Page:Early English adventurers in the East (1917).djvu/188

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184
EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST

Coen met the Englishman's hot protests against the exclusion of his ship from the trade of the islands by a torrent of objurgation. "In cholleric manner he (Coen) upbraided him for lingering in the countries that were under their protection as itt were in despite of them, affirming that whosoever bought any cloves in these countries without their consent so much stole from them and, therefore, they would prevent it if by any means they might." Jourdain retorted in kind, reaffirming in the strongest language that the trade of the islands was as free to the English as it was to the Dutch and that they would not be driven from the region by Dutch threatenings. The conference closed with a display of angry feeling which boded ill for the future relations of the two races.

At a later period in the day Jourdain attended a gathering of the leading natives, who having been told the upshot of the interview, protested in vehement terms their desire for commercial relations with the English. As Coen had denied that the islanders were willing to trade with any outsiders, the Dutch officials were summoned to hear from their own lips the truth. The Hollanders attended with reluctance and listened in silence to the declarations of the chiefs in favour of free trade. But the next day a letter, which was virtually an ultimatum, was sent to the English Commander directing him to depart. The missive was returned by Jourdain on the ground that he could not understand Dutch. A day or two later another communication was forthcoming, written in Portuguese and directing the English Commander in even more peremptory terms to depart the country or take the consequences. By this time all trade with the natives had ceased and it had become clear that the earlier relations could not be restored