Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 61
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[DECEMBER, 1932
to inclose such sort of papers and a packitt from the Secret Committee, he was saying to Mr. Waters and Fletcher who then happened to be in our office, that he designed to send the said packitts by the owners of the ship this evening, by reason he heard the ship was in the Downes; upon which Fletcher told him he heard some things of the Companys designed for Fort St. George were left behind and that the owners were gone to day, and that it signified nothing to send letters; upon which Woolley seemed to be a little surprised and sent a messenger to Mr. Harris's to know the truth, who brought answer he sett out early this morning in order to goe to his ship. This answer you will believe was what he did not expect, and did not say much to it, but what he did was composed of ill nature enough, which he is a compleat master of, and among other things said as much as implyd, who spoke in half words, "They'l repent it." Twas the first time he was so servd, and that our Court wont take it very well and upon the whole the packetts aere sent to Deal to be delivered to you or Captain Harry. Will leave you to guess whether there could be anything therein to your benefit or no, considering what he said to Mr. Harris last week; and as the wind is here and seems very likely to continue, I am of opinion that you are as well without his letters. And in case of the worst, which is his infuseing any ill natured things into the gentlemen of the Court, of disrespect, not performing your promise in carrying their letters, or the like, a good part thereof answers for itself by your paying that respect to the Court and giving him so much time as you did, tho to no purpose. Whoever shall say anything about it tomorrow, shall answer thus:
That the captain dispatcht away a man imediately on his getting into the Downes to acquaint you therewith, and as the wind was fair, would loose very little time there for fear of loosing the wind, as well as the hazard of lying there a day or two, that so you should make the utmost dispatch in getting to Portsmouth, which our friend and self agrees to be a very plausable and just pretence for hurrying away, and you need not doubt of its taking wind about Towne."
Whether Thomas Woolley was answerable for the seizure of some of the silver designed for the Bonita's cargo, as related in the following document, or whether, as seems iure probable, the customs house officers had received information of the consignments sent to Mellish to be shipped on board, does not appear. At any rate the Bonita sailed with a far smaller amount than was intended and the proportioning of the reduced quantity among the freighters was, as the supercargoes wrote, a difficult matter.
[80]
Mr. Chamberlyne, Sir,
We are under such a consternation by the seazere of our silver that we can not tell what to do or what to write; we are just as dead men. However, Mr. Mellish tells us that they can. not keep what they gott. He designes to goe up to Towne to swear that the silver was his and was goeing to Holland. We denied here that it belong'd to us, but how the Company e will take it, God knows; hope for the best. Twas a wonder how we gott this, for the Custome House officers knew of it all and narrowly miss'd it. What we have received is 70,000 oz. as Mr. Mellish tells us, and what the officers has got, 41,000 oz. How to proportion this, God knows. You know that Mr. Lewis appears for 4,000 li. and Mr. Afflack for 5,500, Mr. Harris and Scattergood, 6000; the rest you know, so you are best able to bring everymans loss, or if the silver is gott again, I believe if you was to pay every man his share, it may doe, for we can make a shift with the stock we have gott......
Pray when you write by the Surrat shipps write a full account how all matters stand and how we must state our accounts, for we shall not be able to settle that matter.
[Unsigned.]
