The disputes and wars with the Dutch followed soon af terwards ; and these were not only fatal to the British set tlements in Amboyna, but also prejudicial to those settle ments on the Coromandel coast. In consequence of dis putes with the Dutch and with the king of Golconda, in whose dominions Masulipatam was situated, in the year 1629 they left this place, and fixed themselves at Arme gum ; but soon afterwards they again aok possession of Masulipatam. About 1640, the Dutch began systemati cally to harass the European commerce on the coast of Malabar. In consequence of this, the English fixed on Madraspatam, which they obtained from the chief of the district. They immediately built a fort, with the name of Fort St George ; and in 1653, this station was raised by the company to the rank of a presidency.
Nearly about the same time, the commercial transactions of the British commenced on the Ganges. In 1634, they obtained from the court of Delhi the privilege of a free resort to the port of Pipley, in the province of Bengal. This privilege was much extended in 1645, chiefly through the professional skill and success of a surgeon of one of the Company's ships, who had thus, at the Mogul court, conciliated the favour of the monarch. Factories were ac cordingly established in Bengal, the principal of them at Hooghly ; but this, as well as the others, was subject to the presidency of Madras, or Fort St George. The factories of the British at this time were, Madras with its dependen cies Masulipatam, Madapollam, Pettipolit, and Hooghly ; and the factories subordinate to Hooghly were, Cossiniba zar, Balasore, Patna, and Malda.
But the Mogul government, as well as the other Indian princes, though they granted to the British the privileges of commerce, yet denied them the exercise of civil juris diction, or the use of military strength. The factory of Surat was strongly built ; but it was not allowed to be either fortified or garrisoned. This factory was exposed to still farther inconvenience and danger ; for it was ex actly placed on the debateable ground between the Mogul and the Mahrattas, and, as we have already seen, was more than once plundered by Sevajee the Mahratta chief. It is probable, therefore, that the British would have been obliged to have given up Surat, had not they gained an unexpected relief. In the year 1668, King Charles II.
ceded to the Company the island of Bombay, which he had received as a part of the marriage portion of Cathe rine, the Infanta of Portugal. This was a strong place,
and it was within 20'1 miles by sea how Surat, to which it was made• subordinate. The British now commanded greater respect, both from the Mogul and the NIahratta of ficers ; but in the years 1665 and 1672, their settlements, particularly on the Malabar coast, suffered much from the hostilities of the Dutch.
The settlement of Madras was also exposed to great difficulties and danger. About the year 1656, the terri tory on which it stood, and which belonged to the king of Ihsoagur, was conquered by Meer Jumla, the general of the king of Golconda, who afterwards distinguished him self, as we have already noticed, as the ablest officer in the service of Aurengzebe. This event, however, in the end, proved fortunate to Madras ; for in the years 1674 and 1676, the king of Golconda permitted the Madras govern ment to build ships in any part of his dominions, and for bade his officers to molest the British commerce.
The settlements of Bengal also flourished ; but in the mean time, the war between the emperor and the Ma hrattas weighed heavily on the factories of Surat and Bom bay. Sir John Child was at this period, what would now be stile(' governor general of the British settlements in India, while his brother Sir Jonah was leading member of the Court of Committees; their policy was, first the en largement of the authority of the Company over such Iiiitish subjects as were within the limits of their char ter ; and secondly, retaliation by force of arms on the In dian princes who had oppressed their settlements, and the attainment of political strength and dominion in the East. Hence it is evidc la that they laid the foundation of that system of aggrant-zement, on which the British have ever since acted in India. In Bengal the design was to gain possession of the city and territory of Chittagong; but hos tilities were prematurely commenced, and the attempt failed. On the side of Surat considerable advantage was at first gained by the capture of a number of Moorish ves sels, richly Freighted. But these enterprizes, which had been undertaken while Aurengzebe and the Mahrattas were nearly equally poised in strength and success, in the hopes that the latter would co-operate with the British, were brought to a premature conclusion by the overwhelming victories of Aurengzebe. Sir John Child therefore applied to the Mogul for peace, which was granted in February 1690.