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262
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(SEPTEMBER, 1933
Jack, God bless you and send you soon safe among us. All relations and friends are well, 80 referring you to their own letters we remain, Sir, Your affectionate loving brothers.
ED. FENWICKE E. TRENCHFIELD
[NOTES ON DOCUMENT No. 155.] (1) The letter was dated 6, not " Ist " February. Seo document No. 124. (3) This account is not among the Papers. (3) See ante, p. 253.
() The ships sent out by the Company in January 1721/2 for the “Coast and Bay" were the Bouterie, Captain James Chambre; the Fordwick, Captain Richard Gosfright; the Nightingale, Captain William Mackett; the Enfield, Captain Charles Rigby; and the Devonshire, Captain Lawrence Prince (Letter Book, vol. 18, p. 2),
News of the despatch of the King George and Bonita for China had reached Canton, and the factors there were desirous of anticipating the arrival of those ships and completing, as far as possible, the lading of the Company's vessels before those which they regarded as rivals could unlade and secure cargoes. On 30 June 1722, there is the following entry in the Canton Diary:
"The Eyles near Macao. Wrote to the supercargoes of the Walpole that they were aware of the despatch of the King George and Boneta from Bombay for Canton" (Factory Records, China, vol. 21).
Either the Bonita was a faster sailer than the King George or the latter waited for her at Macao, for on 10 August we read :
“We (supercargoes of the Eyles, Emelia and Lyell have advice that Mr. John Scattergood is arrived near Booca Tigris with the King George and Boneta under his direction, and consequently now a proper time to make what possible dispatch we can in loading the Eyles” (Ibid.)
Rather more than a fortnight later, on 26 August, the arrival at Canton of "Messrs. Scattergood and Hill ” is reported. The Company's orders to the supercargoes of the ships sent out in 1722 regarding "interlopers” were very stringent, and accordingly on 1 September 1722 we find the following entry in the Canton Diary:
"Pursuant to our Honble. Masters directions in our supplemental orders, we gave publick notice to Messrs. Scattergood and Hill, supracargoes of the King George and Boneta, that we expected they would not have any correspondence or give any sort of assistance to the affairs of the Ostenders" (Ibid.)
Of the correspondence addressed to Scattergood and his attorneys in Madras shortly after his departure for China, only three letters are extant, all of them from Captain Marmaduke Crompton, who was acting as Scattergood's agent in Bengal. Two of these are addressed to Messrs. Torriano and Morse and one to Scattergood himself.
(156) To Mr. John Scattergood, Sir,
I receiv'd yours of the 23d of June 1722(1) the 20th of July following and have follow'd the direction[s] therein mention'd to the utmost of my power and you may be assurd nothing shall be wanting wherein I can serve you.
I have sold your tutenaigue at eighteen rupees per maund, but it comes out two seer and four patacks(?) less then seeventy seer per pecul. The vermilion is not sold, being offer'd no more then three rupees seaven annas; and the tea is so bad no body will give any thing for it; otherwise it would have come to a good markett, for it is at this time much wanted. I have a perticular regard to what you mention abo[ut] your money and have endeavourd: to lett it out on the Europe ship's security to England, but there's no such thing to be done, that provilidge being taken up by persons of more authority, therefore I have lott ont what I could of your money to the country trade, which is one thousand current rupees @ 12 par