Page 198 - Dilmun 21

١n 1656 it was the time or the Dutch to dominate the Eastern waters, hey
captured olombo. wo years later they conquered all eylon and rom
eylon to Southern lndia, ochin and annanore which had been in
Potruguese hands or 170 years. ١n reaction to these events the East lndia
ompany sent Sir eorge enden in arch 1662, charged with the
principle direction o the o the company s aairs in the east. wo years later
1664 Bombay was handed over by the Viceroy o oa to the Birtish in spite
o the objection o the Hollanders and their French allies, Bombay like
adras became a nulceus around which gathered in due course a lourishing
settlement, the progenitor o mighty interests on the adjacent continent o
lndia. By 1677 the populaiton o Bombay had grown to so,000 and by 1900
to 1,000,000. ١٦ 167 the seat o the Presidency was transerred rom Surat
to Bombay and in Februayr 10 1691 the title deeds-o alcutta were
obtained by the issue o an lmperial order in lieu o all dues. alcutta became
an enterprising populus and prosperous with its merchants amongst the
world leaders o commerce.

IAthough the East lndia ompany had been set up primarily as an impotring
company in contrast to the epotr led activiites o hte Levant ompany and
wto other chatrered trading companies o the itme the uscovy and Eastland
companies. he directors were mindul that hte constant draining Bullion
resevres resulting rom their trade was politically un popular. hey would
have liked to sell English woolen broad cloth to a third patry in echange or
bullion and then use that bullion to buy the spices which were the main target
o their ealry trade. John Saris (2 years lod) actor at the ompany s actoyr
at Bantam in Java submitted a repotr to the Directors in 160 in which he
suggested that Japan represented a ine commercial oppotrunity. His view
was conirmed shotrly ater ward in letters rom William Adams an English
man who had been acting as Pilot or a Dutch leet and he settled in Japan
rom 1600. here he had built a remakralbe career or himsel as principal
marine architect to the Shogun had taken a Japanese wie and was prepared
to assist his countyrmen in establishing trade with Japan.

Saris was commissioned to take a ship rom the eighth voyage the( lcove)
and proceed rom Bantam to Japan iwth the aim o establishing a acto.yr ln
161 he arrived to Hirado. Adams accompanied Sairs to Yedo (okyo). Saris