Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/347

 INTERCOLONIAL C0MMERC12. 331 new wares, they were either not brought at all, or brought of a bad quality ; and this had been so often practised, that ImhofF acknowledges that the Japanese had been so often deceived, that it would be extremely difficult to make them believe that the Dutch were capable of fulfilling their engagements, even supposing them to do so at any particular time with perfect integrity. The Japanese were, at the same time, privy to the numerous frauds and malver- sations of the agents of the monopoly on the spot, and had detected them practising the lowest and most dis- creditable artifices, to evade the laws of the country under the protection of which they were living. * Dutch government at Batavia of the impositions practised at the factory at Nangasaki. The following from Thunberg is a specimen of the conduct of the Dutch officers at Nangasaki. " We now perceived," says he^ " a boat coming from shore to meet us. The captain, therefore, dressed himself in a blue silk coat, trimmed with silver lace, made very large and wide, and stuffed and furnished in front with a large cushion. This coat has for many years past been used for the purpose of smuggling prohibited wares into the country, as the chief and the captain of the ship were the only persons who were exempted from being searched. The captain generally made three trips in this coat every day from the ship to the factory, and was frequently so loaded with goods that, when he went ashore, he was obliged to be supported by two sail- ors, one under each arm. By these means tijc captain de- rived a considerable profit annually from the other officers.
 * The Japanese government made a formal complaint to the