310 Hamilton’s account of thjj east indies,

reafons they give for choofmg that fex for their governefles, are, that they’ll be betteradvifed by their council than men, who, by too large a fhare of power and honourplaced on them, become obdinate in their opinions, and infolent in their behaviour :but ladies are edeemed complaifant and gentle.

The next province to Cutchnaggen, is Sangania, which is alfo governed by aprincefs, for the above reafons. Their fea-port is called Baet, very commodious andl'ecure. They admit of no trade, but prattife piracy. They give protection to allcriminals, who deferve punifliment from the hand of judice. All villains in the coun-tries about flock thither, and become honed robbers, l'o that they are a medley of crimi-nals, who flee their country for fear of condign punilhment due to their crimes. Thisprovince produces cotton and corn, as all the kingdom of Guzerat does; but they ad-mit of no trade in their country, as I obferved before, for fear of being civilized by ex-ample. I had feveral Ikirmilhes with them. They, being confident of their numbers,drive to board all fliips they can come at by failing. Before they engage in fight, theydrink Bang, which is made of a feed like hemp-feed, that has an intoxicating quality,and whild it affects the head, they are furious. They wear long hair, and when thevlet that hang loofe, they’ll give no quarter.

In anno 1686, a fmall fhip of theirs, that mounted eight guns, and manned with 300 ofthefe furious fellows, was cruizing on the coad of India, between Surat and Bombay,and the Phoenix, an Englilh man of war of 42 guns was bound for Surat . TheSanganian made towards her, and engaged her, but would fain have been gone againwhen they found their midake ; but that was impofiible. The Phoenix fent her boats,well manned, to try if they could make them yield, in order to fave their lives; butthey fcorned quarter, and killed and wounded many of the Englifli fo that CaptainTyrrel, who commanded the Phoenix, was forced to run his lower tier out, and finkthem: and after their fhip was funk, and the mifcreants fet a fwimming, yet modof them refufed quarter, and only about 70 were taken alive. (I believe Sir GeorgeBing can give a better account of the dory than I, for if I midake not, he was a lieutenantthen on board the Phoenix, and received a dangerous wound in the combat, at leadone of his name, who bore a commiffion, did.) In anno 1717, they attacked a fhipcalled the Morning Star, in her paffage between Gombroon and Surat . She wasrichly laden, which they were apprifed of, and two fquadrons were fitted out from twodifferent ports, to way-lay her, and accordingly fhe fell in with eight fail of thofe pi-rates. One was a large fhip of near 500 tons, and three others were fliips between 2 and300 tons, and the other four were grabs, or gallies, and fheybars, or half gallies. Theyreckoned in all there were above 2000 men in their fleet, and the Morning Star but17 fighting men, who were refolved to trud to Providence, and fight for their lives,liberty, and edate. The fird attack was by the greated fhip alone, but was foonobliged to flieer off again, with the lofs of fome men, and the captain of the MorningStar was wounded in the thigh, by a lance darted at him, that pierced his thighthrough and through. The pirates were not difcouraged by this fird repulfe, butjoined their forces and counfels together, and, after a day’s refpite and confultation,they attacked the Morning Star a fecond time, the two larged fliips boarding, one onher bow, and another on her quarter, and three more boarded them two, and enteredtheir men over them. The combat was warm for four hours, and the Morning Starhad feven killed, and as many wounded ; but kind Providence aflided her. Whildfhe was on fire in three places, and had burnt through her poop and half deck, flie wasdifengaged of them, and left five of the larged fo entangled with one another, thatthey'could not purfue her. So flie purified her voyage to Surat , but having no'