The East India Company Career of Sir Robert Cowan in Bombay and the Western Indian Ocean, c. 1719-35 Edward Owen Teggin A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Department of History University of Dublin 2020 Declaration I declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university and it is entirely my own work. I agree to deposit this thesis in the University’s open access institutional repository or allow the Library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library conditions of use and acknowledgement. i Summary This thesis has undertaken the first in-depth study of Sir Robert Cowan, something which has until now been missing from the wider scholarship of the East India Company. The evaluation has focused on Company affairs in the western Indian Ocean throughout the years 1719-35, although discussion has also been given to the wider intra-Asian sphere during 1680-1750 as well. It has been shown, by using Cowan’s Indian career as a case study, how the devolved power structure incorporating Company servants gave great opportunity for defining policy and actions. This was particularly evident in Cowan’s career during his postings at Goa, Surat, Mocha and Bombay. Further, it has been shown how this devolution of power represented the dual aspect of the Company in the early modern period. In England it was seen to act as a commercial trading company, whereas in India it had far greater scope to act as a sovereign power. Cowan, as a Company representative, played a key role in this system during his negotiation of the Anglo-Portuguese treaty of 1721, managing Surat broking relationships, the withdrawal of the Mocha factory in 1727, and his redefining of Company security policy in the western presidency during the years 1728-35. The same devolution of power to Company servants in official matters has also been shown to have benefitted them in personal affairs. Private trade in particular was an area in which it has been demonstrated that Cowan excelled. This study has highlighted that Cowan’s motivation for travelling to India was to make a great personal fortune for himself, and also to pay back his large debts. It has likewise been shown that he ii succeeded in gaining this fortune through private trade, diamond and cash remittance, and the utilisation of a series of account transactions. The bulk of this then became the basis of the marquesses of Londonderry’s wealth. In the discussion of Cowan’s private trade, it was shown how this created tension between himself and his employers, particularly over his handling of the Portuguese ship Europa at Bombay. However, this was not the only aspect of Company politics which Cowan encountered. The collapse of his patronage network as a result of the Waters and Lambton affair caused Cowan great political damage, and displayed the fundamental importance of political connections through private networks within the Company. Whilst the disintegration of his network signalled the end of his career, the construction of it had enabled his progression across the years. Through Cowan’s use of patronage networks, it has been shown how multifaceted and vital such connections were within the Company apparatus. In terms of Cowan’s legacy, it important to highlight that he is a figure that has not been widely studied within Company scholarship at large. This thesis has demonstrated how the study of Cowan, through his personal archive held at PRONI, can be used as a tool for further evaluation of eighteenth-century Company activity in the western Indian Ocean. This thesis has acknowledged the many fascinating opportunities for further study arising out of the Cowan archive, and it is hoped that this will lead to further studies of Cowan, the western Indian Ocean, and indeed the wider intra-Asian sphere in the early eighteenth century. iii Contents Declaration .......................................................................................................................... i Summary ............................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements........................................................................................................... vii Note on Conventions used .................................................................................................. x List of Figures / Tables ........................................................................................................ xi List of Appendices ............................................................................................................. xii Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: Robert Cowan .............................................................................................. 24 I - John Cowan, (? – 1733), and Ulster Background ................................................................ 26 II - Robert Cowan and Lisbon, c. 1710-19 ............................................................................... 36 III - Cowan’s Early Patronage Circle ........................................................................................ 46 Chapter Two: Goa and Surat, 1721-2 ................................................................................. 60 I - Cowan’s Personal Experience at Goa .................................................................................. 64 II - The Treaty Negotiations..................................................................................................... 72 III - The Anglo-Portuguese Expedition of 1721 ....................................................................... 86 IV - Robert Cowan and his Posting to Surat, Apr.- Aug. 1722 ................................................. 93 Chapter Three: Mocha, 1724-7 ........................................................................................ 103 I - The Mocha Coffee Market and Company Trade ............................................................... 107 II - Cowan’s Personal Experience of Mocha .......................................................................... 117 III - Cowan’s Personal Finances and Trade 1724-7 ............................................................... 125 IV - Cowan’s Interpersonal Network ..................................................................................... 133 iv V - The East India Company Withdrawal from Mocha .......................................................... 144 Chapter Four: Bombay, 1728-35, Part I ............................................................................ 155 I - East India Company Trade in the Western Ocean ............................................................ 167 II - The Bombay Military and Power Projection .................................................................... 180 III - Cowan and Anglo-Portuguese Relations ......................................................................... 200 Chapter Five: Bombay, 1728-35, Part II ............................................................................ 214 I - Cowan’s Interpersonal Network ....................................................................................... 240 II - Cowan and Company Politics in London .......................................................................... 251 III - Company Politics in the Western Presidency 1733-4 ..................................................... 266 Chapter Six: Cowan’s Return to England and Legacy, 1735-39........................................... 278 I - Cowan’s Private Accounts ................................................................................................. 280 II - Cowan and the Diamond Trade ....................................................................................... 285 III - Cowan’s life in England and Will ..................................................................................... 290 IV - Court Pleadings and Cowan’s Legacy.............................................................................. 296 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 310 Glossary ......................................................................................................................... 324 Appendix One ................................................................................................................. 329 Recipients of Correspondence from Robert Cowan during his time in India, 1719-35. ....... 329 Appendix Two ................................................................................................................. 338 Draft Articles of Alliance for the Anglo-Portuguese Expedition of 1721. ............................. 338 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 342 Manuscript Sources............................................................................................................... 342 v British Library .................................................................................................................... 342 National Archives, Kew ..................................................................................................... 344 Public Record Office of