The Military System of the Marathas, with a Brief Account of Their Maritime Activities c15.50

c15.50

Modern practice will not uphold Boone’s contention that a ship loses its original nationality when it carries foreign cargo of superior value; but Kanhoji’s excuse for taking the East India Company’s timber was palpably unsound. He pleaded necessity: ‘I had wrote Your Excellency before the necessity I was in for timber, and then I had timber coming from Bombay of foreign merchants, which was chosen by my people, which I gave you notice of, and had your licence for a carpenter to come from thence, which you repealed and hindred the timber to be brought. In this manner things go on, demonstrating that tis not Your Excellency alone that governs. Your Excellency has no intention to do anything contrary to our friendship, but you find it necessary to act according to what is told you by bad men who live with you. As I had a great necessity for timber, when the boat came from Surat, I brought her in, in a friendly manner, believing that you observed the friendship without scruples, and what’s a little timber? Had I wrote to you, you would have given it mee, but as it might have hapned that somebody or another would have stopt it, as they did before, and my work thereby be put to a stand, I took the timber here and wrote Your Excellency to let mee know the price thereof, and had for answer you wanted timber, which I took well, expecting when mine would come to repay you. In this there is no cause of difference.’