Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

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us, that' it was the nabob’s pleafure, that we Ihould be brought to his tent on hotfe-back, and he riding before us, conduced us to the tent door, and as foon as we gotfrom our horfes, I was conduced into his own pavilion chamber, where he was fittingalone. The reft that came with me, were not admitted for an hour after. It wouldtake a great deal of time and room to relate the compliments and other difcourfes thatpaft ; but I knew the cuftom, not to appear before great men with an empty hand. Idefired leave to lay a little prefent at his feet, which he permitted. It confided of alooking-glafs, of about 5]. in value, a gun, and a pair of piftols well gilded, a fabre bladeand dagger blade gilded, and a glafs pipe for his tobacco, and an embroidered ftandilhfor it to (land in. He then fentfor all who had accompanied me into the room, andfhewed the prefent I had made him, magnifying every piece of it; and after fome en-comiums on my valour and generofity, told me, that I was a free denifon of Tatta,with the addition of an indulgence of being free of all cuftom and tax on all goods thatI had brought or Ihould export, and that whoever bought any part of my cargo, anddid not pay according to the agreement made for payment, I Ihould not be liable toleek for juftice at the Cadjee’s court, but to imprifon my debtors, and if that wouldnot perfuade them to give fatisfaclion, he would fell their wives, children, or neareftrelation to make good their debt. This privilege did me fingular fervice when theterm of payments came, and was obliged to try the experiment of imprifoning. Afterthree hours converfation, we took leave to go, and he difmifled us with much civility,and told me, that when he returned from that expedition, he would repay my vifit atmy lodgings ; but in three months that I ftaid, he did not return, but often fent to en-quire after my welfare, and how my affairs ftood.

In travelling from Dungham towards Tatta, about four miles Ihort of the city, onfmooth riling ground, there are forty-two fine large tombs, which, from the plain, ap-peared to be a lmall town. They are the burying places of fome of the kings of Siu-dy, when that country was governed by its own kings. I went into the largeft, whichis built in the form of a cupola, and in the middle of it, ftood a coffin-tomb, aboutthree foot high, and feven foot long, with fome others of a lefler fize. The materialsof the cupola were yellow, green, and red porphyry, finely polilhed, and the ftones fetin regular order, chequer ways, which variegation ftrikes the eye with wonderful plea-fure. The tomb is about ten yards high, and feven in diameter. I was told, that it wasthe burying place of the laft King of that country, who was robbed of his fovereigntyby Jehan Guire, grandfather to the famous Aurenzeb, in the beginning of the feven-teenth century, who, after he had him prifoner, bid him alk what favours hewould defire for himfelf and children, and they Ihould be granted. He nobly replied,that all the favour he begged, was, that himfelf, his queen, and their children, mightbe buried in that tomb, which, in times of profperiy, he had built for that purpofe, andhad coft him two lack of rupees, or 25,000!. fterling, which requeft his conquerorcould not well refufe.

Tatta city Hands about two miles from the river Indus , in a fpacious plain, and theyhave canals cut from the river, that bring water to the city, and fome for the ufe oftheir gardens. The King’s gardens were in pretty good condition in anno 1699, andwere well Itored with excellent fruits and flowers, particularly the moll delicious pome-granates that ever I tailed.

For three years before I came there, no rain had fallen, which caufed a fevere plagueto affect the town and circumjacent country, to fuch a degree, that in the city only,above 80,000 died of it, that manufactured cotton and filk, and above one half of thecity was deferted and left empty. And that was one reafon why the nabob had placed

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