chap, xxvi PERFIDY OF THE DUTCH 129
to
the broker of the Dutch Company, and commanded by Captain Hans, when
the Agent of the English gave me a packet of letters, which had arrived
by express from England, to deliver to the President of Surat. This
packet was very large, because, besides the Company's letters, he had
included in it those which were addressed to private persons in Surat
and other parts of India. I received the packet from him, on the
evening of my embarkation, in presence of M. Casem-brot, a Dutchman,
who had come to Persia by land, and was related to M. Henry Van-Wuck,
Commander at Gombroon.1 Casembrot managed to accompany me on
all occasions when I went to see the English Agent, and Van-Wiick asked
me at each visit which I paid him, whether the Agent had not entrusted
me with letters for Surat. I replied ingenuously that he had told me
that he would give me some, without suspecting anything of the evil
intention of both these men. Their object, as appeared subsequently,
was to obtain possession of this packet in consequence of the rumour
which was in circulation of a rupture between England and Holland,2 and
because they thought that the English had received definite news of it,
as some days previously an Arab had arrived by the desert route and had
brought a packet to the English Agent; this caused the Commander
Van-Wuck much anxiety.
As
soon as I had received the packet from the Agent, Casembrot, who was
always on the watch, and was looking on, as it was put into my hands,
reported it to Van-Wiick, and told him of its form and size. I pledged
the Agent in a glass of wine which he offered me when wishing me a good
passage, and went to take leave of Van-Wiick, who would not allow me to
go till after I had supped with him. He kept me, as it were by force,
in order to have more time to accomplish his coup. He excused himself
for being unable
1 Henrik van Wijk, at this time Chief in Persia (1663-5). He is mentioned in W. Foster's English Factories in India, 1651-1654, p.
181, who refers, for this incident of the packet entrusted to
Tavernier, to Report (1913) of the Hist. MSS. Commission on the Pinch
MSS., vol. i, p. 439. Tavernier spells his name Van-Wuck in the ed. of
1678.
s
War between England and Holland was declared on 14th March 1665, and
ended with the Peace of Breda, signed on 31st July 1667 N. s.
n
K
