Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1727 Spare Tire

Moreel lived in the port of Colombo for a few more days, during which he was going to go to other areas, but the Dutch who never left him refused, and only allowed him to look around the village on the outskirts of the city. It is not a lack of precaution.

Because Colombo is the center of Dutch rule in Ceylon, the villages in its suburbs are still relatively tightly controlled.When Molie Eel and others arrived in a village, the people in the village were paying taxes in kind to the Dutch in the village, which were mostly grain and skinny livestock.After understanding, these grains and livestock are all for "Thanksgiving" three months later-Thanksgiving is scheduled for November 11th every year. On this day in 20, the Dutch severely damaged the Portuguese power, which heralded the island's The change of control, and because the Dutch were invited by the native king at that time (in order to expel the cruel and exploitative Portuguese), because the Dutch shamelessly defined it as "Thanksgiving".

Thanksgiving is a serious festival in Ceylon. Whether it is the Sinhalese who believe in Buddhism or the Tamil outsiders who believe in Hinduism, they must celebrate this festival under the influence of the Dutch. If you celebrate, you will probably be fined to lose your fortune-a huge fine of 100 guilders is not something ordinary people can afford.

The place where Thanksgiving is held is generally in the church at the head of the village.Some of these churches were built in the Portuguese era, and some were built after the Dutch accepted them. However, no matter which era the churches were built in, they only believe in the Protestant reformed sect, that is, Calvinism. Catholicism is already illegal here. Even worse than Buddhism and Hinduism.

The Dutch also made great efforts to promote Protestantism in Ceylon Island. They stipulated that only those who participate in religious activities on time are eligible to engage in jobs such as baking bread and selling coconuts, otherwise they can only work at the bottom. Farmers live a humble and poor life.In addition, churches that receive gifts from officials and businessmen all the year round are relatively strong economically, and they donate some food to the poor from time to time, which is still very useful for promoting Protestantism.

Of course, not all the bad things brought by the Dutch were bad, at least they abolished some bad habits including intermarriage and personal attachment, at least when they were near ruling centers such as Colombo.As for places a little farther away, it is basically the same, and the lives of ordinary people are not even as good as before the Portuguese and Dutch landed, but no one will care about this.

In this village, Morieel didn't find many interesting things, and the Dutch escorts around him followed suit, not daring to leave at all times, which made him very depressed.In addition to not knowing the local language, the natives were also very wary of him, so in the end they had no choice but to return to the pier, planning to arrange the next step.

According to Molly Eel's plan, he intends to "play" here until late October when the northeast wind prevails, because at that time the ocean current and wind direction are more suitable, and he will go all the way down the coast of the Middle East and East Africa. How long will it take to return to Xinhua Island and bring two boats of Indian specialties back to make a fortune?

However, he still wanted to go to Trincomalee, north of Ceylon Island, to meet the British.Anyway, I came to India in the face of strong winds and waves. This risk can’t be taken for nothing. You must know that sailing in this era is very dangerous—for example, those pampered cross-country people on the east coast, even relatively safe motor sailing boats. I don't dare to go to the Far East by car, for fear of belching farts. This shows that sailing is difficult. The ships that have sunk in the sea on the east coast these years have gone to the sea. I have done such dangerous things as crossing the Indian Ocean, so I don't want to change it. It would be too sloppy to rush back after things are done.

Therefore, after careful consideration and repeated weighing, Morley still planned to go to Trincomalee in the northeast of the island to see if he could contact the English.No matter what you talk about with the English, it’s always okay to at least keep someone behind, for the English and the Portuguese (contacting the English basically means contacting the Portuguese, and they are now in India to fight against the pressure of the Dutch) It's always good to keep some thoughts and strengthen their determination to make trouble for the Dutch.

Otherwise, the Dutch are too "idle" here. Once this person is free, he will think about things and make some moths.Morley Eel didn't believe that when the English were trying their best to compete with the Dutch East India Company for the Malabar Coast, Coromandel Coast, and Ceylon Island, they still had the leisure to cause trouble for the people on the east coast.

So, this trip to Trincomalee, he has decided to go!

Of course, I decided to go there, but how to go is still very particular. On August 8th, Morley Eel met with Balthazar Burt again, and then left about seven or eight people waiting patiently for news of Batavia in the port of Colombo, while he himself took two ships , raised the sails and left here, explaining to the Dutch that they sailed east to visit Mawlamyine, a port where Western businessmen often stayed. Although the Dutch were a little suspicious, they didn't say anything.

They sent two ships to set off with the "Fubo Wanli" and others, and sailed eastward for several days, until the people on the east coast sailed at full speed to get rid of these two annoying followers (the two ships also went to Badawi Only then did they change course, use steam power to adjust the course, sail patiently, and finally arrived at the port of Trincomalee around September 9.

The port of Trincomalee is currently under the control of the British. They have built a fortress-style trading post and left some business representatives and armed guards here.About ten years ago, the British reached an alliance agreement with the native highland kingdom on the island of Ceylon, determined to resist the pressure of the Dutch—the poor natives, who initially used the Dutch to deal with the Portuguese, and now they are leading the English To deal with the Dutch, they were directly ruled by the English at the end in history, and the end was worse than during the Dutch rule. It can be seen that not everyone is able to drive tigers and wolves - so after the two sides joined forces, they once planned a test by the Dutch Sexual offense, and then it has been stable until now.

Of course, we cannot fail to mention the French East India Company established in 1664.The predecessor of this unfortunate company (French Orient Company) lost many colonies such as Fort Dofan and New Brittany in the long-term struggle with the people on the east coast, and suffered huge losses.If it weren't for the generosity of King Louis XIV of France who sponsored a lot of funds, this company might have gone bankrupt and liquidated long ago, and it wouldn't be alive and kicking until now.

But then again, the French East India Company must be the one with poor management among many European companies of the same name (that is, the East India Companies in various countries), and the luck is not very good.It is said that after losing Fort Doufan and New Brittany, the French East India Company also recognized the situation and stopped messing with the people on the east coast at all, but set its goal on operating the trade in the Far East, such as China, Siam, Burma, Vietnam and other Dutch East India companies were not particularly important markets.

To be honest, the idea of ​​the French is correct, and they have indeed achieved certain results. With a certain accumulation of funds, they can covet a richer India. For example, they once tried to occupy Trincomalee , but unfortunately all the people who landed and built the fort died of an epidemic, and then had to give up.

But now, the French East India Company still has not given up its fight for Trincomalee.This company did not dare to attack the Dutch-controlled cities such as Colombo, Galle, and Jaffna. It competed with the British for Trincomalee every three days, which made the British very angry, but there was nothing they could do.

Therefore, the current security situation in Trincomalee is indeed quite delicate, and it may be over one day. The British should also be aware of this.They were quite devastated, but they still took a cautious attitude towards the sudden appearance of the people from the east coast, which can be seen from the enthusiasm of the British people.

However, the enthusiasm of the British people on the East Coast can only be selectively accepted. For example, when England asked whether the East Coast Republic planned to go to war with the Dutch East India Company, Morley Eel vaguely did not answer positively, but the British But already understood, a little disappointed.

In the end, the two sides only reached some intentional agreements, such as trade agreements (people on the east coast can exchange industrial products and daily necessities for some precious spices and gems), port opening agreements (opening of Cape Town Port on the east coast, British opening Trincomalee), etc., and most of them were oral agreements, not written down, although the British wanted to do this very much.

Generally speaking, the British are more interested in strengthening cooperation with the east coast on Ceylon Island, perhaps because they feel the personal pressure.However, the people on the east coast seem to be half-hearted about this, and they completely regard Trincomalee and the British East India Company as a backup tire. What an advanced response from the English.If they are exhausted, they will secretly transport some weapons, metal utensils, daily necessities, and medicines from Xinhua Port to Trincomalee for sale (of course avoiding the Dutch). The East India Company really ruled the island.

This kind of operation basically used the British as a countermeasure to prevent the Dutch from saying nothing, and one day they suddenly closed the port to prevent the immigration ships from the east coast from leaving.They really don't have much interest in Ceylon Island's specialty products and land, at least not at present, and Xinhua Island is the only target for their expansion.

On September 9th, the people from the east coast who had squatted in Trincomalee for more than half a month returned to the port of Colombo. I was so depressed that I began to seriously consider whether to set up a coal filling station near India-at this time, there was no official news from Batavia.

In desperation, Morie Eel could only wait in the port again.At the same time, with the "reluctant consent" of the Dutch, they went to the surrounding villages to purchase some special products.The fellow Dutchmen have repeatedly emphasized that the purchase of specialty products in Ceylon is only for this one time, and it is not an example. If the people on the east coast need it, they can bid for the purchase from the East India Company, but they are not allowed to directly contact the local natives. Lie Eel agreed impatiently.

They sourced some pepper and cinnamon from several plantations.Slaves with "VIC" marks on their bodies - usually Tamils, the Dutch brought them from the Indian mainland and branded them with a branding iron - under the command of the overseer, some warehouses were opened and the The spices stored inside were brought out for the east coast people to choose.

Morie Eel and the others had quite a lot of money, so they bought a lot of cinnamon, spices, and other specialties. Finally, they hired a lot of carriages and sent these goods to the pier. It was already October 1676. On the 10th of September, there were still no ships from Batavia.Considering that the north wind has just begun to show signs and the power of the southwest wind has not been completely receded, it is really inconvenient to reach Colombo from Batavia, so he bites the bullet and continues to wait.

On October 1676, 10, the ship carrying the envoy of Governor Ryclough Vangoens finally arrived in the port of Colombo.The young-looking emissary first glanced at the battleship "Fubo Wanli" with an unfriendly look, and then entered the city of Colombo, where he had a secret talk with Balthazar Burt for an afternoon.

On the second day, Burt, the highest military officer of Ceylon Island, also officially informed the people on the east coast that the benevolent Governor of Van Goins agreed to open the ports of Malacca and Galle to the ships passing by the east coast for them to dock for supplies and maintenance. There is a limit of ten ships per year, and the number of times shall not exceed, otherwise the Dutch have the right to refuse to provide services for the excess number of ships on the east coast.

At the same time, Burt also formally made a request that the people on the east coast open two African ports on an equal footing for the supply and maintenance of the East India Company's ships. One of them is the port of Cape Town, and the other is the Eastern Cape Verde Islands. of a port.He also emphasized that this is the main premise. If the east coast cannot meet the requirements of the East India Company, then everything will be out of the question, and the ports of Malacca and Galle will naturally not be open to ships on the east coast.

Mo Lieel thought about these conditions carefully, and felt that the problem was not a big problem, and his superiors should finally agree.Of course, he would not agree to promise anything to the Dutch right now, but said that he would go back and report to his superiors, and everything was subject to the final decision of the government.Of course, he also told the Dutch that it is a "high probability event" that their requirements are met and "it is not a big problem."

After receiving the approval letter from the Dutch, there was no need for Moreel to stay in the Port of Colombo, so on October 10, the two-ship formation under his command left the pier, intending to cross the ocean and return directly. Xinhua Island.And about a week after they left, a merchant fleet from Qing Dynasty in the Far East also slowly sailed into the port of Colombo for supplies. This fleet was full of various oriental specialties, which seemed to indicate that the Dutch East India Company The relationship with the Qing Dynasty is getting closer and closer.

(End of this chapter)