Storia do Mogor 127: Ambassadors from France.

127

In this year it was that ambassadors arrived from the King of France to the Mogul. One was called Monsieur de la Bullaye le Gout, and the other Monsieur Beber. They came to obtain from the Mogul leave to open a factory at Surat. Their orders were not to deliver their letters, unless into the hands of Aurangzeb himself. But it not being the custom of the Mogul kings to take letters from the hand of an ambassador, Aurangzeb, by way of showing the esteem in which he held the King of France, ordered Shah 'Alam to take the letter from the ambassadors. This was a thing that up to that time had not been conceded to anyone. Although they had presents to be offered to the king, among them some cannon of a new invention which I had seen in Surat, and many other articles, nevertheless, for some reason, they gave nothing, and yet secured what they desired, the King of France being highly thought of among the Moguls. Monsieur de la Bullaye embarked at Patnah on his way to Bengal, but disappeared along with his boat, nor was anything ever heard of them. The other (? M. Béber), when at Goa, fell ill, and, meaning to take sal prunella (nitrate of potash) or mineral crystal, by inadvertence took corrosive sublimate, and died there.