Hamilton’s account of the east indies. 31 i

furgeon on board, /he called at Bombay, to get her wounded men dreffed and cured.In the time of the combat, while the pirates were on board the Morning Star, twenty-one Indian feamen went on board of them, and twenty-fix merchants had gone tothem, to try if they could perfuade them to take a fum, and not put it on the hazard ofa battle. .All thole they detained, and carried along with them, and made them payabove 600I. for their ranfom, who gave an account afterwards of great flaughter doneon the pirates. And the commodore loft his head as foon as he landed, for letting forich a prize go out-of his hands.

In anno 1698, one Captain Lavender, in the Ihip Thomas, bound from Surat toMocha, encountered four fail of thofe freebooters, and fought them bravely ; but theyburnt the Ihip and all her crew, becaufe he would not yield. They are very cruel tothofe they can mafter, if they make refiftance; but to thofe that yield without fight-ing, they are pretty civil.

The next fea-port town to Baet, is Jigat. It ftands on a point of low land, calledCape Jigat. The city makes a good figure from the fea, /hewing four or five highfteeples. It is the feat of a Fouzdaar or governor, for the Mogul. It is a place of notrade, and confequently little known to /hangers.

The next maritime town is Mangaroul. It admits of trade, and affords coarfe cali-coes, white and dyed, wheat, pulfe, and butter for export, and has a market for pepper,fugar, and beetlenut. It is inhabited by Banyans ; and wild deer, antelopes, and pea-cocks are fo familiar, that they come into the very houfes without fear.

The next place is Poremain, a pretty large town on the fea-lhore, and admits oftrade, producing the fame commodities as Mangaroul, and its inhabitants are of thefame religion; but both towns are obliged to keep Raffpouts to protect them from theinfults of the Sanganians.

Thofe Raffpouts are natives of Guzerat, and are all gentlemen of the fword, andare well trained in the art of killing. They, like the Switz, employ their fwords inthe fervice of thofe who give them belt pay. They feldom give or take quarter and'vhen they go on an expedition, they carry their wives and children in carts and wag-gons along with them, and if they meet with a repulfe, their wives will never fuffer co-habitation till they can regain their loft honour by fome noble exploit.

Diu is the next port, and is the fouthermoft land on Guzerat. It is a fmall ifiand ofthree miles long, and two broad, belonging to the crown of Portugal . The city ispretty large, and fortified by an high ftone wall, with baftions at convenient diftances,Well furni/hed with cannon to flank it, and a* deep mote hewn out of a hard rock, todefend it on the land fide, which is about one third part of the city. The other partsare fortified by nature, having the ocean thick fet with dangerous rocks and high cliffs,who forbid any approaches on that fide, and a rapid deep river, that affords a goodharbour, on the north-eaft fide. The harbour is fecured by two caftles, one large,that can bring 100 large cannon to bear on the mouth of the harbour, to forbid /hip-ping entrance without leave. The other is but fmall, and is built irregularly on a rockin the middle of the river, and channels for /hipping to pafs by it, within ten yards ofits walls. It is made ufe of for a magazine for powder and other warlike ftores.

It is one of the beft built cities, and belt fortified by nature and art, that ever I fawin India , and its /lately buildings of free ftone and marble, are fufficient witneffes of itsindent grandeur and opulency; but at prefent not above one fourth of the city is in-habited. It contains five or fix fine churches, which are great ornaments to the city,which ftands on a rifing ground of an eafy afcent from the great caftle; and thechurches being built wide from one another, and /landing gradually higher than one

another,