Twelve years after the English got permission to build a house ; the President received the high-sounding title of Chief of the Honourable Company of English Merchants trading in the East. The Portuguese did their utmost to use their influence with the Moghul to expel the Dutch and English from his dominions. In a letter dated October 25, 163o, we have a graphic description of a stubborn engage ment with the Portuguese. After a sketch of the formation of the troops we are informed :— " But such was the undauntednes of our English, being stirred up to a high measure of furie by the hourly vexations and braveings of the enemy, as being now come within shot with a generall resolution rejoycing att the occasion, after a shot or two received first from the Portuigalls pushed on in the verye face and mouth of all their ffriggats and perceaveing that but 3 of them could use the advantage of their prowes against them, and that some of the rest were brought aground, and had only their Harquibuses acrooke to gall them advanced forwards still plying their small shot with very good discipline, and the Portuigalls noe lesse valliently replying with their double forces, as well from their ffriggats at sea, as the squadrone on shore, but not able it seems to endure the obstinate rage of our people they began to give grounds, and our most fiercely following, entered pellmell amongst them, even into the water, within lesse then pistoll shot of their ffriggats ; in which intrim the Vice Kings sonne was conveyed aboard but soe narrowly escaped that the party who provided for his safety was himselfe taken prisoner in the accon [action] : many of the English not feareing to runn up to the chin in water, even to the very sides of their ffriggats pursueing the victory with great slaughter both at shoare and at sea, and at length returned with 27 Portuigalls prisoners taken alive, without the losse of any more than one ancient man (a corporally, not wounded but suffocated only with heate, and the wounding of 7 more of our people. This they happily per formed in sight of Meirza Baker, and divers of these country people to their great admiration and our nations greater honour, to that good God that led them by the hand be the glorye." 1 To revenge his defeat the Portuguese Admiral made an effort to destroy the English ships, which proved disastrous to his own fleet. The President writes in the postscript to his letter : " At this very instant is come newes from ye Commanders below that the last night (being Sunday againe) about 8 of the clock, the Portuigalls put in execution their maine stratagem soe much depended on by them, and not without cause much feared by us, in fireing of their 4 prepared vessells chained to gether for the intended destruction of our fleet, but the vigi lancie of our people directed by the Divine Providence of that greate protector that hath allwayes hetherto bestowed innu merable blessings uppon us hath prevented the end of that great mischeife intended. Our boats well manned on head of the headmost ship having with their grapnells ready for the purpose fastened on the boats so fired, and towing two of them (still burning) on the shoare, and the other two on the sands gave happie cause of great joye in our people for soe happie diliver ance, and shame enough to our malitious enemy that hath thus basely in that kinde endeavoured ruines." The factory was fortified in 1642, and in 1646 its " quick stock " was valued at P33,000; and twenty years later it is said to have excelled all houses, except that of the Dutch, who had also been allowed to establish a factory. But though their factory had grown in wealth, the English factors had much to endure in the early days. In 1662 they state that " our last year's imprisonment and restraynt from food, the attempt of our deaths with many other sordid abuses, cryes vengeance on these infidels. And because our complaynts at home for justice cannot be heard, therefore are wee ye scorne of those people and our privelledges and honour trampled under by force in ye absence of our shipping." A more prosperous time however ensued when the brave and energetic Sir George Oxinden, who deserves to rank with Clive and Hastings as one of the illustrious founders of our Indian Empire, became chief of the factory. His defence of the factory when Shivaji, the founder of the Mahratta Empire, betrayed the town, was as gallant an affair as Clive's defence of Arcot. He informed the company in London that " on ye 6th January, 1664, was brought a hott allarum yt Sevagy ye grand rebell of ye Deccan was within io or 15 miles of ye towne. The President sent for forty men from the ships to aid him in the defence, with whom wee your Ffactors servants joined and having drawn them out in ranke and file with drum and trumpett your President in the head marcht through ye body of ye towne to ye Greene before ye Castle where ye Governour was ready to pop in upon the first notice of their approach. Wee past close by him, and so marcht on taking a great circle round that ye enemy was at the gates before wee could reach our house." A Mr. Anthony Smith coming from Swaney was taken prisoner and came to Shivaji, who took 30o rupees " ransome of him, and sent him ye next day to menace us, but before that we had received many threats. But wee still bidd
him keepe his people out of ye reach of our gunns, elce wee would shoote them. Hee returned answere wee were friends, wee replied if soe, why did hee detaine an English man, take a horse out of our stable and make fences of your goods yt lay before ye coustume house ; and also suffered them to bee plundered ; all these things spoake him an ennemy, and there fore this President returned answere wee would not trust him or admitt of any further treaty, and therefore hee should send us noe more messages, and if hee did wee would kill ye mes senger." Shivaji also sent messengers to demand homage " and yt if we refused it hee would raise our house to ye ground, and not spare a life.
" Wee replyed wee were here on purpose to maintaine your house to ye death of ye last man and therefore not to delay his coming upon us ; by ye time he had broken Hodjy Saed Beagues house open, and had one nightes entire plunder out of it, which being so very neare us, as one wall to part both houses, wee feared they would strengthen yt place and afterwards annoy us, and by their multitudes force their way or undermine and blow us up, and yt seeing they did begin with their horse and foote to sur round us, some then standing under our eaves for noe good, wee caused a party of foote to sally forth ye house and fight them ; in which scufell we had 3 men slightly wounded, ours sleu a horse and man, some say two or three, but wee routed them. This good success animated us yet further to clear our quarters of them, and hearing they had taken their randevous in a Muskett or Moore Church joining close to our house, and also in Hodgy Saeds house warehouses, having out of feare of us not done him ye quarter of ye mischiefe they intended him. Whilst our men were clearing ye Muskett they in ye houses and warehouses opened ye doores and fled, soe wee Shutt up ye doores and barra cadoed them, and made a passage from our into his house, and kept a garrison in a belcony that cleared all ye streat and garded ye other house of ye Hodgies. When ye rebell had heard what was past of ye killing and routing his guards hee falls a threatning Mr. Smith, some time with ye loss of his head and some times to cutt of his hand, & at last causes him to write a noate to ye President, that if wee persisted in fighting against him hee would race our house to ye ground and bee our destruction. By this time wee had more assistance from ye ships, wherfore ye President wrote Mr. Smith, we would prosecute wt wee had begun, and not at all moved at his threate requiring him to save the labour of his servants running to and fro on messages, and come himself with all his army." The approach of the Moghul army caused Shivaji to re turn from the town which he had plundered and laid waste.
" He hath carried away in gold, silver, and pearle, precious stones and other rich good to the vallue of many hundred thousand pounds, and burnt of other goods and houses to ye amount of as much more, so yt ye town is utterly ruin'd and very little left either of riches or habitation. Ye rogue was very cruell ; Mr. Smith in ye time of his imprisonment was present when hee cutt of more than 26 hands in one day and many heads ; who ever hee was yt was taken and brought before him yt could not redeeme himself lost either his hand or his head, and his manner was first to plunder and then to cause ye owner of his house to give him some thing over and above to redeeme his house from being burnt, and yet ye perfidious villaine would fire it afterwards, although hee had obliged him self to ye contrary. Wee are now endeavouring to emprove this skirmage of ours to your profitt, by acclamations of ye towns people, as well they yt are sufferers as those whose houses were preserv'd, who laying aside their owne losses cry out in thousands for a reward from ye King to ye English yt had by their courage preserved them, when those to whom they were intrusted as the Governor etc a dared not shew his head." On the arrival of the Moghul army Sir George Oxinden received from the Commander " great thanks for ye good service we did ye king and the country ; whereupon your President having a pistoll in his hand layed it before ye Chiefe saying yt hee did now lay down his acmes, leaving ye future care and protection of ye citty to them, which was exceedingly well taken ; telling ye President hee did accept it and in reward of ye good service hee must give him a vest, a horse, and girt a sword about him ; but your President told him these were things becoming a souldier, but we were merchants, and expected favour from ye King in our trade." 1 The prosperity of the factory at Surat received a fatal blow by Bombay being ceded to the Company (i668) and being made the capital of the Company's possessions and the chief seat of their trade (1687). Surat was taken pos session of by the English two years after the battle of Plassey (1757), and the conquerors assumed the undivided govern ment of the city in i800.