THE RISE AND FALL OF THE MUGHAL EMPIREports of the Arabian Sea. Even the British governor of Bombay envied him
because he was a keen competitor. In order to protect himself against the
risks of his day Muhammad Ali built a fortified port of his own near Surat.
The Mughal commander of the port of Surat did not like this, but had to
acquiesce as he owed Muhammad Ali a great deal of money. However,
they finally fell out with each other and the Mughal commander
imprisoned Muhammad Ali. The great merchant who had lived like a
prince died a miserable death in this Mughal prison.
One year after Muhammad Ali’s death the British organised a blockade
of the port of Surat. They did not mind that they would thus forfeit the
privileges bestowed upon them by the Great Mughal. In the following year
(1735) the Sidis who commanded the small Mughal navy raided Surat and
captured all the ships which were just about to set sail for the Red Sea.
They claimed that they did this only because the Great Mughal had not
paid them their dues—and thus they abducted the merchant fleet which
they were supposed to protect.
The chaotic situation of the declining Mughal empire was such that
merchants became an easy prey for robbers and government officers alike.
The great web of trade which the Indian merchants had spun was torn
apart with a vengeance. The small pedlar who accompanies his goods can
escape such depredations more easily. But the great merchant who
dispatches huge consignments, maintains agents in many countries, grants
and receives credit and places advance orders—he depends very much on
political stability. He can survive the sacking of his town as long as the
network of trade is not destroyed and stability can be restored.
Thus Shivaji’s raid on Surat in 1664 remained a mere episode, soon
forgotten. The city prospered once more and its maritime trade actually
experienced its greatest phase of expansion in the early decades of the
eighteenth century. In the years from 1720 to 1729 about fifty ships
arrived at Surat every year: thirty-three of them belonged to Indian
merchants. Of these Indian ships about nine came from the Red Sea, seven
from the Malabar coast and five from Bengal and the rest from various
other places. After the crucial events of the years 1733 and 1734, which
have been described earlier, Surat’s maritime trade was reduced by about
50 per cent. In the five years from 1734 to 1738 only about twenty-eight
ships arrived at Surat per year; eighteen belonged to Indian merchants. Six
of the Indian ships came from the Red Sea, one from the Malabar coast
and three from Bengal. The reduction affected almost all routes, but the
connection with the Malabar coast seems to have suffered most.
This dwindling trade was a symptom of the decay of political stability.
The individual Indian merchant who tried to protect himself after the
fashion of Muhammad Ali could find no salvation from this decay: on the
contrary, he incited the wrath and the covetousness of those against whom
he wanted to protect himself. Only the European companies with their