I Employed The 5th In Reducing The Several English Factories
At Bantam Under One Government, Settling Them All In One
House; also in
regulating the expences of diet, that all might be frugally managed, to
prevent extravagance in rack-houses
Abroad, or in hanger-on blacks at
home, which had lately been the case. I directed also that there should
be fewer warehouses kept in the town, and that these might be better
regulated, and the goods stowed in a more orderly manner. Hitherto the
multiplication of factories, having one for each voyage, had occasioned
great expence, and had raised the price of pepper, as each outbid the
other, for the particular account of their own several voyages, with
great loss to the public.
The 6th was employed in re-weighing the pepper received the day before,
most of the sacks being found hard weight, and many to want a part of
what was allowed by the king's beam; wherefore I sent for the weigher,
whom I used kindly, entreating him to take a little more care to amend
this fault, which he promised to do, and for his better encouragement I
made him a present to the value of five dollars. The 16th being Sunday,
I staid aboard, and about 2 p.m. we observed the whole town to be on
fire. I immediately sent our skiff ashore to assist the merchants in
guarding our goods. The wind was so violent, that in a very short space
of time the whole town was burnt down, except the English and Dutch
factories, which it pleased God of his mercy to preserve.
Being ashore on the 20th, I procured two Chinese merchants, named
Lackmoy and Lanching, to translate the letter which the king of
Firando in Japan had given me to deliver to our king, James I. It was
written in the Chinese character and language, which they translated
into the Malay, and which in English was as follows:
To the King of Great Britain, &c. "Most mighty king, I cannot
sufficiently express how acceptable your majesty's most loving letter,
and bountiful present of many valuable things, sent me by your servant
Captain John Saris, has been to me; neither the great happiness I feel
in the friendship of your majesty, for which I render you many thanks,
desiring the continuance of your majesty's love and correspondence. I am
heartily glad at the safe arrival of your subjects at my small island,
after so long a voyage. They shall not lack my help and furtherance to
the utmost, for effecting their so worthy and laudable purposes, of
discovery and commerce, referring for the entertainment they have
received to the report of your servant, by whom I send to your majesty
an unworthy token of my gratitude; wishing your majesty long life. Given
from my residence of Firando, the sixth day of the tenth month. Your
majesty's loving friend, commander of this island of Firando in Japan,
FOYNE SAM-MASAM."
My interpreters could not well pronounce his name, Lanching saying it
was Foyne Foshin Sam, while Lackmoy said it was written as above.
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