'Selections from State Papers, Bombay, regarding the East India Company's Connection with the Persian Gulf, with a Summary of Events, 1600-1800' [‎259v] (518/540)

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state o£ his power and the means he possesses of maintaining perfect tranquillity in his
countiy. If he and the persons in power under him treat strangers with kindness and
condescension, if in his ports the merchant finds safety, convenience and an entire freedom of
the trade if the regulations of those ports are plain, and the inhabitants observe them
inviolably, if a facility is given for a recovery of debts, the laws are justly administered, and
no grievous exactions laid upon the trade in any part of the kingdom, nothing more is
required, the fame thereof will spread through the mercantile class of inhabitants of India,
and Persia be immediately supplied with every article of necessity or luxury that the
inhabitants require or can afford to purchase and the excess of the produce or manufactures
of that country transferred to those parts of the world where they can meet a consumption.
No attempts should be made to cramp commerce. The merchant is, by the nature of
his transactions, free, he will not send an adventure where he can expect to profit nor venture
his property, where he thinks it insecure ; if trade is rendered less beneficial or secure in
one quarter he pursues it in another. A Sovereign should avoid being himself concerned in
trade, as it would be almost impossible for him to carry it on without the interference of
his authority which must discourage the subjects, who, when left to themselves, would pursue
it with industry and enrich the country and thereby the Sovereign more than all he could
possibly expect from his own adventures.
Applying the present principles in the present instance it might be said that nothing was
required for the assistance of trade that could be effected by Embassy in contemplation, but this
would be presuming, as we have done that the country is perfectly settled an i confidence
re-established ; as to the former we can only express hopes that it is so, the last we know is
not, nor can it be expected for many years, by those who look back to the history of the last
century.
An aid to this may, we humbly conceive, be rendered by the establishment of a respect
able factory An East India Company trading post. under the privileges formerly obtained, and every 'other exemption to duties
that might be consistent therewith at every convenient port in the Gulph, which may be
found healthy. Bushire, though in many respects eli^ibl-;, has not good road for large ships ;
Bundereek appears to be still worse, and they are both situated higher up to Gulph than,
perhaps, necessary. G-ombroon, from what accounts we have seeu of it, appears convenient, but
is unfortunately exceedingly unhealthy j whether this arises [from the cUmat9, or some cause
that could be removed it has not been in our power to ascertain, though from some passages we
have met with in Diaries, we apprehend the former.
In establishing a factory An East India Company trading post. , the duties of the person appointed there should be nearly
those of a Consul to see the British merchants are not imposed upon by the oJScers of
Government, but enjoy all the privileges of the port to their full extent j he should also be
vested with authority to prevent their giving offence to the natives and a very principal
consideration would be the best mode of recovering debts from each party, for without thi?,
trade must in a great measure be carried on with ready money, which would prevent its
increase to the extent that might be expected, from a well established credit and a certain
facility oE recovering debts.
If by this means the trade of Persia should be fairly re-established, the consulage to be
collected on merchandize imported, would not probably defray the expenses of the establishment,
but if it should not do so, it must be recollected that, this was not the only benefit the Company
derived the increase of shipping it will require to carry on the trade and of the consumption
it may occasion of articles, most of which must be the produce of some part of their effected in
India arc objected of much greater consideration. Whether the Company should themselves
carry on the traffic, or leave it entirely to private merchants, is a question that we don't
consider as coming before us, or even necessary for the present to be discussed.