Hamilton’s account of the bast indies.

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project, was fo chagrined with the difappointment of another having the fir ft poft inthat affair, that when they came to Galle they had but bad fuccefs. They expectedthe Portugueze there before them to affift, but none came ; but food after liitlof VanGouze was with them, whom the French not caring to engage with, being equal innumber of {hips, and fuperior in force, the French fled, and left their project on Galleunattempted.

They went then to Trankamalaya, and anchored in that bay, defigning to forcethat fmall garrifon to a furrender; but that vigilant Dutch man was foon after themwith his fleet, and forced them to fight difadvantageoufly in Trankamalaya bay, where-in the French loft one half of their fleet, being either funk or burnt. With the reftthey fled to St. Thomas, on the coaft of Cormandel, defigning to fettle there; butVan Gouze was foon there alfo, and feized their fhips, many of their guns beingdifmounted and carried afhore: but they finding they cou!d do no good againft fopowerful and vigilant an enemy, treated and capitulated with the Dutch to leave India ,if they might be allowed fhipping to carry them away, which the Dutch agreedto, and allowed them their admiral’s fiiip, called the Grand Briton, and twomore, to tranfport themfelves whither they pleafed; but Mr. Martin was carried toBatavia, and there confined for his lifetime, with a penfion of a rix dollar perday.

Zeloan is fruitful in rice, pulfe, fruits, herbage and roots. And Jafnapatam ex-ports great quantities of tobacco and fome elephants. Thofe of this ifland’s brood arereckoned the moll docile of any in the world, but they are not large, few of themexceeding three yards in height. They catch them wild by ftratagem, and foon makethem tame after they are caught.

The way they catch them, as they told me, is they drive large flakes into the groundfor 2 or 300 paces, in a plain, and about 100 paces diftant, they begin another rowof flakes, that almoft meets one of the ends of the firft row, only leaving feven oreight foot open between them, for a door, and farther out from the door-place, arefome flakes driven thicker than in the rows, like a fquare chamber; In the door-place is a wooden portcullis or trap-door, fitted to pull up or let down at pleafure.When all is ready, they bring a female elephant trained up for a decoy, and fhe isput into the chamber, and the trap-door kept open. There are men placed in alittle clofe place built on the top of the flakes at the trap-door, and the femaleelephant makes a loud doleful moan. If a male elephant is near, he prefentlyapproaches the chamber, on the outfide; but finding no entrance there, he walksalong the outfide, till he y finds the end, then walking back on the infide of theflakes, he finds the door and enters. As foon as he is in, the watchmen let fall thetrap-door, and go and bring two tame elephants to accompany him that is decoyedto their ftables. When they come near the trap-door, it is pulled up and theyenter, and place themfelves one on each fide. If he proves lurly, they bang himheartily with their trunks, and the female beftows fome blows on him too. When heis tired with their treatment, and finds no other remedy but patience, he even grow?tame, and walks very orderly between his two guards, whitherfoever they pleafe toconduct him, and continues very fociable ever after, except when rutting time comes,and then, if he be young, he becomes very rude and troublefome. That time isknown by a great fweating in his head, fo they have ftrong fetters ready to put on hislegs, and fattened to a great tree for eight or ten days that his madnefs continues.

There are feveral dangers, and rocks above water, on all the coafts of Zeloan.The great Baxias are above water on its eaft fide, not far from the fouth end of the

3D 2 iflandj