Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

43 6

Their liquor and kernel partake of the qualities of the ground they grow in, being ex-ceeding fait. I never law any cocoa-nuts grow in fait grounds but there, and fome arefo large that the fhell will hold more than an Englilh quart pot. They have alfo plentyof lemons, oranges, limes, fugar-canes, and mangoes. They have a fpecies of mango,called by the Dutch a (linker, which is very offenfive both to the fmell and talle, andconfequently of little ufe. There is little corn or pulfe grows in this country but whatis nourilhed in gardens.

Sheep and bullocks are fcarce and dear, but fwine’s flelh, poultry, and filh, prettyplentiful, and reafonably cheap, confidering it is a Dutch colony, whofe excefiive taxesmake every thing dear, and dilcourage the poor from improving, fince poverty fecuresthem from farther oppreffion. Their corn comes all from Java, Siam, or Cambodia ,but the freight makes it come out dear to what it is in other places, whofe nativeground produces it.

I will pafs by their court of juftice, becaufe it hardly deferves the name, finceGrangers are excluded from the common laws of humanity, wherein I am able to givemany inltances, but I voluntarily pafs by particularities till another time.

There is a very high mountain to the north-eaflward of Malacca , that fends forthfeveral rivers, of which that of Malacca is one, and all of them have fmall quantities ofgold dull found in their channels. The inland inhabitants called Monacaboes, are abarbarous favage people, whofe greatell pleafure is in doing mifchief to their neigh-bours, which is the greatell reafon why the peafants about Malacca fow no grain butwhat is inclofed in gardens with thick fet prickly hedges, or deep ditches ; for whentheir grain is ripe in the open plains, the Monacaboes never fail of putting fire to it, inorder to confume it. 1'hey are much whiter than their neighbouring Malayas who in-habit the low grounds, and the Kings of Johore, whofe fubjecls they are, or at lealtought to be, could never civilize them.

Their religion is a complex of Mahometifm and Paganifin, and they have the charac-ter of great forcerers, who by their fpells can tame wild tigers, and make them carrythem whither they order them, on their backs. Once they had a mind to try their arton the town of Malacca , but were unfuccefsful in their enterprize, according to commonreport there. For one of their chief wizards alfured them that neither gun, fword, norlance, fhould have power to hurt them, if they Ihould attempt the town, whofe defenceconfifts only in a flight gate, with a little round ballion, with five or fix great gunsmounted on it. So on the opinion of their dodlors’ art, a great number drew together,and being armed with lance and crofs, their common weapons, marched without orderor fear towards the gate. When they came near enough, the gunner of the ballionpointed fome guns, and fet fire to the priming, but that fialhed, and the guns would notdifcharge, which difcouraged the guard at the gate, but a Malaya foldier, who underltoodfome of the Monacaboes art, called for a piece of pork, with which he befineared themouths of the cannon, while the gunner renewed the priming, and fire being put tothem, the cannon went olf, and did good execution, which fo frightened the Monaca-boes, that they betook themfelves to flight, and never attempted to difturb the townfmce.

I faw Itrange cures performed by a Malaya doflor at Malacca . One of them was ona gentleman of my acquaintance, who was fecond fupercargo of a Scots Ihip called theSpeedwell, which was loll near Malacca . After the Ihip was loll, the firft fupercargotook an houfe near the town, by the fea-fide, to put their cargo and (lores in that werefaved, but eleven chells of treafure and fome fine goods were lodged in one of the Dutch Company’s warehoufes in the fort, which had three locks on its door. The governor