Chap. VI.
TllANSACTIONS WITH BANTAM.
33:
mentioned in tlie instructions that war was a{)preliended between the King of ^^^^^ss Eantam and the Dutcli, it may have been anticipated that in the event of the Icing proving victorious, the Company, in pushing tlieir trade in that quarter, would no longer have to encounter their most formidable competitors. In the Tr.i.Je«iti,
,. -,, ...... , 15.lMt.lIll
succeednig seasons the mvestments to Jiantam retained their importance, but from incidental allusions it may be gathered that it was not so much on account of that port itself as of the facilities which it afforded for forming connections with China. Amoy was again accessible, but its inferiority^ as a trading station to Canton had become more and more apparent. As the viceroy of the latter
Genkr.vi. Virw OF C'.tSTus.— Fmiii Nit-uliof.
still continued to profess friendship, instructions were given in the sea.son 1681-82 not only to renew the communication with him, but to make ])resents to him on a moderate scale, and assure him that, if proj)er privileges were granted, large ships with rich cargoes would annually N'isit his jiort
The threatened war A^-ith the Kinjj of Bantam and the Dutch was now about to become a reality. It was ])robably with a view to it, and the hope of securing a powerful })rotector, that the king took the extraordinary step of sending ainbassjidoi-s to England. They an-ived, and had interviews both with the king and tiie Comi)any. The only recorded result is that the Company's ships carried out for him a present of 500 barrels of gunpowder. Before it an-ived the war had been both becrun and ended. The Dutch, witii their usual sagacity, had made the victory easy ])y exciting an internal dissension, and giving their support to the winning ])arty. The king's own son had been induced to take up amis against him, and in 1G82 eftected a revolution which gave him the throne. One of his first steps was to take possession of the Com- |)any's factory. This, we may ]>resume. was done either at the instigation of the Dutch or to gratify them; but he had soon cause to see that while he sup- posed himself indebted to them for a thmne, they had only been using him as their tool. The whole power wa,s already in their hands, and scarcely a year elapsed before they had proelainu-d tlu'niselvt>s absolute na,<ters. The Company.
All emb;ia.iy sent by itt king to Kiiglauil.
