trade had been established. At a consultation of the Council of Batavia, April 25th, 1623, the dissolution of the factory was determined upon, and Captain Cockram was soon after dispatched, with the Bull, to bring away the factors. His credentials commanded all the members "to come away from thence upon the ship Bull for Batavia; hereby charging you and every of you to fulfill our said order, as you will answer the contrary at your perils."

The arrival of the Bull made it necessary to send presents, once more, to

he maye returne in tyme to further the dispach of this shipp in out departure."

Although the Bull arrived in July, it was not until the 23rd of December that the factors were able to go on board; they then remained one day longer, in order to partake of a banquet with some of their Japanese friends, and sailed on the 24th, at noon. Thus "failure" was definitely written upon the effort to establish trade with Japan and China, for the time being. Upon their arrival at Batavia, poor

the court of the Shogun, and the choice of a messenger again fell upon Richard Hudson. The letters which he carried recited:

"And nowe, seeinge yt cannot be otherwise, wee doe now send the bearer hearof, Richard Hudson, whoe carreth with him certaine small presents for his Majesties Councell, beinge such as the tyme will aford and our abilities of meanes strech unto; humbly entreatinge your Highnes to further the dispach of this messenger, that

Cocks found himself in serious trouble, the Council being disposed to cast the entire responsibility for the failure upon him. His lack of discipline, the confusion of his accounts, and other irregularities were urged against him; and it was proposed that he be treated as a malefactor and sent home under arrest. But his age, his position, his bad health and testy temper, were urged in extenuation. It was thought too, that harsh treatment might shorten his life; and, in the end, milder counsel prevailed. It was determined to leave him to be dealt with by the Company

in London, but his goods were ordered to be seized upon arrival. "Thus," says the editor of his diary, "in disgrace and broken in health, Cocks went on board the Ann Royal, and on the 24th of February (1624) sailed for England. But he was not to see his country again. A month later, on the 27th of March, he died at sea, and was buried 'under a discharge of ordnance.'"

The subsequent services of Richard Hudson with the East India Company were to be in India.

Katharine Hudson in India, 1617-1619

It would seem a reasonable assumption that a woman who had lost a husband and one son in the cause of exploration, and who had sent another son (perhaps the only one remaining) to far-off Japan, had made sacrifices enough to the adventurous spirit of the age. It appears, however, that the atmosphere of adventure, in which she had lived so many years, was more powerful with Mrs. Hudson than such considerations as these. Nearly three years after her son's departure from England, fired with ambition to do some adventuring on her own account, she obtained leave of the Company to go to India on one of its ships.

The fleet of the year 1617 consisted of five ships, all under the command. of Martin Pring,-the same Pring who, in 1603, was the first European captain to sail into Massachusetts Bay. Mrs. Hudson was a passenger on the New Year's Gift, Nathaniel Salmon, captain. On the same ship were Captain Gabriel Towerson, his wife, and Francis Webb, a young woman whom Mrs. Towerson had leave to take along as her lady-in-waiting. This group of people were closely associated with Mrs. Iludson and merit brief notice.

Towerson was probably a son of the William Towerson, who was a "merchant adventurer," made a voyage to Guinea about 1555, and was interested in the voyages to the northeast of Fenton and Davis. It is also possible that he was related to the Hudsons. He was in the Company's first voyage, in

1601, acted as its chief agent at Bantam from 1605 to 1608, and commanded. various ships at different times. In 1614 he married the widow of Captain William Hawkins, an Armenian whom Hawkins had married at Agra, in 1609, at the suggestion of the Grand Mogul. Her mother subsequently married "a Dutchman, from Antwerp, called Abraham de Duyts, a diamond polisher, a great friend of the Prince Sultan Khurram (son of the Grand Mogul) in whose service he was." The year after his marriage, Towerson applied to the Company to be again employed, but was refused. In this situation, being doubtless in need of employment, his thoughts naturally turned to his fatherin-law, and it was in the hope of pronoting his interests at the Indian court that he prevailed upon the Company to allow himself and wife a passage.

Richard Steel, "a young man of Bristol," who had been in Persia, had conceived a hare-brained project for building water-works for the city of Agra, and prevailed upon the Company to allow him to take out in the fleet a number of workmen for that purpose. Before sailing, he had secretly married Miss Webbe, and they took passage on different ships; but her condition upon arrival at the Cape caused a scandal and obliged him to acknowledge her and to go on board the Gift. Captain Salmon wrote the Company, from Saldania, concerning this, in lively style:

"But before I pass the equinoctial, I am to acquaint your Honours and Worships with a strange accident which hath happened contrary, I do think, to any of your expectations; and that is that one of the gentlewomen which came with Captain Towerson and his wife is great with child

but the best is she hath a father for it in the fleet, yet none aboard of the Gift (where haply it might be judged, were not the contrary known) but aboard the Anne; the party, Mr. Richard Steele, who was married unto her before our

coming forth and since the acknowledgment of it hath been resident aboard our ship. Captain Towerson and his wife were ignorant of it until it was publicly known; only it was Master Steele's project at home to get them to entertain her, and so had thought it should have been kept secret til they had come to Suratt."

The fleet reached the Cape at the cnd of June and the Comoro Islands in the middle of August. The Gift captured on the way a Portuguese trader, carrying gold and ivory from Mozambique to Diu, worth between cight and nine thousand pounds. The same ship, with the aid of the Bee, also rescued a Mogul ship from two English freebooters, just before reach ing port and, giving chase, took thein as prizes. They reached Suwali, the outport of Surat, on September 20th, and Capt. Towerson and his party took up their quarters in the English factory at the latter place.

The city of Surat, former site of the presidency for the East India Company, is the chief city and administrative headquarters of Surat District. Bombay. It lies on the south bank of the river Tapti, ten miles from the sea. Farly travellers describe it as populous and wealthy, and it is still an important town, although most of its trade has long since been transfered to Bombay. Both the English and the Dutch had their principal factories there in the early days of their trade, and the French also had a small settlement. It was the custom for trading ships to dispose of only a part of their cargoes at Surat, in exchange for indigo, and then to sail to Acheen and Bantam, where they exchanged the remainder of their European goods, as well as the Gujarat cottons taken on at Surat, for spices for the home market. In 1638 a young gentleman of Holstein, Albert de Mandelslo, paid a visit to Surat and left an interesting account of it, which was published at London in 1669. Extracts from this

book are given in Churchill's Voyages, which give a picture of the English factory at Surat, very nearly as it existed at the time of Mrs. Hudson's visit.

Glad as they were to welcome the fleet, the coming of Towerson and Steel with the women in their party was an unpleasant surprise to the factors at Surat. The factory building did not afford room to lodge them properly, without inconvenience to the factors. A letter from Edward Monox to the Company shows how they felt about it:

"Mrs. Steele shortly after her sea travel travailed on shore, and brought forth, to the no small joy of her husband, a goodly young son, of whom you may hope one day to have as good service as from his father; but in the meantime you must be content to suffer want of due service from some whom would be glad to express their duty therein, which for want of convenient room they could not perform, the house being so pestered with them and Captain Towerson and their retinue that for my own part during my abode there I had no chamber to lie in nor place to write in, which caused me unwiliingly to omit duties which, otherwise, I should have performed; notwithstanding Mr. Kerridge had been plain enough divers times both with Captain Towerson and the rest, who could not or would not find a house in all the town to serve his turn; but I cannot greatly blame him, for it eased his purse well. But by great importunity, a little before my departure, he was persuaded to take a house (though not to his liking); so I hope before this time he is removed. But what he intends to do, I think, no man knows, no, not himself; for while they were at sea all their talk was in going to Agra, but since their landing, from that course quite altered. I fear of a

bootless errand he is come out and of a sleeveless one he must return home; but I much doubt you will find it had been better you had given him £500 than his passage forth and home in your ships."

The son born to Mrs. Steel was the sccond child born of English parents in India.

The factors at Surat were three in number: Thomas Kerridge, Thomas Rastell, and Giles James. Over them was Sir Thomas Roe, who had been sent as an ambassador to the Grand Mogul, Jahangir, charged with the duty of negotiating a treaty. His Journal, published in part of Purchas and more fully in Churchill's Voyages, gives an entertaining account of his adventures. At the time of the arrival of Pring's fleet he was at Mundu, where Jahangir then resided, awaiting the outcome of his negotiations.

Mrs. Hudson took with her the sum of £100, which she wished to invest in private trade. The Surat factors were careful to lay this matter, as wel! as Towerson's and Steel's desires,

promptly before Roe and to ask for instructions. The coming of the party with their demands for special privileges, gave Sir Thomas much annoyarce; but he was a man of firmness and did not shrink from his duty. He replied promptly and fully, leaving the factors no room for doubt as to his views. He refused to permit Towerson or Steel to endanger the lives of the women in their party by travelling without a proper escort; while urging them to send the women home, he strove with kind words to attach them to the Company's service; private trade in cotton goods he would allow, under certain conditions; but as to the chief commodity, indigo, he positively torbade it. He insisted that Towerson and Steel must bear their own penses and reproved the factors for permitting the latter to use some of the Company's funds. "Captain Towerson and his wife will be welcome hither; but if the king continue his pur pose, it will ease them much to meet us at Amadavaz (Ahmedabad). Commend me to them; they shall find the Company's respect in me."

Late in October the imperial court

left Mandu and moved by slow stages toward Ahmedabad. Roe left the former place on the 29th and overtook the royal cortege two days later; on the 2d of the following month he was joined by Steel, who brought some pearls which Roe had promised the Mogul's minister. After an interview with steel, Roe wrote the factors:

"I have dealt with Mr. Steel very fairly and clearly, and opened. his mind. He gives me satisfaction in his promises, and I doubt not to accommodate all so well as we may live like friends. The principal difference will be about his wife. For both their misfortunes I am sorry; but we must all endeavor to mend and not to make the worst or take advantage of errors. To this purpose I have dealt freely with him, to let him see the inconvenience that will follow to us, the charge to him, the displeasure of the Company, all which may be recured by a good course, to persuade her to return home, which I have prevailed so far in as that his own reason hath drawn his consent, and to that end hath promised his endeavor to satisfy the gentlewoman, whom I am sorry for. But this cannot be so well effected except you join with him to discourage Captain Towerson from purpose to stay. father (father-in-law) will do little, nor is able; his mother-inlaw poor, at Agra, and he will be consumed if he fal! to travel on his own purse, and from the king can expect nothing but penny for penny at best; his wife's aunt promised in marriage to Frans Swares, the prodigal Portugall; and finally noththing before him but consumption. I write this plainly for good will, if he so accept it. Therefore he shall do most discreetly to return in a fair ship; for his wife cannot have any English women in company with her, with our safety. This at large I have discoursed to Mr. Steel .. For

His

he

Mr. Steel, perhaps some mistaking in him at first might move discontent and some roughness to him occasion it. I had myself some exceptions against him, but I have passed them. I desire you to do the like. By private letters of recommendations I find him well respected at home, and, therefore, we must not be too rigid here, as long as he offereth his employ ments and endeavors so fairly. He hath taken pains and travaii; and if some of his projects are yet doubtful, some in my judgment infeasible, yet we must not disgrace them without trial, lest we incur the same censure of rashness which by it we would cast upon him. Therefore, I desire you may be fairly used, admitted as a second man into your consultations, for that he is to bide here and those for Bantam more strangers to this business than he can be. I doubt not, his professions are so fair, he will every way be conformable to the service of the Company, and by all industry assist your business. Therefore, I shall likewise hope you will use him with courtesy, forgetting of all sides past passions. Thus the business proceedings, and he prevailing with his wife for her return, I desire he may return to me with the presents, bringing with them his artificers as a guard; for, the court settling at Amadavaz, we will make full trial what may be effected, that we answer upon judgment the Company's expectation, etc."

It is clear from this that there had been dissension between Steel and the Surat factors, and that they had refused to admit him to their councils. Five days later, while still upon the road in Mogul's train, Roe wrote the factors:

"If I find any fault it is at you. that you will suffer Mr. Steele to run out at beginning, to take the Company's money to lay out for