270 ‘ Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

ward, and but 3 or 4 to the weftward, who lie in the channel between Quiloa and Madagafcar.

Comora is the weftmoft of the inhabited iflands, and affords nothing but a fcantymaintenance for a parcel of poor miferable creatures. Johanna is within fight of Co-mora, and is a plentiful ifland in cattle, goats, fowls and fifb, with good lemons andoranges, fo that moft part of the Englilh (hipping bound to Mocha, Perfia, and Surat ,ufually called there for refrefhments, till the pirates began to frequent it. There aretwo memorable accidents fell out at that ifland, to the Englilh Eall India Company’sfhipping. One was in the year 1690 or 91, to Captain Burton in the Herbert, a fliipof 800 tons, mounting 56 guns. He was attacked by three French fliips, each gunnedand manned as well as he. On their approach, he cut his cables and put to fea ; abouttwo in the afternoon began an hot engagement, which lafted till eight at night; theHerbert blew up, and loft all her men, but fix or feven that were in the pinnace, fomewhereof I faw afterwards at Mulkat. The other was lately, in anno 1720, when twoof our Eaft India fliips were watering there, with an Oftend Ihip in their company ;they agreed to Hand by one another in cafe of affault, or engaging with the commonenemy, but when two pirates drew near, the Greenwich and Offender weighed, andflood to fea, and left the Caffandra to fhift for herfelf, who was obliged to engage thefmalleft pirate (being a Ihip of 24 guns, Dutch built) in the bay, and foon after theybegan, the Caffandra went aground on fome rocks and the pirate ftriving to board her,was alfo taken up by fome rocks, not above twenty yards from the Caffandra. Thepirate’s head lay towards the Caffandra’s broadfide, and they pelted one another fu-rioufly, many falling on both fides, but the pirates finding too hot work on their decks,were forced to quit them, and run down into the hold for Ihelter. Captain Mackraw,who commanded the Caffandra, feeing the other pirate approach near him, andmanning all his boats to reinforce his comrade, thought it a good time for him,and who elfe could get alhore, to embrace the opportunity, and accordingly theygot into their boats, and faved their lives. The inhabitants Ihewed much humanityto the diftreffed, and carried them above a dozen of miles up in the country, forfear the pirates in their mad fury Ihould have murdered the poor men that efcapedfrom their Ihip. The pirates, foon after they had poffeflion of the Caffandra* gother afloat again, Ihe having received little or no damage; they alfo got their ownfliip off, but fhe was very much Ihattered, and difabled in her mails.

Captain Mackraw, being a gentleman that was well verfed in converfation with men ofany temper, ventured on board the pirates, and they were fo much taken with his addrefs,that they made him a prefent of that Ihip which he had fo bravely battered, to carryhim and his crew to India ; in the mean while, the Greenwich came to Bombay inSeptember, who brought the account of the lofs of the Caffandra, and in November,Captain Mackraw arrived himfelf with his new Ihip, and his Ihip’s company all in rags,but were foon equipped by the benevolence and generofity of the Governor, Mr.Boone, who was a gentleman of as much honour and good fenfe as any that ever fatin that chair.

Mohilla is but a little diftance from Johanna, pretty well inhabited, but the peoplenot fo well civilized as Johanna; and the Kings of thefe neighbouring Iflands have con-tinual war. The Johanna men, by the afliftance of Commodore Littleton, landed onMohilla, and made great flaughter and devaftation ; but what his policy was in break-ing the neutrality that the Englilh held among thofe iflanders, I know not. Mayotta lies about 35 leagues from Johanna, and is the largeft of the inhabited iflands, but

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