Hamilton’s account of the east indies. 279

niofques raife their heads pretty high above the reft of the buildings. Their marketsare well ftored with animal provifions, fuch as beef, mutton of ftieep and goats,lamb and kid, camels and antelope’s flefh, dung-hill fowls, Guinea hens, partridgeand pigeon. The fea affords variety of filh, but not favoury. I believe their un-favourinefs proceeds from the extreme faltnefs of the fea-water, and the nature of theiraliment. The town is well furnifhed,. all the year round, with good fruits, fuch asgrapes, peach, apricocks and quinces, of which they make ftore of marmelade, bothfor their prefent ufe and exportation, though near the town, there is not a tree orfhrub to be feen, but a few date trees. And they feldom have more than two or threefhowers of rain in a year, and often no rain in two or three years; but amongft themountains, about 20 miles off, feldom a morning paffes without a moderate fhower,which makes the vallies very prolific in fruit and corn, fuch as the foil will bear ; butthey have no rice, though plenty of barley and wheat.

The governor of Mocha, and the officers of the town, are merchants, when they thinkto get good bargains, and are very ready to break their contrails, both in payment of theirdebts, and in the time of payment, fome inftances whereof I faw. And in anno 1716 ,1 hadan experimental one; for the deputy-governor having bought a part of my cargo,agreed to pay me the firft day of June, according to our sera and computation. At theappointed time I demanded my money , but he told me, that notwithstanding he hadagreed at that time to pay me, yet the cuftora was not to pay before the middle ofJuly, and cuftom muft be obferved before contradl; befides, the King having muchneed of money, fent preffing demands on the town for money, as fall as it came in bycuftoms and other fubfidies ; therefore he could not, ny' would not pay me beforethe cuftomary time, nor would he clear my account cuftoms (which is a part of hisoffice) before that time. I often folicited him to clear my account, and pay the ba-lance ; but to no pyrpofe. I then fell on a project to frighten him into compliance.

I went very calmly to him, and told him that I had fome goods left, which would beproper for the inland markets, and that I would let him have a pennyworth of them.He knew the goods, were proper enough, as I had told him, and fo came to myhoufe, which was four fiories high. I carried him up to the higheft, and havingfeated him in a ftnall balcony, I fliewed him the mufters of my goods, and afkedprices which he thought too high; and becaufe we could not agree, he was forgoing abruptly away, and fo got on his feet: but I being much too ftrong for him,took him by the ffioulders and forced him to fit down again, and ordered my linguiflto tell him, that before we parted, he muft clear my account cuftoms, and give mebills on the King’s banker, for the balance, otherwife I would teach him to fly fromthe balcony to the ground, be the confequence what it would. He had never been fotreated before, and fear feized him fo, that he could not fpeak for a little time, but re-covering a little, ordered his clerk, who was in the room with us, to make up my ac-count and draw bills immediately, who readily obeyed orders ; and in half an hour webecame good friends again. The noife of this adtion run like a fquib through thetown, and before I came to the banker with the bill, (which was.for about 1200I.fterling) he was apprifed how I had ferved the deputy governor, and upon pre-fenting it, accepted it to be paid in feven days ; but witnal defired, that I wouldconftantly keep two European feamen at his door with arms, and as. money came in,they were to receive one bag,, and the King’s people another, till the fum fliould becompleted : and accordingly in feven days I got every penny, and fent the governorword that I wanted to wait on him, in order to take my leave. He returned me an-swer,. that I Ihould be very- welcome; and accordingly I v/ent, and he received me very

4. civili y >