Storia do Mogor 89: The Naval Forces.
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 89
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The Naval Forces.
89.1
Having arranged the affairs of his kingdom with sufficient completeness, Aurangzeb, relying upon the victories he had gained on land, thought of establishing the fear of himself at sea ; he therefore resolved to set up a fleet, with a considerable number of ships. The reason for this resolve was the loss of a Mahomedan vessel loaded with kauris. In Italian these are called lumaquelle ; they come from the Maldives, and are current money in the kingdom of Bengal. After some fighting this ship was taken by pirates. The captain and the merchants on the ship said to the pirates that the kauris would never be of any use to them ; thus they should be satisfied to accompany them as far as Mecca, in which port they would pay them forty thousand patacas. The proposal was accepted, and the pirates went to Mecca. At a distance from the harbour they awaited the fulfilment of the agreed bargain. But the Mahomedans, instead of satisfying the pirates, laid hold of the opportunity of two royal vessels being there. These ships had brought faqirs and the ladies and lords of Hindustan to Mecca. They so arranged that with the assistance of other merchant ships they all sailed out to capture the Frank pirate. But it turned out very differently from what they expected. For, going out to hunt, they were themselves hunted. The pirates, seeing some ten or twelve vessels coming against them, pretended to take to flight, in the hope of drawing these inexperienced men out to the open sea.
89.2
The Mahomedans did all they could to catch the pirate ship, under the belief that she could not escape, when, much to their surprise, the pirate, with great determination and courage, veered round, and, getting amongst the attacking vessels, most dexterously discharged its guns and threw them into disorder. Thus, some dispersed one way and some another. The pirates captured one ship, and after stripping it, set it on fire, consuming both the vessel and all those that were in it. Nor were they satisfied with this vengeance. Knowing the little acquaintance with sea-life and the little handiness at sea possessed by the Mahomedans, they sailed to the latitude of Dio (Diu), near Surat, and waited for the royal ships. These were on their way from Mecca with high-placed lords and ladies, besides faqīrs. There was also much coin, chiefly Venetian, vulgarly called zequinhos (sequins). It turned out as they had hoped, for when the two ships arrived, they attacked them and overcame one of them, when they not only took its valuable cargo, but dishonoured the ladies aboard of it.
89.3
The damaged vessel arrived at Surat, whence the governor reported to Aurangzeb what had occurred. This was the reason of his wishing to create a war navy, to sweep the seas of the pirates and make himself powerful at sea. With this object in view the king imparted his design to Ja'far Khan, the chief secretary, a man of judgment, who demanded time before answering. After some days he said to Aurangzeb that his majesty had no deficiency of money or timber, or other materials to form a navy. But he was without the chief thing — that is to say, men to direct it. Aurangzeb retorted that the conduct of it might be entrusted to the Franks, who lived on his pay. But Ja'far Khan boldly, as a faithful minister, replied that it would not be well to confide to foreigners — fugitives from their own country — a business of such importance. Those men might easily abscond ; nor would they think the Mogul soldiers, who might man the ships, of any account ; and these, not being properly trained, would allow themselves to be completely controlled by those commanders.
89.4
To all these arguments Aurangzeb turned a deaf ear (as he persisted in his desire to have a fleet), and then issued an order to have a ship constructed. He wanted to have ocular demonstration of the difficulties raised by Ja'far Khan. This order was taken to my fellow-countryman Ortencio Bronzoni, a lapidary, of whom I have already spoken, who made a small ship with its sails and rigging, guns and flags. When it was ready, it was launched on a great tank. The king and all the court assembled to behold a kind of machine which could not travel by land. Here the European artillerymen, accustomed to navigation, went aboard the vessel, and caused it to move in all directions by adjusting the sails and working the helm with great dexterity and cleverness. Then, as if engaging some other man-of-war, they discharged the cannon, turning in all directions. On seeing all this, after reflecting on the construction of the boat and the dexterity required in handling it, Aurangzeb concluded that to sail over and fight on the ocean were not things for the people of Hindustan, but only suited to European alertness and boldness. Thus at last he abandoned the project entertained with such obstinacy.