maritime activities economy and social customs of the muslims of ...

The English had a permanent machinary at Cuddalore for entering into contract w~th
the weavers and local traders for the supply of textiles. PortNovo was also included in this
network. The English tapped the markets to the west of Cuddalore as far as Salem. The
company shlp were canytng good deal of freight. In 1684 the English company's export
from Coromandel was the highest in the history of the textile export from Coromandellw.
The English shipping of the Asian trade plied in the popular routes of Coromandel
trade. It sailed to Martaban, Pegu. Tennaserim, Arakan, Kedah, Perak, Johore and Ache
participating in the customary trade between these places and Coromandel coast. Much of
the trade from Madras was carried out by English private operators, company servants and
free merchants. The traditional maritime merchants, the Muslims and Chettlars plied side by
side wlth the English from the ports of Cuddalore, PortNovo and Nagapattanam. The English
traded dlrectly wlth Manila in league with the Portuguese, Armenians and Coromandel
Muslims191. There was small boat traffic from Madras to Malabar, Ceylon and Maldkes.
Short distance inter portal traffic from Kovalam, Fort St.David. PortNovo. Pondicherry,
Tranquebar, Karaikkal, Nagore, Tondi, Kilakkarai and Kayalpattanam was also undertaken
in which the local Muslim traders participated.
The English company imported the English manufactures into Coromandel. They
Imported from Mocha,Bandar Abhas, the West Asian goods ; from Burma and Thai ports,
tin, aromatics and a varlety of goods; from Malaya and Sumatran ports, pepper, tin, aromatic
wood and spices; from China, Copper and porceline. The English private traders dlrectly
competed with the Coromandel native tradersLez.
The English carried on a brisk trade on slaves. They regularly supplied the slaves to
the Southeast Asian markets of Ache, Arakan and Pegu. Slave trade was prohibited in
Madras by 1687. But the trade went underground. Even during nineteenth century children
were kidnapped and transported overseas as slaves. A number of Muslim traders were
involved in such cases at Nagapattanam, Nagore and Kayalpattanam 19'.
It will be seen that the first settlements of the English were purely commercial in
nature. Their settlements contained nothing more than factories, warehouses and residences