"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎٩‎٤] (١٧٨٢/٢٣٧)

A rrange-
ments for
withdrawal
from Ban
dar 'Abbas,
Febraary-
March,
1763.
Capture of
the Naib's
house and
the Persian
fort and
evacuation
of the
Agency.
'Abbas, the Agent reported that none had any safe anchorage in southerly
winds, and that all but Qais and Shaikh Shu'aib were uninhabited. On
the above information the President and Council decided that Mr,
Douglas might be allowed to go himself or to send his Second, Mr.
Lyster, to Bushehr with an experimental cargo; but they declined to
commit themselves, without further experience, to any permanent arrange
ment. The Court of Directors, when the intentions of the Bombay
Presidency came to their knowledge, agreed that in view of the arbitrary
behaviour of the Khan of Lar it was now advisable to withdraw tem
porarily from Bandar' Abbas, and they prohibited the landing of any
more goods at that port; but they directed that a Linguist should
remain in a small hired house to keep the British flag flying. With
reference to the project of starting a new settlement, the Court pro
hibited the taking of any steps without their express sanction, and they
suggested that in the meantime the Gulf Agency should be transferred
to Basrah.
These instructions were issued in April ] 762, but they did not take
effect until the following year, when the President and Council at Bombay
informed the Agent of their purport and sent the ship " Prince of
Wales," Captain Court, and the ketch " Drake," Captain Lindsey, to
assist in their execution. These vessels arrived at Bandar 'Abbas, where
the a Swallow/' Captain Nesbit, was already lying, upon the 26th of
February 1703 ; and the Naib * or Deputy Governor of the town, sus
pecting some unusual design on the part of the British, immediately
sent to his master the Khan of Lar, begging him to come in person
with reinforcements.
As the Naib, on becoming aware of what was actually intended,
showed a disposition to hamper the proceedings and absolutely refused
to afford any reparation for the extortions which had been practised
on the Agency by himself and others in recent years, as there was
a chance moreover that some compensation might thereby be secured
for the Company, and, finally, as some sort of diversion was necessary
in order to prevent the Persians from harassing the retirement from the
Agency, which was situated at a distance from the sea and was sur
rounded by houses and walls, Mr. Douglas resolved—apparently on his
own responsibility—to attack the Persian fort and the old Dutch
Factory. In the latter building, which had been in possession of the
Persians since about three years, the Naib resided and was supposed to
* This may have been the father-in-law of Ja'far Khan, who had been placed in
charge of the town on the 10th of J anuary : see page 109 post.