380 Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

reached as far as cape Comerin, which journey 20,000 of them travelled in three yearsfrom their fetting out of Babylon.

When they arrived in the Malabar country, they found the inhabitants very civiland hofpitable to ftrangers, giving them liberty of confcience in religious matters,and the free ufe of reafon and induftry in economy. There they increafed, both innumbers and riches, till in procefs of time, either by policy or wealth, or both, theyCame to purchafe the little kingdom of Cranganore . And there being one family amongthem much efteemed for wifdom, power and riches, two of the Ions of that familywere chofen by their elders and fenators, to govern the common-wealth, and reignjointly over them. Concord, the ftrongeft bonds of fociety, was in a fhort timebroken, and ambition took place, for one of the brothers inviting his colleague to afeaft, and picking a quarrel with his gueft, bafely killed him, thinking, by that means,Jo reign alone; but the defunct leaving a fon of a bold fpirit behind 'him,revenged his father’s death, by killing the fratricide, and fo the ftate fell again into ademocracy, which ftill continues among the Jews here; but the lands have, for manyages, recurred back into the hands of the Malabars, and poverty and oppreffion havemade many apoftatize.

Between Cranganore and Couchin, there is an illand called Baypin, that occupies thefea-coaft. It is four leagues long, but no part of it is two miles broad. The Dutchforbid all veffels or boats to enter at Cranganore : and at Couchin the channel is abouta quarter of a mile broad, but very deep, though the bar has not above 14 feet waterat fpring tides.

The firft Europeans that fettled in Couchin were the Portugueze, and there theybuilt a fine city on the river’s fide, about three leagues from the fea; but the fea gainingon the land yearly, it is not now above 100 paces from it. It Hands fo pleafantly, thatthe Portugueze had a common faying, that China was a country to get money in, andCouchin was a place toipend it in; for the great numbers of canals made by the riversand iflands, made filhing and fowling very diverting; and the mountains are wellftored with wild game.

On the infide of Baypin ifland, there is an old fort built by the Portugueze, calledPalliapore, to infpecf all boats that go between Cranganore and Couchin. And fiveleagues up the rivulets is a Romilh church called Verapoli, ferved by French and Italianpriefts; and when a bilhop comes into thofe parts, it is the place of his refidence. ThePadre fuperior of Varapoli, can raife, upon occafion, 4000 men, all Chriftians of thechurch of Rome ; but there are many more St. Thomas’s Chriftians that do not com-municate with thofe of Rome, and fome Portugueze, called Topafes, that communicatewith neither, for they will be ferved by none but Portugueze priefts, becaufe they indulgethem more in their villainy, and abfolutions from crimes are eafier purchafed from thePortugueze than from the French or Italians , who are generally much more politeand learned than the Portugueze, who are permitted to take the habit of fome order,without being examined whether the novice has the common qualifications of fchoollearning.

About two leagues farther up towards the mountains, on the fide of a fmall, but deepriver, is a place called Firdalgo, where the inhabitants of Couchin generally alfemble torefrelh themfelves in the troublefome hot months of April and May. The banks andbottom of the river is clean fand, and the water fo clear, that a fmall pebble ftone maybe feen at the bottom in three fathoms water. Every company makes choice of a placeby the river’s fide, and pitch their tents, and drive fome fmall hakes before their tents,