Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

37 °

the navel, and were bare-footed. The queen had a cheerful countenance, and veryaffable to us and others, who had the honour to ftand near her, diftributing beetle andarecka with her own royal hands, to ftrangers, who came, as we did, to complimentthe prince her hulband.

About the year 1680, there were three princes of the blood royal, who confpiredto cut him and his family off, to poffefs themfelves of the government of Calliftree;but being detected, they were beheaded on altars built of flone. About two miles fromCananore the altars were handing when 1 was there. They were only fquare piles ofhewn flone, about three yards high, and four yards each fide.

Adda Rajah’s dominions reach but ten miles to thefouthward of Cannanore , to Tel-licherry river, near which he has an harbour called Dormepatam. Its paffage in-ward is deep enough, but embarraffed with rocks in its entrance. It has an iflandagainft its mouth, called Caeca Diva, about half a league from the fhore, invironedwith rocks.

Adda Rajah has alfo the dominion over the Lacca Diva iflands, which lie about 40leagues off the Malabar coaft, between the latitudes of eight degrees and an half andtwelve and an half. I have feen eighteen of them. They are all very low, and havemany dangerous fhoals among them, and to the northward of them. The channel be-tween them and the Maldiva iflands, is called the eight degree channel. There areno dangers in it, and fometimes we pafs through without feeing either the Maldivas ,or them. There is another channel through them in 11 degrees latitude.

Their product is only cocoa-nuts and fifh. Of the cocoa-nut kernels they exprefsoil, which is fine and clear, fitting for lamps ; and, when it is new, ferves their kitchens.Of the rind of the nut they make cayar, which are the fibres of the calk thatenvirons the nut fpun fit to make cordage and cables for {hipping, and for leveralother ufes. Their fifh they dry, and export to the continent. Sometimes in thefouthweft monfoons they find amber-greafe floating on the fea. I faw a piece inAdda Rajah’s poffeflion, as bigas a bulhel, and he valued it at 10,000 rupees, or1250 pounds fterling. "What religion they have is Mahometan, for no other reafonbut becaufe their prince is fo, which complaifance may teach others a leffon ofconformity.

The'next province to Adda Rajah’s dominions is Tellicherry , where the EnglifhEaft-India Company has a f’a&ory, pretty well fortified with flone walls and cannon,The place where the factory now {lands belonged to the French , who left the mud-walls of a fort built by them, to ferve the Engliih when they firft fettled there, and formany years they continued fo, but of late no ftnall pains and charge have been be-llowed on its buildings; but for what reafons I know not, for it has no river near itthat can want its protection, nor can it defend the road from the infults of enemies,unlefs it be for fmall veffels that can come within fome rocks that lie half a mile off, orto protect the company’s warehouie, and a punch houfe that {lands on the fea-fliorea Ihort piflol-fliot from the garrifon.

The town {lands at the back of the fort, within land, with a flone wall round it,to keep out enemies of the chief’s making, for in 1703, he began a war that ftillcontinues, at leaft there were folks killed in 1723, when I was there; and Iwas informed by a gentleman of judgment there, that the war and fortificationshad taken double the money to maintain them that the - Company’s inveftmentscame to.

The occafion of the war, as I was informed began about a trifle. The Nayer,that was lord of the manor, had a royalty, for every veffel that unladed at Tellicherry

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