________________
174
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(June, 1907.
A year later, Pratt was still at Dacca. In July, he wrote to the Agent, Mr Blake, at Hugli,69 with regard to the mental state of Mr Marsh, the Company's servant at Dacca. Pratt declared himself unable to restraia Marsh and desired that someone might be sent to look after him. In September of the same year, the Council at Hagli wrote to the Directors in England, 70 " Thomas Pratt remains at Dacca to prefer our complaints and to endeavour redresses."
The later career and end of Thomas Pratt is given by Manucci and the details have been supplied me by Mr. Irvine. Pratt had been employed by Mir Jumla to build and eqnip boats for him, but he was suspected by Daud Khin Qureshi, the Governor of Dacca, who sent to seize him. Pratt fired on his would be captors, and then escaped by his back door to his ship in the river and embarked for Arakan,
Here he intrigued with the King of Arakan and planned an attack on Bengal. Dāüd Khan sent a letter to Pratt, couched in friendly terms, and arranged that it should fall into the hands of the Arakan King. Suspecting treachery, the King removed Pratt's goods from his ship, bound his crew, and then sont him and his ship to the bottom.
[II. - Narrative of Richard Bell.]
An accof of ye Voyage & Travells of Rich: Dell from Lisbon to Jerusalem & other places
in año 1669. May 2311 1669. I tooke boate from Lixn [Lisbon] to goe aboard yo Ship Mary and Martha, Capt Dyer Batesil Commander, bis strenth 30 Guns, 50 Saylers, then Rideing in the bay Wagers [Oeiros ?] agot Passe Darkas[ Paco d'Arcos 1.72
We Weighed ankor of Tewesday at 4 Clock a!ter none, yo winde faire & a fresh gaile, soe as we arrived at Tangeere78 yo 31 day, & caime to anker before ye towne at 4 Clock in the morninge.
In Tangere7 litle remarkable saue yo Mould [Mole), wch is not in litle tyme like to be finished for what wth some years laber & great Cost was built, is a great part washt downe, & more like [ to be ] every day,75 wthout better artists be imployed. Many good howses are whin ye walls. It lies on ye side of a hill; wthout ye walls theires a howse and Garden built and planted by Coll Alsun,76 who then had a tein [tenant] in it, who sold beere, wyne & Sallets. It [is] Cald White Hall in Affrica. We drank ye King of Englands helth in it, & at 4 Clock in yo afternoone went aboard, & yo winde faire, we weighed, Capt, Cod of Yarmoth and a ship of Bristoll in of Company both bound for Genoa.
In or way to Messena, yt being ye first port we weere to touch at, we past yo Islelands of Maj & Mingorke [Majorca and Minorca), & by yo Isleland Sardna (Sardinia], of woh lay becalmd 47 sailo french Men warr & vittellers bound for the releife of Candia. In Sardenia is
69 0. C. 3060.
T0 0. C. 3069. 11 Capt. Dyer Bates is mentioned in the Calendar of State Papers, Domentic Series, 1 Sept. 1970, as commander of the Mary and Martha. Covel, Early Voyages in the Levant. p. 101, calls him Capt. Dier Rolos."
13 Paco d'Arcos, town on the north bank of the Tagun, near the mouth, 94 miles from Lisbon. Mr. Ferguson suggests that "bay Wagors" may represent the Bay of Deiros, this town being 14 milos beyond Paco d'Arcos.
78 Then a British possession.
14 Iu 1532, Tangier was made part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charlos II. A fine molo was constructed, at a vast expenso, to improve the harbour. The works vero destroyed in 1681 and the place was abundoued to the Moors.
* Cumpare Pepye Diary, Wheatley'a ed., Vol. VIII. p. 235, " Sir H. Cholmley talking ... of Tangier matters. . . troubled from some reports. ..of some decay to the Mole, and a breach made therein by the sea to a great value."
TIAM. "Alsopp, the King's brower" and contractor " for viotualling of Tangier" died 27 July 1664. See Pepy Diary, Wheatley's ed., Vol IV., PP. 174, 176, 178, 189, 195, 198. Perhaps the "Coll Alsup" mentioned by Bell was a son of "the King's brewer,"
