"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٦‎٢] (١٧٨٢/٣٠٥)

, -"J.
Conduct of
the East
India Com
pany's ser
vants, and
conditions of
service.
162
which was maintained for two or three years while the state of the
Gulf was at its worsts about 1769-71, and of which the mercantile
public were allowed to avail themselves. Already in the spring of 1769
the East India Company's local squadron was divided into two parts ;
of which one was wholly employed on convoy duty in the waters of the
Gulf ; and later the Government of Bombay issued instructions that
the " Drake " should be specially stationed at Masqat in the months of
April and December to protect Indian vessels from that port all the
way to Basrah. In the autumn of 1769 the Agent and Council at
Basrah decided not to make special arrangements for convoying the
annual coffee fleet, then at Masqat, from that place to Basrah, lest
offence should be give^i thereby to Karim Khan, who was at war with
the Imam; they thought that the Imam himself was in a position to
provide proper protection, and that, if this were not the case, the fleet
might at least wait until the next visit of the " Drake " to Masqat in
the ordinary course. In the summer of 1771, after the piracy committed
on the " Britannia, " a large number of vessels were employed on convoy
duty in the Gulf, including the a Resolution f< Expedition
"Bombay", "Dolphin" and "Fox"; and the "Expedition" and
" Fox " were once specially sent to Masqat to fetch some upward-bound
vessels thence.
It was during the second Governorship of Clive in Bengal, from
1765 to 1767, that private trade and the acceptance of presents by the
East India Company^ servants in India were first prohibited, and that
a large addition was made to their pay out of the proceeds of the salt
monopoly. These reforms were not immediately extended to the Com
pany's establishments in the Persian Gulf, doubtless because the employes
in that region had no executive or administrative duties to perform, and
there was not therefore the same necessity for a change; and prh ate
trade continued to be carried on openlv by the servants of the Company
for a number of years after the close of the period. Serious alle
gations of corrupt dealing which had been made against Messrs. Shaw
and Garden and Mr. Skipp of the Basrah Agency were investigated
in 1761-68 and 1768-69 ; but in both cases it was found that uo
dishonest act had been committed, and that the charges were due to
private malice. In 1767 the following curious order, originating
evidently from past abuses, was issued by the Governor and Council at
Bombay to the Agent and Council at Basrah :—
Great irregularities having been found to arise from the Commanders oi the ypss Is
m Persia being allowed to keep a table at the Honourable Company's expense without