iO JANUARY 1758 269
(60) chests of silk piece goods and fifty eight (58) chests of treasure received
from Mr. Watts which arrived safe,
47. After the death of Seraja Dowla and establishing of Jaffeir Ally Khan
in the government of these provinces, Mr. Manningham went up to Muxada-
vad to assist the gentlemen of Council in settling the mercantile parts of the
treaty; to Mr. Watts and him therefore we addressed a letter on the IIth July
desiring they would use their best endeavours to procure an investment of
silk and silk piece goods to be forwarded to Europe by the ships of this season,
and as we were informed the merchants who had purchased the Company's
silk from Seraja Dowla were willing to dispose of it upon the same terms, we
empowered those gentlemen to purchase it, and to prevail if possible upon
the Cossimbuzar merchants to furnish a proportion of gurrahs. They replyed
to this letter under date the 27th July and as it appeared to them that employ-
ing a gomastah would be the most likely method of keeping up the fabrick
of the piece goods, they have entertained Kissennundah Surma {a man of sub-
stance) in that office, at a hundred sicca rupees per mensem, and had given
him directions to provide the goods ordered in the list of investment for Cossim-
buzar factory on the cheapest terms he could, that the accompts were to be
delivered to the Chief and Council at Cossimbuzar, and all advantages of
cussore, batta etc., to be brought to the Company's credit, the outstanding debts
(if clearly proved) to be on account the Company, that the gomastah had
agreed to deliver in as large a part of the goods he was ordered to provide,
as could possibly be got in time for this year's ships, and that as none fit for
the Company's use could be purchased for ready money, they hoped we should
approve of the step they had taken.
48. The method followed by those gentlemen being approved of by the
Board, we advised them of it and permitted them to advance the gomastah
such sums of money as they thought proper to make the purchases with
expedition.
49. Fifteen (15) bales of raw silk were dispatched from Cossimbuzar on
the 26th July which arrived safe, and on the fifth of September fifty nine (59)
more were forwarded from that factory, that being the quantity of ready wound
off silk which they bought of the merchants who were forced by Seraja Dowla
to take it.
50. Messrs Hastings, Sykes and Hugh Watts forwarded t© us on the
16th October musters of Guzzerat and November Bund silk wound off from
the September putney, the first at seven (7) dussmassa rupees the A aiad the
other at six rupees seven annaes (6-7). Upon inspecting those musters we
thought the prices very reasonable but the silk was rather of too inferior quality
for the Company's use,, of which we advised those gentlemen and directed them
to forward as soon as they could the musters of silk wound off from tbe
November Bund putney,, which they have promised to coBaply with. When
those musters are sent we shall give our final directions {or lie proTOaba of
raw silk for the ensuing year.
5L The gentlemen at Dacca in a letter of the I9th M»di SdbRfcot'w*
of their having received twenty one tihonsand {jZljMO) pieces of ;d®tfarfcdtagpog
to their factory from the Nabob of ifeai city, «*1 tlsat tfaey A®W apafce shift
to get about eighty (80) or a hundred (100) feafe* n£ <*£&•«* $®f$