Hamilton’s account op the east indies. 3? 1

paid two bales of rice duty to him. There was another royalty of every tenth fiththat came to the market there, and both together did not amount to 20/. fterling perannum. The chief either appropriated thefe royalties to his own, or the Company’sufe, and the Nayer complained of the injuftice, but had no redrefs. Thefe littleduties were the beft part of the poor Nayer’s fubfiftence which made it the harderto bear, fo his friends advifed him to repel force by force, and difturb the factory whathe could, which he accordingly did (by the fecret affiftance of his friends) for above20 years. The Company are the beft judges whether the war is like to bring any pro-fit to their affairs there, or no.

The eftablilhed religion of this country is Paganifm; but there are a few black Chrif-tians that live under the protection of the factory, and fome of them ferve for fol-diers in the garrifon. They have a little church handing within the outward wall of thefactory, ferved by a Portuguefe prieft or two, who get their fubfiftence by the alms ofthe parifh. And the Engliih have punch-houfes, where the European foldiers makeoblations to Bacchus, and if they want devotion, which their accounts can certify atpay-day, they are forced to commute with their officer, or undergo fome wholefomedifcipline or chaftifement.

About four miles to the fouthward of Tellicherry, is a final! French factory latelyfettled at the mouth of a fmall river, but for what end I know not; but I believe moreto employ a little ftock for the gentlemen of Calecut factory’s account, than for theFrench Company’s.

And eight or ten miles farther to the fouthward is Burgara, a fea-port in the do-minions of Ballanore Burgarie, a formidable prince. His country produces pepper,and the beft cardamums in the world. I once called at his port, and bought about40 tuns of cardamums for the Surat market. My fhip was large and of good force,fo he fent me a prefent of poultry and fruits, and fent me word, that he had a mindto fee me on board my fhip. I returned anfwer, that his vifit would do megreat honour, and I fent my barge to wait on him. Pie came on board in her, andbrought about 100 attendants in other boats, along with him. I carried him to thegreat cabin, and would have treated him with coffee, tea and wine, or fpirits, but hewould tafte none, telling me, that my water was polluted by our touch, but hethanked m*e. He defired to fee the fhip every where; and I ordered he fhould havefree liberty, and went for an hour to and again, making his obfervations ; and, whenhe had feen what he thought fit, he told me, that he would build a fhip of the famedimenfions, but there wanted water enough in his rivers to float her.

This prince, and his predeceffors, have been lords of the feas, time out of mind,and all trading veffels between Cape Comerin and Damaan, were obliged to carry hispafles. Thofe of one maft paid for their paffes about eight Ihillings yearly, and thofewith three paid about fixteen ; but when the Portuguefe fettled in India , then they pre-tended to the fovereignty of the feas, which occafioned a war between him and them,that has lafted ever fince. He keeps fome light gallies that row and fail very well,which cruize along the coaft, from October to May, to make prize of all who have nothis pafs. In our difcourfe, I afked him if he was not afraid to venture his perfon onboard of a merchant fhip, fince he himfelf was an enemy to all merchants that tradedon thefe coafts. He anfwered, that he had heard of my character, and that made himfearlefs, and that he was no enemy to trade, but only vindicated his fovereignty ofthofe feas before mentioned, and that our own king was invefted with the like fove-reignty not only on his own coafts, but on thofe of France, Holland and Denmark ,and could have no greater right than he had, only he was in a better condition to

3 B a oblige