Indian Antiquary Vol 47

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 11

JANUARY, 1918)
AUSTRIA'S COMMERCIAL VENTURE IN INDIA
he made or caused to be made application to the Honble. Wm. Hornby Esqr. President and Governor for all affairs of the British Nation at Bombay, to obtain a Permission or Pass for a Pattamar or Express to convey the said letter, which was accordingly granted by the said Hon ble. President; That on or about the said 23rd day of November 1777 last the Deponent hired, paid and dispatched an Express with the said Pass or permit and Letter directed to the said Lieutenant Colonel William Bolts at Poonah, that the said Express or Pattamar with the said Letter was seized at Poonah by or by the Orders of the British Agent there ; and sent down to Bombay under a strong Guard of the British Indian Troops belonging, as this Deponent believes, to the Battalion called the Pily Phultum*5; that he the Deponent repaired to Poonah to inform the said Lieutenant Colonel Wm. Bolts of the interception of his Letters; that being arrived at Poonah on or about the 3rd day of this present month of December he the deponent was sent by the said Lieutenant Colonel Wm. Bolts with one or more Letters to William Lewis Esqr., the English Agent then Resident, at Poonah, to demand his reasons and authority for the said interceptions, and that the said Wm. Lewis Esqr. did then and there personally acquaint this Deponent in answer to the said Letters that he had sent all Mr. Bolts' Letters down to the Honble, the President and Council of Bombay, agreeably to the Order of his Constituents, the Honble. English East India Company, or of the said Honble. President and Council, which Orders he was obliged to comply with in Conformity to the duty of his station; or word[s] to that or the like effect : and further this Deponent saith not.
JOHN JOSEPH BAUER. Bombay Town Hall, 22 Decr. 1777. Sworn before this Court sitting in Judgement.
BECK, Register. N.B.--This Paper was attested in the usual Form by the Mayor and Notary Publick.
Letter from the President and Council at Fort St. George to the
President and Council of Bombay, dated 3 January 1778.36 We have paid attention to that part of your letter of the 3rd Ultimo which relates tu the Austrian Enterprise under the direction of Mr Bolts, and have only to acquaint your Honor doa. that as the orders of the Company to this Presidenoy Correspond bitarrally with the extract' of their commands which you have transmitted to us upon this subject, We shall readily cooperate with you to the utmost of our power in frustrating the success of a scheme which appears to be so prejudicial to their interests. Letter from the Council at Bombay to the Court of Directors,
dated 25 January 1778.37 In our Address of the 30 November We mentioned the Arrival of the Austrian Ship Joseph and Theresa at Surat and of Mr Bolts baving left that place and proceded to Gogo on account of the Obstruotion thrown in his way by our Directions. We conclude that the Object of his Journey to Poonah was to obtain a Settlement at Gogo, and We shall be able to judge what Success He met with by his future Proceedings, but no Endeavours were wanting on our part to oppose his Design. It is surmised that Mr Bolts by making a Settlement at Delagoa means to make that Place his Magazine for European Commodities and from thence to pour them into India.
36 Pahila Paltan, i.e., The Fint Regiment, Bombay Native Infantry, formed in 1767. * Letters Received at Bombay (1778), XLIV, 41. 37 Bombay Lettere Received, V, 285-289.