While the English were thus yielding ground, their Dutch rivals were more energetic than ever. They had failed in an attempt to surprise Macao; but had forcibly established themselves in the Pescadore Islands, and they still persisted in their old offence of passing for Englishmen. It was only a few months later that the Amboyna massacre was perpetrated.
At last, at a consultation of the Council at Batavia on the 25th of April, 1623, the dissolution of the English factory in Japan was formally decided. Captain Joseph Cockram was despatched in the ship Bull, invested with full powers. It was, however, left to his discretion to allow two juniors to remain to collect debts, if there were any prospect of recovery. He arrived at Firando in July, bearing a letter, dated 22nd May, from the Council, directing all the members of the factory “to come away from thence upon the ship Bull for Batavia; hereby charging you and every of you to fulfil our said order, as you will answer the contrary at your perils.” Cocks is ordered to get in all the debts he can; and he is blamed in severe terms for the loss of the “great sums” which he had advanced for the China trade: “The China Nocheda[36] hath too long deluded you, through your own simplicity, to give credit unto him. You have lived long enough in those parts to be better experienced of the fraudulent practices of those people.” The English buildings at Firando are to be handed over to the king, to hold in trust “until such time as we shall send thither again to repossess the same.” And so, after some other orders, the letter concludes with a caustic admonition that, “because last year, to serve your own turn, you made what construction you pleased of our commission for your coming from thence, we do now iterate our commission in the conclusion of our letter, lest, having read it in the former part thereof, you should forget it before you come to the end.”
Preparations for departure were at once made; the ostensible reasons given to the king of Firando being the loss of ships and the bad prospects of the China trade, and not “out of any unkind usage here in his Majesty’s [the shogun’s] dominions.” But, anxious as they now were to shake themselves free of Japan, the factors were still obliged to send up one of their number, Richard Hudson, to deliver the customary present to the shogun; so that it was not till nearly the end of the year that they were ready to quit Firando.
On the 16th of December, in consultation, it was determined to leave no one behind to collect debts; but the Dutch factor was empowered to receive any sums that might come in. The amount owing to the factory was 12,821 taels, about £3,200, out of which Dittis was answerable for 6,636 taels, or £1,659. The following abstract[37] of a lost portion of Cocks’s diary gives us particulars of the last days spent by the English in Japan:—
Abstract “Coppie of some passages at our leaving Jappan and dissolving ye English Factory at Ferando in ye yeare 1623. Taken out of Mr. Richard Cock his Journall; who was Chiefe these eleven or 12 yeares.”
December 19.—Tonomon Sarume paid 100 Tale on account of his debt of 500 Tales.
December 20.—Prepared in the Japanese language the accounts of the noblemen indebted to the factory, in order that the parties might sign them as an acknowledgment of the debt to be left with the Dutch chief for recovery; a power of attorney for that purpose, also in Japanese, being signed by all the factors and delivered to him. Copies of these several writings were also prepared for the king.
On the 22nd these writings were delivered to the Dutch chief, Capt. Newrode; and the copies sent to the king. The factors “had much adoe with Tonomon Sama, Semidono, Taccamondono, and others, to give us their bills ... and, when they didd itt, put in what they list.”
On the 21st and 22nd sundry small presents in money were given to the Japanese servants and others, few exceeding two or three Tale.
On the 22nd many of the townsmen came with their wives and families to take leave of the factors, some weeping at their departure.
On the 23rd the factors went on board the ship Bull, intending to set sail; but, the Dutch and many of their Japanese friends coming on board with banquets, they postponed their departure; and, there not being room in the ship to serve up the presents of their friends, more than one hundred being on board, they landed at Cochi. Afterwards Messrs. Cock and Osterwicke proposed, as a return to their friends, to leave 50 Tales as a banquet for them all; but the other factors would not agree to it.
On the 24th, at noon, they set sail for Batavia. The same night in a storm the Bull sprung a leak, and was found to make six inches of water every half-hour.
The Bull reached Batavia on the 27th of January, 1624. And now poor Cocks was indeed in trouble. In their letter of the 24th February to the East India Company the Council of Defence accuse him of culpable carelessness; that he neither kept the accounts himself nor appointed others to do so; that he disobeyed orders in not leaving Japan the year before; that he made a desperate debt of 5,000 taels with the China captain; and that he had brought a store of trash and lumber from Japan. No consultations had been kept, nor decorum nor order observed. They were tempted to deal severely with him and send him home as a malefactor; but, having consideration for his age and position, and allowing for his bad health and testy and wayward disposition, and being also persuaded that harsh treatment might shorten his life, they left him to be dealt with by the Company, only ordering his goods to be seized on his arrival in England.[38] Thus, in disgrace and broken in health, Cocks went on board the Ann Royal, and on the 24th of February sailed for England. But he was not to see his country again. A month later, on the 27th of March, he died at sea, and was buried “under a discharge of ordnance.”
No doubt many of the charges brought against Cocks were true. Traces of confusion in his money accounts are to be found in his diary; and he was too easy-going for the position of head of a factory which had so many obstacles in the way of its development. There can be no question of his want of firmness. His many quarrels with companions and subordinates, and the somewhat helpless way in which he records them, afford sufficient indications of this failing. But he was perfectly honest; he died poor; and his very weaknesses render him a not unamusing diarist. This last qualification makes us his friend; and we cannot accompany him through these pages without feeling good will towards him. We note his quaint phrases; his sharp eye for “trix” and “legerdemayne” of enemies, or for the “playing the gemeny” of doubtful friends; how this man is angry and “takes pepper in the nose”, while another loses temper and takes a proposal “in snuff”, and a third in a rage “falls into terms”; and we see him reduced to “Hodgson’s choice” long before he ought to be, if Cambridge Hobson gave his name to the proverb.[39] He had a taste for planting and gardening; he grew the first potatoes in Japan; “forget not my pigeons and fishes” is an injunction in one of his letters, when away from home; his gold fish, presents from China, were dearly prized and not willingly given away to the great men in Firando who coveted them—all these are pleasant traits. Nor was he, though “unlettered” and a little unsteady when he quoted Latin, without some taste for books. He had a Turkish History[40] and a St. Augustyn Citty of God[41] to lend a friend (i. 118); and he received a present of an English book of Essaies (i. 230). But we need not assume that he had read Chaucer because he calls a long rambling statement a Canterbury Tale (i. 282).
His property was only worth 1,500 reals, about £300; but, in accordance with the advice of the Council of Defence quoted above, it was seized on the arrival of the Ann Royal in England. We learn from the minutes of the East India Company that a petition was afterwards presented respecting Cocks’s small estate:—
“24th Nov. 1626.—Mr. Cox, brother unto Capt. Cox that dyed homewarde bound in the Anne, presented himselfe in Court, and desired by peticion the favor of the Comp. concerning his brother’s estate, to whom the Court related the debaust carriage of his brother and the evill service performed by him at Japan, where he had lived long contrarie to the Companies mind and had expended 40,000 pounds, never returning anything to the Comp. but consuming whatsoever came to his hands in wastfull unnecessarie expences; nay, for 3 yeares togeather refused to come away when by expresse order from the Comp. he was called thence; insoemuch that at last the President and Councell [of Batavia] were inforced to send for him with a ship sent purposelie. And for his estate he had at the time of his death, the Court told him, it was very little or none at all, and, if any, yett not sufficient to answer the Comp. what he ought them, haveing confessed upon foote of his accompt at Jaccatra that he was indebted to the Companie £900.
“Mr. Cox was sorry to heare this report of his brother and desired the Court to deale favorably with him. In the end the Court wished him to informe himself concerning the truth of these things from those that are come home; and, because the Comp. at presente have no leisure to examine his proceedings, they therefore willed Mr. Cox to returne home and leave the buisnes to Mr. Woodward to effect yt one his behalfe.”[42]
In the end, the money was paid over by the Company to Cocks’s relatives.