Hamilton’s account o* the east indies.

388

ifland; and the finall Baxias are under water about three leagues to the north of theother, and dangerous banks of fand within them. To the northward of Trankamalayathere are fome rocks high above water, and fome alfo under water ; and feveral fpits ofof fand jetting a pretty way into the fea from points of lands. I knew a gentlemanthat run his fhip on one fpit near point Pedro, by too much confidence of his own know-ledge of that coaft, for his mate told him, that, in his opinion they kept too nearthe fliore. His captain anfwered, that his knowledge of that coaft was fo good, thatif a fingle fhovel-full of fand was carried off the fea-fhore, he would infalliblymifs it; but a few minutes after, this fhip w*as fall on a bank, and he and his crew de-ferted her, and went afhore, and the fhip found the way off again of her own accord,which when the captain heard of, he, with fome of the crew, returned, and took pof-feffion of her again.

Point Pedro has the 1110ft dangerous bank off it, for they lie above four leaguesfrom the fhore, and the land being very low, makes thofe banks the more dangerous.I have known feveral fhips loft there; and, in anno 1723, one Williams loft his fhipthere, and he and all his crew were feized by the natives, and carried to the King atCandia, and, I am afraid, will be forced to end their "days there.

The religion of Zeloan is Paganifm, and, for want of a better image or reli£t toadore, they worfhip a monkey’s tooth. When the Portugueze were fettled . there,thepriefts loft their adorable tooth, and a fly fellow, who had accompanied a Portu-gueze ambaffador there from Colombo, pretended he had found it three years after itwas miffing. He had, it feems, feen it, and got one as like it as was poffible. The prieftswere fo overjoyed that it was found again, that they purchafed it of the fellow for around fum, reported to be above 10,000 pounds fterling.

All the natives of this ifland believe, that Adam was created on this fpot, and thereis the fhape of a man’s foot cut out of a rock on the top of the high hill (called Adam’sPeak by the Englifh ) about five or fix ordinary feet long. This opinion is alfo fpreadover many provinces on the continent, which brings many pilgrims to vifit the footftep.And they alfo believe, that on Adam’s tranfgreffion, the bridge before fpoken of, wasmade by angels to carry him over to the main land, whither I am obliged to follow him,having no more of Zeloan to treat you with, but fome of the belt arecka in the worldthat grows there.

Chap. XXVIII. — Treats of the Countries on the Sea-coajl , from Adam's Bridge atZeloan , to Fort St. George ; with an Account of St. Thomas's Martyrdom , accordingto the Portugueze Legend.

THE firft place of note, to the northward of Adam’s Bridge, on the continent, isNagapatam a Dutch colony and fortrefs taken from the Portugueze. It has the benefitof a river, whieh formerly bounded the dominions of Malabar, though their lan-guage was, and is ufed farther northward. The river wafhes the fort walls, and itswaters are reckoned very unhealthful; but about the year 1693, by the ingenuity andcare of Myn Heer Van Reede, whom I have formerly mentioned, that caufe of amortal malady was removed, for he built fome water boats, and fent them four leaguesoff to another river, whofe waters were reckoned very healthful, and by thefe boatsfumifhed the garrifon with good water. In a fhort time there was a vifible alteration,for the better in the ftate of the inhabitants’ health; and making an eftimate of thecharges of thofe water boats, and the ufual charges of the hofpital, the Company

found