Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

39 6

bufinefs in merchandize; but that cuftom is out of falhion, and the confultationchamber, or the governor’s apartment, ferves for that ufe now, which made oneCaptain Hart, a very merry man, fay, that he could never have believed thatthe fea-gate could have been carried into the confultation room, if he had notfeen it.

The Company has their mint here for coining bullion that comes from Europe andother countries, into rupees, which brings them in good revenues. The rupee isftamped with Perfian characters, declaring the Mogul’s name, year of his reign, andfome of his epithets. They alfo coin gold into pagodas of feveral denominations andvalue. There are alfo fchools for the education of children, the Englilh for readingand writing Englilh, the Portugueze for their language and latin, and the Mahometans,Gentows, and Armenians , for their particular languages. And the Englilh church iswell endowed, and maintains poor gentlewomen in good houfewifery, good clothes andpalankines.

The diamond mines being but a week’s journey from Fort St. George, make thempretty plentiful there; but few great Hones are now brought to market there, fincethat great diamond which governor Pit fent to England. How he purchafed it Mr.Glover, by whofe means it was brought to the governor, could give the bell account,for he declared to me, that he loft 3000 pagodas by introducing the feller to Mr. Pit,having left fo much money in Arcat as feeurity, that if the ftone was not fairly boughtat Fort St. George, the owner Ihould have free liberty to carry it where he pleafed fora market: but neither the owner nor Mr. Glover were pleafed with the governor’stranfaefions in that affair.

Some cuftoms and laws at the mines are, wherj. a perfon goes thither on that affair,he choofes a piece of ground, and acquaints one of the King’s officers, who ftay therefor that fervice, that he wants fo 'many covets of ground to dig in ; but whetherthey agree for fo much, or if the price be certain, I know not: however, whenthe money is paid, the fpace of ground is inclofed, and fome fentinels placed roundit. The King challenges ail ftones that are found above a certain weight, I think itis about 60 grains ; and if any ftones be carried clandeftinely away above theftipulated weight, the perfon guilty of the theft, is punilhed with death. Someare fortunate, and get eftates by digging, while others lofe both their money andlabour.

The current trade of Fort St. George runs gradually flower, the trader meetingwith difappointments, and fometimes with oppreflions, and fometimes the liberty ofbuying and felling is denied them ; and I have feen, when the governor’s fervantshave bid for goods at a publick fale, fome who had a mind to bid more, durftnot; others who had more courage and durft bid, were browbeaten and threat-ened. And I was witnefs to a bargain of Surat wheat taken out of a gentleman’shands, after he had fairly bought it by auction, fo that many trading people areremoved to other parts, where there is greater liberty and lefs oppfeffion.

The colony produces very little of its own growth or manufacture for foreign mar-kets. They had formerly a trade to Pegu, where many private traders got pretty goodbread by their traffic and induftry ; but the trade is now removed into the. Armenians ,Moors and Gentows hands, and the Englilh are employed in building and repairing offhipping. The trade they have to' China, is divided between them and Surat , for thegold, and fome copper, are for their own markets, and the grofs of their cargo, whichconfifts in fugar, fugar-candy, allom, China ware and fome drugs, as china root, Gal -linff-eal, &c. are all for the Surat market.

Their