Indian Antiquary Vol 62

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

Page 434

264
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ SEPTEMBER, 1933
& mortall wound by a slug in the peice he fired. It being really an accident, we hope the gentlemen supra cargoes will not meet with great dificulty in making it up with the parents, as well as Mandarinee, who to[o] often viley increase their personal estates by such misfortunes, but all in our power shall not be wanting to prevent such practises, and we think Father Mourant [a Portuguese Jesuit] will be of use in this unhappy affair, to whom we applyed at the request of Messrs. Scattergood and Hill, who have the honour to trade to this place under the Commission of our Honble. Masters Presidents at Fort St. George and Bombay. We therefore thought it our duty to serve them with our interest and all else in our power" (Factory Records, China, vol. 21.)
Naish accordingly wrote to Hill and Scattergood as follows:
[158] Messrs. Hill and Scattergood,
I have considered the affair you have the misfortune to labour under and find nothing so material to be first agreed on as making up with the family, even at any rate. Mr. Lapertash() sups with me after his return from [the] city, where he is gone in China habit to explain to Toggen() that it realy is an accident. His chirurgion tells me he will dye in a very short time. I fancy twill be best to give out he is living when he is realy dead and suffer no one to come near to see the contrary. In making up with the family, by no means appear your selves, or any of the merchants. Let the linguist, [or) if possible some more ordinary person, negotiate the sume to be agreed on.
I am, gentlemen, your humble servant,
J. NAISH.
[NOTES ON DOCUMENT No. 158.) (1) There is no other mention of this individual, nor any clue to his standing.
(2) Toggen, spelt "Toygen" by the Company's supercargoes, “cannot," writes Dr. Morse, "be identified, except, possibly as the Munshang's [gate-keeper's) master" (The E. 1. Co. trading to China, vol. I, p. 175n).
In the Canton Diary (under date 8 August 1722) the "Toygens," of whom Father Mourant, mentioned above, was one, are described as "men of vast power by an extraordinary commission from the Emperor " (Factory Records, China, vol. 23).
The affair, as Dr. Morse remarks (The E. I. Co. trading to China, vol. I, p. 175), "did not lead to criminal procedure, but it was made the pretext for extorting money." Scatter. good, as appears by the following document, spared no effort to placate the authorities, but when he found that a heavy money compensation was inevitable, he endeavoured to make the King George solely responsible for the accident and thus save his employers & share of the expense.
[159]
[9 NOVEMBER 1722) WHEREAS you Captain John Houghton sending up your longboat the 29th October last to Canton to fill with water for your ship's use (putting therein arms), your gunners mate, being patron of the boat, shott a China boy mortally (that he died the same day) in shooting at a bird, as the said gunners mate &c. boats crew says, and as we beleive.
Now this accident has intirely stopt all our business so that we cannot goe from hence before that unlucky affair is ended. And we haveing tryed by all means possible from that time till now to make an end of that business for a small sume; but the Manderins of this place demands eighteen hundred tales to conclude that affair,
Now we demand the said sume of you, which you in justice ought to pay, the man that did the mischife being in your service and actually dosing the shipe business. And upon your rofusell to pay the said gumme of eighteen hundred talen, wo protest against you, Captain John Houghton and all the owners of ship King George, as to all damages that we shall sustain by keeping the ship here (our business being all ended and all our goods aboard), and by extorting the said eighteen hundred tales from us, which we must pay before they will let us depart or have our clearance from this place.
Deliver'd this protest in Canton this 9th November 1722 in the presence of Meer. [blank ] Wittnens