still the priority, consideration was now given to the preservation of an English presence in the East that could withstand the fluctuations of both European politics and oriental patronage. On ‘the Coast’ the fortified settlement at Madras seemed to be paying off. With the idea of finding a similar base in the west of India to which Englishmen could ‘resort with safety’ the factors at Surat began to float the idea of obtaining from the Portuguese a secure and fortifiable harbour. Diu or Bassein, where most of the Company’s local vessels were built, were suggested; alternatively there was
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