Page 56 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

56 EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST

on the spot rather than for him to exercise a restraining
influence by withholding his prerogative when new aspirants
appeared in the field. It must have been somewhat in
this spirit that he selected the time when the East India
' Company had just dispatched a second fleet to the East to
)
issue a licence to Sir Edward Michclbornc “ to discover the
countries of China and Japan and to trade with their
people.” The East India Company protested vigorously
against this infringement of the spirit if not the letter of
their patent, but all in vain, for they had to contend with
adverse Court influences which were proof against any
representations, however weighty, on the score of expedi­
ency or however well grounded in justice.
; "
Michel borne’s venture was the more formidable by
iii: reason of the fact that he had secured the co-operation of
John Davis. This worthy returned home from Lancaster’s
expedition to a certain extent under a cloud. He was
I thought to have misled the Company, and though there was
probably a reasonable explanation in Dutch activity of
the failure of Acheen to answer the expectations which he
held out in regard to it, he suffered the usual fate of the
false prophet; he was discarded. In Michelborne’s expedi­
tion he figured in his old role of a pilot, but it may be
rii imagined that he was a good deal more than a simple
sailing master. He was as expert in navigation as Michel-
borne was deficient in that science, and he had, moreover,
an incomparable general knowledge, picked up during his
extensive service at sea, which must have made his decision
authoritative on most questions of discipline and policy.
Regarded as an essay in commercial exploitation in a
far distant and little known region the gentleman adven­
turer’s expedition was of a decidedly unassuming character.