­
tans, or had been, and what was worse, they were, to use the
cant of the time, Levellers. One day in a discussion over