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SEPTEMBER, 1911.) G. BOUGHTON AND TRADING PRIVILEGES
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by the Company in Bengal, it may have been recorded at this point in justification of his detention. Otherwiso, one may guese, it would never have been entered at all, since it was not in the nature of a letter. Of the fate of the original, by the way, nothing can be traced. Apparently it is no longer among the records at Madras.
The document is of such interest that it is worth quoting in full, premising that, while the spelling remains unaltered, as regards the punctuation and the employment of capital letters we follow modern methols. A breis accountt of the rice and tenor of the Honourable English East India Companies priviledges, together [with] their losses of them
and their present case as to the customs.
Feb. Anno 1684 [i.e., 1685]. About the year 1686 there was one Gabriel Boughton, a chyrurgeon, at Madrass (in the
time of Agent Cockaine), who design'd home for England, and according took his passage upon the Hopewell, Captain Gage commander, and near the Cape mett with very bad weather and in the storm the said ship sprang a leak, which to save themselves they threw overboard their lading, and made for the Moritious; where they arrived and mett with the ship Dolphin, Captain Proud commander, which ship in bad weather had lost her masts ; at which place both ships being fitted they went for Suratt. Mr. Boughton, haveing lost all that he had, tarried at Suratt; during which stay Assut Chaune, the Emperors Buxy, writt to Suratt for a chirurgeon to come to court; the Emperours daughter, by accident haveing her clothes set on fire, was burnt, for the cure of whom a chirurgeon was sent for. Mr. Boughton went and performed the cure. He was much made off, and allowed 7 rupies per diem and invited to serve the Emperour; but Mr. Boughton did not like to stay, and after some time travelled most part of India, and at last came down into Bengall. The Prince Shaw Sujah then residing at Rajamaule, Mr. Boughton went thither. He had been there but a little while, when he was taken notice off by a groat person that had seen him at the Emperours court, while he was performing the cure upon the Emperours daughter. And at that time there was one of the Princes concubines, which woman the Prince greatly loved, had a great pain in her side, and could find no cure. The said great person acquaints the Prince that there was a chyrurgeon in the town that had wrought a great cure on the Emperours daughter ; upon which the Prince sent for Mr. Boughton, who undertoke the cure and succeeded, curing the woman in a very short time; upon which Mr. Boughton was in very great favour and allowed by the Prince 10 rups, per diem. This Prince, Shaw Sujah, was the present Emperours elder brother, and bad given him by his fatber the government and all the revenues of the provinces of Bengalla and Orissa. He offers Mr. Boughton, if he would trade, he should be free from paying of custom and all other duties, and gave Mr. Boughton two nesbauns (nishān, an order] to that end. Mr. Boughton thereupon came down to Piply, and by a Moors ship then bonnd for Suratt writ to the President there and gave an account of all goods and merchandize that he could learn were here to be had. The President received the letter, and about two years after came a ship from England, whereof was commander Captain Brookhaven, and upon the account of Mr. Boughtons neshauns was free of all daties. He was at Hugly and bought severall goods and returnd; and after two year came the second time, and brought Mr. Bridgman Cheil, and severall others, to settle factories. And upon their arrivall Captain Brookhaven writt to Mr. Boughton, being then with the Prince at Rajamaule, that he was come to settle factories,
