•*^-'> HISTORY OF INlilA. [Book II.
A I). 1000. was, tliiiL ill tiiu ineantiiiic " it would Ijc improper to incur any great expen.se upon it," and that the whole establishment should be placed on a very narrow and economical footiuir. sirGeivase Sir Gervase Lucas arrived at Bombay on .5th November, IGGG, and, on
lAxcas ap-
iK)inted assummg the government, found matters in a still worse state than lus inquiries jioinbay. bcfore leaving England had led him to anticipate. The Mogul goverament, when they saw the English in possession of an island which they were preparing to fortify, and which, by its natural position, might control the trade of Surat, became extremely jealous, and openly expressed their displeasure, especially after learning that an invitation had been given to the native merchants to settle at Bombay under British protection. The misunderstanding thus com- menced was brought almost to an open rupture wlien Mr. Cooke, in order to compensate himself for some loss sustained during the piUage of Surat by Se- vajee, took the unwarrantable step of seizing a Mogul junk which stress of weather had forced to seek shelter in Bombay harbour. This junk belonged to the governor of Surat, who instantly tlu-eatened to retaliate on the English factory. Sir George Oxinden remonstrated with Mr. Cooke, who, in consenting to restore the junk, took occasion to inform Sir George that he considered him- self, as a king's servant, in a higher and more independent position than one who was the servant only of a company. The question thus raised was at a later period revived, and led to considerable embarrassment. Sir Gervase Lucas, while condemning many parts of Mr. Cooke's conduct, agreed with him on the subject of precedence. The misunderstandings and jealousies w^hich in conse- quence arose, were injurious to the interests both of the crown and the Company. To the latter, however, the ultimate result was favourable, as the difficulty of procuring a cordial co-operation between the two services must have been an additional inducement to the crown to shake itself free of all further responsi- bility in regard to Bombay. Before giving an account of the step by which this was finally accomplished, it will be proper to refer to several incidents which occurred about this time, and are of sufficient interest to deserve special notice. Important The first of tlieso is a celebrated lawsuit in which the Compan}' became
constitu-
tiotiai involved, in 1666, by the zealous endeavours of then- serv'ants to put down unlicensed tradincj. Frederick Skinner was agent for the merchant adven- turers at Jambi, on the north-east coast of Sxunatra, and, on the union of the companies, quitted the district, after making over his assets and debts to the united stock. His brother, Thomas Skinner, who had apparently entered into possession of Frederick's effects, continued to trade as a merchant on his own account. A ship and merchandise belonging to him haang been discovered by the servants of the Company, was forcibly seized, by the aid of the Sultan of Jambi. The grounds of seizure were apparently of tw^o kinds — the one that the property in question belonged not to him, but to the Company, to whom it had been, or ought to have been given up by Frederick Skinner; the other
