4*Q

Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

made, and then he was ordered to remove his factory to Calcutta , and being of anindolent difpofition, had let his accounts with the company run behind. He was fuf-pended, but lived at Calcutta till 1707, that he died there ; he was the only prefidentor precedent in the Company’s fervice, that loll an eftate of 700 pounds per annumin fo profitable a poll in their fervice.

This double-headed government continued in Calcutta , till January 1709, that Mr.Weldon arrived with the Company’s commiffion to fettle it at Bombay and Fort St.George, which were under the management of a governor and council, which thofeof the direction in England took to be a better way to promote jflteir own creatures, aswell as their own intereft. His term of governing was very Ihort, and he took as ihorta way to be enriched by it, by harafling the people to fill his coffers. There was oneAngular inftance of it, A poor feaman had got a pretty Muftice wife, a little inclinedto lewdnefs in her hufband’s abfence. She entertained two Armenians , who wherelike to quarrel about iharing her favours, which coming to the governor’s ears, he re-primanded them: however, by the ftrong perluafion of 500 rupees paid in hand byone of them, he awarded him to have the foie right to her, and he carried her toHughly, and bragged openly what his purchafe had coft him, to the great credit andpraife of the governor; and when the poor hufband returned, he was forced to fubmitto lofe his mare, under the pain of flagellation : yet he was very fhy in taking bribes,referring thofe honeft folks, who trafficked that way, to the difcretion of his wife anddaughter, to make the belt bargain they could about the fum to be paid, and to paythe money into their hands. I could give many inftances of the force of bribery, bothhere and elfewhere in India -, but am loth to ruffle the Ikin of old fores.

About fifty yards from Fort William , ftands the church built by the pious charityof merchants refiding there, and the Chriftian benevolence of fea-faring men, whofeaffairs call them to trade there ; but minifters of the gofpel being fubjefit to mortality,very often young merchants are obliged to officiate, and have a falary of 50I. perannum added to what the company allows them, for their pains in reading prayersand fermons on Sundays.

The governor’s houfe, in the Fort , is the befl; and moft regular piece of architec-ture that I ever faw in India . And there are many convenient lodgings for fafitorsand writers, within the Fort , and fome ftore-houfes for the Company’s goods, andthe magazines for their ammunition.

The Company has a pretty good hofpital at Calcutta , where many go in to undergothe penance of phyfick, but few come out to give account of its operation. Thecompany has alfo a pretty good garden, that furnifhes the governor’s table withherbage and fruits $ and fome fifh-ponds to ferve his kitchen with good carp, calkops,and mullet.

Moll of the inhabitants of Calcutta that make any tolerable figure, have the fameadvantages; and all forts of provifions, both wild and tame, being plentiful, goodand cheap, as well as clothing, make the country very agreeable, notwithftanding theabove mentioned inconveniencies that attend it.

On the other fide of the river are docks made for repairing and fitting their fhipsbottoms, and a pretty good garden belonging to the Armenians , that had been abetter place to have built their fort and town in, for many reasons. One is, that,where it now ftands, the after-noon’s fun is full in the fronts of the houfes, and fbineshot on the ftreets, that are both above and below the fort; the fun would have fentits hot rays on the back of the houfes, and the fronts had been a good fhade for theftreets.

Moft