Hamilton’s account op the east indies. 1

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clue, for fear of a baftinado in either cafe, and fometimes worfe confequcnces, whichabufes make the circulation of trade very faint and weak.

The clergy at Goa are very numerous and illiterate, and are a very great burdenon the ftate. Their churches are richly furnilhed with fine decorations and images,and, as I faid before, richly endowed to maintain the luxury of a great number ofidle drones.

Their houfes are large, and their outfides magnificent; but within (like theirowners heads) they are but poorly furnilhed, and their tables very mean. Green fruitsand roots, in their feafons, with a little bread and rice go far in their diet; andcandied and preferved fruits are their regalio in all feafons. They have hogs andfowl plenty, but ufe them fparingly ; and the church feeds molt on filh, but not mira-culoufly, for the poor filhers dare fell none till the priefthood is firft ferved, fo that thelaity moftly eat Hale or flunking fifn. And the foldiery, filhers, peafants and handi-crafts feed on a little rice boiled in water, with a little bit of fait filh, or atchaar,which is pickled fruits or roots, raid drink fair water when they can get it. This finefpare diet never loads them with fuperabundant flelh on their bones, and,' without theChurch, it is rare to find a corpulent man among them. They are generally veryweak and feeble, but whether that proceeds from their diet, or from their toogreat inclinations to venery, or from both, I am not phyfician enough to determine.

Their foldiers pay is verv frnall and ill paid. They have but fix xerapheens permonth, and two fuits of calico, firiped or chequered, in a year. Their two fuits mayamount to forty xerapheens; and a xerapheen is worth about fixteen pence half-penny fterling. Out of their fix xerapheens in money that they are to receive, theircaptain, who is barrack-mafter and victualler to his company, detains five, and theother one is paid in finall money to difeharge the accounts of the fhoe-maker, tailor,barber, wafherman, and tobacconift, fo that frugality is no great virtue among them,though theft is, and really they are very dextrous in that art, as well as in murder,for if they are detected in committing fuch innocent crimes, the very next church is afanctuary for them, and neither divine nor human laws can affect them after they getin there.

This nation was famous in the fifteenth century for their navigation and difeoveriestion the Eaft Indies, where, by friendlhip or force, they made fettlements all over itsfea-coafts. Their fettlements were thick fet between Mozambique and Japon : and, asn monument of their grandeur then, their language goes current along moll of thefea-coaft at this time: their infolent pride and war with the Dutch have brought themto the poverty and contempt they are in, as I lhall remark in their proper places.

The Mufkat war, (that has lafted fince the Arabs took that city from them,) thoughthe longeft, has done the lead harm, for it obliges them to keep an armada of five orfix fhips, befides fmall frigates and grabs of war, which gives bread to great numbersof people who otherwife would be much more burdenfome to the ftate, by crowdingmto churches. The Arabs and they have had many encounters, but no great damage<lone on either fide. I was witnefs to one engagement near Surat bar, but if wasnot bloody.

They alfo have had feveral wars afhore, but the moft dangerous to the city of Goa 'vas that with Sevajee Rajah, who got footing on the ifland about the year 1685. He^aifed fome batteries againft the town, which would have annoyed it very much, hadnot a Portuguefe heroine, in a Tally, got into a redoubt of thb enemy’s, and cut themto pieces, which ftruck fuch a terror into Sevajee’s army, that they quitted their portsnnd fled. The lady was alive in anno 1705, and received the pay of a captain all hervol. viii, z z days