"مختارات من أوراق الدولة في بومباي، بخصوص علاقة شركة الهند الشرقية بالخليج العربي، مع ملخص أحداث، ١٦٠٠-١٨٠٠" [ظ‎‎٧‎٧] (٥٤٠/١٥٤)

76 •>•
LXII.
PUBLIC DEPARTMENT DIARY No. 25—1762.
Bombay Castle, June 12th, 1762.
Gombroon, L from. Received a letter from the Agent and Council at Gombroon dated 24«tli
February enclosing Duplicate of their last and acquainting us that some time
N *} ir r l ch ^' ( ? h,ef after the Mamoocjy's Departure, One
La", wtackg _ 0 f ' r
Gombroon. Hw • Nasseer Caun * bad come down there
oppremon.
and seized on Moola Ali Shaw, his Ship Eamily and all his valuable effects and
Factory! daily plundered all the wealthy inhabitants, extorting money from them by
Torture, and that one of them had died under their tortures a few days before.
That after Nasseer Caun had possessed himself of the Port, he made them a
visit at the Factory where he professed a great deal of Friendship for them and
acquainted them, he would appoint any one Governour, whom they should
nominate which the Agent had evaded, as genteely as possible; That as he
acknowledged noSuperiour, they had been obliged to make him and his Officers
a present to the amount of 100 Tomaunds, and that tho' he had taken upwards
of 80 tomans from the Factory Banians, they thought it most advisable to say
nothing of it, as he had taken above six times that sum from the Dutch. That
from these instances of his opperession, they were afraid he might send to
borrow money ar goods of them before he went, when it would be to no purpose
to refuse him, unless they resolved to leave the Factory, which would be
attended with a much greater loss as the goods in warehouse and on board the
Rose Galley, were more than any common ship could carry and that it would
be rash to attempt defending it against him who had all the country under his
Command and could soon bring them thro' want of water and Provisions to his
Own terms; That the kingdom was farther than ever from being under any
r egular Government, Every Province being under subiection to a dilferent
people, who are independent of one another, and that therefore they humbly
presume it would be more for the Hon'ble Company's interest to remove to one
of the adjacent Islands, such as Kishme or Angar, and beg leave to lay before
us the advantages that would accrue therefrom. First that our property would
be secure without the expense of presents to every new Persian Governour,
which for many years past had amounted to a large sum annually. That that
security would bring many merchants to reside there under our protection, so
that the Customs alone would in a few years be sufficient to maintain a garri
son, and the profits on trade remain a clear gain, That they apprehend our
greatest objection to removing, would be the relinquishing the Factory, afte r
its having cost so much money to which they answered that as it would require
two ships and 300 soldiers to settle them, they could easily with their assistance
remove all the usefull timber from thence which would be almost sufficient for
their new habitation. That a great expense in building Gombroon Factory
was the bringing stones and mortar, from Kishme and Ormus, whereas it was
found by experience that bricks dried in the sun, answer as well and turn out
a great deal cheaper. That for many years past, the merchants had complained
of the great oppressions of the Government, which convinces them they would
come and settle under the Company's protection, and that then every petty
Governour, where they landed their goods, thro' the hopes of accumulating all
the profit to himself would treat them with great civility, whereas now the
shawbunders or customhouse Officers, without fixing any percentage on goods
exacted frequently 16 or 17 per cent. That this Difference to Merchants would
certainly establish the center of all Trade between Muscatt and Busaorah of
that Settlement,
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