Page 123 - Gulf Precis (I-A)_Neat

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XXXVIII.
PUBLIC DEPARTMENT.DIARY No. 9 OF 1735-1786.
Bombay Castle, 22 October 1735.
Proceedings of a special Council held by the Bombay Government for the purpose of determin­
ing upon the measures which it would be proper to adopt as regarded the llonlble
Company's affairs at Bussorah and at the Factories in the Persian Gulf, with reference
to the then unsettled state of affairs between the Persians <and Turks. Resolutions
passed.
The President acquaints the Board that by the advices he has
received from Goa he apprehends the Queen Caroline has missed the orders
that were sent for her returning hither and consequently passed by this port
in her way to Gombroon, and therefore he has desired this meeting to take
into consideration the last advices from Persia, and to resolve on some proper
instructions to be given the Agent purposing also speedily to return the Prince
of Wales Galley with Mess” Waters, Wettwell, and Ray to the Agent’s
assistance.
We find the Persians seem bent on demanding the assistance of our
shipping and men in their second enterprize against Bussorah, and we fear they
will very stifly insist on this point as the only reasonable raparation we can
make them for preventing the success of their first attempt against that city.
Tho* in Europe any power can stop the shipping of any nation in their
ports, and employ them for transports, or other services, and the same not be
esteemed any breach of the peace in the party thus forced, yet we are very
doubtful what may be the consequences of our making such a condescension
to the Persians, since we are strictly cautioned not to commit any act of
hostility or give any extraordinary umbrage to an European state in amity
with his Britannic Majesty, as in either of these cases we apprehend our
Hon’ble Master’s Charter would be greatly affected ; besides, the Turks being
a people soon irritated to extravagant revenge, they might in the first transport
of their disgust at our appearing against them make such seizures of our
European Merchants* effects in their country and even treat their persons so
ill as would bring upon us a very severe resentment and therefore we must
positively forbid the Agent, &“., lending our vessels to the Persians for this
servico on any terms.
But if the Agent, in debating with the Persians on this point find
that the selling them of a ship or two is the only means they have left to soften
them and induce them to waive their other demands and that it fully appears
the Hon’ble Company’s estate and privileges in that Kingdom cannot be
secured on any other terms, we think in such case we may give them a liberty
to make use of this expedient, which however is not without its inconveniences
and therefore they must be cautioned not to make use of this liberty, but
at the last extremity, and to look on it as a medium proposed to prevent a
greater evil.
As the Persians have not yet been able to remove their Ambassador’s
effeots from Soindy which, we understand, are very valuable and now lie ready
to be embarked for Persia. The President proposes that the Galley be ordered
to call in there and that Mi Waters be allowed to offer the transporting of the
Ambassador’s people and effeots to Gombroon, and as the Galley will bo near
full of provisons for herself and the Rose and may be able (if the Persians