Indian Antiquary Vol 58

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 126

116
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JUNE, 1929
of the port and to behave themselves quietly in future-the Emperor would allow them to follow their trade. He demanded, however, that Sir John Child, who had caused the trouble, should be dismissed and expelled from India.48 He was not apparently aware at the time of issuing the farman that Sir John Child had already died.
The above document was immediately followed by another farman of a more explicit character. This was addressed by the Emperor to I'timad Khan, Governor of Surat, and dated the 27th day of the month, Jumida'l-au wal (March 3, 1689-90) the 33rd year of his reign. Its contents related chiefly to English affairs at Surat, and to other parts of the Imperial do. minions. Aurangzeb, in consequence of having received a report from I'timad Khan that the English had submitted and agreed to recoup the merchants' losses, commanded the Governor to carry out the following orders, all of which were contained in the later farmán (1) Mr. Vaux to be detained in Surat until ali obligations imposed on the English had been complied with. Only then should I'timad Khan write to the Sidhi with instructions to remove from the neighbourhood of the castle. Goode, money and ships to be brought to Surat and restored to their rightful owners. The farmán was then to be given to Mr. Vaux, This granted (2) liberty to coin their own bullion; (3) to buy or sell their horses as they please; (4) in the event of officials wanting goods from English warehouses, they are to apply for them through the Governor, who shall be responsible for payment; (5) those who molest the English to be prosecuted by the Governor; (6) should the Governor order anything on the King's behall he is to cause payment to be made at once ; (7) other buyers also to be compelled to pay quickly ; (8) goods sent to Swally for shipment and not taken on board may be stored again in Surat without duty being a second time demanded ; (9) no further custom to be paid on goods brought from the interior than that payable according to the farmdn of Shah Jahan; (10) speedy despatch to be given at the custom house; (11) discharge of all Englishmen and brokers in prison ; (12) goods brought from other parts of the Empire for shipment at Surat to pay Emperor's customs in one place only.
The Governor was to decide on the following points (1) Goods landed at Surat and not sold there, to be free of a second duty if sent to another port for sale ; (2) trouble about provisions for Bombay: (3) letters to and from England not to be stopped at the ports ; (4) a fresh place on the river side to be allowed for repairing ships.
Rulings as to some special complaints were as followe:-(1) Custom for provisions, apparel, plate, etc., for use is not to be paid if it had been free formerly ; (2) robberies of Englishmen's goods on the roads to be remedied by officials exactly as if they were subjects' goods ; (3) custom for coffee etc. to be levied, or not, according to former usage; (4) Englishmen's servants, if slaves, to be captured and restored by the Governor if they should run away: (5) indigo packages not to be opened ; custom being paid in reliance on the owner's word; (6) customs to be paid at the year's end if that was the old practice; (7) the owner's word to be taken and bales of goods left unopened, the invoice only being shown; (8) complaints about the under-customer at Swally to be examined and redress given ; (9) & complaint about Yacoub Khan's seizures at Bombay to be examined and adjusted ; (10) refers to the surrender of goods wrongfully seized by the English ; (11) Englishmen may go out of Surat to their gardens and return freely, if that was the ouatom; (12) Rs. 80,000 deposited in the Emperor's treasury to be credited to the English for losses sustained ; (13) a complaint against Mr. Bowcher to be tried by the King's Law; (14) another complaint about the murder of two Englishmen also to be tried by the King's law; (15) a similar ruling in the case of another complaint against Mr. Bowcher; (16) and in the charge against Moolah Abdul Guffore, who had falsely accused the English of capturing & ship of his, which was really taken by the Danes.43
The Mughal also granted a farmán for Bengal on April 27, 1690. In doing so, he informed Ibrahîm Khân, Governor of Bengal, that the English were ashamed and sorry for what they See No. 5702 of 0.C. 48, 1.0.
43 See No. 6704 of O.C. 48, LO.