Indian Antiquary Vol 61

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

Page 309

MAY, 1932]
THE SCATTERGOODS AND THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
[50]
9 June 1714
To Messrs. John Scattergood and George Wyche
We have added to that stock the Gentlemen of Bombay put on board you the sume of 71150 Surrat rupees, which makes your outsett from this port to be rupees 139219.
We have little to add to the instru[c]tions given you att Bombay only to desiere you to keep a very good look out and avoid speaking with any ship you meet with at sea, being apprehenceve that there be pyrates abroad, and to prevent your falling into there hands should there be any cruizing about the Streights, we think it adviseable upon your arrivall att Malacca that you agree with some trusty person there to send a small vessell to lye for you against your return from China att such please [sic] you shall appoint, in order to give you the necessary intilligence.
Fort St. George
June the 9. 1714.
137
As to the providing your cargo for Surrat, we leave it intirely to you, beleiving you will govern your selves in that affair as youl find suits most to our advantage, and for your commission, we agree to the same the Gentlemen at Bombay have given you. We wish you a good voyage and are Sir
Yours freinds and servants EDWARD HARRISON. WILLM. JENNINGS. BERNARD BENYON. WILLIAM WARRE.
PS. In case that the Ann, Captain John Jones, (') should not arrive in Canton and that you here no news of hir arrival in Amoy and you should gett away so early from Canton that you can touch here without loss of your passage to Surrat, in such case we hereby order you to touch here.
[NOTE ON DOCUMENT No. 50.]
(') The Ann sailed from Fort St. George for Amoy on 28 June 1714 and did not return until February of 1716.
The "Invoice of goods and merchandize laden on board the Amity bound from Surratt [and] Madras to Canton "amounted to Pags. 16074 and consisted mainly of pearls, and silver. As in the previous voyages, a considerable amount of goods was carried for private individuals and separate ventures of the freighters.
Scattergood had succeeded in underwriting a considerable proportion of his share in the Amity, the shares being taken up by his friends in Madras and the native merchants there.
There is again a gap in the Papers and we have no details of this third voyage to China. We know that the Amity must have touched at Malacca, as there is an account between Scattergood and John de Matt dated at that place on 22 July. After that, little time was lost on the way, for the next document deals with purchases at Canton in September from the Chinese merchants, Anqua and Linqua. Other merchants dealt with in the same month were Comshaw and "Pinkee Winkee alias Chonqua." The articles purchased were of the same nature as before. Scattergood acquired twenty "shoes of gold" weighing 236 oz. 5 dwt. 18 gr." of 93 touch," on his own account from Captain James Naish, for which he drew bills of exchange on his wife and John Maubert telling them " if you should not have so much money of mine ready," to "gett it att interest for [me] from Surat."
At the end of September he wrote to his late colleague, William Phipps, then supercargo of the Duke of Cambridge, with information of his own doings and advice regarding trade at Amoy.