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JANUARY, 1924 ]
NOTES ON PIRACY IN EASTERN WATERS
59
beat off an attack by four pirate ships near the Island of Flores, but does not state their nationality. In 1617 (? 1613) the Portuguese, making a voyage of discovery around Madagascar, found many traces of Europeans, especially Holianders. Amongst others at Port Santa Clara, they found two inscriptions showing that the English had been there, viz., Christophorus Neoportus Anglus Cap. and Dominus Robertus Schurleius Comes, Legatus Regis Persarum. In the same voyage they discovered and named St. Augustine (Faria, III, 269).
Sanganians and Malabaras. 221. In 1609 Abdul Karim, the Muhammadan Governor of Chaul, sent out a fleet of 30 padaos to cruise against the Portuguese, and in 1611 the natives of Chaul introduced into the city a number of Muhammadan outlaws from Karanja, who murdered the Portu. guese captain of the fortress (Faria, III, 168-185; da Cunha, Chaul, p. 63).
222. In 1613 the English at Surat formed & small local force of grabs and gallevats for protection against the Portuguese and the pirates in the rivers Tapti and Narbada and in the Gulf of Cambay. It was manned by volunteers from the Company's ships and known as the Grab Service (Low, I, 16). This was the origin of the famous Bombay Marine,
223. In 1614 James de Vasconcelos with 9 ships sailed from Diu to Agacaim, where he captured the whole of a foot of 16 Malabarese with their commander Porcasse (Faria, III, 199).
224. In 1615 Captain Walter Peyton, having taken two Portuguese ships off Coulam without any hindrance from the guns of the castle, offered to put the crews ashore, but they declined "as fearing to be ill-used by the Malabars, having lately escaped with difficulty from a fleet of theirs of 14 sail" (Peyton, in Kerr, IX, 233). In the same year & treaty was concluded between Jahangir and the Portuguese, both parties expressing hostility towards the English and Dutch and the necessity for destroying the Malabar pirates (Faria, III, 221; Orme, Hist. Frag., p. 361; Bom. Gaz, I, ii, p. 62).
225. On the 20th December 1615 a Malabar brought into Cranganore & prize which he had taken from the Portuguese and would have traded with us, but we could not get in any of our money due long before" (Journal of Roger Hawes, Kerr, IX, 245). From this it would appear that some English ships, even if they did not assist in acts of piracy, were not above purchasing the pirates' booty.
228. On the 20th January 1616 a Portuguese fleet entered the same harbour and was defeated by the Malabarese. "Nino or ten Portuguese vessels were driven ashore and two or three of the chiefs of these were immediately hanged up by the heels, and being taken down after two days were thrown to be devoured by wild beasts” (Ibid.).
-- 227. In 1617 or 1618 Dom Pedro, a cousin of Kunhale, who had become a Christian, fled from Goa, renounoed his new faith and, turning pirate, captured a number of Portuguese ships. On one occasion he took 12 out of a Portuguese fleet of 18 ships together with their commander Vitorio de Abreu. Another Portuguese ship which he had captured was retaken by a passing Spaniard (Faria, III, 288-9).
228. In February 1623 John Hall with the Blessing, Whale, Dolphin and Reformation, drove off two Malabar pirates to the great relief of the inhabitants of the Gujarat Coast. He then proceeded to bombard Dabol in reprisal for injuries done to the English (Hall to the East India Company, 16th December 1623, Cal. State Papers, East Indies).
