Page 286 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

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i :286 EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST
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gentleman, and entered Parliament as member for New
Sarum, or Salisbury. But the call of the East was irresisti­
i ble, and after playing propriety at Westminster and else­
where for nearly ten years, he embarked again for India,
and in October, 1693, re-appeared at his old haunts at
. Balasor. The Directors, after a vain attempt to suppress
him, came to the sensible conclusion to make terms
with him. This they did with the result that after dis-
, • charging various missions for the Company in Europe he
blossomed forth in full glory in 1697 as President of Fort
•St. George. He made an excellent administrator, display­
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ing those statesmanlike qualities which are to be looked
for in the head of so illustrious a line as that of the elder
■and the younger William Pitt. In 1702, when Daud
Khan, the Nabob of the Carnatic, attacked Madras, he
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•defended the station with such courage and resolution and
conducted the negotiations with the native assailant with
•so much perspicuity, that the Nabob eventually retired,
agreeing in consideration of a small subsidy to restore all
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that he had taken from the Company or its servants. Pitt
continued in office until 1709 when his Indian career was
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closed by a difference with his employers which led to his
recall. By that time Madras had become an important
station with a far-reaching trade and possessing a political
influence which radiated to a greater part of Southern India.
Thomas Pitt’s life in Madras, as illustrated in his letters,
seems to have been one of considerable usefulness and
activity. He kept a sharp eye on the general affairs of |
India and gave shrewd advice which though not always
followed was often extremely helpful. From the first he
» advocated the adoption of a vigorous policy in dealing with
•the native powers. “ Force and a strong fortification were

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