Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

apiece. They have fome good fifli, not dear, and pigeons at a penny apiece, and livehares at four-pence apiece.

They have plenty of wheat, as good as any in Europe, and fome peafe, and French beans; but neither oats nor barley. They have feveral fpecies of legumen ; but thofeof doll are moft in ufe, for fome doll and rice being mingled together and boiled,make Kitcheree, the common food of the country, they eat it with butter and Atcharor falt-fifh. ’Tis a pleafant nourifhing food, and that which the famous Aurengzeb moftdelighted to eat. They have alfo (tore of wild fowl; but who have a mind to eat ofthem, muft fhoot them. Flamingoes are large, and good meat. The paddy-bird isalfo good in their feafon, and the corn-bird is excellent in theirs. They have goodpartridge, but bad pheafants. Their wild geefe, duck, and teal, are plenty and good;and feveral forts of turtle doves, both beautiful and well-tafted. They have few deer,but great plenty of antelopes in their forefts. There are no fine buildings in the city,but many large houfes, and fome caravanferays and mufcheits, and fome fine tanks, orlarge cifterns to keep rain water, near the town, particularly one a little without Bram-pore gate. The French have a little church near the old Englilh factory, which main-tains a few capuchins, who pradtife furgery gratis to the poor natives, of what per-fuafion foever. They make fome converts ; but they are generally of the Ioofeft mo-rals of any fet in the town. There are above an hundred different fedts in this city ; butthey never have any hot difputes about their dodlrine or way of worfhip. Every oneis free to ferve and worfhip God their own way. And perfections for religion’sfake are not known among them. The Mahometans have the law in their hands, anddiftribute juftice beft to thofe that pay belt for it. The Judge’s fees are 25 per cent,on all fums that he pronounces due to the party whofe plea is beft fupported with bribesor intereft, for the juftice of a caufe feldom prevails. Many examples I have feen be-tween honeft men of low fortunes and villains clothed with publick characters andgood fortunes; yet in fome cafes I have feen juftice take place. The Englifh andDutch diredtors or agents there make good figures, becaufe the officers of ftate andjuftice get yearly prefents or penfions from them. The governor of the caftle is notfubordinate to him of the towm, and he dares not come out of his neft but once in ayear, that he is permitted to go to church, and then he muft return before fun-fet.None are buffered to pafs the river whilft the fun is down below the horizon, nor darestiny one that comes in boats put their foot afliore without a fpecial permiffion ; and allboats or veffels muft land at the cuftom-houfe, and the boat and men are narrowlyfearched. The cuftoms on Mahometan goods are two in the hundred, on Chriftiansthree and three quarters ; but the Chriftians are exempt from paying poll-money, butthe Mahometans are not, nor Gentows, who pay 5 per cent, cuftoms on their goods.1 he Banyans are brokers even to Mahometans, who cannot u r ell make bargains with-out their brokers.

_ The Mahometan w r omen go always veiled when they appear abroad. Their garmentsdiffer but little from the man’s. Their coats, which alfo ferve both fexes for ftiirts, areolofe bodied. The men’s are gathered in plats below the navel, to make them feemlong waifted, and the women’s are gathered a pretty way above, to make their waift*eem fhort. They both wear breeches to the ancle. The men wear only filver rings°n their fingers, and generally but one for a fignet. The women Wear gold rings ontheir fingers, and fometitnes one on their thumbs, with a fmall looking-glafs fet in it,and often they wear gold rings in their nofes and ears. The Gentiles again permit

heir women to appear bare-faced, and their legs bare to the knee. They wear goldor diver rings, according to their ability, one in their nofe, and feveral fmall ones inVol. viii, x t holes