Indian Antiquary Vol 61

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

Page 331

NOVEMBER, 1932] THE SCATTERGOODS AND THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
159
with them. This news soon reaching the Emperors ears at Pekin had procur'd the above order (as the Portuguese said) to make reprisall on all our nation. You may easily believe we were now in great perplexity what to doe, as well to contrive the safety of the ship as to re-establish this so beneficiall a branch of the Company's trade. At first I writ to Anqua to come down to us, haveing carry'd the ship into Typa,(?) but he delaying it a good many days, I resolv'd to goe up my self to Canton, which I did privately, in a small sampan alone. When I came there I found the news confirm'd of the junks being taken, but Anqua told me, when he heard of our arrivall, he imediately acquainted the Vice Roy with it, and gott his promise for the protection of the Port, as comeing from another place, consequently we could not be concernd in that affair; and haveing other assurances that it was so, I order'd the ship up to Wampo [Whampoa) where all the other English, as they arriv'd, came afterwards, and none of us have mett any molestation since on that score. The demands here for the junk is 80,000 Tale, and if there is not immediate care taken to make the matter up, I believe it will be very dangerous for any English to come hither, either Companys or private ships hereafter.
The junk was carry'd to Madrasa(3) where she and her cargo were sold, and the money lyes now in Governor Harrison's hands; there are many other particulars about this story too long to trouble you in a letter, but I have writ the Company very fully about it, and doubt not theyl give proper directions about it to preserve their trade.(*)
We are now 22 sayl of ships at this port, of which 6 are French from Peru, all with very large stocks, which makes every sort of goods so scarce as well as dear, the like was never before in any year; gold is now 112 sicee and at present not procureable at that price; if it does not fall, I am afraid I shall be fore'd to carry away a good deal of silver uninvested, and at soonest I cannot hope to dispatch hence before the latter end of January or beginning of February; these casualties in trade could not be foreseen, but now I am out I must make the best on't.(5)
I hope you'l excuse my being so troublesome to you by this long letter, but as you are well acquainted in the country, I tho't proper to give you some account of our preseut cir. cumstances here.
So with my humble service to Mrs. Scattergood, I have nothing more to add but wishes for our happy meeting and that I am, Dear Jack, your most affectionate humble servant
ED, FENWICKE, [Endorsed Mr. Edward Phenix (sic) letter to me.
[NOTES ON DOCUMENT No. 66.) (1). Edward Fenwick was one of the supercargoes of the Marlborough, commanded by Captain Matthew Martin; the Susannah was commanded by Captain Richard Pinnell, the "other ship" being the Stringer galley, commanded by Captain John Clarke.
(2) Tai-ping harbour. (3)
The Affair of the Amoy Junk. "In 1715," writes Dr. Morse (op. cit. I. 150), occurred an affair at Amoy which might have had serious consequences for all English ships visiting Chinese ports. The private trader Anne from Madras arrived at Amoy in 1714. She was detained there, without completing her trade, for fifteen or sixteen months and in January 1715 (1716) occurred the events which are thus recorded in a report by the Madras Presi. dency to the Court." Dr. Morse than quotes from an abstract of the Madras General Letter of 29 August 1716. The proceedings in Consultatiou at Fort St. George, however, earlier in the year, contain details not given in the letter.
The arrival of the Ann (or Anne) at Madras on 14 February 1715-16 is thus chronicled in the Fort. St. George Diary
"Ship Ann. Captain John Jones Commander, Messrs. John Raworth and Richard Bourchier supra cargo's, arriv'd from Amoy and brought in company with them a China junk fully laden for Batavia