Hamilton’s account of the east indies.
349
Chap. XX .—Gives an Account of what is remarkable on fome IJlands , and of the
TWO leagues from the caftle is a fmall ifland belonging to the Company, calledButcher’s ifland; it is of no ufe, befides hauling {hips afliore to clean, and graze-a few cattle. And, a league from thence, is another larger, called Elephanto,belonging to the Portugueze, and ferves only to feed fome cattle. I believe ittook its name from an elephant carved out of a great black {tone, about fevenfoot in height. It is fo like a living elephant, that, at two hundred yards diftance,a fharp eye might be deceived by, its fimilitude. A little way from that {landsan horfe, cut out of a {tone, but not fo proportionable and well-fhaped as theelephant.
There is a pretty high mountain {lands in the middle of the ifland, {Raped like a bluntpyramid, and, about the half of the way to the top, is a large cave, that has twolarge inlets, which ferve both for paffage into it and lights. The mountain above itrefts on large pillars, hewn out of a folid rock, and the pillars curioufly carved. Somehave the figures of men, about eight feet high, in feveral poftures, but exceedinglywell proportioned and cut. There is one that has a giant with four heads joined,and their faces looking from each other. He is in a fitting poflure, with his legs and feetunder his body. His right hand is above twenty inches long. There are feveral darkrooms hewn out of the rock, and a fine fpring of fweet water comes out of oneroom, and runs through the cave out at one of the inlets. I fired a fufee into one of therooms, but 1 never heard cannon nor thunder make fuch a dreadful node, which con-tinued about half a minute ; and the mountain feemed to {hake. As foon as the noifewas over, a large ferpent appeared, which made us take to our heels, and got out ofthe cave at one door, and he, in great hafte, went out at the other. I judged him aboutx 5 foot long, and two foot about. And thefe were all that I faw worth obfervation onthat ifland. I afked the inhabitants of the ifland, who were all Gentows, or Gentiles,about twenty in number, if they had any account, by hiftory or tradition, who madethe cave, or the quadrupeds carved in {tone; but they could give no account. Abouta league from Elephanto, is an ifland called Salvageo. It affords nothing but fire-wood,with which it fupplies Bombay. And, about half a league from it, is the ifland of Car-ronjaa, belonging to the Portugueze. It affords no trade, but eatables for Bombay,from whence it lies eaft about two leagues. Between it and the main land, is the mouthof Pen river. And four leagues fouth of Bombay, are two fmall iflands, Undra andCundra. The firft has a fortrefs belonging to the Sedee, and the other is fortifiedby the Sevajee, and is now in the hands of Connajee Angarie. The Englit'h havemade feveral attempts to take it, but never could, though in anno 1719, it hadcertainly been taken, had not a Portugueze traitor, who lay on one quarter of it withfome veffels of war to hinder relief coming to it, betrayed his trull, and let fomeboats pafs by in the night with provifions and ammunition, which the ifland wasm great want of. The Englifli landed, and were obliged to retire by fome lols theyreceived.
About four miles to the fouth-eaft of Cundra, is Culabee, a fort built on a rock axttle way from the main land; and, at high water, it is an ifland, belonging to theSevajee. And, two leagues to the fouth of Culabee, is Chaul, a town belonging to
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