Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 3.djvu/8

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [is s. in. JAN. e, 1917.

i and j, u and v, &c.,and have inserted punctua- tion marks when necessary for the sense, have also inserted within square brackets sug- gested letters or words where the MS. is t< or defaced.

The value of this correspondence lies in the fact that it presents a vivid picture of the lite 1 by Anglo-Indians in Bengal in the seventeenth century, and it is possible to obtain from the letters for a decade of that century an "^1^^ knowledge of the members of the little English communities, their rivalries and animosities, their mode of living, and their endeavours t( shake the pagoda tree.

No other such series of letters exists, to my know- ledge, and consequently all students of Anglo- Indian history owe a debt of gratitude to Streynsham Master, while Governor of Fort St. George (1678-81), for their preservation. Edwards's death occurred while the Governor was making a tour of inspection in Bengal, and he at once ordered all his papers to be collected and placed under lock and key at Balasor, whence a portion of them eventually found their way to England.

RICHARD EDWARDS c. 1646-79.

OF the parentage and early life of Richard Edwards little has been discovered. He was the youngest son of Thomas Edwards, who died before 1664, leaving three sons and at least four daughters. The few details of the family that have come to light are found in the will of the eldest son, Thomas Edwards junior. From this we learn thai in 1664 Richard Edwards was a minor, that 501. had already been spent on his appren- ticeship, and that the balance of 500Z. be- queathed to him by his father was to come to him at the age of 21. In 1664 the tes tator is described as "of the Inner Temple, London," and in 1667, when he became security for his brother Richard, as of Kingston, Surrey." The second son Joseph was apparently of age in 1664, as he was appointed bneof the executors to his brother s will, and was to receive possession of certain lands devised him by his father in Flint and Denbigh. Joseph Edwards outlived Thomas, whose will was proved on April 18,

Three of the sisters of Richard Edwards married respectively Robert Holt, William Street, and Christopher Tomlinson. Abigail was unmarried at tjie date of her brother Thomas's will.

It would seem that Richard Edwards entered the East India Company's service on attaining his majority, and that he in- vested part of his patrimony in goods accounted suitable for the Indian market. His career while in the Company's service (1667-79) is briefly as follows.

On Oct. 18, 1667, he was elected a writer- at a salary of 10Z. per annum, his brother- Thomas being one of his securities in 500Z.. ~.n December a passage was ordered for him. in the Blackamore, commanded by Capt.. Price. In this vessel sailed John Smith and John Vickers, both also newly elected servants of the Company. Madras was : reached on Sept. 8, 1668, and those writers destined for Bengal, among whom was Edwards, were almost immediately sent on to Balasor.

In 1668 the factories in Bengal were- managed by a Council residing either at Balasor or Hugli, and subordinate to the agency at Fort St. George, Madras. The Company's ships anchored off the port of Balasor, whence their cargoes were conveyed up the Hugli to the town of that name by " country ships," since few of the English commanders could be induced to face the perils of " the braces " and the unknown dangers of the river. Besides the two chief factories of Balasor and Hugli, there were smaller factories at Kasimbazar, Patna, and Dacca, in each of which was a " Chief," a " Second," and sometimes a " Third," with one or two juniors as assistants.

After spending a few months in Balasor,. Edwards was transferred to Kasimbazar, the Company's silk depot. Here he and Thomas Jones, "young men and inex- perienced in the country," were, for a time,, the only officials in residence. Edwards's conduct earned him the commendation of John March, his superior, and in consequence his salary was doubled by the Court of iommittees.

Beyond the statement that he was acting as "Third" (or warehouse-keeper) at Kasim- bazar, there is no further official notice of Edwards until October, 1674, when he be- came involved in a scandal with a native woman. Relations were already extremely strained between the English and the local' governor on account of the death of Raghu, a native cash-keeper, whose end was said to have been accelerated by a punishment in- flicted by Matthias Vincent, Chief of Kasim- ' bazar factory. In consequence, the Council at Balasor were anxious, at all costs, to avoid further friction, and on receipt of the news of Edwards's backsliding they wrote as follows :

" Wee are sorry to reade of the unhappy Acci- dent that hath befalen Mr. Edwards, and Con- sidering the ill Custome of late practised against Christian Strangers, we should have been g that You had taken up that business for him,. I though it had been for rs. 1000, fearing besides the future trouble wee may have, that wenever