The Promoters Of This Enterprise, Seem To Have Been
Actuated By A More Than Ordinary Spirit Of Research For Those Times, By
Employing A Painter To Accompany Their Commercial Agents.
It is farther
presumable that the promoters of the expedition, and their agents,
Newbery and Fitch, were members of
The Turkey company; and though the
speculation turned out unsuccessful, owing to causes sufficiently
explained in the narrative and its accompanying documents, it is
obviously a prelude to the establishment of the English East India
Company; which, from small beginnings, has risen to a colossal height of
commercial and sovereign grandeur, altogether unexampled in all history.
[Footnote 402: Hakluyt, II. 382.]
Hakluyt gives the following descriptive title of this uncommonly curious
and interesting narrative: "The voyage of Mr Ralph Fitch, merchant of
London, by the way of Tripolis in Syria to Ormus, and so to Goa in the
East India, to Cambaia, and all the kingdom, of Zelabdim Echebar the
great Mogor, to the mighty river Ganges, and down to Bengala, to Bacola
and Chonderi, to Pegu, to Imahay in the kingdom of Siam, and back to
Pegu, and from thence to Malacca, Zeilan, Cochin, and all the coast of
the East India; begun in the year of our Lord 1583, and ended in 1591:
wherein the strange rites, manners, and customs of those people, and the
exceeding rich trade and commodities of those countries, are faithfully
set down and diligently described, by the foresaid Mr Ralph Fitch."
Hakluyt has prefaced this journal, by several letters respecting the
journey, from Mr Newbery, and one from Mr Fitch, and gives by way of
appendix an extract from Linschoten, detailing the imprisonment of the
adventurers at Ormus and Goa, and their escape, which happened while he
was at Goa, where he seems to have materially contributed to their
enlargement from prison. These documents will be found in the sequel to
the narrative of Mr Fitch.
It must not however be concealed, that the present journal has a very
questionable appearance in regard to its entire authenticity, as it has
obviously borrowed liberally from that of Cesar Frederick, already
inserted in this work, Vol. VII. p. 142-244. It seems therefore highly
probable, that the journal or narrative of Fitch may have fallen into
the hand of some ingenious _book-maker_, who wished to increase its
interest by this unjustifiable art. Under these circumstances, we would
have been led to reject this article from our collection, were not its
general authenticity corroborated by these other documents, and by the
journal of John Eldred, who accompanied Newbery and Fitch to Basora. A
part of the striking coincidence between the journals of Cesar Frederick
and Ralph Fitch might have arisen from their having visited the same
places, and nearly by the same route, only at the distance of 20 years;
Frederick having commenced his journey in 1563, and Newbery and Fitch
theirs in 1588. Some of the resemblances however could only have been
occasioned by plagiarism.
It is very difficult to conceive how Fitch, after his imprisonment at
Goa, and escape from thence under surety to the Portuguese viceroy,
should have ventured in the sequel to visit the Portuguese settlements
in Ceylon, Cochin, Calicut, Goa even, Chaul, and Ormuz, on his way home
again by Basora, Bagdat, Mosul, &c. to Aleppo and Tripoli. These parts
of his journal, and his excursions to the north of Pegu, certainly have
a suspicious appearance. It is possible that he may have described these
several routes, historically, in his own journal; and that some
book-maker, into whose hands his papers may have fallen, chose to give
these a more interesting appearance, by making Fitch the actor in what
he only described on the authority of others. It is strange that these
circumstances should not have occurred to Hakluyt, as the narrative of
Fitch is inserted in his collection immediately following that of Cesar
Frederick. Yet with these obvious faults, the relation of Fitch is
interesting, as the first direct attempt of the English to open a trade
with India; and so far at least, its authenticity is unquestionable,
being corroborated by other documents that are not liable to the
smallest suspicion. - E.
* * * * *
In the year 1583, I Ralph Fitch of London, merchant, being desirous to
see the countries of the Eastern India, went in company with Mr John
Newbery, merchant, who had been once before at Ormus, together with
William Leedes, jeweller, and James Story, painter; being chiefly set
forth by the right worshipful Sir Edward Osburn, knight, and Mr Richard
Staper, citizens and merchants of London. We shipped ourselves in a ship
called the Tiger of London, in which we went to Tripoly in Syria, whence
we went with the caravan to Aleppo in seven days. Finding good company
at Aleppo, we went from thence to Birra [Bir,] which is two days and a
half journey with camels.
Bir is a small town, but abounding in provisions, near which runs the
river Euphrates. We here purchased a boat, and agreed with a master and
boatmen to carry us to Babylon [Bagdat]. These boats serve only for one
voyage, as the stream is so rapid that they cannot return. They carry
passengers to a town called Felugia [Feluchia], where the boat has to be
sold for very little money, what cost fifty pieces at Bir bringing only
seven or eight at that place. From Bir to Feluchia is a journey of
sixteen days; but it is not good for one boat to go alone, as if it
should chance to break, it would be difficult to save the goods from the
Arabs, who are always robbing thereabouts, and it is necessary to keep
good watch in the night, when the boat is made fast, as the Arabs are
great thieves, and will swim on board to steal your goods, and then flee
away. Against them a musket is a good weapon, as they are much afraid of
fire-arms.
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