Page 11 - Anglo Portuguese Rivalry in The Gulf_Neat
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the fact that his fruitless mission lasted two years, he himself especially gracious towards the English in the
found Ormuz still utterly unprepared to stand a siege, following year; for he received some letters sent by
is on his return from the Shah’s court in October, 1619.. King James from the hands of the English factors,
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Insult was added to injury by the fact that he was at a “ princely and sumptuous banquet, whereto he
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compelled to kick his heels in Ormuz during the winter •: invited all foreign ambassadors resident in his Court,
months, as the reported presence of an English fleet at 3 viz., the Spanish, Indian, Turkish, Russian, Tartarian
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Jask, was sufficient to scare the Portuguese to such an and Uzbeck ” emissaries. “ Glorying no doubt,” the
I! extent that they dared not send any ships to Goa before ; factors added complacently, “ to have it published in
April, 1620. He tried to utilise nis forced sojourn in an assembly of so many repugnant and discrepant
the town, by inducing the captain Dom Luis de Souza * nations, that it hath pleased so potent and yet so far i
to put the place in a state of defence, but could get remote and diffident a prince to direct his royal letters
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no more backing from him than from his predecessor, to him.” Under the influence of wine the “ Sophy’s ”
Dom Luiz da Gama, whom he accused of intercepting benevolence went even further, and he whispered to
•| his correspondence during his mission in Persia. To the factors ‘‘that.he had a resolution to take Ormuz
some of those not on the spot, the conquest of Ormuz from the King of Spain and deliver it unto the English
j did not appear quite so easy. Sir Thomas Roe, nation; ” though they later complained of his “ fair
writing from India to William Robbins (Sir Robert promises but contrary performances.” Shah Abbas,
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Sherley’s agent at Ispahan) in August, 1617, roundly on his side, had some complaints to make about the
scoffs at the idea that “ we will take Ormuz and beat inadequacy of the English shipping and their cargoes,
the Portugal out of those seas; these are but vanities.” which caused the factors to press for a fleet to be sent,
In other letters he repeated this warning, and frankly the more so since there was always the chance of a
urged that the best service he could do the Company, single vessel being intercepted by the Portuguese, weak
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would be to make peace with the Portuguese. as they were.1
Nevertheless he added that the “ Portugals ” were not The preparation of Ruy Frey re’s expedition in the
wise enough to know their own weakness, and admitted Tagus had not escaped the notice of the East India
that the Persian trade once begun, “ though im Company, who duly warned their representatives at
perfectly,” should not now be given over. He was Surat of its intended despatch and destination.
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however, almost alone in this opinion, and the men Consequently, it was decided to send the whole of the
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on the spot like Connock, Barker and Monnox were all r squadron of three ships which came out from England
confident of success. in the autumn of 1619, together with the ship Liony
The poor lading brought by the Bee in 1617, had to Jask, whither they set sail in November, returning
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been atoned for by the arrival of the Expedition at to Surat again in the middle of the following January,
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Jask in 1618 with two Portuguese prizes, “which'are without having seen anything of the expected Portu
very useful for your occasions,” worth some £2,000 or guese armada. The mere appearance of Bickley’s
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£3,000. The Shah, who had by now finally, if secretly,
resolved to break with the Portuguese, showed lCalendar of State Papers, East Indies, 1617-1621, pp. 303-311.
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