The Council at Batavia to Richard Cocks.[180]
(Copy.)
Mr. Cox and the rest,—
By the Palsgrave and the rest of our shipps of defence, contrary to our expectacon and expresse comission, instead of your personall appeerance in this place, wee have received severall letters from your selfe and the rest, which gives us no satisfaccion for the breach of our comission, neither is therein conteyned any reason of validitie to excuse your so greate disobediance. What mooved you hereunto wee knowe not, but so many yeres should have had so much experience as to knowe what it is to infringe his superiors comition, and certaine wee are that you cannot answere this your transgretion, if wee should call you and the rest soe stricktly to accompt as your neglect deserveth. But wee will suppose that those your proceedinges were more through ignorance then out of any setled purpose of contempt towardes us, and will forbeare to censure you at present, in hoape of your conformetie now at last to our second comission, which wee send heerewith by our loving frend Mr. Joseph Cockram, whome wee have and doe appointe cheefe marchant of the
Bull for the whole voyage. Which shipp wee have nowe made reddy, with no small charge to our employers, purposely to send her unto you, to bring awaye boath your selfe and the rest of the factors, with all the Compa. estate remayning there in the countrie, as more particulerly wee have declared in our comission to Mr. Cockram and instructions delivered to him; heereby straightly charging and comanding, in behalfe of the Honble. Companie our masters, that, uppon sight heereof, you, Mr. Richard Cock, shall deliver over into the handes and custody of Mr. Joseph Cockram all such monnies, goods, debts, etc., as pertaine to the Honnorable Compa., our imployers; and boath you, Mr. Richard Cock, Wm. Eaton, Edmond Sayre, and John Osterwick, shall all and every of you come awaye from thence uppon the shipp Bull for Batavia; hereby charging you and every of you to fulfill our saide order, as you will answere the contrary at your perelles.
The debts which were standing out by your last letters we hope you will have cleired and received them in before this shall come to your hands, knowing the last yere that you are to come from thence. But, if any such debts shalbe yett standing out, it concernes you that made them [to receive them] in before the shipp come awaye from thence. The China Nocheda hath two long deluded you through your owne simplicitie to give creditt unto him. You have lived long enough in those parts to be better experienced of the fraudulent practizes of those people, and, although the prejudice which the Honnorable Compa. have suffered by missing of such greate somes of monney so long, which you have delivered unto him, cannot be recompenced by him, yet it will now be respected and required that you procure all satisfaccon from him for all he owes unto the Compa. The King of Firando his debt wee hoape you have received, boath all somes of such moment as it behooves you to be carefull and
dilligent in the recovering in of them; and, in hoape you will herein sattisfie our expectacon, wee desist further to incite you in this matter.
Having cleered all busines and gotten the Companies estate aboard their shipp, which wee desire may be with all speede convenient, you are to take frendly leave of the king and such other officers as you knowe to be meete, and to deliver over the Compa. howse and godownes into the kings hands, to appoint some whome hee shall thincke fitting to keepe the same for the Honnorable Compas. use, untill such tyme as wee shall send theither againe to repossesse the same. And for all such provitions as wee have given order unto Mr. Cockram to provide for this place, you are to see them furnished in due tyme, that soe the shipp may take the best season of the monsonn to come awaye from thence.
Alsoe you are to furnish the shipp with all materialls needefull for her tryming, and eache thinge according to our order given for the perforemance of the busines, and lett the flesh that is to be provided be salted in such a tyme as it may keepe to doe us service. If the full quantetie cannot be provided in dew tyme, then furnish what you cann, for wee will that no busines shall hinder the shipps and your coming awaye from thence in dew tyme to performe her voyage unto this port of Batavia.
And in case there shall be any debts of vallue standing out which cannot be recovered before your lymitted tyme of coming from thence, and that there be certaine hopes to recover in the saide debts afterward, then you shall followe such order as wee have given Mr. Cockram for the leaving of a mann there to recover such debts as shalbe remayning and cannot be gotten in as aforesaid.