Storia do Mogor 265.9.6

265.9.6

I will add another case which happened to me in the same San Thome with the aforesaid Manoel da Silva de Menezes in the year ninety (1690), in the month of March. I had advanced five hundred patacas to a Genoese merchant called Jorge Bianco for trading in Pegu. He sent the principal with the agreed profit to be paid to me in San Thome. The said Manoel da Silva de Menezes was then judge. He took possession of my money, and wanted to pay with his usual arguments; and in spite of all my efforts I could not obtain payment of what was mine. In the end I made use of certain friars who interceded for me with Thomas de Maya, the chief captain then holding office, and he did what he could out of friendship for me. He ordered me to be paid; but behold the way Manoel da Silva wanted to satisfy me! He had bought some korls (scores or twenties) of cloth for thirty patacas the score. He wanted to pay me in this cloth, entering every score in my account at eighty patacas. Since I declined to accept, I only received a little cash, losing part of my principal and all the profit. It seems to me that readers will approve, also those intending to come to India, of having this information by which they can guide themselves, making use of my experience. They can also refer, in the opening of my book, to the warning that I have given (Part I., p. i).