Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

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Chap. X.— Continuation of Obfervations on the Empire of Perfia , giving an 'Ac-count- of its Magnitude; the Reduction of Ormuze to the Obedience of Perfia by the

Ajfijiance of the Englijh: alfo of the late Revolution by Meriweys.

THE empire of Perfia is of a large extent, being limited by Euphrates and the Per-fian gulf to weftward, the Indian ocean , from Cape Guaddel, to the fouthward, on theeaft fide by the river Indus , that runs 1200 miles to the northward from its mouths,and on the north by Uibeck, Tartaria, Colchis , Mangrelia, the Cafpian Sea and Geor-gia. Erivan in Armenia, is a province in the north-well of it, as Cabul and Candahaare on the north-eall fide. Towards Turkey they fometimes lofe and get whole pro-vinces in a year. About the beginning of the feventeenth century, Shaw Abafs wasking of Perfia, a king worthy of empire, and made himfelf famous by his valour andhis juftice; but having no fleet at fea, the Portugueze infulted his fea-coafts, and fet-tled themfelves on the Ifland of Ormuze, and built a good llrong fort, as is already ob-ferved, with a pretty large town, and magnificent churches. Some porches and bro-ken pillars I have feen, that fpeak their ancient grandeur; and the caftle is Hill good,and well kept. The Portugueze, with their light frigates and gallies, infulted the fea-coafts of Perfia, and all the (hipping that had commerce in the gulf, for above a wholecentury. Shaw Abafs being tired with the complaints of his fubjects, and others thathad been robbed and infulted by the imperious Portugueze, made him very uneafy,and found no remedy but by encouraging the Englilh, who then had a fmall fac-tory on the fea-lhore, about 7 leagues from the mouth of the gulf, to the eaftward,called Jafques, but were continually difturbed in their commerce by the domineeringPortugueze from Ormuze.

Sir Thomas Row being then ambaffador at the court of Perfia for King James thefirft of England, to cultivate a correfpondence between the two kingdoms, ShawAbafs broke his mind to Sir Thomas, and proffered any reai’onable indulgence to thePnglilh that traded into Perfia, providing they would join his land forces with theirsa t fea, in India , to drive the troublefome Portugueze out of the Perfian gulf. SirThomas agreed, that, if Shaw Abafs would defray the charge of the (hips that Ihouldcome to his afliftance, give the Englilh a free trade all over the Perfian dominions,cuftom free, and grant them one moiety of the cuftoms railed by merchandize in theQulf, they would not only help to drive the Portugueze out of Ormuze, but keep twoftfips in the Gulf, to protect trade. All which was agreed to by both parties, and feal-cd and figned by the King of Perfia.

The Englilh forces confifted of five (hips, about 40 guns one with another, and'vere well manned. The King of Perfia fent an army of 40 or 50,000, with tran-ces for tranfports, to land them on Ormuze. The Englilh foon deftroyed the Portu-gueze armado of light frigates and gallies, which were hauled dry on the land near theCa ftle. The caftle firing brilkly on them, funk one of the Englilh (hips, whofe artillery^as carried alhore, and put in batteries to annoy the caftle, which the Ihipping andbatteries did fo effectually, that in lefs thart two months, the Portugueze capitulated toleave Ormuze, with all the fortifications intire, and to carry nothing away but theirftoble felves. The plunder, which was very great, was equally divided between theTnglfth and Perfians j and tradition reports, that there was fo much ready bullionlound in the caftle, that it was meafured by long-boats-full •, and one boat being pretty^ e ep, and an officer ftill throwing in more, put the boatfwain of the fhip, who was in

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