ESQUIRE, COUNCILLOR OF THE ROYAL DIRECTOR, Minister
of Commerce for the Royal Company of France in the Kingdom of Bengal,
the Coast of Coramandel, and other (dependencies). To all those who
will see these presents, Greetings:

The following, _Coja Quanesse, Coja Jacob, Armenian; Nacodas_, of the
ship _Cara Merchant_, which the Armenian merchant Agapiris Kalender has
freighted in Surate from Cohergy ... having declared to us that before
their departure from Surate they had taken a passport from the Company
which they have presented to us to be dated from the first of January,
1697, signed _Martin_ and subscribed _de Grangemont_; that they feared
to be molested during the voyage which they had to make from this port
to Surate, and alleging that the aforementioned passport is no longer
valid, and that for this reason they begged of us urgently to have
another sent to them;--For these reasons we recommend and enjoin upon
all those under the authority of the Company; we beg the Chiefs of
Squadrons and Commanders of Vessels of His Majesty: and we request all
the friends and allies of the Crown in nowise to retard the voyage and
to render all possible aid and comfort, promising on a similar occasion
to do likewise. In testimony of which we have signed these presents,
and caused them to be countersigned by the Secretary of the Company,
and the seal of his arms placed thereon.

MARTIN.

(Dated Jan. 16, 1698.)

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[Illustration: The French pass or safe conduct paper found by Kidd in
the ship _Quedah Merchant_. This document, which was suppressed by the
prosecution, is evidence that the prize was a lawful capture. Kidd
vainly begged at his trial that this was another French pass be
produced as evidence in his favor.]

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It is reasonable to assume that the _Cara Merchant_ of the passport, is
intended to designate the ship in which the document was found by Kidd.
In various reports of the episode, the name of the vessel was spelled
_Quidah, Quedah, Queda_ and _Quedagh_. The word is taken from the name
of a small native state of the Malay Peninsula, and even to-day it is
set down in various ways, as _Quedah, Kedda_, or _Kedah_. Other
circumstances confirm this supposition and go far to prove that the
ship was a lawful prize for an English privateer. During the period
between the R