z6 4 Hamilton’s account or the east indies.

After they had been there three years without being able to learn any of their lan-guage, or to teach any of the natives a word of Englilh, a fhip was ordered, in herpaffage from India , to call there, to know what was become of thefe three perfons,and arriving there, found them all alive, but very tired with their manner of living,infomuch that they fell on their knees, and, with tears in their eyes, befeeched thecaptain of the fhip to carry them back to England, to receive the punifhment due totheir crimes, rather than be left among the very dregs of human nature, who had nei-ther religion nor laws, except what every mafter of a family prefcribed, and allowedthole under his authority to obferve and obey.

Some years after the experiment was made on the aforefaid criminals, an Englilhfhip coming there for water and provifions, in their way homeward to England, thecaptain had the curiofity to detain a youth that came to board his fhip, and, being readyto fail, carried him to England, where he ftaid fome years, clothed well after theEnglilh falhion, and kept at fchool to.learn to fpeak and read Englilh ; and, when theEaft India company thought him well enough qualified to ferve for an interpreter, theyfent him back to his own country, very well clothed. As foon as he appeared alhoreamong his friends and relations, he pulled off his Englilh apparel, and put on his coun-try habit, which is a fheep’s fkin about his Ihoulders. The Iheep’s guts ferve bothfexes for bracelets, and the tallow mixed with foot is their pomatum, with whichthey bedaub their woolly heads, faces, and the reft of their bodies. And when theycome on board of our fhipping to traffic their fowls, roots, and herbs, with our needles,fciffars, knives, toys, &c., they go firft to the cook-room, and look out for fome greafeto anoint their nafty carcafes, and fcrape the bottoms of the kettles for foot, to beau-tify their fkins.

Notwithftanding that they are fo brutal and indocile, they know the value of liberty,and will by no means be flaves, at leaft to any Europe nations ; and, in their difpofi-tions, are not cruel, through revengeful. They are not fuperftitious, for what adora-tion they pay, is to the fun, and that but feldom. The country is mountainous. Thehills are ftored with deer and Iheep, black cattle, lions, tigers, and other voraciousanimals. The vallies prpduce good wheat and legumen, grapes in abundance, andmany other excellent fruits, oftriches, and good fowl both wild and tame: and the feaand rivers good ftore of fifties, befides the manatee, or fea-cow.

The Englilh, defpairing of fettling a colony there, left it, and fettled at St. Helena ,a very high mountainous ifland, lying between the coaft of Guinea and America ,about 620 leagues north-weft half weft from the Cape of Good Hope ; and thq Dutch Eaft India Company fettled a colony at Cape Bona Efperanza, by the affiftance offome French refugees, who have penetrated near 300 Englilh miles into the laud, andmanure the ground to very good purpofe, it yielding them wines and wheat in abun-dance. The Dutch company has a ftrong fort, and a town on the fouth fide of a bay,that ferves for a good road for Ihipping in all winds, except thofe that blow be-tween the north and weft. The Englilh called generally there, in their way to andfrom India , in former times, for refrelhments; but of late the white Hottentotswill not permit the poor Britons to carry on board their Ihips any cattle, Iheep, orfowls with life in them, for the fupport or relief of their dear friends and allies,notwithftanding the confcientious prices we would willingly bellow for their edi-bles. The black Hottentots would fhew the Englilh much more humanity, if thewhite did not reftrain them; and fo I leave them, and proceed to the eaftward.

From Cape Bona Efperanza to Natal, is a dangerous fea-coaft, and little frequented,whether by the unfociablejaefs of the Hottentots, the inhabitants, or that the country

produces