Shivaji and His Times c16.s2.10

c16.s2.10

The Maratha envoy had brought with himself to Bombay Rs. 6,000 worth of the cloth looted at Surat in October 1670, consisting of katanis, rumals, etc., and asked the English to buy them; but "they being not commodities proper for the Hon'ble Company to deal in" the factors refused to buy them. (F. R. Surat, 87, Surat to Bombay, 1 January, 1672.) But as Shivaji had presumably no ready money to spare, the English were prepared to accept these goods in part payment of "what shall be agreed on to be due for satisfaction of our former losses, provided that the commodities were not over-rated, but cheap and good in their kind." (Ibid, 30 November, 1671.) A compromise was, however, made with the Maratha ambassador; the English lent him Rs. 1,500 upon his goods payable at two months' time. Lieut. Ustick was to have set out on his embassy on 15th January, 1672, but was detained at Bombay by a message from Shivaji saying that he was then too busy opposing the Mughal generals in Puna and Baglana to receive the envoy. (F. R. Surat, 106, Bombay to Surat, 13 and 20 January, 1672.)