Hamilton’s account of the east indies.'

39 *

places. It is true, the Dutch can drive no open trade there, but what they muft paythe Englilh company cuftoms for.

About the year 1698, the freebooters aforementioned had ahnoft made themfelvesmailers of the fort by ftratagem and furprize. They pretended, that they had beenfent from the Mogul’s viceroy at Vifapore, to take charge of the revenue collected atPorto Novo , and to carry it to the treafury at Vifapore, and defired leave to put theirfeigned treafure into the fort for a few days, to fecure it from the Moratta freebootersaforementioned, who, they faid, were plundering the open country, which favourMr. Frazer, governor at that time, granted; fo they brought into the fort ten ortwelve oxen loaded with ilones, and each ox had two or three attendants, and about200 more of that gang, who came along with the carriage beails as a guard, lodgedthemfelves in a grove near the fort gate, to be ready, on a fignal given, to enter thePort. The freebooters within took an opportunity the very next morning, and killedthe fentinel and a few more that were afleep in the gateway next to the grove ; but,before they could break the gate open, the garrifon was alarmed, and killed all theirtreacherous gueils, and the ambulh without being come into the parade before the gate,met with fo warm a reception, that they retreated in confufion, and the Engliih pur-fuing them, killed feveral, but loft fome of their own men.

Mr. Frazer ordered directly the grove to be cut down, for fear of future dangerfrom it, but Fort St, David being fubordinate to Fort St. George, the governor andcouncil there called Mr. Frazer to - their court, and fined him for prefumption, incutting down fo fine a grove for enemies to fculk in, without leave alked and given indue form; but their right honourable mailers adj ufted all that matter, and orderedthe fine to be refunded, with the intereft; but governors of different views and hu-mours feldom agree.

This colony produces good long cloths in large quantities either brown, white, orblue dyed, alfo Sallampores, Morees, Dimities Ginghams, Succatoons, and fteel.And, without the aififtance of this colony, that of Fort St. George would make buta fmall figure in trade to what it now does.

The river is but fmall, though very convenient for the import and export of mer-chandize. And Cuddelore, that lies about a mile to the fouthward, is capable to re-ceive fhips of 200 tuns in the months of September and October. The rivers haveboth of them bars, but are very fmooth, whereas Fort St. George is always dangerousm going alhore and coming off.

The company has a pretty good garden and fummer-houfe, where generally thegovernor refides; and the town extending itfelf pretty wide has gardens to mod oftheir houfes. Their black cattle are very fmall, but plentiful and cheap. And theirfeas and rivers abound in good fifties.

Punticherry is the next place of note on this coaft ; a colony fettled by the French .It lies about five leagues to the northward of Fort St. David. The fortifications are fine,regular and ftrong, but its trade is very fmall, though the country produces the famecommodities that caufe the trade circulate in Fort St. David. About the year 1690,the Dutch brought forces from Batavia, and befieged it, and being then very fcarcem men, magazines and money, the French were forced to capitulate, and furrenderpretty honourable terms, but, in the conclufion of King William’s war, the■Dutch were obliged to return it by the articles of peace, which verified the fable ofthe cuckow in feizing of other birds nefts weaker than herfelf, in the fpring, andquitting them again in autumn.

2 Connymere