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 defence of over three months, was betrayed by a Portuguese half-caste, named De Mello, and the Portuguese power utterly destroyed. In Stewart's history it is stated that—

"when Hughly was destroyed, in 1632, by order of the Emperor Shah Jehan, there were sixty-four large vessels, fifty-seven grabs, and two hundred sloops anchored opposite the town, of which only one grab and two sloops escaped. The captain of the largest vessel, on which were embarked two thousand men, women, and children, with all their wealth, rather than yield to the Mohammedans, set fire to the magazine, and blew them up. Many other ships followed his example. Hughly, having came into possession of the Moguls, was established as the royal fort of Bengal. All the public offices were withdrawn from Satgaon, which soon declined into a mean village, now scarcely known to Europeans."

When the Portuguese monopoly of the foreign trade of Bengal was thus destroyed, the English made an effort to take their place, but were unsuccessful till some years later, in 1640. In that year a daughter of the emperor was severely burned by her dress catching fire. Dr. Gabriel Boughton, one of the Company's surgeons at Surat, attended the princess at the emperor's desire, and restored her to health. He patriotically asked as his reward privileges of