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101
APRIL, 1907.] THE TRAVELS OF RICHARD BELL (AND JOHN CAMPBELL).
Embassador for ye Company had his desire granted, his deport humble, Soe they weer dismist,100 And from Brampoore I travelld wth them as followes. But to returne to ye Gouerner who stopt me, haueing sent to ye Court to know If I had come wthout license.. But they redy, ye Embassadors, I showed the Gouernor my pass from ye Empr, wch gaue me my liberty, And in 28 Days we arrived at Surratt, woh is but 60 Leagues from Brampoore. Att Surrat I staid 14 Days, Sr George Oxenall [Oxinden] Psident their for The East India Company, with whome I had seuerall affairs, And haueing dispatcht, I left it, But he was verry importun[ate] wth me to know how I succeeded in my Jurney into Prester John; but I knew well what I should tell him would be in England before me. But some things I told Mr Robt Smith, the Minister.
From Surratt I went to Madderaslepotan [Madras] in Bengall, in wch is the Kingdome of, Gulcandar [Golconda], Wher are all the Dymond Mines, weh is A Months Jurney or about 600 English Miles; from thence to Mas Lepotan [Masulipatam], woh is 60 Leagues; Thence to Checacull [Chicacol, Ganjam district], a great Citty, weh hath a Kinge of it selfe, a verry stronge place; Thence to Muscatt, woh belongs to the Arrabbs, the King of it called Wyley; Its a place was taken from the Portugalls.3
In that time I was theire, they sent an Armadoe to retake it, but in Vaine, beinge wth loss & shame beaten away. After this, King Wyley [the walt] sent out 11, Elleaven, vessels wth about 800 Men to y Portugalls Contrey, to a Citty cald Dew [Diu], A stronge fort & Garrison. They Landed, stormed & Plundered the Towne & brought 800 Boners away, Men, Weomen & Children, 8 Chests of Silver, 4 Caests of Gold. This I, John Cambell, se brought into Maskatt in the Month of August 1668, All don in 14 Days.*
This was great dishonor to ye Portugall affaires, they cominge to looke out for the Arrabbs & had gon on y Pertian Coast and tooke A litle money Dew to them for custome out of Conge [Kung] and returned, On weh, Sd ye kinge of ye Arrabbs in my heareinge, They haue com out to Beek me; I will now goe to seeke them, And offerd me great rewards to goe wth him, but my answer was, they weere Christians And I was one, Soe could not gratify his desire.
Att my beinge in Goa, in Anno 1668, was a Portugall ship; the Capt. of hir had not only ye Command of the ship but all ye Ladeinge. And beinge One day at a Gameinge howse (for play at Dice is much vsed theire), And theire beinge many ffydalgoes [fidalgo], verry rich, this Capt fell in to play wth them, And lost not Only ship, but all his Ladeinge, woh don, in great troble he went to a Surgion, And caused him cut of his left hand close at ye wrest; ye Surgion haueinge don his Dewtie, he, ye Capt, bought a box iust fitt to hold ye hand Cut of, & it being put in & y Key in his pockett, he tooke it vnder his Cloke & went to y Gameing howe, wheere was at play y felalgoe who had won his ship & goods wth a great heape of money & gold
100 In a letter from Surat to the Court of Directors of the East India Company, dated 26th March 1667. there is the following account of the French embassy:-"The Transactions of the French have bin much wondered att by all, one of the Two that came hither and went upp to Court, he that was sent from the King of France with Jetters Recommendatorye hath bin much slighted and att last is gone away alone, some say to Bengalla, Leaving his consort, who after a tedious attendance, finding none that would prefer his cause to the Kinge, in regard he came Empty handed, was Returning hither, but was robd of all he had, one dayes Journey out of Agra, and Received three or Foure wounds, which comming to the Kinga eare, tooke pitty on him, sent for him backe, gave particuler order for his care, and afterwards admitted him into his presence, Received his petition, Gave order he should be paid out of his Treasury what was pretended to be taken from him."-India Office Records, Factory Records, Miscellaneous, Vol. 2.
1 Sir George Oxinden was President of Surat from 1662 till his death, on the 14th July, 1069. The author mistakes the Arabie title wall, a governor, for a proper name.
In 1650.
In a letter to Surat, dated from Ispahan, 5th Sept. 1669, Stephen Flower refers to "wt. had past at sea between the Portugalls and Arabs in this Gulfe" and to "the Arabs proceedings at Dio," but there is no record of the occurrence, as given by Campbell, in 1868. Hiatus in the M8.
