Page 188 - Gulf Precis (I-A)_Neat

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During the time of Me nr Hossan’s Government at Bunderreek I could
hardly have wished for a more favourable prospect of establishing an ndvan-
M#*r Mobana'a op* tageous settlement there, which induced mo to give your W«. &c. • as
JSiS»h»«tofW’ well ns the Hou’blo the President great hopes of sucoess ; but affairs have
factory it Bandar n0w taken a quite different turn under Meer Manna* as I fully represented
R,B‘ to you in my advice of tho 29‘^ Juno, and I am sorry to find myself obliged
again, to contradict Mr. Shaw with respect to those matters, for Meer Mahnna
after the murder of his brothor and my flight to Bussorah was so far from
inviting mo back again or offering to rebuild the Eouourablo Company’s
House that he refused to allow mo the privilege of Collecting Dutys from
merchants trading under tho English Protection, uuless I would agree to pay
him two thousand Rupees a year, aud in spight of all my solicitations he
constantly employed a great number of labourers in carrying away tho
materials of the House, to build a Wall round his town to the very day I left
the place, had the case been otherwise your Wa &c» may bo assumed
I should not have omitted to acquaint you with such material Circumstances ;
I have taken all opportunities of sotting forth the great advantages that
would accrue to tho Shaik of Bunderreek from our having a settlement, but
he is a young indiscreet man wholly given up to the most destructive vices,
and so extremely Revengefull that it’s dangerous to give him even the
slightest occasion of offence, therefore I judged it neither safe nor prudent
to interfere so much as with my advice to Meer Hossain, for fear my name
should be brought in Question, and as I have not been able to prevail on
him to desist from carrying away the ruins of the Company’s House, neither
by means of presents, nor by conforming to his intemperance in point of
Drinking at frequent, nay almost daily visits, I humbly apprehend my presence
would not have brought forth the good effects your W® &c.» seem to
imagine, and any person that is acquainted with the dangers and Incon­
veniences attending a voyage from Bunderreek to Bussorah in an open Boat
in the month of May, would want but very little persuasion to convince him
that I went thither by the strongest impulsions of Necessity.
The Bengali Supracargo gave me good reason to believe he could not
supply me with Cash, and notwithstanding what Mr. Shaw writes your
Wa &o* under the 9th June, I assure you his letter of Credit upon Hodjee
Ibrahim for 6,000 Rupees came very unexpectedly, therefore I must beg you
W« &ci not to impute my taking up money of the Dutch to any Disregard
of vour orders.
Concerning the purpose of the Drake and Swallow’6 coming up the Gulph,
The tiro skips I am really of opinion that their force is by no means sufficient to accomplish
seat not sufficient it, for upon Consulting the Commanders I find they are not able from both
for reducing Bander
Rig. the ships to land above 65 or 70 men, and the Town of Bunderreek is situated
in such a manner that a larger vessel than our Bombay Callivats can’t come
within two miles of it, the Meer has also upwards of 500 armed men of his
own tribe always within an hour’s warning, who are tolerable good Soldiers
when stationed in houses or behind Walls according to their manner of
fighting, but, if I might take the liberty to offer my opinion of tho matter
I don’t esteem it in the least advisable to come to an open rupture with the
people of Bunderreek; for the Meer himsolt is miserably poor and the Inhabit­
ants have only salt fish ana Dates to loose, unless we should seize upon a few
dol Trankeys and three Callivats belonging to the Meer whereby all our hopes