THE TRUE COPY OF A LETTER From Mr. Harris, and Mr. Annesley, TWO OF THE East-India-Companies COUNCIL, Left at SURRAT by their General Sir John Child Baronet, when he and the rest of the English Nation Departed the Indian Shoar, and Retired to Bombay to begin the late War against the Great Mogul and his Subjects.  
Windsor, July 30th 1688  
This may be Printed, MIDDLETON.   
May it please Your Excellency, etc.  
IN our last we advised Your Excellency, etc. of Muctear Cauns sending for Kisso and Vittull Parrack, who accordingly went from hence the 22th Instant, and the next day they met him in his way coming to Bardoly; upon his being acquainted who they were, he immediately stopped his Horse, and causing them to come near him after they had made their Obeisance, they presented him with Five Soonaes, and Nine Rupees, which having took he spoke mighty kindly to them, telling them he was come on purpose to make an end of our Business, and if it pleased God, he would speedily do it to all their Contents; and after some such like Discourse he proceeded: After him his Begum with all her Female Attendants (who it seems concerns herself very much in her Husbands, and State Affairs,) being acquainted by her Eunuch that our Brokers were there, likewise made a stop, and calling them nearer, (after they had made their Present of Fourteen Rupees, and paid their Respects,) the told them, she had understood our Business, and she would take care of it, bidding them send for the Ships, and so calling for some Beetle for them, the Eunuch told her it was a great way behind, but she would not stir till they brought them some, which being given them, she likewise proceeded on her way. When they were at Bardoly the Governor sent for our Brokers again, and discoursed them a long time very kindly, giving them great protestations of his Friendship to your. Excellency and our Nation, and having been pre-acquainted of our being here by Mirza Mosum Gelleeree (at whose House your Excellency lay when at Oorpaur, where Cartallaub Caun gave your Excellency a Visit;) He gave each of them a Vest, and ordered them to return so soon as possible to Surrat, and bring us to him; and accordingly they traveled in the Night, and came to us Yesterday Morning, and acquainted us with all the foregoing particulars, and of his kind Invitation of us to him. After due Consideration we resolved to Go, and judging it unadvisable to go before him without some handsome Present, and being unprovided of any thing of our own growth, we procured a pair of Pearl Drops, to the Value of Four Hundred Rupees, which we carried with us, and putting ourselves in the best Equipage we could, we set out about Noon, and arrived at the place where the Governor had pitched his Tents about Three a Clock, and had immediate Admittance to him, where we were extraordinary kindly Received; and having made our Present, he Entertained us with many Discourses of Kindness, and that he would certainly Redress all our Grievances; and asked Us what he should do to satisfy your Excellency, and bring you up to Surrat, We answered him, That when his Lordship came to Surrat, we would make bold to make our Desires further known to him, and that your Excellency desired nothing more ardently than a firm Amity and Friendship with His Majesty and Lordship, with some other requisite Compliments: But he pressed yet further, to know what he could do there to satisfy your Excellency, etc. Whereupon we seeing a great many People in his Tent, strove to wave coming to any particular Discourse, but he being still urgent on the same; We than caused our Broker to crave the favour of his Lordship of Privacy with him, which so soon as mentioned, he caused all to departed, only his Duwan, and this Mirza Mosum Gelleeree, (who it seems is much in his Favour, and hath very much his Ear,) and then expecting our Answer, we told him that your Excellency had represented your Grievances and Desires to His Majesty in Thirty Five Articles, (which he pretended he had not seen, and so demanded them) which being granted, your Excellency, etc. would be enabled to follow their Merchandizing, and live peaceably in his Country as formerly; he read them over distinctly, and then discoursed on them, and he said he must have your Excellency come up to Swally, and then there should be nothing you could desire but should be granted, and we must write and contrive some way that your Excellency may come up. We insisted upon some Effect on his Lordship's side; whereupon he asked what he could do for our present satisfaction, we motioned the delivering up of Boucher, etc. to be delivered up to us to be sent down to your Excellency, etc. which if he did, 'twould be a great inducement to your Excellency, etc. to believe the reality of the King's, and his Lordship's Love towards us; whereupon We had long Discourse upon that Article, and we giving him a full Account of all relating to Boucher, and further representing to him of how great Import and Concern it was to the Right Honourable Company to have a full Compliance with that Article, and to be made true Masters of all their Servants, without which they could not trade with any security, but were liable to be cheated and abused daily; which his Lordship did acknowledge to be true, and that it was but reason it should be so: But for Boucher's Case, he said the King and he understood it different from what we now represented it to him, therefore before he could deliver him, he must write again to His Majesty, and take His further Orders about it; but his Lordship did assure us that he would write in that manner that His Majesty should not deny us That also: And for the rest of the Articles he swore, and made a great many Protestations, that they should be fully complied with to your Excellencies, etc. full satisfaction; That he took them upon his Head, and so long as he had Life he would see them punctually performed, and then took Bartholomew Harris' Hand in his, and said, as he desired God's Blessing on him and his, so truly would he see a true performance of those Articles, which he took up in his other Hand; and for a further proof of my sincerity, (said he) I do here swear to the same by our Prophet Mahomet whom I Worship, and by Jesus Christ whom you adore, that I will perform what I here say. And indeed he spoke all with a great deal of freeness and sincerity, as much as possibly could be desired; insomuch that we must needs acknowledge, that we could not perceive the least Dissimulation in him, and in what he said; and further we cannot go, it being God alone who knows the Heart. After this he gave to Bartholomew Harris a very handsome Vest, a Horse with a Silver Headstall; and to Samuel Annesly a Piece of Atlas, and so in the Evening sent us away, and about Nine of the Clock we returned to the Factory. And now having given your Excellency, etc. an Account of our meeting with the new Governor, we shall most humbly desire your Excellency, etc. to be pleased most seriously to consider all, how far the King hath condescended to the Redressing of all your Excellencies, etc. Grievances, by sending a Person nearly Related to Himself, being of the Royal Family, whose Father your Excellency, and we all know hath signalised himself in several great Governments and Employs in our Memory, and always had the singular good Repute of a very Honourable and Worthy Lord, a Lover of Strangers, which Pettit knowing (as your Excellency may remember) was the Cause he made his Addresses to him; and for this his Son your Excellency knows that the Profits of Surrat Government are too small for the Maintenance and Retinue of so great a Person; as he himself was pleased to say, that all the World knew he wanted not Riches nor Honour from his Prince, but his undertaking this Business was to raise the Name of the Family higher, that by bringing this Work to an Happy Issue, he might be remembered by Strangers as well as others, many Years after his Death, and taking hold of his Beard (almost quite Grey) said, how long have I to live? And what else have I to do but such good Actions as this, that God might be Gracious to him hereafter. He seems to be mighty Religious, making God the Author of all; saying often, it is not he that shall do this Work for us, but God. Further be pleased to consider the great weight of your Excellencies, etc. Thirty Five Articles, that without your Excellencies own Person in this Business it cannot be brought to that hopeful Issue as may be desired, and at the Distance your Excellency and his Lordship is at present to enter into a Treaty between you: Your Excellency, &c. cannot but be sensible will be a vast Expense of Time, and a Thousand other ill Consequences may attend it far more than can be fore-seen in your Excellencies doing, (as your Excellency, etc. can order it) what is now desired of your Excellencies coming up to Swalley, or the Barrs foot of this River, where your Excellency, etc. shall think best for your security, (only that your Excellency may be near) touching which he was pleased to say, that in the Invitation he intends to send your Excellency, he will send you in his Letter the print of his Hand, which to him, shall be as Binding, and of as great Force as if he had put his own Hand into your Excellencies: That no ill is intended to your Excellency, and this his Promise in our Discourse with him proceeded from this his Enquiring of your Excellency, and if your Excellency had not been acquainted of his coming to this Government, and if your Excellency had not wrote, and being answered that we were not wanting in our Advices, but there having been such divers Reports, that it could not yet be expected that your Excellencies Answer should come to our late Advices of his Lordship's certain approach towards this Government, which was the Cause your Excellency had not made your Addresses, but were in daily expectation of them; whereupon he advised that there should in your Excellencies Name be made some little Address of Welcome and the like, and send it him in public on Tuesday next when he should be in Town, and then we should see what Answer he should return, and what Assurances he would give your Excellency also of his Friendship, etc. as above-specified; which Business of the Letter is now under our Consideration, but we hope to receive some Directions from your Excellency, etc. e'er that, for our better Government: So that your Excellency, etc. may expect to hear further from us e'er long: If under all these fair Leaves, there doth yet lie some deadly Snake it would be much to our wonder, but we think it cannot be; More could be said on this Point of your Excellencies coming up but not to be too prolix, and knowing to whom we Writ, shall submit all to your Excellencies, etc. far more sublime Judgements, with this Assurance that what is here wrote is the pure product of our most real zeal for the interest of our Right Honourable Masters and the general welfare of us all. His Excellency's person is so dear to us (as in duty it ought) that did we in the least think that there was any danger of him any more than what belongs to the Sea, we would never offer to presume to set Pen to Paper to advise the same; and that we may not be misunderstood we do say, that it is most requisite prudence that your Excellency, etc. stand yet upon a most strict guard, and if your Excellency shall judge fitting to come up, that it be with what Sea Forces possibly can be made, and with all requisite splendour; And of ourselves (foreseeing one Objection) we have made some little inspection in it, and shall answer it, which is this, That his Lordship seems too forward in this business in hastening it so much: To which we are advised (as before intimated) this Government is too small for him, and is in expectation of being Subau of Goozurrat, and so to leave his Son here when he hath done this business, and himself go to Ahmadavad, and this seems to us somewhat consonant to Reason, and Honourable. One main point more had almost slipped our memory, which is this, about his Assurances his Lordship gave us from His Majesty that we should pay but two per Cent. Custom, which arose from our telling him that you were sending up some Money and Goods; upon which he answered as above, that we should pay no more, and that if they did come he would secure them to the Right Honourable Companies Factory, but he had rather your Excellency, etc. should forbear till his Excellency came up himself; We hope what we have hitherto done may meet with your Excellencies, etc. Approbation, and shall conclude this our Relation with this, That indeed it may be much admired with what extraordinary Courtesy and Freedom his Lordship entertained us, causing us to sit down close before him (which your Excellency, etc. knows is unusual in such great Men) most part of the time we were discoursing him, which we judged was upward of two hours, in which he shown to be much pleased with us, and all his protestations and the like Testimonies of his Favour. We received with all due respects and submission, which being the substance of our Yesterdays Transactions, and what we can at present call to mind, we in all Humility with the tender of our best services, subscribe  
Surrat, Dec. 25th. 1687. Your Excellencies, etc. Most Humble and Most Obedient Servants, Bart. Harris. Samuel Annesley.  

SOme few days after Receipt of the former Letter, the English General Received another Letter from the aforesaid two Persons of his Council, intimating that the said Prince or great Lord Muctear Caun was sending two Envoys unto him to Bombay; for whom the General sent a Noble Barge or Galley to bring them from the nearest part of the Main to Bombay, and Received them with the greatest Honour and Respect. They presented the General from the said Prince or Lord an exceeding courteous Letter, inviting him to Swalley to put an end to all differences, which Letter besides the said great Lord's Chop (or common Signature) had the Print of his hand in Saffron, which is the greatest Assurance of Honour and Veracity that any Prince in the East, of the Mahometan persuasion can make or give. The General Received the Letter with the accustomary Ceremony to Letters Received from such great Princes, but told the Envoys he was at present engaged in dispatching another Ship for England, but he would consider of the Peace proposed and return a speedy answer, etc. So that upon the whole matter the East-India Company do Conclude, there is an Honourable Conclusion made of that War, long since occasioned by the unnatural and pernicious attempts of Interlopers, and that Peace may continue between the Mogul and the Company, upon fair and just Terms for as many Ages as it did before, which was near a Hundred Years.  
The Company have likewise Information by the Passengers come home on the Success, That there have been two great Insurrections of the common People at Battee near Surrat, and one in the City of Surrat, demanding the Old Governors' Head, for abusing the English; and a present Peace, without which they say they must all starve.   

THere will in a Short time be Published a Brief History of the Rise, Progress and Success of the English East-India Companies Wars against the great Mogul and the King of Syam and Their Subjects.   

London, Printed for Samuel Tidmarsh, at the Kings-Head in Cornhill, near the Royal Exchange, 1688.