He had been long on the coast, and by diligent trading had acquired a
little money; but he had other things to think of besides his private
trade, as we find recorded at the time that 'the Rajah of Carwar continues
ill-natured.' By the end of 1710, he made up his mind to resign the
Company's service, wind up his affairs, and go to England; so Mr. Robert
Mence was appointed to succeed him at Carwar, and, in April, 1711, Harvey
and his child-wife came to Bombay. But to wind up trading transactions of
many years' standing was necessarily a long business, and there was no
necessity for hurry, as no ship could leave for England till after the
monsoon. As always happened in those days, his own accounts were mixed up
with those of the Company, and would require laborious disentanglement.
Before leaving Carwar, he had leased to the Company his trading grab, the
_Salamander_, and had taken the precaution to pay himself out of the
Company's treasure chest at Carwar. Before long, there was an order to the
Carwar chief to recharge Mr. Harvey 402 Pagodas, 17 Jett, and 4 Pice he
had charged to the Company for the use of the _Salamander_, the account
having been liquidated in Bombay; from which it would appear that he had
been paid twice for his ship. The accounts of those days must have been
maddening affairs owing to the multiplicity of coinages. Pounds sterling,
Pagodas, Rupees, Fanams, Xeraphims, Laris, Juttals, Matte, Reis, Rials,
Cruzadoes, Sequins, Pice, Budgerooks, and Dollars of different values were
all brought into the official accounts. In 1718, the confusion was
increased by a tin coinage called Deccanees.[1] The conversion of sums
from one coinage to another, many of them of unstable value, must have
been an everlasting trouble.[2] In August we find Harvey writing to the
Council to say that he had at Tellicherry a chest of pillar dollars
weighing 289 lbs. 3 ozs. 10 dwts., which he requests may be paid into the
Company's cash there, and in return a chest of dollars may be given him at
Bombay.