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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MARCH, 1902.
LETTERS FROM MADRAS IN 1659. • BY WILLIAM FOSTER.
Introduction. The following letter - interesting alike for its narrative of the shipwreck of the “Persia Merchant" on the Maldives, and its account of Madras at a little known period of its history was first brought to notice by a brief entry in the report of the Royal Historical MSS. Commissioners on the Welsh MSS. preserved at Mostyn Hall (Parliamentary Paper C. 8829 of 1898, p. 195). It occurs in the middle of a volume of miscellaneous Welsh poems (Mostyn MS. 147, pp. 676-9), into which it has been copied by some unknown (contemporary) hand, presumably on account of its interert to the family of Middleton, to whom most of the poems refer. The copyist has mangled some of the names of places beyond recognition, and the folding of the paper bas damaged a few other words, but on the whole the loss has been less than might have been expected. The letter is now printed from a transcript recently made by Mr. Edward Owen, with the courteous permission oi Lord Mostyn, for incorporation with the India Office colleetion of Madras Records.
Of the writer, Captain Roger Middleton, little is known beyond what he tells us himself. He had evidently seen military service, probably in the Cromwellian army; and as he speaks of himself as "part of mariner," le must have had some maritime experience as well. Our first notice of him, however, is on the 12th February, 1658, when the Court Minutes of the East India Company record his engagement as “Lieutenant," i. e., comander of the garrison, "of Fort St. George at 25 l. per annum." He was allowed a sum of 4 1. to expend in fresh provisions for the voyage, and was assigned a berth on board the good ship" Persis Merchant,” Captain Francis Johnson, bound for Madras. His fellow-passengers included four factors, viz., Jonathan Trevisa, Ambrose Salisbury, William Vassall and Stephen Charlton, besides four soldiers - Roger Williams, Samuel Dorman, William Lloyd and Richard Middleton (a cousin of his) - engaged to serve under him in the garrison. The vessel sailed about the middle of March, 1658, and from this point we may allow Middleton himself to take up the story.
A few facts about Middleton's subsequent history may be of interest. We hear of him next in January, 1661, when the Madras authorities wrote home that he had been granted leave to repair to Surat, and had accordingly embarked on the Madras Merchant in February, 1660. They appear to have been glad to get rid of him," being faine a little before to restraine his person upon some misdemeanours." He had been invited to Surat, it seems, with the view of utilising his services at Maskat, in the Persian Gulf. Sultan bin Seif had recently expelled the Portuguese from that city, and negotiations had been set on fout for the transfer thither of the English staff at Gombroon. An English garrison, not to exceed one hundred men, was to be posted in one of the forts; and of this body, it was intended to make Middleton commandant. The scheme, however, came to nothing, as the Surat factors found they had quite enough on their hands without interfering further in Maskat affairs.
In November, 1660, Middleton was sent in the Swally pinnace to Danda Rajpuri, Karwar, and Citos. The authorities at Surat had for some time been anxious to find some spot, outside the Mogul's dominions, suitable for the establishment of a fortified depôt, to which they could retreat should the exactions of the native officials become unendurable. This was shortly after secured by the acquisition of Bombay ; but in 1660 the Portuguese were turning a deaf ear to all suggestions of parting with one of their ports. The factors' attention was then turned to Danda Rajpuri, a fort on the coast about fifty miles south of Bombay, held by the Janjira Sidis, nominally on behalf of the King of Bijapur. Middleton was accordingly deputed to pay a visit to the governor of the fort, ostensibly to compliment him and request his assistance to any of the Company's shipping in need of his help, but our maine scope is that under this forme hee may take a veiw of the strength of the piace, how scituated, the best way to be assailed, that if we cannot fairly obtaine it, we may forcibly
